Kaya stared at the diary entry from Carina in front of her, completely astonished.
Such words, if she hadn't seen them with her own eyes, would have been unimaginable.
However, recalling the massage videos Arton had uploaded involving him and Carina, Kaya suddenly thought that perhaps Carina was describing her own situation.
Carina turned to look at Kaya, and upon seeing the expression on her face, Carina immediately guessed what Kaya was thinking.
She smiled, wrapped her arms around Kaya's, and whispered softly in her ear:
"Kaya, you know deep down that Arton likes you, don't you?"
"I don't mean the version of you in the comics, but the real you."
"If it weren't so, he wouldn't have invited you on board, right?"
"So, when you accepted his invitation, was it for power?"
"Perhaps, but your desire for power shouldn't be that strong, right?"
"After all, the Black Cat Pirates have already been dealt with."
"Was it to thank Arton?"
"It must be more than that."
"Isn't there a bit of curiosity and affection for Arton in your heart?"
"Have you never thought about wearing a wedding dress and walking down the aisle with Arton like in his drawings one day?"
"Hey, Kaya, knowing that Arton likes you and still accepting his invitation."
"Don't you think that, in itself, is like accepting Arton's confession?"
Hearing Carina's words, Kaya was stunned.
Do I really like Arton?
Did Arton confess to me?
Did I accept it?
Am I going to marry Arton?
Does that mean having children too?
At that moment, Kaya felt a bit lost.
After a long time, with Carina shaking her a bit, Kaya finally came back to her senses.
She looked at Carina, who was smiling in front of her, took a deep breath, and asked softly:
"Carina-san, did you also accept Arton-san's 'confession' and plan to marry him?"
"It's not something I haven't thought about."
"You, you really plan to marry Arton-san? But didn't you agree to work by his side for 10 years?"
"That was my initial thought, but looking at the current situation, after ten years, I probably won't be able to get used to living away from Arton."
"Then, why haven't you shown intimacy with Arton-san?"
"Isn't it because that man is too flirtatious? Uta, Kaya, you both boarded the ship one after another. Who knows how many more will join Arton's large ship in the future?"
"Oh, I see."
"So, Kaya, if you want to make a move on Arton, you better hurry up. Right now, you only have me and Uta as competitors, but later, who knows how many more there will be?"
"Com... competitors, uh!"
Kaya covered her face, unable to say another word, and she dared not look at Arton anymore.
Carina glanced at Kaya in front of her, then at Uta in the distance, and finally at Arton. She let out a soft sigh.
"Given the current situation, who knows who Arton will choose in the end?"
"Or will he choose to have a harem?"
Carina pondered to herself.
"Uta is willing to play around with Arton, she must really enjoy these playful times with him."
"Sometimes she even jokes about my relationship with Arton. If she hadn't thought about marrying Arton yet, it might mean she doesn't mind sharing Arton with others, or perhaps she doesn't mind sharing him with me?"
"Kaya's feelings for Arton are still quite vague, but Arton seems to fancy her."
"Maybe after spending more time together, her feelings for Arton will turn into love instead of just fondness."
"And what about me? Should I be direct with Arton and ask him to only be good to me?"
"Or should I be more generous and share Arton with Uta and the others?"
"Or should I just endure it and leave Arton after ten years?"
Thinking about leaving, Carina once again looked at Uta and Arton.
For some reason, she felt a sense of reluctance.
Not just reluctant to leave Arton, but also reluctant to part with Uta, whom she had gotten close to.
Because they were both exceptional singers, the bond between Carina and Uta had developed quite quickly.
"Oh well, let's take it one step at a time."
"If I really can't leave Arton in the end."
"I'll deal with it then."
Carina shook her head and pulled Kaya along to help steer the ship.
However, because of Carina's previous words, Kaya couldn't get into a normal working state.
Her mind was continuously filled with scenes of Arton ever since she had known him.
Kaya was pondering if she had truly fallen for Arton.
