"I see. So that's why the two of you ended up together and boarded this big ship," Gan Fall said, nodding as he looked at Raki and Conis.
He still hadn't gotten an answer from Nami about how she could use lightning, but at least he understood why Raki and Conis were acting in sync.
"So you really plan to set sail with this ship's captain?" Gan Fall asked.
"Of course," Raki replied flatly—just two words. She wasn't particularly close with Gan Fall.
Conis, on the other hand, smiled warmly and nodded. "Arton-san—and Miss Nami and the others—told me so many interesting things about the Blue Sea. I'm really curious about it, so I want to go see it for myself."
Her eyes were bright with longing as she spoke, and Gan Fall could tell she wasn't joking.
"That's a fine dream," Gan Fall said, then turned his gaze toward the direction of the Holy Land. "But the problem is…"
He didn't finish the sentence, but Conis clearly understood what he meant.
With Enel ruling Skypiea, leaving the island wouldn't be easy.
Arton's crew had come up the proper way, paid the fee, and might be able to depart "legally." But Conis was a native—someone living under Enel's rule. For her to leave, she'd likely need Enel's approval.
If Arton tried to take Conis by force, Enel's punishment would follow.
The moment Arton's ship attempted to depart, a massive pillar of lightning might crash down from the sky.
Gan Fall didn't want to see that. He didn't want gentle Conis to die. So in his heart, he couldn't support her leaving so casually.
As if she'd seen straight through him, Conis spoke softly. "Please don't worry, Gan Fall-san. Captain Arton will have a way."
When she looked at Arton, her gaze was even gentler than before.
Arton, seeing that, acted like he'd already made up his mind. He was ready to give Conis the Template.
"If you don't have anything else to say, then go wait quietly off to the side," Arton said, stepping past Gan Fall as he headed toward the cabin. "I've got something to show my crew."
He paused, then added, "Or you can help me keep watch from the crow's nest."
The Flameblade Pirates' crew naturally followed Arton toward the ship's interior. In no time, only Gan Fall remained on deck—well, Gan Fall and his beloved steed.
"…What a bunch," Gan Fall muttered, shaking his head. "Fine. I'll stay outside and keep quiet."
He was curious what Arton and his crew were about to do, but Arton hadn't invited him in. As an outsider, he couldn't just trail after them.
Still, he had no intention of leaving.
So, just as Arton suggested, Gan Fall mounted his winged horse and rode up to the high platform of the lookout.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Arton led everyone into the ship's dining hall. Then, without hesitation, he summoned the Template—condensed with Serval's power—from his system storage.
Conis swallowed hard.
Arton still hadn't said anything yet, but she already knew.
That was the thing he was about to place in her hands.
Chapter 564: She's a Very Rock 'n' Roll Girl
"Conis, and Raki too—I'm sure you've already noticed that my crew, including me, all wield some kind of unusual power," Arton said.
"Some of it comes from Devil Fruits. We'll set that aside for now. What I want to talk about is the other kind of power we have."
He lifted his hand slightly.
"The thing in my hand—this special item called a Character Template."
Arton spoke as if Conis and Raki had never heard of Templates before, introducing it the way he always did.
What he didn't know was that both Raki and Conis already understood Templates extremely well—so well they even knew what it looked like when Arton "synced" with a Template user.
But since the Diary Copy was something Arton himself didn't know existed, the two of them acted like they'd never heard of Templates and listened obediently.
Kaya, Nami, Carina, and the rest of the Flameblade Pirates did the same. At this point, it was basically an unspoken rule on the ship.
Baccarat: Finally. Please don't let anyone interrupt this time.
Monet: Sigh… what a shame. If I could get the Serval Template, maybe I could finally give Young Master an answer.
Baby 5: Either way, let me get a good look at this Template Arton values so highly.
Reiju: Lightning control, huh… If Father found out Arton gained another companion who can use a power that looks like some offshoot of Germa tech, he'd be furious. But it is what it is.
Gion: The Serval Template… all we can do is hope Carina's potential isn't so high that she becomes too dangerous by borrowing Serval's power.
Kujaku: Or we should be hoping Arton doesn't mention Conis too much in his Diary, letting her farm too many points through the Voyage Diary Copy…
"…In any case, that's the gist of it," Arton finished.
"The three attributes Serval requires happen to match the three attributes you have."
"So I think you should be able to use this power."
As he spoke, the Serval Template—condensed with Serval's power—floated on its own toward Conis.
A brilliant light burst from it, swallowing Serval, Arton, and everyone present.
And when the light faded—the dining hall was gone.
In its place was a frozen world of ice and snow.
Not far away stood a beautiful, stylish blonde girl with an electric guitar in her hands—dressed like she'd walked straight out of a stage spotlight.
Opposite her were several humanoid creatures clad in frost-like armor, squaring off against her.
"Th-The surroundings changed!" Raki muttered, rubbing the bare skin of her arm. "It's… really cold."
"Y-Yeah," Conis agreed, nodding quickly.
Even though they'd expected some kind of demonstration space, actually experiencing it firsthand still sent a thrill of shock and curiosity through them.
"So… that's Serval?" Ain said, staring at the blonde girl with unconcealed envy.
"Yup. That's Serval," Arton replied. "She's a very rock 'n' roll girl."
As if to prove his point, Serval—who'd been motionless a moment ago—suddenly snapped her fingers across the strings.
A harsh, metallic riff ripped through the frozen air, and bolts of lightning leapt straight from her guitar, slamming into one of the monsters.
The creature, which had looked sturdy as iron a second earlier, couldn't withstand the strike.
It shattered on the spot—disintegrating into dust.