"Mom, how about letting me go out to sea?"
"I'd like to see for myself the strength of this new World's Greatest Swordsman."
Cracker—one of the Sweet Commanders—spoke up. This immediately made Smoothie, who had been on the verge of volunteering, scowl at him in displeasure.
"Cracker, Arton's power is too dangerous," she said. "He shouldn't be your target."
Katakuri, also a Sweet Commander and effectively Big Mom's right-hand man, shook his head.
"If Arton isn't your target, then who is?" Cracker retorted.
Katakuri calmly replied, "You should be aiming at the other people who want to recruit Arton."
"So, you mean Kaido's people?"
"Not just Kaido," Katakuri said, his eyes as clear as day. "I suspect, besides him, there will be others looking to contact Arton, too. With two Yonko already making moves to bring Arton onto their side, you can be certain the rest of the forces on the sea aren't going to ignore such a bold upstart."
"The Navy promotes the Seven Warlords as a third force on the sea," Katakuri continued. "But now Mihawk has lost to a rookie named Arton. While we know Mihawk is very strong, regular folks might just assume his strength was overrated—unworthy of the Warlord title. His reputation will drop in the public eye, so the Navy and the World Government might, for the sake of preserving the Warlords' prestige, remove Mihawk and elevate Arton as the new Warlord. It's a slim possibility, but…"
"Then the Navy might try to contact Arton, too?" Linlin frowned deeply. As one of the Emperors, she understood that her influence was greatest in the New World, whereas the Navy held more sway in the Blues. If they also had designs on Arton, she reckoned they had a decent chance of winning him over.
Stussy offered a small laugh. "Even if the Navy or World Government do reach out, a man with Arton's tremendous power and potential may not necessarily want to be their lapdog. But, Linlin, if you plan to keep sending people to look for Arton, I'd recommend sending Smoothie."
Linlin lifted her head. "Why Smoothie?"
"Well, Linlin, you did say you intended for Arton to marry Smoothie," Stussy said with a light chuckle. "Forcing him through raw power might not be effective. Another approach could work better. If you're thinking of wedding Smoothie to Arton, then obviously he should meet her in person. Smoothie is both powerful and exceptionally attractive. A man like Arton might very well desire a strong woman by his side—plus, he's surrounded by quite a few lovely crewmates already. He may be quite partial to beautiful women. In those circumstances, Arton might be drawn to Smoothie's charm and power. Then he'd be far more likely to come to Totto Land, right?"
No sooner had Stussy finished than Smoothie spoke up of her own accord.
"Mom, Ms. Stussy is right. Let me be the one to search for Arton. If he could defeat Mihawk, I'm all the more interested in him."
Linlin fell silent, pondering Stussy's and Smoothie's words. Only after a while—under the anxious looks of Smoothie, Pudding, and Custard—did she finally nod.
"Very well, then. Smoothie, you take Custard, Amande, and the others, and head out to sea. Make sure you bring Arton back to Totto Land."
Smoothie and Custard both gave delighted nods. Meanwhile, Pudding nervously raised her hand.
"Mama, I'd like to—"
"What would you go for? Stay put."
"U-understood…"
All Custard could do was pat Pudding's shoulder in consolation, while Smoothie, caught up in her own excitement, didn't spare Pudding a single glance. Nearby, Stussy quietly observed.
'That won't do,' she thought. 'Pudding is the one Arton actually named as the future chef of the Flame Blade Pirates. In truth, if you consider who's most likely to gain power from Arton, Pudding's got the best odds among Linlin's daughters… Looks like I'll need to have a chat with her soon and boost our relationship—just like in those works Arton draws.'
While Stussy pondered that, she noticed the prompt of new messages in her Diary Copy.
[Smoothie]: Thanks, Ms. Stussy. Don't worry. If I can find Arton, I'll find a way to make him mention you in the diary more often.
[Stussy]: I appreciate that. But if, by any chance, you do become Arton's wife, I hope you can give me a little more time to get close to him, too—I'd be so grateful.
[Smoothie]: Naturally. We are partners in this, aren't we?
Smoothie and Stussy exchanged a knowing smile. As time passed, word of Arton's defeat of Dracule Mihawk spread further and further. Soon enough, besides the Yonko and the Navy, the other Warlords—Jinbe, Bartholomew Kuma, Crocodile, Moria—and even Blackbeard Teach, who aspired to the Warlord title, all got wind of the news.
Crocodile: "So Hawkeye lost to some rookie?"
Jinbe: "Arton, hmm… that's quite a formidable power."
Kuma: "Arton… Could this man be a significant variable?"
Moria: "Kishishishi! If I could get my hands on the shadow of the man who beat Mihawk, I'd be unstoppable!"
Whitebeard: "So first he defeated Shiki, and now he's taken the title of World's Greatest Swordsman? That young man…he's no ordinary newcomer."
Ace: "This Arton is insanely strong. But this Uta—is she the same Uta Luffy's always talking about? If I get the chance, I'd like to meet both Arton and Uta. But first, I need to find Teach. Where in the world did that guy run off to?"