"Actually, Ace was always a good kid," Makino said with a smile. "He was a bit mischievous at first, but that was for… special reasons."
Whitey Bay nodded slightly and glanced again at the photo album in her hands.
"Seeing photos of Ace as a kid reminds me of how Marco looked when he was younger… By the way, who's this blond boy? He seems pretty close with Ace and Luffy."
She pointed at a photo showing Makino with Luffy, Ace, and another child of about the same age with blonde hair.
Makino looked at the picture and showed a faintly sad expression. "That's Sabo—he's Ace and Luffy's brother."
Whitey Bay raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Whoa, Ace has another brother? How's he doing now?"
Tears glimmered in the corners of Makino's eyes. "He… died. When he was very young."
Whitey Bay froze, then hurriedly apologized. "Sorry—I didn't know."
Makino shook her head. "It's alright. It's all in the past. Though we were all devastated at the time, we managed to pull through—me, Ace, and Luffy. But that kind of pain—I don't ever want to go through that again. I'm sure Luffy doesn't want to experience the pain of losing a brother again, either. So, no matter what, we can't let Ace go down the path he originally would have."
Hearing this, Whitey Bay nodded resolutely. "Don't worry. Just like you guessed earlier, I really am here to find Arton so I can prevent Ace's original fate. I'm prepared to give up everything if that's what it takes to stop it."
As she spoke, Whitey Bay's right hand instinctively gripped the hilt of her sword at her waist.
"Thank you," Makino said, wiping the tears from her eyes. Then she continued, "Whitey Bay… would you take me with you when you set sail?"
Whitey Bay frowned. "You want to leave here and look for Arton too?"
After sizing Makino up, she went on, "I can tell you're just an ordinary person. It's dangerous out at sea."
"I know! But, after learning that Ace might die, how can I just go on running this bar like nothing happened? I want to do my part."
"Makino, you realize how dangerous the seas are, right?"
"Even so, I still want to go."
"Strictly speaking, you don't have to take the risk. If I find Arton, I can try to secure his help."
"But if I come along, the chances Arton will help us are that much higher."
Whitey Bay raised her eyebrows, then replied, "That's true enough. Since you hold a Diary Copy, Arton has taken some interest in you. If we both show up in front of him together, the odds he'll be willing to help—and that we'll get points and templates—should increase. If one of us ends up becoming Arton's woman, then Arton will almost certainly help us. But I, for one, am already prepared to offer myself. What about you, Makino? Are you ready for that?"
At this, Whitey Bay's attitude changed. Bringing Makino along to find Arton sounded like a decent plan; it'd boost the chances of earning his cooperation. Still…
Makino's face flushed as she stammered, "W-well…"
Seeing this, Whitey Bay frowned. "So… you're not actually prepared to give yourself to him? If that's the case, I think it's better for you to stay here and wait for news."
Makino quickly responded, "W-wait, Whitey Bay! The thing is… I'm not just familiar with Ace and Luffy—I also know Uta quite well."
"Uta?" Whitey Bay repeated, surprised.
"To me, Uta is practically like a little sister," Makino explained. "And, as you know, it seems Arton has already… well… gotten that close to Uta. It wouldn't really be appropriate for me to get too involved with him romantically. But with Uta being so important to me, maybe Arton would be willing to grant my request for her sake."
Whitey Bay was quite astonished. She never expected Makino to also know Uta. On second thought, though—Uta was close to Luffy, and Luffy was brothers with Ace, and Makino was close to both of them—so it actually made sense.
"I see. But if Uta knows Luffy, does she also know Ace?" Whitey Bay asked, somewhat excited. "If she's on good terms with Ace as well, Arton would definitely help him, right?"
"Unfortunately, no," Makino sighed. "Uta's never met Ace or played with him."
"Ah, I see. Then I really will have to find Arton myself," Whitey Bay mused. "Anyway… So you won't give your body to him, but you do have a connection through Uta. That alone might raise Arton's willingness to help Ace. Even if Arton, for some reason, decides against helping Ace directly, you'd probably still be able to gain some power from him, right? That alone could be enough to save Ace—assuming you can get Arton to mention your name in the diary or take pictures or videos of you. But that means you'd have to show Arton some of your charm and use a few tricks."
Makino blushed faintly, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Wearing a swimsuit or something, I guess I can manage that."
Whitey Bay chuckled. "In that case, I see no reason to refuse you a spot on my ship. From now on, you'll be my little sister, Makino. And when the time comes, you'll have to help Big Sis here out—make sure I get a chance to devour Arton, so to speak. You won't block me just because Uta might already have had him, will you?"
Makino gave an awkward laugh, looking slightly embarrassed.
If she could have her way, Uta would enjoy Arton's undivided love, but under the circumstances, that seemed impossible.
Fortunately, Whitey Bay didn't give Makino a hard time about it. After patting Makino on the shoulder, she took her hand and returned to the main area of the tavern, proudly introducing Makino as their new passenger to her pirate crew.
The pirates reacted with rowdy excitement.
Not long afterward, Makino packed her belongings and some alcohol, then left Foosha Village in the East Blue aboard Whitey Bay's ship.
***
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