Chapter 613 - 832 – Then It’s Settled [BONUS]

"It's honestly hard to imagine. You've clearly used up so much energy already, yet you can still eat this much."

Kalifa swallowed hard as she stared at the man in front of her in amazement.

Especially when she saw Conis and Raki still swallowing away, their intoxicated faces and the traces left at the corners of their mouths made Arton seem almost too well-endowed.

Kalifa briefly checked the state of her own stomach. She could confidently say that even back when she drank beer, she had never drunk herself this full.

If this time, instead of using her mouth, she had tried to handle things with her actual body... Kalifa felt she might not have been able to take it.

At the very least, her body wouldn't have been able to contain all that energy. In the end, she could only have watched helplessly as some of it spilled out.

"I got a little excited and accidentally produced too much."

Arton rubbed his cheek, looking slightly embarrassed. Perhaps because the way Kalifa had approached him had been so unexpected, he had gotten overly excited, and his body had responded accordingly.

It wasn't enough to leave him drained, but if Arton had to judge for himself, he definitely needed some time to recover.

"Really? Hearing you say that actually makes me pretty happy."

Kalifa imitated Conis and Raki, licking away what remained at the corner of her mouth before smiling.

After all, Arton's words were, in a way, an acknowledgment of her charm. And if that was the case, didn't that mean her chances of obtaining a mold were now even higher?

The mere thought filled Kalifa with delight.

"It's about time."

Arton glanced at the sun outside the window, then turned back to Kalifa. "You should hurry back to your companions. I'm guessing they'll be waking up soon. As for Raki, I want you to temporarily pretend to be a kindhearted person who found them and helped them."

"A kindhearted person?"

Kalifa glanced back at Raki.

To a certain extent, Raki really could be considered kindhearted. After all, she had already laid some of the groundwork for Kalifa to join Arton's Flame Blade Pirates.

"That works. My CP9 companions are all pretty suspicious people, but as long as I put in a few words for you, they should treat you as an ordinary good Samaritan rather than someone dangerous."

Kalifa nodded.

Raki didn't have a bounty from either the Marines or the World Government. In fact, because she had only recently descended from Skypiea, even the World Government's most capable agents had no information on her.

Under those circumstances, Kalifa figured that even the most suspicious Rob Lucci probably wouldn't say much.

"Then it's settled. Hurry up, get dressed, and go."

Arton waved at Kalifa and Raki before turning toward Conis.

Conis understood immediately. With a faint smile, she began cleaning up.

The sight stirred Kalifa and Raki all over again.

Fortunately, both of them were already quite full, so they managed to summon the courage to turn around and leave.

...

"You two really are lucky to have such an amazing man."

"I was worried that with so many people on your ship, Captain might not be able to keep up with all of you."

Kalifa sighed as she walked down the street beside Raki.

Before leaving, she had clearly seen Arton raise his weapon again.

According to Arton, even though he was out of ammunition at the moment, he could still thrust with a cold weapon. And during the thrusting process, he could quickly convert his body's energy into ammunition that could be fired.

If that was the case, Arton's combat endurance was practically limitless in another sense.

"For us, being able to get close to Captain is certainly something to be happy about, but simply being able to travel alongside him is already enough to make us happy."

Raki looked at Kalifa. "Isn't that right?"

Kalifa met her gaze for a long moment.

Raki's eyes were clear and sincere. She obviously wasn't lying, which left Kalifa somewhat moved.

Unlike Raki, Kalifa felt her own motives were a little less pure.

After all, she wanted to travel with Arton purely because he possessed the power to help his companions grow stronger—and the power to bring them pleasure.

Still, Kalifa wasn't in any hurry. She knew Arton was an incredibly charming man.

As long as she spent enough time with him, she felt she could eventually fall in love with him. And once that happened, she would be able to enjoy both love and desire whenever she was with Arton.

"I get the feeling you're thinking about something naughty."

Raki looked at Kalifa's expression and couldn't help commenting.

"Hehe, how could something that makes me happy possibly be naughty?"

Kalifa chuckled, then turned toward a warehouse in the distance. "Compared to that, we're almost there. What are you planning to do with them?"

Raki's expression immediately became serious.

This was a task Captain had entrusted to her, and even for his sake, she intended to handle it properly.

"I was thinking we could take them to the hospital while they're still unconscious. Then we can say I happened to find you all near the warehouse and brought you there out of kindness."

"No." Kalifa shook her head. "Things are more complicated at the hospital, and there are too many people around. If we go there dressed all in black, we might attract attention or cause some misunderstandings."

If they happened to run into someone they knew, there would be no easy way to explain the situation.

By now, Kalifa knew Arton had come to Water 7 to have a ship built. She also knew that Raki would be helping oversee the shipbuilding process, and even that Arton already knew about Iceburg.

Considering her own circumstances, Kalifa thought it would be best to temporarily pretend she knew nothing about any of that.

For the plan to work, the best option was to keep Iceburg and everyone else at the shipyard from seeing her in her current situation.