"The people over there… those are your tribe, right?" Nami nudged Raki with her elbow and pointed toward Wyper and the Shandians. "Why don't you go talk to them?"
"Huh? Oh—yeah, you're right!" Raki blinked, eyes widening.
"You seriously spaced out?" Nami sighed. "They've been standing there for a while."
"Sorry…" Raki scratched the back of her head, embarrassed. "I was paying attention to Captain Arton the whole time."
"Really?" Nami crossed her arms and gave her a slow once-over. "So our Captain is that dangerously charming, huh? You've barely known him and you're already totally hooked."
Under Nami's scrutiny, Raki could only force an awkward laugh. She couldn't exactly tell Nami that she'd gotten close to Arton by straight-up worshipping him on her knees—even if she was willing, that wasn't the kind of thing you could just say out loud. Even a warrior like her had moments where she got shy.
Too bad Arton wasn't paying attention to Raki right now. If he had been… he probably would've used her flustered face as inspiration for another doujinshi.
"I should go over there," Raki said, exhaling. "Just in case something weird happens."
"Nami—aren't you coming too?" she asked.
"We'll stay here and watch," Nami said with a shake of her head. "This is Conis's trial, remember?"
Sure, Nami wanted to get her hands on Sky Island treasure as soon as possible—but Arton clearly wanted to test Conis. As someone who liked Arton, the least she could do was not ruin his plan.
"Okay. I'm going." Raki nodded to Nami and the others, then sprinted out of the trees.
Before long, the sound of her footsteps grabbed Wyper's group's attention—Gan Fall's too.
"Raki!" Wyper's face lit up the moment he saw her.
It made sense. Aisa had told him Raki would be fine with Arton, but not seeing her in person—not being able to confirm it with his own eyes—had still left him uneasy. Arton's crew felt terrifyingly strong. There was no way he wasn't going to worry.
Gan Fall, meanwhile, quietly let out a breath of relief when Wyper spoke first. The last thing he wanted was to clash with these stubborn Shandians right now.
He turned, thought for a second, then headed toward Arton and Conis.
Out of everyone here, Conis counted as his friend… and Arton, at the very least, was a Blue Sea man he'd met once and could actually talk to.
"Raki—are you really okay?" Wyper demanded, scanning her. "Those Blue Sea pirates… they didn't do anything to you, did they?"
"I'm fine," Raki said, shaking her head. "They didn't do anything to me."
If anything, it was the other way around—she'd done some things to Arton.
Of course, that was the last thing she was going to tell Wyper.
"Good." Wyper nodded, then stepped in like a shield. "Then get behind us."
"I'll handle what comes next."
"And don't worry about Enel," Wyper added, jaw tightening. "I'll figure something out."
Raki's expression turned a little awkward.
She wasn't supposed to doubt her comrades. But she honestly couldn't imagine Wyper figuring something out against Enel.
She knew Wyper's strength. She also knew Enel's.
And the truth was… Enel was in a completely different league.
Chapter 586: Conis Controls Lightning—Gan Fall's Doubts
"Uh… yeah, no. Forget it," Raki said, shaking her head at Wyper. "Leave Enel to Arton and Conis."
"Huh?" Wyper's eyes went wide as he stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Since when did Raki trust anyone outside the Shandians? What happened to her while she was out of his sight?
"Bottom line, Wyper—don't interfere with Arton and them," Raki said, deadly serious. "And whatever you do, don't pull the same stunt you did last time."
She was genuinely afraid Wyper would repeat what he'd done before—launching an attack on Arton's crew.
Last time, she'd managed to beg Arton to let it go.
If it happened again… she wasn't sure she could talk Arton into sparing them.
One side was her Shandian comrades. The other was… the crew she was going to sail with.
If she could prevent it, she didn't want either side clashing—especially not right when they were about to go after Enel.
"Raki… did those people do something to you?" Wyper frowned. "You're acting weird."
"They didn't," Raki said, shaking her head. "I just… confirmed some things, that's all."
That only made Wyper look even more confused.
"I don't know what you went through over there," he said, jaw set, "but I'm already here. I'm not leaving."
Raki pressed a hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh. "You're unbelievable. So damn stubborn."
Seeing how hard-headed he was, she could only grit her teeth and do her best to talk sense into Wyper—and the Shandian warriors behind him.
…
On the other side.
"...These priests were really taken down by you, Conis?" Gan Fall stared at the blonde girl in disbelief.
He'd assumed Arton was the one who did it.
He never would've imagined it was Conis.
Even with Conis saying it herself, Gan Fall still couldn't quite accept it.
"Conis… are you serious?" he asked. "You're not lying to me?"
"I'm not," Conis said with a gentle smile, nodding.
Then, right in front of him, she raised her hand—and lightning gathered in her palm.
Gan Fall's eyes nearly popped out of his head as Conis calmly added, "This is the power I used. That's how I beat them…"
At that point, Gan Fall was completely stunned.
He stood there with his mouth open, staring at the lightning as if it had to be some kind of illusion.
But when he hesitantly reached out and touched it, the sharp sting shot up his arm and told him the truth:
It was real.
"So… everything you said is true," Gan Fall murmured, almost awed.
Right then, Wyper suddenly rushed over.
Gan Fall frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Tch. I just want to see that power for myself," Wyper snorted, then turned to Conis. "Woman—where did that power come from?"
Conis opened her mouth, then instinctively looked toward Arton.
She didn't know whether she should answer Wyper.
Arton hadn't even had the chance to speak when Raki sprinted up, slapped a hand down on Wyper's shoulder, and pinned him in place.
"That's enough, Wyper," Raki said firmly. "Don't ask about that."