"That man might surpass a Yonko?" Doflamingo exclaimed in surprise. But after recalling how Arton had beaten Mihawk, he calmed down somewhat.
"Setting out to sea, then in quick succession beating Shiki and Mihawk… A man like that might indeed reach Kaido's level," Doflamingo muttered. "Maybe I should imitate the Navy and see if we can cooperate with this Arton."
He fell silent in thought.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Vergo continued: "Young Master, aside from what I've already told you, I've picked up another rumor—though it's not confirmed. I think you'll find it most interesting."
"Oh? Then out with it," Doflamingo urged.
"It seems that Uta—the one mentioned in the news—might be Red-Haired Shanks's daughter."
"What?! Red-Haired Shanks's daughter? Vergo, are you sure you haven't gotten this wrong?" Doflamingo's eyes flew wide with disbelief.
Vergo nodded. "Apparently, Fleet Admiral Sengoku also tore into Garp partly because of this. Word is that when Garp first ran into Arton, he already knew Uta was Shanks's daughter, yet still let Arton's group walk free. That's something Sengoku found infuriating. Of course, this could just be rumors—but that's what I've heard. We'd better end this call soon, or we risk someone eavesdropping."
"I see. Understood, Vergo. Go take care of your work," Doflamingo said, exhaling. He hung up, sinking into deep thought.
At this, the Donquixote officers in the garden erupted into fevered discussion.
Trebol: "Not only is Arton incredibly strong—he's also tied to Red-Haired Shanks?"
Diamante: "If Arton's linked to Red-Haired Shanks, it's gonna be tough for the Navy to recruit him."
Pica: "Then the seas are bound to become a real mess again. Might be good news for us, though."
Giolla: "No doubt—more chaos at sea, more profit for our arms deals, fufufu!"
Lao G: "Baby 5, what do you think? You've been silent this whole time, and your face is so red… Are you sick? Baby 5—can you even hear me?"
He frowned at Baby 5, crouched in the corner, cheeks reddening as she gazed dreamily at a nearby flower. Actually, Lao G felt something was off about Baby 5 these past few days. Since she wasn't responding, he was about to walk over—but Monet happened to pass by, giving him a gentle tap on the shoulder.
"Leave her be, Lao G," Monet advised before glancing at Baby 5 again. Unlike Lao G, Monet could clearly see that Baby 5 wasn't looking at the flower—she was staring at her copy of Arton's diary, more specifically, at the comics in which Arton had cast Baby 5 as the heroine.
Seeing that Monet was on her way to speak to Doflamingo, Lao G sat back down.
Meanwhile, Monet and Sugar were privately conversing via their Diary Copies:
Sugar: Sis, won't you need Baby 5's help when you go looking for Arton? She could be useful, right?
Monet: Better not. Arton definitely knows Baby 5 quite well. If they meet, she might help him instead of me. He'd play her like a fiddle.
Sugar: That's…true. Looks like it's all on you, Sis.
Monet: I have no choice. But now that the Young Master knows about Arton's strength and background, it might be simpler for me to handle this.
Sugar: Just one thing, if Baby 5 knows about the Diary Copies, there's a chance she'll accidentally expose your lies, right? Then what happens with the Young Master?
Monet: Don't worry. Baby 5 isn't that clever, and she's also got a lot she can't disclose about Arton, remember?
Sugar: I see. Okay.
As they finished, the pair arrived at Doflamingo's location. He glanced up at them curiously.
"What is it, Monet, Sugar? Something on your mind?" he asked.
Monet looked toward the castle interior. "Young Master, there's something I need to discuss with you. In private, please."
Doflamingo raised an eyebrow but nodded, turning to walk inside. Monet signaled Sugar to stay behind, then followed. Inside, she told him a slightly altered version of how Viola had run away—to look for Arton.
"What?! Viola actually knows this Arton—and ran off to seek his help? And she had the nerve to threaten me not to harm King Riku?!"
In his shock, Doflamingo crushed the wineglass in his hand. Monet stayed quiet, letting him absorb the news, and prepared to ask his permission to go find Arton. Yet before she could, Doflamingo spoke first.
"Monet, you mentioned that back when you were undercover at King Riku's side, you met Arton, correct?"
Monet swallowed. "Yes, that's right!"
"So compared to Viola, how close are you and Arton?"
"During my undercover mission, I spent a lot of time with Viola, so I also got to know Arton quite well. My relationship with him shouldn't be any worse than Viola's."
Doflamingo's eyes narrowed. "Then do you think, if you invited Arton, he'd be willing to collaborate with the Donquixote Family?"
