"Tashigi!"
Hina looked deeply at Tashigi, then resolutely turned her gaze to Arton.
"Please heal Tashigi."
"If you're willing to help, Hina is willing to do anything for you."
If Tashigi could think of the Tsunade template, Hina could too.
Hina knew that Arton had already recognized her and Tashigi's identities.
Therefore, she understood that she couldn't fabricate an identity to persuade Arton to treat them.
But she also knew that Arton liked beautiful women.
Especially those whom Arton had previously reimagined.
She thought that if she were willing to satisfy some of Arton's desires, he would help treat Tashigi.
At this moment, Hina was even prepared to be Arton's mistress.
"How interesting, quite a cunning response, Miss Hina."
"If I treat Tashigi, you will do anything for me?"
"So, I still have to treat you, right?"
"After all, you must stay alive to do anything for me, right?"
Arton clapped his hands, smiling.
"Hina didn't mean it that way… fine, in fact, you're not wrong."
"Please, help us, Tashigi can't die here."
Hina bit her lip, bowing her head to Arton.
"I beg you too."
"If there's anything you want me to do, I will certainly do it."
Tashigi said, holding back her tears, looking at Arton.
"Is that so?"
Arton raised an eyebrow.
"Can you really do anything?"
Tashigi and Hina exchanged glances, then quickly nodded to Arton, both trying to be the first to agree.
"Then, what if I want both of you to leave the navy and join my pirate crew?"
Arton gestured to Nami and the others fighting the beasts in the arena, then started supporting Hina and Tashigi as they walked towards Carina, Kaya, and the others.
"Leave the navy?!"
"Join your pirate crew?"
Tashigi and Hina stiffened, looking at Arton in disbelief.
"What's the matter? Didn't you say you'd agree to anything?"
"Were you lying to me after all?"
Arton's lips curled into a knowing smile as he looked at Hina and Tashigi.
Tashigi and Hina's eyes wavered as they fell into deep thought.
By the time they snapped out of it, Arton had already brought them to where Kaya, Carina, and the others were.
Tashigi and Hina glanced around, seeing Nami and Carina bickering.
The others who had fought the beasts were receiving simple medical treatment from Kaya.
"Puh!"
At that moment, Hina suddenly coughed up blood again.
Tashigi also began to weaken, her strength fading quickly.
Tashigi and Hina exchanged a glance, their eyes growing resolute as they looked up at Arton.
"Arton, I will…"
"Kaya, merge with me."
"The pink-haired navy here has internal damage."
"The other one has multiple fractures. If not properly treated, the broken bones will pierce her organs, and there are several areas of internal bleeding that need to be addressed."
Arton interrupted Hina and Tashigi, speaking to Kaya.
"Yes, Captain Arton."
Kaya nodded repeatedly and quickly approached.
She knew that her current use of Tsunade's abilities wasn't advanced enough to heal Hina.
As for Tashigi, she could slowly heal her and help her recover.
However, given the urgency, merging with Arton was necessary to treat Tashigi.
Soon, Arton merged with Kaya in front of Hina, Tashigi, and everyone else.
"Both of you, lie down."
"Don't move or speak unnecessarily."
Arton laid Tashigi and Hina down and began using the Healing Palm Technique to treat them.
For other doctors, such injuries might be fatal, but for Arton, who had Tsunade's powers, they were nothing significant.
Even though he couldn't fully utilize all of Tsunade's powers, healing Hina and Tashigi's injuries was just a bit more laborious compared to Tsunade herself.
Before long, Hina and Tashigi felt their bodies warming up, and the original pain rapidly diminished.
They glanced at each other, then at Arton's serious face, and finally at his hands placed slightly above their chests, murmuring a quiet "thank you."
Arton smiled but didn't respond.
After a few more minutes of treatment, Arton stood up and ended the fusion.
By this time, Hina and Tashigi were as good as new.
Arton glanced at the Seastone handcuffs on Hina's wrists and casually sliced them off with his sword.
"So, you were about to say something to me earlier?"
Arton sheathed his sword and curiously asked Hina and Tashigi.
They blinked, opened their mouths, but couldn't bring themselves to say what they had intended.
