"The stuff up there throws huge shadows when the sun hits it." Robin said. "People on a Sky Island might not be so different from us."
"Hmph, who asked you to explain." Ain grumbled.
"Robin's right. Sky Islanders aren't much different—just a small pair of wings on their backs." Arton said, frowning. "Still, I didn't expect we'd reach the waters beneath a Sky Island. Do we tweak the route a bit?"
He wanted to reach Enies Lobby quickly; that Celestial Dragon woman wouldn't sit there forever. But if they were already under a Sky Island, leaving without a look felt wasteful.
"Is there something up there you want?" Robin asked with a smile.
"There is." Arton lifted his gaze to the sky, eyes deep.
[Arton's Diary]
[So we really made it to the sea beneath a Sky Island. Didn't see that coming.]
[I'd rather not change course, but there are two heroines up there—Raki and Conis. Hard to sail away and pretend I don't care.]
Raki: "!!"
Conis: "Arton… you're already over the Blue Sea under our island?"
Gion: "Sky Island? Where is it?"
Monet: "The legendary islands above the clouds… If we find one, we find Arton?"
Whitey Bay. "Roger was said to have gone there… tch, if only he'd told Pops the way."
Kaya stepped forward and hugged Arton's arm tight against her chest.
"What is it, Kaya? Do you want to see the Sky Island too?" Arton said, grinning.
"Y-yes." Kaya smiled awkwardly. She truly was curious, but more than that she pinned his hand there, ready to divert him if Enies Lobby slipped out. He had already revealed they were near a Sky Island; if he started to say their next destination, she would cut him off.
"In that case, since you want to go, we'll alter course and visit the Sky Island first." Arton said.
Kaya nodded with a smile. Arton raised his head to the heavens and kept writing.
[Yeah, a quick detour first.]
[Two of my heroines live there, and a self-styled god rules—cruel and arrogant.]
[Now that we're here, I can't ignore it.]
[The sooner Raki and Conis are freed, the better. Sky Island is cut off from the Blue Sea, so it shouldn't have felt much of my butterfly effect—but I'll stay wary.]
[If Enel did get nudged and moves against Conis or Raki, that'd be bad. In the original, Conis and Raki later open a Pumpkin Café together, and their pumpkin noodles are said to be great.]
[Wonder if we can taste those once we're up there.]
Raki: "For me… and that woman called Conis? Arton sounds kind. And I end up opening a café with her? The future is amusing."
Conis: "Arton's coming to save us? Miss Raki is a Shandia warrior, right? If he wants pumpkin noodles, maybe I should find Miss Raki and discuss how to make them!"
Chapter 394 — That Qipao Looks Great on You, Robin
High above on Sky Island, Conis and Raki sat at opposite ends of the cloud-sea, each pondering how to find the other. Though one was a native Skypiean and the other a Shandian—peoples with a deep rift between them—both lived under Enel's brutal rule. Raki, especially, wished for that tyranny to vanish.
Conis had never dared imagine a Sky without Enel. But after her horizons widened through Arton's diary copies, she, too, sometimes pictured the better days that would come after Enel.
Raki, like Conis, didn't put much stock in the feud between their tribes; what mattered was ending Enel's cruelty. So even with that rift, it didn't stop Conis and Raki from wanting to find each other to prepare pumpkin noodles for Arton.
Yes—both Conis and Raki held deep expectations now that Arton was coming to Sky Island. They wished he would arrive at once and end the boundless fear. Even if meeting Arton might mean he would take certain liberties.
…
Whitey Bay: "Those two really are fortunate."
Baccarat: "They don't even have to go looking—Arton will come to them?"
Viola: "Compared to me, they do seem luckier."
Yamato: "A guy who calls himself a god… is he strong? Even so, he probably isn't Arton's match."
As if hearing Yamato's question, Arton's diary quickly gave the answer.
[Enel is a Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit user.]
[He's just a Devil Fruit user, but because his Logia is lightning, to people on Sky Island he's an invincible godlike being.]
[His Observation Haki is also strong. He can constantly monitor all sounds across Sky Island with it.]
[If someone dares curse him, he senses it at once and drops divine lightning.]
[Judging purely by elemental control, he might not be much worse than the Navy's three Logia admirals.]
Doll: "Rumble-Rumble Fruit? A Logia that commands lightning."
Smoothie: "With that fruit and element mastery on par with the three admirals, no wonder he rules Sky Island."
Gion: "Sounds formidable, but if Arton doesn't fear him, then he likely isn't Arton's match. If only we could make him a Marine—no, I can't think that way. He's cruel; even with a powerful fruit, the Marines can't use him."
[It's a pity Enel's narrow world view means he doesn't even know Haki or Seastone exist. He calls his Observation by the name "Mantra".]
[He has zero idea Armament Haki or Seastone can grab his real body. To take him down, one Armament-coated punch should do.]
[He'll rely on intangibility and let my fist land right on his head. Once he tastes a real hit, his eyes will just about pop out.]
Yamato: "So he's just a fool who doesn't know Haki."
Whitey Bay: "Relying on intangibility and not dodging… reminds me of those fresh Logias in the New World."
Doll: "If Arton kills Enel, will the Rumble-Rumble Fruit reappear in the sea?"
Gion: "Arrogant and cruel—the Marines can't use him. What a waste of a fruit. I just hope if Arton does kill him, the fruit ends up in Marine hands."
Raki: "Beating him is really that simple?"
Conis: "As expected of Arton."
Arton suddenly paused in his writing and glanced sideways at Robin.
"What is it, Arton-san? Did I get something on my face~? Or do you think this qipao doesn't fit me?" Robin smiled.
"You put work into tailoring that qipao. It looks better than yesterday—especially the bustline." Arton said.
"Does it~? Then it was worth widening the opening a little. If you like, you can rest against me." Robin smiled more seductively.
....
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