Aboard the Kuja Pirates' ship, up in the lookout…
The sniper Ran had her jet-black hair pulled up into a bun, a lady's cigarette perched between her lips. She wore over-the-knee black stockings, a cropped T-shirt-like top with no fasteners, leaving her midriff exposed, and a white cloak draped across her back. From a distance, she cut a heroic yet undeniably sensual figure.
Floating before her was a diary labeled in large letters, Arton's Diary Copy (Ran's Copy).
'This Arton fellow sure has an overactive imagination,' Ran thought calmly to herself as she flipped through a comic in which she was the main heroine, detailing the steps to bearing offspring.
Despite the intimate nature of the content, she scrolled through it without a hint of embarrassment, as though reading someone else's story.
With a shift of her mind, the comic turned to its second page.
"Using my mouth again, huh… And this time, I'm suspended from the ceiling by my feet, spinning around on top of him… Where does this man even come up with these ideas?"
She narrowed her eyes. There was no shyness in her expression, just mild curiosity. After a moment, Ran flipped to the next page. This time, a flicker of surprise crossed her face.
"Hmm? The place he's trying to enter…seems a bit off."
Her right hand instinctively went to her hip.
"If he thinks I'd follow this comic panel for panel, that's not gonna be easy, Arton. Unless doing these things will help me bear a strong daughter. But can you really conceive a child this way? Doing the main act should be enough, right?"
She frowned inwardly, then shook her head.
"Though Arton is indeed a man well-suited to creating offspring. One day, I do need to find a man to bear a daughter with and bring her back to Amazon Lily. If I pass on his powerful genes, our child—my daughter—would definitely be quite strong."
"And to make the most of him, I'd have to keep him around. That way, I could earn those points but given the rules of the Kuja Pirates and Amazon Lily, I can't exactly bring him onto our ship or back to our island."
Her thoughts were a jumble. Though she hadn't personally received any points or verified their effects, she'd quietly observed how Carina, Uta, Kaya, and Nami had grown stronger—and far more quickly—after getting points. She found it all very convincing.
Nor was it just the points. Ran also coveted the character templates that Nami and the others had obtained.
"Bringing Arton onto the island isn't the only challenge. Actually winning him over might not be so easy, either. Even if Arton's willing, his crewmates might intervene."
With that in mind, Ran sighed again. She knew the stories about women of Amazon Lily who would return pregnant after going to sea; she herself had always been prepared for that possibility.
Indeed, Arton was an excellent candidate for fathering a daughter. But treating him purely as a tool seemed like a tall order—not just because of her own hurdles, but also because of potential complications on Arton's side.
"Come to think of it, even someone like me—who's never been named in Arton's diary—has managed to receive a Diary Copy. So what about Lady Hancock, whom Arton has mentioned repeatedly? She must have one too, right?"
"If that's true, Lady Hancock will try to bring Arton onto the Kuja Pirates' ship someday. But if Arton actually becomes her consort, there'd be no room left for me."
Ran shook her head just as she spotted Boa Hancock stepping out of the cabin and moving toward the ship's bow.
Ran instinctively put away her Diary Copy. Gazing upon the Empress's beautiful, alluring figure, she thought that if Arton were to become Hancock's consort, not only would the Empress forbid Ran from having any contact with Arton, but Arton himself probably wouldn't give someone of Ran's caliber a second glance.
'After all, he'd already have the world's most gorgeous woman—no need for others, right?'
If Arton knew what she was thinking, he'd definitely shake his head. Even if Boa Hancock is the world's most beautiful woman, Arton is not the type to abandon an entire garden for just one rose.
"If the Empress really does have a Diary Copy," Ran mused, "then our current course is to go searching for Arton?"
She glanced at the distant ocean. Suddenly, she caught a familiar flash out of the corner of her eye. Lowering her gaze, her lovely red lips parted in astonishment—wide enough to fit a whole egg.
'That's… Arton's Diary Copy?! Then it's true—Lady Hancock does have a Diary Copy. That means Arton must have mentioned her multiple times.'
A new thought hit her, 'If Lady Hancock has received so many mentions, she must've gained a lot of points by now and become even stronger.'
Imagining the already-powerful Hancock becoming even mightier filled Ran with excitement.
'Great, so I'm not the only one on the Kuja Pirates with a Diary Copy anymore. Maybe I should talk to the Empress. Even if Arton does end up as the Empress's consort and there's no room for me, if she can get Arton to mention my name in his diary or take pictures and videos of me, I'll be able to power up quickly—and in turn help the Kuja Pirates and Amazon Lily!'
Growing increasingly eager, Ran took a deep breath. She leapt down from the high lookout and strode toward Hancock at the prow. But just then—
Hancock: "…All the holders of these Diary Copies… must die!"
Ran froze in her tracks. Hancock's words made her heart skip a beat.
'The Empress wants to kill every other Diary Copy holder?!' Ran's eyes widened in disbelief.
Hancock sensed a familiar presence behind her and turned.
"Ran, how long until we arrive at our next destination?"
"Uh… about five hours, ma'am." Ran answered on reflex.
"Mm."
Hancock nodded curtly and once again faced the sea—though from Ran's vantage point, it was clear her real attention was on the floating Diary Copy before her. Seeing Hancock's cold expression, remembering her earlier words, Ran pursed her lips and slipped away.
'The Empress wants to kill every other holder of a Diary Copy? Is it because she wants Arton all to herself? If she really kills Nami, Carina, and the others, would Arton ever agree to serve her?'
Ran frowned deeply. After a long pause, she let out a sigh.
"Oh well. Let's just see what happens. If the Empress hates other Diary Copy holders, then I'd best pretend I never had one in the first place."
In the end, she decided to keep her own Diary Copy a secret.
"And once we return to Amazon Lily, I'd better warn Marguerite and Aphlandra about the Empress's new stance, too."
***
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