If only I could join in too...
The moment Tashigi realized what Uta was probably doing with Arton, her heart started pounding.
She wanted to be with Arton too.
After tasting what it was like to be with the man she liked, Tashigi realized she was completely addicted to that feeling.
Being together with Arton made her feel like leaving the Marines really wasn't that big a deal after all.
And the more she imagined Uta fooling around with Arton, the more tempted she became.
Seeing that no one around her was paying attention, she slowly moved toward the cabin.
Since Kaya had mentioned earlier that Arton was soaking in a medicinal bath, Tashigi quickly found him in the ship's infirmary.
"Arton, are you awake?"
She put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a little shake.
But Arton didn't respond, almost as if he were truly asleep.
Very quickly, though, Tashigi realized it was more than simple sleep.
Looking at the faint flush glowing across Arton's body, she understood that he was under the influence of Uta's Devil Fruit ability and had entered a dream.
"…Going in too should be fine, right?"
Muttering that to herself, Tashigi's body slowly began to glow.
When the light faded, she had already entered the 100% activation state of her template, her body shifting into a form reminiscent of Tier Harribel.
Of course, calling it a full Harribel transformation wasn't quite accurate.
It was only that some of her features had become similar to Harribel's.
Tashigi's face was still her own face, and her body was still her own body.
But because Harribel's dark skin and the bone-like mask on her face were such distinctive traits, Tashigi now had both as well.
"Arton said that every now and then, he needs something fresh. If I look like this, it should feel new to him."
Murmuring to herself, Tashigi shed her defenses—including her Zanpakutō—and moved closer to Arton.
As she got nearer and nearer, Arton, who was still inside the dream space, suddenly paused.
He glanced at Uta, who was dancing right in front of him, and took a slow breath.
"What's wrong, Captain Arton? Don't tell me my dancing has you that mesmerized."
Uta noticed the change in Arton's expression—and in his body—and asked with a smile.
She could tell that in that moment, he seemed even more worked up than before.
"Of course. You're adorable, Uta, and you're a huge star too. How could I not be crazy about you?"
After a brief moment of thought, Arton decided not to tell Uta about the strange sensation he had picked up on.
Hearing his praise, Uta danced on him even harder, even more intently.
Finally, once Uta had gotten her fill and finished her dance, releasing her ability, Arton was free to return to the real world.
"So it really was you, Tashigi."
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Tashigi in her Tier-form state.
"Arton, you're awake?"
Tashigi jumped, and her movements visibly faltered.
Going by her expectations, Uta shouldn't have dropped the ability this fast.
"Uta said she couldn't keep you trapped in the dream too long, or everyone would start noticing. More importantly, aren't you worried people will notice? We're still in the real world."
Hearing that, Tashigi immediately grew nervous.
"Th-Then... should I leave now?"
"Don't. It's not every day I get to see you in your Tier form. Let me find out just how capable you are like this."
The corner of Arton's mouth curled upward. He raised a hand, pressed down firmly on Tashigi's shoulder, and immediately made her mouth fall open.
"Let me see what you can do, Tashigi."
He said it with a smile.
Chapter 633: Introducing the Blue Sea to Conis and Raki
"Captain Arton, I... I swear you seem especially worked up right now."
Inside the dream, Uta was draped over Arton, speaking in a weak little voice.
"Is that so? Then it must be because you're just too damn cute, Uta."
Arton ran a hand through her hair as he spoke.
Even in the dream, he could still catch that distinct scent in Uta's hair.
"Hehe. Even if you praise me like that, I'm not going to reward you... psych, of course I am."
Uta took a deep breath and pushed herself up.
Then she turned around and lowered herself onto him with her back to him.
"Mmph—"
Uta bit her lip and forcibly swallowed the sound back down.
Then she glanced back at Arton with a grin and said, "Don't think beating me for a little while means I'm giving up, Captain Arton. I've still got other tricks I haven't used yet."
At that, Arton couldn't help giving her a thumbs-up.
"That's our Uta. But I'm not going down that easily either."
"Then let's see about that!"
The moment she said it, Uta launched into another fierce assault.
Even with her back to him, even using moves she normally didn't rely on, Uta still did her absolute best to wear down what strength Arton had left.
Unfortunately for her, the one who lost in the end was still Uta.
"Haa... th-this is so weird. You were obviously already drained by everyone else before me, so how are you still hanging on?"
Uta slumped against Arton and sighed in disbelief.
Arton only smiled and said nothing.
There was no way he could tell her it was because the real-world Tashigi still hadn't finished with him yet.
Truth be told, he was already close to his limit too, but all he could do was grit his teeth and stretch out the time he could last for as much as possible.
"Whatever. I'll count this one as your win."
"I need to head back out, or everyone's going to start getting suspicious."
"Captain Arton, let's meet again in the real world in a bit."
Resting her forehead against his, Uta spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
Then she released her Devil Fruit power, letting both her consciousness and Arton's return to reality.
"Whew, we finally landed smoothly."
"Even if it was a pretty fun experience, it really does feel better being back over the sea."
Nami spread her arms with a smile as she looked out over the familiar Blue Sea.
"Huh? Uta, you're awake?"
"I was just about to wake you up."
Nami looked over and saw Uta standing up from where she'd been sleeping, one hand clutching her skirt.
"Ahaha, the ship was shaking too much. No matter how tired I was, there was no way I could keep sleeping."
"Um, I suddenly feel like changing clothes, so we can talk later."
Scratching the back of her head awkwardly, Uta hurried off toward the cabin.
"Changing clothes?"
"Is that because the weather on Skypiea and the Blue Sea are different or something?"
Nami glanced up at the sky, then at the sea, and muttered in confusion.
"I don't think that's the reason."
Watching Uta's retreating back, Nico Robin said it like she was savoring a private thought.
But very quickly, her attention shifted to Raki and Conis.
"So this is the Blue Sea?"
"It's such a huge ocean."
Raki looked out at the endless water and spoke in wonder.
"Yeah. Compared to Skypiea, this really does feel endless."
Conis nodded in agreement.
Through Arton's diary system, both Conis and Raki had already seen what the Blue Sea looked like.
But seeing it through the diary and seeing it with their own eyes were two completely different things.
Through the diary system, they had never been able to feel the sea breeze or the smell of the ocean itself.
"Looks like our two new crewmates need us to properly introduce them to the Blue Sea."
Nami smiled and walked over.
Carina, Robin, and the others followed right behind her.
Bit by bit, they started telling Raki and Conis about the Blue Sea—what it was like, what to watch out for, and the kind of trouble they needed to avoid—so the two of them wouldn't get hurt just because they were unfamiliar with life down here.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Arton and Tashigi's contest was also gradually reaching its end.