Chapter 125 – Morgans' reporter

"Hey, you two, I'll be using your hot air balloon."

"Head over there, I need to meet up with my comrades."

Arton placed his hand on Tashigi's shoulder and pointed towards the falling island where Nami, Carina, and the others were.

"Understood."

Tashigi, with admiration in her eyes, immediately took control of the hot air balloon and steered it in the direction Arton indicated.

"You sure are enthusiastic, aren't you?"

Arton remarked to Tashigi with interest.

"Tashigi loves famous swords."

"And you showcased many treasured and powerful swords and blades that are even more precious than famous swords."

"It's only natural for her to be excited."

Hina, who had already put away the Den Den Mushi, looked at Arton with a similar expression of admiration.

If it weren't for Arton explaining what the Nine Lives Shot was to the dying Shiki earlier, Hina wouldn't even have known how Shiki had died.

"Is that so? Then why not simply quit the Marines?"

"If you do that, you might get to see my projected swords and blades every day."

Arton suggested to Tashigi with a smile.

At the same time, he turned off the recording that had captured the long battle.

In an instant, the screens of the diary copy holders went dark.

Despite this, some tried to play the recording, attempting to analyze the power Arton used to defeat Shiki in the end.

Unfortunately, the video Arton uploaded didn't have a slow-motion feature.

Even powerful individuals like Gion and Charlotte Smoothie couldn't decipher the power Arton used in the final moments just from the video.

Ulti: "A power strong enough to defeat Shiki... I'm becoming more and more eager to meet this man."

Black Maria: "Arton used the Shirou Emiya template for himself. There's still the Raiden Shogun template he hasn't used yet. I hope I can obtain that power~."

Charlotte Smoothie: "The Nine Lives technique—if I face it, could I withstand it?"

Meanwhile, in the Navy chat group:

[Doll: Shiki was ultimately taken down by Arton, huh.]

[Kujaku: Yes, I didn't expect to witness such an exciting battle firsthand. The power Arton displayed must be quite useful to any swordsman.]

[Gion: Indeed, whether it was the first stage with the Excalibur projection, the second stage with Unlimited Blade Works, or the third stage with the Nine Lives technique. Although, the Nine Lives technique doesn't seem to be purely a swordsmanship style.]

[Sadi: Whatever the case, Arton took down Shiki, so at least he can't continue his plan to destroy the East Blue. It's a pity we couldn't imprison Shiki in Impel Down. By the way, does this mean Arton saved the East Blue directly? Should we give him a commendation flag? Haha.]

[Doll: A commendation flag might be over the top, but this could be a condition to get other high-ranking Navy officials to consider Arton for the Navy or even as a Warlord of the Sea.]

[Domino: How things will be on Arton's side now... By the way, isn't Tashigi and Hina with him? Maybe they can tell us Arton's location.]

[Kujaku: That's true, Tashigi and Hina could use the chat group to inform us of Arton's location, but...]

[Gion: But Carina, Uta, and the others are likely aware of the chat group mechanism. With their presence, they wouldn't let Tashigi and Hina have the chance to send us any information.]

[Ain: That's right. If it were a regular situation, they might already be communicating with us through the chat group.]

[Doll: Once they have a moment, they might find a way to communicate with us. Speaking of which, Vice Admiral Gion, what are your thoughts on the battle between Arton and Shiki? Given Shiki's strength, do you think you could defeat him?]

Seeing this message, all the women focused and waited for Gion's response.

Through Arton's diary, they knew that Shiki's strength might have declined.

Gion's words could somewhat confirm how powerful Arton currently was.

If Arton truly had the strength to defeat the peak version of Shiki, it might be very difficult for them to recruit Arton.

[Gion: If I fought against Shiki, there's a chance I could win. If Shiki doesn't use his Float-Float Fruit to escape, and we fight to the death, my chances of winning would be higher.]

[Doll: That's good. It confirms that Shiki's strength has declined. This means Arton hasn't reached the level of an Emperor yet. We still have a chance to recruit him to the Navy.]

[Kujaku: Indeed! Speaking of which, do you remember the red figure that appeared between Arton and Shiki before Arton defeated him?]

[Doll: Of course, I remember. That man seemed to converse with Arton. I even wondered if he was Emiya Shirou.]

[Gion: Perhaps, he… was Emiya Shirou.]

[Ain: But Arton's hair didn't turn white, nor did he wear the same clothes as that red shadow.]

[Gion: That's why, regarding Emiya Shirou's power, there might be further potential to unlock. Arton can still become stronger.]

[Ain: I see! Hopefully Hina and Tashigi can get any information while being by Arton's side and find a chance to communicate with us.]

Ain was concerned that they might have problems finding an opportunity to use the diary and talk to them.

Indeed, that was the case.

Carina, Nami, and Uta kept a close watch on the two once they were by Arton's side.

Seeing the watchful eyes of Arton's companions, Hina could only sigh quietly and close her diary.

As a result, she no longer had the chance to see the contents of the women's chat group.

Meanwhile, Tashigi was gazing at Arton with sparkling eyes.

As for the women's chat group, it had temporarily slipped her mind.

"Arton, can your power create a replica of my sword, Shigure?"

"And that golden Sword of Victory you mentioned earlier, can you project it again?"

"Although it might be a bit embarrassing to ask, could you project some high-quality swords for me to see?"

Tashigi eagerly asked while showing her sword to Arton.

"Yes, Mr. Arton."

"What exactly is the nature of your power?"

"Is it some kind of Devil Fruit related to swords?"

"And what are your thoughts on defeating Golden Lion Shiki?"

A blonde woman wearing a brown hat and holding a small notebook approached Arton.

"Tashigi, you want me to replicate swords for you?"

"Sure, if you become my companion."

Arton smiled at Tashigi and then turned to the blonde woman who had just asked the question: "And who might you be?"

"Hello, Mr. Arton."

"I am Ellie from the World Economic News Agency."

"Firstly, thank you for saving me."

"If possible, could I conduct an interview with you?"

As soon as Ellie finished speaking, Hina frowned.

She didn't know who Ellie was, but she was well aware of the World Economic News Agency.

It was founded by Morgans, who was known as the "News King."

Hina, who wanted to recruit Arton into the Navy, certainly didn't want too many people to know about Arton's activities.

That would only make it more challenging for them to invite Arton to join the Navy.

Moreover, if Sengoku, Sakazuki, and others learned that Arton had defeated Shiki and formed the Flame Blade Pirates, a bounty might be issued for Arton.

This would make it even more difficult for him to join the Navy.

However, even though Hina knew this, she couldn't do anything to Ellie.

After all, the ones in charge here were still Arton and his companions.