Tashigi couldn't feel at ease letting Arton face Zephyr alone. If she could fuse with Arton and witness the battle with her own eyes, she might feel at least a little more reassured.
As long as she was in a fused state with him, she'd be able to speak directly to Arton during the fight—perhaps even persuade him if things escalated too far.
"Alright, let's fuse now," Arton said. "Then we'll head toward the location of that Marine warship. Before the battle, I need to confirm what we're up against. It'd be bad if there's more than just Zephyr."
He looked into the distance, his voice quiet and thoughtful.
He hadn't forgotten that both Gion and Garp were still in the East Blue. If it was only Gion and Zephyr, he was confident they could handle it.
After all, he wasn't the only powerhouse on his side—Uta, Carina, and the others had grown stronger over time.
Arton believed they'd all be able to show their strength in a fight.
But if Garp was with Zephyr… The memory of Garp brutally beating former Admiral Aokiji came to mind, and Arton's expression turned serious.
No matter how confident he was, he wouldn't assume the Flameblade Pirates could handle both Zephyr and Garp at the same time.
Even if he could hold off Garp himself, the rest of his crew might not fare well against Zephyr and whoever else they brought along.
"I understand," Tashigi nodded, extending her hand toward him.
She was just as concerned as Arton. If he was heading over to verify things himself, she wouldn't stop him.
Even if it meant risking exposure, gaining the initiative was worth it. Whether it ended in battle or retreat, being first to act gave them an edge.
"Mhm." Arton smiled, taking her outstretched hand with one of his own.
With the other, he gently placed his hand over her chest, making Tashigi blush.
Before she could say anything, he activated the fusion ability through his system privileges.
Two radiant auras emerged from their bodies and slowly moved toward one another. The lights merged into one, and when it finally dimmed, Tashigi had vanished—only Arton remained.
But he looked entirely different now.
His black hair had turned golden, and the dignified black outfit he once wore had changed into a pristine white one with a high collar that concealed half his face. A short blade hung at his back.
Meanwhile, Tashigi opened her eyes and found herself in a glowing bubble.
"So it's just like Nami and the others described," she thought, gazing around.
"After fusion, you end up in this kind of space… and completely naked…"
She looked down at her bare body and blushed deeper.
In that moment, she was a little grateful that her relationship with Arton had already gone further—otherwise, she might not have dared to use the fusion power with him.
Then she noticed a new notification from her diary copy.
Opening it, her cheeks immediately turned scarlet.
"This guy… taking photos like this again?" she muttered internally, flustered.
By now, she remembered what usually happened when Arton fused with other female members of the Flameblade Pirates—he always took photos.
"If someone else sees me like this… what am I supposed to do?"
Clutching her face, Tashigi bent her legs and curled up in embarrassment, trembling all over.
She could already imagine the reactions she'd get the next time she faced Nami, Carina, or any of the former Marine women she used to know.
[Photo: Tashigi's fusion form – angle 1]
[Photo: Tashigi's fusion form – angle 2]
[Photo: Tashigi's fusion form – angle 3]
…
[Photo: Tashigi's fusion form – angle 10]
[Tashigi is still so adorable—even in this fusion state, she's so bashful. Then again, given that you can't wear clothes in this state, it's only natural to feel shy the first time.]
[Speaking of which, after fusing with Tashigi, my skin turned a shade of light brown, while she still retained her fair complexion.]
[Looks like if I want to see a dark-skinned Tashigi, I'll have to let her activate Tier's power herself.]
[But either way—fair-skinned or dark-skinned—Tashigi is absolutely adorable.]
Smoothie: "Arton fused with Tashigi? Is he trying to practice using Tier's power with her? Or did something happen over there?"
Stussy: "Arton publicly burned the corpse of a World Noble and openly declared he'd go after the women among them. The Marines and World Government will definitely act."
Belo Betty: "So, he's already run into enemies?"
Gerth: "With Arton's strength, he shouldn't be defeated. I'm still waiting to meet him so I can unify Elbaf through him."
Kalifa: "If the World Government hasn't intervened directly, then it must be the Marines."
Gion: "Arton and Tashigi fused? Does that mean he's already discovered Zephyr and plans to fight him?"
Doll: "We need to inform Ain about this immediately."
Kujaku: "Ain must've already seen the photos Arton took of Tashigi… Not good. If he fights Zephyr now, Zephyr might not be able to stop him."
Shyarly: "Now that Arton can manipulate water and fly, he's become incredibly difficult for the Marines to deal with."
Whitey Bay: "The Marines are quick… they've actually run into Arton. Too bad we're too slow. But the Marines won't be able to stop him either. I just wonder who's facing him this time.
Whitey Bay: And wow, Tashigi's gotten prettier—her skin, her face... don't tell me she and Arton really did it?"
Hina: "Tashigi should be much stronger now. She should be able to support Arton in using Tier's power for a long time. Hina just hopes Zephyr-sensei will be alright."
Vivi: "Make it past Reverse Mountain safely, Arton!"
Bonney: "Arton, don't get caught before you tell me about my father. Damn it, why is this guy so fast? No choice—I need to get to Reverse Mountain even faster. The Marines won't stop him."
Ain: "Has Arton already discovered us? So it's going to come to a fight…? What should I do?!"
"Uta, I'm leaving Tashigi's sword with you for now. I'm going ahead to scout things out. Keep steering the Sylvan toward the target coordinates. If I determine that the enemy can't be fought, I'll come back immediately."
Arton handed the sword—left over from his fusion with Tashigi—to Uta.
After fusing with Tashigi, Arton clearly felt his senses becoming sharper. It caught him a bit off guard at first, but he quickly understood.
As an Arrancar, Tier possessed refined spiritual perception—able to detect even invisible Shinigami.
Although this world didn't have reiatsu, it had life energy—something a revenant like Tier could naturally perceive with extreme sensitivity.
As a result, Arton's own sensory ability had also become more acute. Now he was more confident in reading the Marine warship's situation.
Generally speaking, the stronger a person, the more intense their life energy. Through this, Arton could gauge his opponent's strength and decide whether to fight or withdraw.
"Arton, do you not want me to go with you?" Uta asked softly after accepting Shigure.
Though she often acted carefree, she was actually incredibly observant. If she hadn't been, she wouldn't have realized that her hometown was created by her own ability.
Even if Arton knew the past and future, even with his system, he wasn't yet invincible. And the Marines had their share of monsters. That's why Uta was genuinely worried about him going alone.
...
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