Earlier, they had resolved to leave the navy and join Arton, but now their determination had faded.
Even Tashigi, who was starting to doubt the navy's justice, found it hard to voice that decision again.
"If you don't want to say it, that's fine."
"Remember, both of you owe me your lives."
"I'm the kind of person who repays debts and seeks retribution, and I appreciate people who do the same."
"I hope you two won't repay kindness with betrayal."
"I'll settle the score for saving you later."
"For now, figure out how to get these people off this island."
"I recall seeing a hot air balloon outside the island when we passed by earlier."
"With your abilities, you should be able to use those hot air balloons to get them out of here."
Arton raised his hand and patted Hina and Tashigi on the shoulders, then greeted Nami, Carina, and the others before striding outside.
Seeing this, Hina and Tashigi had no choice but to follow Arton's instructions. They began to gather those who could still move, preparing to seize the hot air balloons.
"Arton, those two women are from the navy, right."
"Don't you want to keep them here and make them yours?"
Carina wrapped her arm around Arton's shoulder, smiling seductively.
After speaking, she deliberately glanced at Nami.
Not to be outdone, Nami hugged Arton's other arm.
This made Uta and Kaya sigh.
Of course, the one who sighed the most was Arton. After all, being the center of attention, he could directly feel the intense emotions from Nami and Carina.
"Get those two to join my crew?"
"That would be a joke."
"If they really quit the navy and came to me, I'd have to suspect they're spies."
Arton shook his head and said.
"I see. That's really a pity."
Carina smiled.
She noticed Nami still staring at her, so she raised her hand and sent out several purple lightning bolts that hit a few passing members of the Golden Lion Pirate Crew.
As expected, Nami's eyes immediately flashed with envy upon seeing Carina's power.
Seeing this made Carina even happier.
Just as she was about to show off more of her abilities to Nami, Arton moved his arm on Carina's side and said:
"Save your strength. We might need it later."
Carina nodded slightly. "Alright~."
On the other side.
Thanks to Arton clearing the way, it didn't take long for Hina and Tashigi to get all the people captured by the Golden Lion onto the hot air balloons.
However, they chose not to leave with the ordinary people.
After sending off the people captured by the Golden Lion and preparing the hot air balloons for their own departure, Hina led Tashigi to find Arton and the others.
"Captain Hina, do we really need to go to Arton?" Tashigi asked as they walked forward. "Even if we go, we might not be able to help."
"Even so, we can't leave so easily," Hina replied. "Though it may seem unlikely, we need to try to recruit him into the Navy since we finally found him. At the very least, we should try to make sure he doesn't become an enemy of the Navy."
"But what if, when we meet him again, he asks us to quit the Navy and join the Flame Blade Pirates?" Tashigi asked worriedly.
Hina was silent for a moment before responding, "Hina can't quit the Navy, but Hina will offer him something else he wants. That way, he won't insist on us leaving the Navy."
Tashigi frowned at Hina's resolute expression. "Captain Hina, what do you plan to do?"
"Doujinshi."
"Doujinshi?!"
"That's right! Arton seems to enjoy those scenarios from his works. If that's the case, Hina will fulfill his wishes."
"But... but this kind of thing! What if Arton..." Tashigi trailed off, unable to continue.
Arton's works included some innocent couple scenes, but many were steamy enough to make Tashigi's head spin.
Just imagining herself in those situations, such as kneeling in front of Arton, made her unable to think clearly. Though Hina might not go all the way, would she really refuse if Arton insisted? Tashigi doubted it, given Hina's determined expression.
"Tashigi, stop," Hina said. "Hina doesn't want to owe him anything. And only by doing this can we possibly recruit him into the Navy."
Tashigi fell silent again. Hina's words confirmed that if Arton desired, Hina would grit her teeth and play a full set of scenarios from the doujinshi.
"I owe Arton as well. What should I do?" Tashigi wondered as a loud explosion erupted in the distance. Winds and lightning followed the sound.
Looking toward the source of the explosion, Tashigi and Hina saw Arton, who had fused with Carina's Yae Miko powers, wielding a blade wreathed in flames and lightning, fighting against Shiki.
***
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