[Ain: So that's how it is—your name is Raki. Looks like you're not the one compatible with the Serval template.]
[Raki: Yeah. But I do know where Conis lives. Um… I'm really sorry. I wasn't able to stop my companions in time.]
[Ain: Don't apologize to me. Captain is the one in charge of the Flameblade Pirates. What your people did, Captain will be the one to decide how to handle it.]
Ain hadn't stopped Raki from letting Wyper and the others leave, because on Skypiea… running away was basically meaningless.
If Arton wanted to teach them a lesson later, he wouldn't even need to move. Ain could track them down fast.
[Raki: I understand. Um… can you let me meet Arton?]
[Ain: Sure. You're a Diary Copy holder too, so Captain will definitely be interested in you.]
Raki's face flushed.
She knew that interested didn't mean polite curiosity—not with Arton.
It was the kind of interest that ended with two people becoming one.
[Ain: I'll ask you straight up—are you thinking about joining the Flameblade Pirates?]
As Ain spoke, she used Moonwalk to head toward the ship, continuing the conversation through the Diary Copy. Raki followed behind on a Skypiea-made dial skateboard.
[Raki: Yeah. If I can… I want to go out there and adventure with Arton.]
[Ain: Then you've already prepared yourself… to sleep with Captain, right?]
[Raki: Ghk—! I-I guess… yeah.]
Raki let out a slow breath.
She was embarrassed, sure—but if Arton truly took down Enel and returned the stolen land to the Shandians…
Then giving him her body and soul wasn't something she couldn't accept.
[Ain: Got it. I think Captain will like you.]
[Ain: And if you want to join the crew, it'll probably go smoother for you than it did for me—because you're not a Marine, and you're not a World Government agent.]
[Raki: I hope so. Speaking of which… do World Government agents really have Diary Copys? I haven't seen anyone like that yet.]
[Ain: No idea. Compared to the Marines, the Government's agents are way more secretive. But… I think they exist.]
Ain wasn't a Government agent herself, but because of Teacher Zephyr, she understood them more than most.
Those agents—brainwashed by the World Government—were fanatically loyal. And some female agents were trained specifically in seduction, in manipulation, in wrapping men around their fingers.
If people like that really appeared… Ain felt they'd be a nightmare to deal with.
Because how would you even tell whether an agent wanted to join the Flameblade Pirates sincerely… or was just acting?
[Ain: Maybe the Kalifa Captain mentioned is one of those agents. When we run into her, I'll keep an eye on her.]
[Raki: I see…]
[Ain: We're here. Let's meet everyone first. After that, you should be able to see Captain.]
Ain dropped from the air onto the Flameblade Pirates' deck.
Raki hopped up right behind her.
At that moment—aside from Tashigi, who was still on lookout duty in the watchtower, and Kaya, who was "taking care" of Arton in the infirmary—everyone else had already returned.
The moment the girls saw Raki step onto the ship…
Their eyes lit up—curious, observing, and not even trying to hide it.
Chapter 520: Carina — "Raki, I Wanna See Your 'Work'"
"Um… h-hi, everyone. I'm Raki."
Under Nami and Carina's scrutinizing stares, Raki greeted them a little stiffly, nerves written all over her face.
"Oh. It's Raki," Uta said, hands hooked behind her neck, sounding downright disappointed. "I kinda thought it'd be Conis."
"Uh…" Raki scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
"Uta doesn't mean anything by it," Nami said, walking over and patting Raki's shoulder. "She's just like the rest of us—after Captain hyped up that Serval template like that, we're dying to see what it can do."
"Exactly," Nojiko added with a shrug. "After the way he described it, it's impossible not to be curious."
"So you do know where Conis is?" Carina asked, leaning in. "And do you think she'll accept Captain's invitation and join our crew?"
"I know where she lives," Raki said with a nod. "And… yeah. I think she'll agree."
"In that case," Robin Nicole proposed, "should we go meet Conis right now?"
Nami looked over immediately. "Don't you need to rest a bit more, Robin?"
"Yeah," Nojiko said. "You can't be fully recovered yet."
"Relax—I'm a lot better," Robin replied with a soft smile. "And honestly, I don't think I could fall asleep right now anyway. Plus, as long as we're not fighting, my stamina will keep coming back gradually."
"…That's fair," Carina nodded, glancing toward the higher layers of the cloud sea. "And if Captain comes out after resting and Conis is already here, he'll be in a great mood."
Then she sighed. "But… Captain hasn't given any orders. We can't just take the ship up there whenever we feel like it."
Ahead, a cloud-wrapped passage formed a path upward—and beyond that, faint outlines of buildings clustered together.
That was the real Skypiea.
Where they were now was basically the sea—Skypiea's ocean.
"If you don't mind," Raki offered carefully, "I could go bring Conis here."
"But we'd need a reason," Nojiko said, calm as ever. "You're Shandian—so you showing up here makes sense. But Conis? She doesn't really have a reason to appear here. If Captain notices something's off, it could get messy."
"…You're right," Robin nodded, a quiet sigh in her chest. She knew she was letting her obsession with the Poneglyph make her careless.
Right now, Arton still believed the world was moving exactly along the storyline he expected—and the crew was perfectly happy to let him keep believing that.
If Arton sensed something was wrong… who knew what he'd do next?
And even if it could be beneficial, the risk of it backfiring was not something Robin—or anyone—wanted.
"…Then let's do this," Uta said brightly. "I'll go ask Arton. He can decide."
Before anyone could respond, she hopped off toward the cabin.
"Alright," Carina said, smiling. "We'll leave the Captain to Uta."
Then her eyes curved into crescent moons as her gaze locked onto Raki again—way too focused.
"But more importantly… let's get to know Miss Raki a little better."
"…Eh? What do you want to know?" Raki's stomach sank. That tone. That look. She knew she was walking into something.
"Oh, nothing much," Carina said sweetly—too sweetly. "I'm just curious what kind of doujins Captain created with you as the model."
She tilted her head, grin widening. "Mind sharing a little?"
Nami, Robin, and the others looked just as interested.
Raki: "…"