Whitey Bay: "So this is the Sky Island Roger once came to? It really is beautiful."
Makino: "It is… If only I could visit Sky Island just once myself."
Makino pressed her hands together. When Arton first mentioned Sky Island, she had imagined what it might look like, but after seeing the scenery of Sky Island for real through the footage recorded by Arton's diary system, Makino realized her estimate of its beauty had still been far too low.
Those stretches of white cloud lay directly beneath everyone's feet, and in the distance was a clear blue sky.
The sight alone was enough to make Makino yearn for it.
And it wasn't just Makino. Whether it was Marines like Gion and Kujaku, or pirates like Ginrummy and Smoothie, all of them were briefly captivated by Sky Island's beauty.
Smoothie: "What a shame. If I'd managed to link up with Arton earlier, I might not only have gotten a template, I might have made it to Sky Island too."
Yamato: "Sky Island, huh! That's a place worth adventuring to. Damn it, why don't I get to tag along with Arton? I'm so jealous of Nami and the others."
Ginrummy: "Sky Island, a place the Pirate King once visited… Aside from the Poneglyph, what other treasure might be up there?"
Gion: "Sky Island may be beautiful, but there is a Poneglyph up there. This is going to be troublesome. What will Robin see on that Poneglyph?"
Doll: "If, after seeing the Poneglyph, Robin could translate it for us, that'd be great. No… on second thought, maybe not. If she does, all those vicious pirates will see it too."
Belo Betty: "I'd love to know what the Poneglyph says, but Robin definitely won't read it out loud while Arton's livestreaming it. Since she has the Poneglyph, she'll know whether Arton's streaming or not."
Stussy: "Even if Arton tries to get Robin to translate it on the spot, she'll find a way to break that idea. All she has to do is use her power to knead his sensitive spots a bit."
…
"You okay, Ain?" Arton had his left hand resting on the ship's rail, and his right arm wrapped around Ain's waist as he spoke.
"I-I'm fine. Thank you, Captain." Ain gave a small nod, thanking him earnestly.
"It's nothing. We're crewmates now, after all." Arton chuckled. Taking advantage of the fact that Ain hadn't moved away yet and everyone else was busy admiring the scenery, he let his right hand slip under Ain's shirt, sliding inside her inner layer of clothing.
In no time, he pushed past that inner layer as well.
Ain felt a large, warm hand press against the depths of her soul, making her heartbeat race faster and faster—especially as she felt her treasures changing shape beneath his palm.
Just as Ain was about to let out a helpless moan, Arton pulled his hand back, finally allowing her to catch a bit of air.
"Everyone, how are you feeling? The view here's pretty nice, isn't it?"
Arton patted Ain on the shoulder, then turned around to speak to Robin, Nami, Carina and the others.
"It is really nice~. By the way, Ain, what's with you? Are you feeling unwell?" Seeing Ain panting for breath, Uta couldn't help asking in confusion.
"N-no… not really. It's just that the air up here is a little thin, so I'm not used to it yet." Ain shook her head, cheeks flushed red as she spoke. "You all know I don't have a template yet—m-my strength isn't on the same level as yours."
"Really?" Uta eyed her suspiciously.
"R-really!" Ain nodded again, but in her current state it was honestly hard to believe.
"It still feels kinda weird. Captain, you didn't bully her, did you?" Carina sidled up to Arton, laughing as she jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
"How could I? I already think of Ain as a comrade now." Arton shook his head, answering with apparent sincerity. "As captain of the Flameblade Pirates, how could I bully one of my own crew?"
"Hehe, it's precisely because you already think of her as a comrade…" Carina said with a grin. "That you can go after her without the slightest hesitation, right?"
Chapter 497: Koala Feels Awfully Shy
Whitey Bay: "Carina has a point. Arton may like pretty girls, but when it comes to beauties who aren't his crewmates, the chances he'll make a move are pretty low."
Stussy: "Especially when they're Marines from the enemy side. Back then Gion still got a thorough beating from Arton, didn't she."
Kalifa: "Thinking back on it now is very funny. Gion actually tried to seduce Arton. …Wait, I'm an agent of the World Government—Arton wouldn't treat me as an enemy and ignore me too, would he!?"
Belo Betty: "I have to admit, that's a very admirable side of Arton. He likes girls, but he doesn't just let himself be swayed by them."
Koala: "B-but he's way too handsy with his own crewmates… Just now he even touched Ain's chest, right? And Ain's there even changed shape."
While Arton was streaming, Carina, Nami and the others were all distracted by the scenery around them.
Even a good number of the diary-copy holders were mesmerized by the sight of Sky Island—after all, this was their first time seeing what the place truly looked like, but people like Belo Betty and Koala, who were watching Arton's side of things through their diary copies, were paying much more attention to him than to the view.
Because of that, the two of them clearly saw the moment Arton squeezed Ain.
"Since Ain herself accepts it, there's nothing all that serious about it." Belo Betty shook her head at Koala as she spoke. "Koala, you don't need to overthink this."
"I-I mean, you're not wrong… But when we get close to Arton, are we supposed to… l-let him squeeze us too?" By the time Koala got the words out, her face was already as red as an apple.
"Hehe, if you really can't bring yourself to do it, just leave it to me." Belo Betty said with a laugh. "If it's just a squeeze or two, I don't mind at all."
"Come on, Belo Betty, at least try to act like a lady sometimes sigh..." Koala shook her head helplessly.
She wasn't actually surprised by what Belo Betty said—she was a famously bold woman to begin with. Koala even felt Belo Betty could probably just let Arton rest his head right in her lap and have him take in her scent or something.
"When it comes to Arton, I honestly think we shouldn't act ladylike… hmm?" Belo Betty suddenly stopped talking, her brows knitting together.
"What's wrong?" Koala asked in confusion.
"It's nothing major, just… Arton turned off the stream." Belo Betty shook her head, sounding a bit regretful.
"He turned it off, huh. That shouldn't be a big deal." Koala scratched the back of her head as she spoke. "It's not like we could expect him and Robin to read out the Poneglyph in front of everyone anyway."
"Even so, I still really want to know more about Arton." Belo Betty sighed.
"Arton, huh… If we really do manage to come to an understanding with him someday…"
"Will I be able to get a template from him—and if I do, what kind of template he'd give me." Koala's voice carried clear curiosity.
"Looks like our Koala's just as drawn to the templates as everyone else."
"But if you want a template, you'd better be ready to give something up in exchange." As Belo Betty said that, she lifted a hand and pointed at her own chest, then pointed at Koala's pair.
"Uh, l-let's… not talk about that, okay?" Koala crossed her arms over her chest and ducked her head shyly.
"As you wish." Belo Betty tilted her head back to look up at the sky, muttering to herself, "But still… if I could get a template, what kind of ability would it have."
....
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