"Fretting won't help. Arton's the sort of man who can name countless women as heroines in his stories—he even used me as one of his main characters. That means he's never going to settle on just one woman. I suppose there'll always be more Diary Copy holders approaching him—women like Nami, who's trying to save her village, or others seeking power. It's only natural."
She thought again of Ace and the ominous things Arton had hinted about his fate. Even though some time had passed since she first saw those diary entries, Makino couldn't stop herself from trembling a little at the memory, fear for Ace's well-being creeping in.
"Ace… how are you right now? I hope Blackbeard hasn't caught you yet…" she whispered anxiously.
Jingle-jingle.
The wind chime above the door rang, pulling Makino out of her thoughts.
"Welcome—" she said automatically, lifting her head. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she covered it in surprise.
Standing at the doorway was a tall, blue-haired beauty, gaze lowered. Behind her ambled a gang of brawny, rowdy-looking pirates, joking and jostling one another.
"Haahaha, finally found a tavern! I'm gonna drink my fill tonight!"
"Yeah, that last leg of the journey was brutal—especially crossing the Calm Belt."
"Calm Belt? That's nothing! With Big Sis and our invincible pirate ship, those Sea Kings were no problem."
"Too true! If you ask me, the hardest part was traveling from the New World's deep seas around to the front side of the Grand Line, crossing underneath the Red Line. There's no place like Fish-Man Island to make stops on that route, that's for sure!"
"Anyway, our treacherous journey is finally done. Here in the East Blue, things should be much calmer going forward, right?"
"Yeah, but why exactly did we come to the East Blue, Big Sis?"
The pirates discussed among themselves, all eyes on the foremost woman pirate—Whitey Bay.
"I have my reasons, so you don't need to ask," Whitey Bay said as she lifted her chin.
Before long, her attention was drawn to Makino standing nearby—more precisely, to the Diary Copy before Makino.
"How interesting. Didn't expect to meet someone here who has the same thing."
Turning back to the small group, Whitey Bay spoke, "You guys find a seat here. And don't cause any trouble. I'll be right back."
After giving her crew these orders, Whitey Bay walked up to Makino.
"Hello. Would you mind talking for a bit?" she asked gently.
"Of course. Please come with me," Makino replied. She didn't reject the proposal and led Whitey Bay toward the back yard.
Earlier, she'd overheard the pirates calling the woman Whitey Bay, and from Arton's diary, Makino knew that Whitey Bay was one of the older members of the Whitebeard Pirates. Since Ace was also part of the Whitebeard Pirates, Makino's wariness naturally eased.
"Are you here to find Arton because of Ace?" Makino got straight to the point.
Whitey Bay had planned to ask Makino her own questions, but hearing Makino's direct query startled her.
"Well, that's interesting. What makes you think I'm looking for Arton on Ace's account? Maybe I've just come seeking power for myself," Whitey Bay said with a smile.
Though she was smiling, she was already on guard—she didn't know anything about Makino, and at this point in time, Whitey Bay was deeply worried about Ace's situation. If Ace really got captured as in the original history, the Summit War could happen, leading to a grim fate for Whitebeard and the Whitebeard Pirates.
Aware of Whitey Bay's caution, Makino took a breath, then spoke in a sincere tone. "You needn't worry that I'm out to harm you. My name is Makino. To be frank, I watched Ace and Luffy grow up. You could say I'm like a big sister to them. As for why I suspect you came looking for Arton because of Ace—well, it's because I heard your companions call you by name."
Whitey Bay showed a surprised expression. "You're saying… you're Ace's sister?"
Makino nodded, then opened a cabinet and retrieved a stack of photo albums in front of Whitey Bay. Once Whitey Bay flipped through them, she was finally convinced. The albums contained multiple photos of Makino with Ace and Luffy—some even included Garp. With that evidence, Whitey Bay had no choice but to believe her.
"I never imagined Ace had a sister like you. Nor did I think I'd meet you here just because I stopped by to replenish supplies," Whitey Bay said, now smiling genuinely, without her earlier wariness. "But Ace sure looked mischievous as a kid—nothing like his polite self now. I'd bet it was partly thanks to you that he grew up into such a well-mannered young man."
Whitey Bay, wearing a bright smile as she flipped through the pictures, gave Makino a much more relaxed impression this time.
***
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