"That Arton!" Genzo shook his head. "I must be mistaken, right? There's no way both Nami and Nojiko would fall for the same man, is there?"
"Hehe, that might not be so certain."
Suddenly, a playful voice came from behind Genzo.
"Are you Carina, Arton's crewmate? Nami said she's friends with you. What did you mean by not necessarily just now?"
Genzo saw Carina and asked in confusion.
"I meant it quite literally. Besides, if you call me and Nami friends, it's more like we're rivals, actually."
As Carina spoke, she took a sip of the liquor in her hand, then turned to look toward where Arton and Nojiko had flown off. Earlier, Carina had already seen Arton and Nojiko's interaction through her Diary Copy. She'd intended to step in, but before she could even get to Arton, he had simply flown away with Nojiko in his arms.
"No way—could Nami and Nojiko really like the same man?"
"Nami, sure, but Nojiko only met Arton today."
Even though Carina was Arton's crewmate, Genzo still found it hard to believe.
"Genzo, you just don't understand Arton's charm," Carina said. "He's basically a lady-killer. And by the way, on our ship, it's not only Nami who likes Arton. In fact, in this entire sea, I'd bet it's not one hundred, but at least dozens of women who are fond of him."
Of course, some women might not like Arton himself so much as the powerful abilities he can offer them, but Carina didn't say that part out loud. After patting the dazed Genzo on the shoulder, she headed back to the banquet hall.
…
Cocoyasi Village – Clinic
"Nami, why aren't you attending the banquet? What brings you here? And the one with you… I believe this is Kaya, right?"
The elderly village doctor looked at Nami in puzzlement.
"Doctor, we'd like to borrow some of your equipment," Nami said with a smile.
"Equipment?"
"Yes!" Nami pointed to the tattoo on her shoulder. "I'd like to modify this tattoo."
"Ah, I see. All right, come in—I'll do it for you. Just tell me what design you want. Could it be the emblem of the Flameblade Pirates?"
Upon seeing the Arlong Pirates' tattoo on her arm, the doctor instantly understood Nami's reason. Now that the Arlong Pirates were gone, Nami had, in a way, been reborn. As such, she no longer needed the Arlong Pirates' mark.
"Doctor, I only need the use of your tools; no need to trouble you with the actual procedure. The young lady here, Kaya, is our ship's doctor—she'll handle it."
Nami pushed Kaya forward with a friendly smile. She was quite aware that Arton disliked how overly bold she could be sometimes. In fact, Arton had even mentioned in his diary that, because Nami was too forward, she wasn't exactly marriage material for him. Knowing that, if she went overboard with her boldness, not only would Arton exclude her as a possible spouse, but also she might reduce her chances of enticing him to record more diary footage. So even for altering her tattoo, she'd rather pick a female doctor she knew.
"Aha, right, that slipped my mind," the village doctor exclaimed, slapping his forehead. Turning to Kaya, he said.
"Ms. Kaya, if Nami recommended you, I'm sure you can handle this. You're free to use the tools in the room. If anything comes up, just call me."
With that, he guided Nami and Kaya into a patient room and then left, giving them some privacy.
"All right then, Kaya, I'm counting on you," Nami said. "Help me alter this tattoo into a windmill shape—like this design."
Nami lay face-down on the bed, her upper body pressed against the mattress, while handing Kaya a sketch of the pattern she wanted.
"Don't worry, Nami. I'll modify it properly," Kaya said as she prepared the tattooing utensils. "But… instead of just altering it, I can use Medical Ninjutsu to restore your skin as if new. Or, I can erase the tattoo on your arm first and then draw the windmill symbol."
"Oh, right. I nearly forgot you have Medical Ninjutsu," Nami said. "Yes, let's remove it first, then place the new mark. We'll go with the windmill design."
After a brief thought, Nami decided the windmill would pair well with Nojiko's matching mark from before.
"Understood," Kaya replied.
As soon as she mixed the tattooing solution and was about to begin the procedure, the door suddenly burst open.
"Put down that tattoo pen—let me do it."
Kaya and Nami both turned toward the sound, only to see Arton and Nojiko walking in from the doorway.
"Arton? What are you doing here?" Nami blinked, pushing herself up off the bed. At that moment, she was in an essentially unguarded state. By sitting up, she inadvertently exposed her bosom to Arton's gaze. Without hesitation, Arton turned on the Diary Copy's recording function.
[Video (Recording): Nami Changing Her Tattoo!]
Hina: "A video again? Nami's going to rack up a ton of points."
Tashigi: "Not just Nami—Kaya and Nojiko are there, so they'll get points too, right?"
Kozuki Hiyori: "Gosh, that's so enviable."
Cinnamon: "So Arton's here to help Nami change her tattoo? Makes sense, now that the Arlong Pirates are finished. Replacing that mark is pretty normal."
Smoothie: "Interesting. Just tattooing is enough for Arton to start recording? Then again, Nami's defenseless at the moment, so of course that piques Arton's interest for more footage. Once I meet Arton, I should let him adjust the rose tattoo on my leg—while I'm in a similarly unguarded state. That might encourage him to film.
But simply reworking a tattoo might not inspire him enough… maybe I'd have to be as exposed as Nami is right now."
Gion: "If Arton joined the Navy, I could have him do something about the spider tattoo on my leg, too…"
Boa Hancock: "A tattoo, huh… That brings back some unpleasant memories."