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
Somewhere in the East Blue.
A small sailboat was swiftly sailing on the sea, driven by the wind.
On the boat, a cute girl with short orange hair was frowning and staring straight ahead.
More accurately, she was staring at an old notebook that most people couldn't see.
If Carina were here, she would surely recognize the woman before her as her former good partner, Nami.
"So... so many photos."
"It's just a lap pillow."
"And Arton took so many pictures."
"If I let him rest on my lap, lean in my arms…"
"Wouldn't I also have so many photos?"
"And if I give him a massage like Carina did."
"I could have videos worth ten points too?"
"But, where am I supposed to find Arton now?!"
"Where is the Golden Lion that Arton is looking for?"
Nami grabbed her hair with both hands, feeling a wave of frustration.
After realizing that the Arlong Pirates were colluding with the Navy, and that even saving a hundred million berries wouldn't save Cocoyashi Village, Nami had almost pinned all her hopes on finding Arton.
Because of this, she hadn't stolen anything for a long time.
As a result, she now had no way of knowing where to find Arton.
This situation left Nami feeling somewhat desperate.
Just then, a shadow fell, completely covering Nami.
She looked up in confusion and was surprised to see a ship flying in the sky.
"A ship... flying in the sky?"
"Wait, could it be the Golden Lion Shiki?!"
Nami's mouth fell open in disbelief.
Although she had never seen Shiki, through Arton's diary, Nami knew that the Golden Lion Shiki had the power to make ships fly.
Seeing a ship suddenly flying off the sea, she naturally thought of this.
"Huh, I didn't expect someone in the East Blue to know my name."
"Little girl, what's your name?"
A man with a ship's wheel stuck in his head and golden hair extended from the edge of the flying pirate ship, looking at Nami with great interest and asking.
"It's really him?!"
Nami looked at Shiki's golden hair, increasingly convinced that the person in front of her was indeed the Golden Lion.
The Golden Lion sneered at Nami's silence, extending his right hand and grasping towards her.
The next moment, the sea beneath Nami's boat began to churn.
"Wha- what's happening?!"
Nami clung to the boat's edge in terror and exclaimed.
"Unfortunately, I don't want too many people to know about my existence just yet," the Golden Lion said. "So, for someone who can call out my name, it's better if you just die here."
With that, the churning beneath Nami's boat intensified. Nami desperately tried to steady herself, but her efforts were in vain under the Golden Lion's power.
Just as her boat was about to flip 180 degrees, Nami suddenly remembered something from Arton's diary about the Golden Lion and navigators.
"Wait, don't kill me! I'm a navigator! I can work for you!" Nami shouted, raising her right hand.
"A navigator?" The Golden Lion raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. If you don't believe me... oh, right, it's about to rain," Nami said, feeling the humidity in the air.
"Rain?" The Golden Lion looked at the clear sky and sneered at Nami. "Trying to save your life with such a lie?"
The Golden Lion shook his head and was about to capsize Nami's boat with his power.
But at that moment, the clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds. The Golden Lion frowned and looked up.
Suddenly, lightning flashed within the dark clouds, followed by rain the size of soybeans.
"You, you're interesting," the Golden Lion said, looking at Nami. He then waved his hand, using his power to lift Nami's sailboat into the air, bringing her towards his pirate ship.
"From now on, you follow me. Understand?"
As Nami landed on the pirate ship, the Golden Lion laughed and spoke to her.
"Yes, I understand," Nami replied, nodding repeatedly.
Through Arton's diary, Nami knew that the man before her was ruthless enough to plan the destruction of the entire East Blue. Naturally, she didn't dare to defy the Golden Lion.
The Golden Lion nodded and turned to walk towards the cabin.
Nami took a deep look at the Golden Lion's back, her mind drifting to Arton, who was searching for the Golden Lion.
"If I stay with the Golden Lion now, does that mean I'll get to see Arton?" Nami wondered silently.
***
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