Damn it, that woman actually stayed. That means if Arton draws another strong character template… there'll be one more rival fighting me for it.
No way—I have to get closer to him now. That way, when he pulls a new template, he'll choose me first!
As Ain plotted, her body unconsciously leaned toward the direction of the lookout room—she wanted to approach Arton while Robin was still tied up talking with Carina. Unfortunately, the moment she lifted her right foot, a hand settled on her shoulder.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Uta asked evenly.
"U-Uta-san, I—I just…" Ain stammered, eyes darting for an excuse.
"I know you want to spend more time near Captain Arton," Uta said bluntly. "To get stronger. But hey, I can't be the only one doing all the work, right?"
"…Got it," Ain bit her lip, suppressing her urge to rush off. For now, she obediently stayed and helped Uta with the ship duties.
Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Sylvan
"Do you have any friends in your Diary copy?" Carina crossed her arms, giving her twin peaks a casual lift as she fixed Robin with a serious look.
"I do," Robin nodded.
"In that case, delete them," Carina said flatly. "I don't want anyone finding out we're heading to Enies Lobby. If you do that, I can make sure you stay aboard at least until the operation's over."
"My friends aren't Marines or World Government members," Robin hesitated. "Do I still have to delete them?"
She was thinking of Vivi, Mikita, and Paula. Removing those three would be easy—but she needed them. If she wanted to earn Arton's trust and join his crew, using their connections might prove helpful later. Deleting them now would close that door.
"Even if your friends aren't Marines or Government," Carina said firmly, "what if you tell them about our plans? Or they let it slip without meaning to? You can't guarantee they won't leak something."
"That's… true." Robin sighed deeply. "Then, before I delete them, may I at least send a short message? Just to say I'm safe. I promise, nothing more. And besides—since you've got Yae Miko's powers now, even if I tried anything funny, you could stop me instantly, right?"
She smiled sweetly. And indeed, it was true. With Yae Miko's thunderous speed and spiritual arts, Carina could subdue Robin before she even blinked. If Robin really tried to sneak a message, Carina would catch her immediately.
"…Fine," Carina said at last. "But before that—show me the doujinshi where Arton used you as the heroine."
"Huh? You want to see the works about me?" Robin blinked, a bit caught off guard.
"Yes or no," Carina said sharply. "Just answer."
Chapter 358 — Does That Mean She Holds a High Place in Arton's Heart?
"Fine. If doing this will make you agree to let me contact Princess Vivi and the others," Nico Robin sighed, and, resigned, she opened her Diary Copy and displayed the array of revealing works about herself to Carina.
Carina skimmed through Robin's pieces at a glance, her eyes moving lightning-fast across the pages. Gradually, her brow knitted.
This guy actually has so many works about her! she thought. The number almost rivals the works in Nami's Diary Copy.
Does this woman occupy such a high place in Arton's heart? And among the works there are even scenes with Arton, Nami, and Robin getting intimate together.
In the original history, did Robin and Nami have any intersections? Is that intersection friendly—or malicious?
Carina frowned, thinking. Having spent time aboard Arton's ship and with her thick skin and persistence, she had already mapped out how many works each crew member had in their Diary Copies.
The largest number belonged to Nami; Carina herself was on the opposite end, with comparatively few works. It rankled her at first, but after checking multiple sources, Carina formed a hypothesis: the more works someone has in their Diary Copy, the more Arton favors that person.
That theory had left her disappointed for a while—if true, Arton's favorite would be Nami. But Carina quickly came to terms with it.
Arton's initial fondness for Nami might come from his exposure to manga and anime, but now that the One Piece world was a real place to him, his preferences were no longer limited by the original media.
In other words, while Nami had the highest baseline affinity, Carina could, with effort, climb higher. Arton often showed everyday favoritism toward Carina; that fact cheered her.
Carina also made another inference from the Diary Copies: whenever someone's works include another female character, there's likely some connection between that woman and the Diary owner—maybe not yet, but in the future.
That connection isn't always friendly. For example, Carina's works sometimes show herself and Nami serving Arton together; Nami's works show her with Carina and also with Nojiko together. Those co-appearances hint at actual connections in reality.
Previously, Carina had even spotted a scene in Nami's works where Nami and Nico Robin appeared together. When Carina asked Nami about it, Nami denied knowing Robin. Carina speculated then that perhaps in the original future, Nami and that Robin would intersect. Now, seeing similar scenes in Robin's Diary Copy, Carina felt her guess confirmed: Robin and Nami did have some tie.
Not just a tie, Carina mused. There are so many works about Robin. That means she left a deep impression on Arton.
Alright—let's agree for now. Carina thought. If Arton truly likes this Robin, maybe I can pull her into my camp. If I act together with her later, maybe I can get Arton to leave a little of his essence in me.
Carina blushed slightly at the thought.
...
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