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"Sky Island's Knock Up Stream is something Captain has been looking forward to more than anything. If we miss it now, who knows how long we'll have to wait." Carina watched the distant collision of fire and ice out over the sea, her expression deadly serious as she spoke. "We have to let Arton know."
"But Captain Arton is in the middle of a fight with a Marine Admiral." Ain spoke anxiously. "How are we supposed to tell him what's happening over here?"
They couldn't just sail the ship over there right now. If they did, they'd be dragged straight into the battle between Arton, Robin, and Kuzan.
At that point, Arton might be forced to split his focus in order to protect them. That was exactly what Ain didn't want. And it was also exactly what Nami, Uta, Tashigi, and the rest of the Flameblade Pirates didn't want to see either.
"If we suddenly dump this on Captain right in the middle of his fight with Kuzan, we might end up distracting him." Carina said. "And when you're facing an opponent on the level of a Marine Admiral, any distraction can lead to a disastrous result."
"So we can't just rush over there."
"Th-then what do we do… Wait—what if we tell Robin instead?" The ship's doctor, Kaya, suggested hesitantly.
"Exactly!" Carina nodded in agreement. "Kaya, that's a very good idea."
"Right now, Robin is in Fusion Mode together with Captain—she's the one closest to the fight, so she's in the best position to find the right moment to tell Captain about the Knock Up Stream."
Hearing this, the women of the Flameblade Pirates all nodded.
Right—if they went over to warn Arton now, it could cause him to lose focus. One misstep and he might end up at a disadvantage against Kuzan, but Robin was different. She was standing right at the center of the battlefield, so she would definitely be able to pick the right timing to tell Captain about the Knock Up Stream.
Once the idea was formed, Carina acted immediately, opening her diary copy and finding Robin's name in the contacts list.
…
"Kuzan really is a monster. He's even more terrifying than he was back in Ohara. Thankfully, Captain is just as terrifyingly strong."
Through the golden window hanging in the sky, Robin watched the clash between Kuzan and Arton, a complicated emotion stirring in her chest.
Who would've thought she'd one day be taking part in a battle against a Marine Admiral?
Just then, a notification from her diary copy drew her attention.
"Carina's message? Why now?" Though puzzled, Robin still opened Carina's message.
[Carina: Robin, the Knock Up Stream is going to appear very soon.]
[Robin: The Knock Up Stream? The one Captain's been eagerly waiting for? Why would it show up now?!]
[Carina: Maybe it's being affected by the battle between Admiral Kuzan and Captain. In any case, I'm hoping you can find the right timing to tell Captain.]
[Robin: Understood. Don't worry—I'll find the right moment.]
Robin nodded firmly to herself and closed the message tab.
Just like Carina, Ain, and the others, she knew exactly how much Captain was looking forward to the Knock Up Stream. This was something she absolutely had to tell him.
"Marine Admirals are all monsters… There's no way to defeat one quickly. So… do we have to bring this fight to an end?" Robin murmured to herself.
Chapter 490: Kuzan Is Quite Surprised
Robin had never intended for Captain and Kuzan to fight to the bitter end. Compared to a life-or-death struggle between the two sides, what she wanted to see far more was Kuzan backing off after realizing the situation, and choosing not to continue chasing them.
So the moment she received Carina's message, Robin immediately began looking for a chance to notify Arton.
Through the "window" in the air, she watched the battle between Arton and Kuzan, and after some time finally found a moment where Arton wouldn't be easily distracted and leave an opening for Kuzan. At that rare timing, she told him about the Knock Up Stream.
"Captain, Carina and the others say the Knock Up Stream is about to appear. Shouldn't we be thinking about pulling out of this battlefield?"
"Oh? The Knock Up Stream?!"
Hearing Robin's voice from within his own body, Arton couldn't help arching a brow. The flames gathered in his hand also stalled for a brief instant.
That made Kuzan in the distance, who had just braced himself to receive Arton's attack, feel a bit puzzled. Fortunately, he didn't immediately launch a counterattack because of it, which gave Arton and Robin enough time to talk.
"Are you sure, Robin?" Arton asked.
"Mhm. Both Miss Carina and Miss Nami believe the Knock Up Stream is about to arrive. It's very likely being triggered by your battle with Kuzan." Robin replied with certainty.
"I see… Looks like there's no way for this fight to keep going much longer." Arton sounded a little helpless.
The Knock Up Stream was something he had been waiting on for a long time; there was no way he was just going to miss it. With that thought in mind, he suddenly lifted his head, eyes blazing as he looked straight at Kuzan.
"Robin, I'm going to squeeze your stamina dry." Arton said. "This next move will be the final strike I unleash using your Signora template."
"Understood!" Robin replied immediately.
"Then, get ready."
As Arton spoke, he began drawing more and more power from Robin's Signora template within her body.
In an instant, torrents of flame surged out from within him, constantly gathering into the flaming butterfly in his hand.
He intended to pull out as much of Signora's Flame as he could. After unleashing this attack, he and Robin would definitely drop out of Fusion Mode.
That didn't bother him in the slightest. Once this strike was done, he was planning to leave anyway—assuming Kuzan didn't chase after them.
"You're getting awfully serious all of a sudden… Are you planning to make this your finishing blow?"
Kuzan asked curiously, even as he drew on his own power. Massive amounts of frigid energy condensed in his hand, forming an ice sphere capable of freezing anything.
"Yeah. I've still got things I need to do. I really don't have the luxury of trading blows with a monster like you for three days and three nights." Arton said with a laugh.
"I don't know why you're talking about three days and three nights… But if anyone here is a monster, you're the real one." Kuzan said. "A bizarre Devil Fruit ability, formidable close-quarters combat—those two things don't often appear together in the same person."
"If we're talking Devil Fruit and hand-to-hand ability, aren't you also someone who's excelled in both?" Arton answered with a grin.
"Hmm?" Kuzan's brow furrowed slightly.
He was puzzled. While he was indeed skilled in close-quarters combat, strictly speaking he'd never really showcased that side of himself in front of the wider world.
There were even plenty of Marines who believed his specialty was solely his Logia power, not his physical prowess.
For a pirate like Arton to know that… that was something Kuzan found genuinely unexpected.
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