"I'm not certain, but I can give it a try. Even if I can't convince him to join us, I can at least spoil Viola's plan to rely on Arton's power."
"Hmph…" Doflamingo nudged his sunglasses. "Monet, I have a task for you. I need you to get close to Arton. If possible, use any means necessary to have him join our Donquixote Family."
Monet blinked. Though she was a bit surprised Doflamingo proposed this first, she quickly gathered her composure. "I understand, Young Master. I'll go look for Arton."
"But what about King Riku and Viola? How do you plan to deal with them?" Monet asked.
"Hehe, Viola's got a decent scheme," Doflamingo said. "For Arton's sake, I'll spare King Riku for now. As for Viola, I'll keep tabs on her. If you run into Viola, take her out—unless you find her at Arton's side. In that case, use your own judgment."
"Understood, Young Master. I'll make my preparations now."
Monet nodded at Doflamingo and turned to leave. Though everything was essentially the same as her original plan, it still left her feeling somewhat uneasy. "Use any means necessary" implied sacrificing her body if need be.
After watching Monet's departing figure, Doflamingo again recalled Vergo's comment that Arton might reach the level of an Emperor.
"An Emperor, huh? If Arton really gets that strong, I wonder how someone like Kaido will feel. Should be quite interesting. The world's going to get restless."
…
Wano Country Waters – Onigashima
"He beat Mihawk, huh? Plus, that step-by-step transformation sure does resemble a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit," Kaido muttered, reading the newspaper. "Could Arton have eaten some Mythical Zoan that specializes in blades? But then how does that explain his ability to fuse with companions? Does Arton's Mythical Zoan include merging with others, or is that Nami's ability?"
He chuckled uproariously. "Hahaha! Doesn't matter what Devil Fruit Arton ate—nobody can deny he's a capable guy. And his crewmates also possess quite good powers. Carina, Uta…both clearly show signs of Mythical Zoan traits. That Nami's strength isn't that of an ordinary Zoan user, so I'd guess she's also some kind of Mythical Zoan."
Kaido guffawed loudly. "If that's the case, the Flame Blade Pirates might have too many Mythical Zoan users," said King the Wildfire, entering the room.
"But that's exactly what we're seeing, so I can't help suspecting it," Kaido said between bouts of laughter.
"Indeed." King gave a slight nod. "I understand why you allowed Black Maria to take Ginrummy and the others to go find Arton. But Arton's strong enough to defeat Shiki and Mihawk, and if both he and his crewmates really are Mythical Zoans, can Black Maria actually persuade Arton to join our main forces?"
Having acknowledged Arton's power, King had little hope that Black Maria could bring him in.
"Regardless, we have to try," Kaido said. He turned to someone else behind him. "Isn't that right, Ulti? …Hmm? What happened to your head?"
Kaido's eyes fell on Ulti, who abruptly burst into the room with a bandage on her head.
"Bad news, Kaido-san," she said, catching her breath. "Your son Yamato ran away."
Kaido frowned. "Ran away? But she's got that explosive collar on her."
"She did, yes," Ulti explained. "But I just saw her crush the explosive collar with her bare hands! I tried to speak with her, but she knocked me out in a single blow. I've only just woken up."
Recalling Yamato's strike, Ulti shuddered inwardly. She was, after all, an Ancient Zoan user with very high defense. Yet Yamato had knocked her out for hours with a single blow. Clearly, Yamato's Armament Haki had advanced—no doubt thanks to the points she'd acquired from Arton.
"She crushed it with her bare hands?" Kaido said with delight, standing up in excitement. No trace of worry about Yamato's disappearance.
"Kaido-san, aren't you at least curious where she went? A boat's missing from the coast, so she must have sailed off," Ulti complained, annoyed by his cheerful reaction. She'd been floored by Yamato's now-stronger Haki and hadn't even gotten a word of sympathy from Kaido.
"Sailed off, huh? Where to?" Kaido wondered aloud.
"How should I know?" Ulti growled, her face clouded over. It wasn't like she could just come out and say Kaido's precious daughter had gone off to find Arton. Nor was she able to reveal the truth.
"I'll go look for Yamato," King said, unfurling his wings and soaring skyward.
"I'll come, too." With that, Kaido transformed into a dragon and took off, leaving Ulti behind, utterly exasperated.
"Damn it! I was hoping this was the perfect chance to ask Kaido-san's permission for me to go look for Arton!" She stamped her foot, glowering at the sky. "Yamato's new strength is definitely from the points she got from Arton. If only I could get as many points as her, that stupid club of hers wouldn't be such a problem."