"Maidservant'?"
"You can just take it to mean maid." Arton waved a hand, not wanting to explain the difference between maidservant and maid.
Watching Arton turn away, Ain pursed her lips. In the end, she didn't quite have the courage to wipe his chest. For a while, the lookout fell into a long silence.
"Come to think of it, you Marines seem very focused on me," Arton said suddenly. "Is it because I defeated Gion? Or because I'm traveling with Red-Hair's daughter?"
"Um… both," Ain answered after opening and closing her mouth once.
Of course she knew the real reason the Marines fixated on Arton was the Diary System. But even if she wanted to say so, there was no way.
"Fair enough. Both are indeed things worth caring about. But really, your bounty on me came far too late. Sure, slapping three billion on me all at once felt pretty great—but when I beat Shiki, you should've posted a bounty then, no?"
Because your Diary System made Gion and the others want you to join the Marines… Ain puffed her cheeks, then probed cautiously: "Maybe, at first, the Marines didn't consider you enough of a threat."
"Heh. I beat Shiki and I still wasn't a threat?" Arton shook his head. "In other words, the Marines just didn't do enough. You had to wait until I took down a Celestial Dragon to bounty me." He cocked an eye at her. "Speaking of which, I'm a vicious pirate who killed a Celestial Dragon. You're not afraid of me?"
"N-no, I'm not!" Ain shook her head on instinct. She knew Arton wouldn't casually harm his heroines—and he'd previously spared both Tashigi and Hina. With that in mind, she had even less reason to fear him.
"That's odd—are you not afraid of dying? Even if not, shouldn't you hate me? I abducted you—though, yes, you did ask me to. And I injured your teacher, Zephyr."
Ain flushed at Arton's blunt "you asked me to be abducted."
It was for a template… she griped silently, even as she kept her face calm. "Teacher Zephyr's injuries aren't serious. He'll recover with some rest. As for my not worrying about safety… you spared Tashigi and Hina before. Though now Tashigi is yours." She flicked a glance at the sleeping Tashigi, her words carrying a double meaning.
"Bold enough, all right," Arton said with a wry shake of his head. "No wonder you dared to run around with Zephyr."
Ain didn't argue. Knowing the future, she understood full well just how reckless Zephyr's path would become. If that future wasn't changed, Zephyr would die—and many innocent people would die because of him. As Zephyr's student, Ain couldn't accept that.
I have to find a way to stay.As long as there are Celestial… Right—Hina!
Ain's eyes lit up. "Captain, do you know Hina's current situation?"
"Hina? No. Is something wrong on her end?" Arton rubbed his chin, interest piqued. Back in Nojiko and Nami's hometown, Hina hadn't struck a Celestial Dragon, but knowing the World Government's habits, he didn't expect her outlook to be good. Her rank might even be demoted two grades.
Chapter 328: Next Stop—Enies Lobby!
"She's been taken to Enies Lobby for trial."
"Hm? Hina's being tried at Enies Lobby? Your Marines handle your own people like that?"
"It isn't the Marines' demand—it's from the World Government. In fact, if not for Teacher Zephyr and Vice Admiral Garp vouching for her, Hina would already have been taken away by a female Celestial Dragon."
At that, Arton's brows knit.
"Taken away by a female Celestial Dragon? What does she plan to do to Hina? Right—what's her name?"
Seeing Arton's reaction, Ain grew a little excited. "I remember—the female Celestial Dragon was named Saint Shalria!"
The moment the words left her mouth, Arton stood up from his seat and grasped Ain by both shoulders.
"Ain, that Saint Shalria you mentioned—where is she now?"
Ain shook her head. "I'm not sure about her current location. But she did say that once Hina's trial concludes, she'll go to Enies Lobby to pick Hina up. She intends to make Senior Hina her slave."
"This is… hehe…" The corner of Arton's mouth curled upward. "Falling right into my lap. I've finally found you, Celestial Dragon."
Arton was positively elated. He'd searched so long—only to have slain just one Celestial Dragon in the end, and had no idea when he'd locate a second. And now Ain was telling him that Saint Shalria would be going to Enies Lobby!
That, Arton could not ignore. In his mind, he was already picturing exactly how he would torment Saint Shalria. Just imagining that high-and-mighty woman kneeling before him like a bitch heathed his heart with savage delight.
Ain swallowed, eyes fixed tightly on Arton, terrified he would jot down "Enies Lobby" in his diary. At this point, she was even prepared—if Arton showed the slightest sign of revealing their destination in the diary—to offer herself up and scramble his thoughts.
Fortunately, Arton was busy fantasizing about Saint Shalria's comeuppance. He didn't open the Diary System or record their next destination.
Even so, he'd already made up his mind.
The next stop—Enies Lobby.
…
Aboard the Sylvan. On the deck.
"Arton, you called us all over—what's up?" Nami stepped forward, curious.
"Yeah, have you already decided our next destination?" Carina asked.
The others said nothing, but the curiosity on their faces matched Nami's.
"Mm. There is something to announce," Arton nodded. "As for our next destination, I've made the decision. Next, we're heading to Enies Lobby."
The instant he finished, every member of the Flameblade Pirates stared in shock.
Carina: "Enies Lobby? That's one of the World Government's Three Great Institutions—why the sudden decision, Arton?"
Nami: "Right! Captain, we just fought Zephyr and Garp—wouldn't going there now be way too dangerous?"
Kaya: "This… isn't it a bit abrupt?"
Tashigi: "Captain, that's Enies Lobby. It's very close to Marine Headquarters and Impel Down. Rushing that way— isn't it too dangerous?"
Enies Lobby—the most famous of the World Government's Three Great Institutions, the place where criminals are judged.
It's said that once a prisoner is sent to Enies Lobby, none ever come out again.
Even that rumor alone was enough to make Carina, Nami, and Kaya deeply uneasy. Because Arton hadn't written anything in the diary about heading there, none of them understood why he'd suddenly set Enies Lobby as their course.
...
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