What's going on?!
Wasn't this supposed to be a respectful, professional visit?
Why was he suddenly so… bold?
Men! They really can't be trusted!
Carmen's thoughts spun out of control—
wild, frantic, and hopelessly off-track.
By the time she realized she'd been led into a room and was standing in front of a bed, her mind was still blank.
"Carmen…? Carmen? Hmm? What's wrong with you?"
Arthur frowned.
Her eyes were unfocused, her cheeks flushed crimson, and she wasn't responding at all.
He thought she might be sick.
"Huh. Guess we need a doctor on the crew too…"
He reached out to touch her forehead, checking her temperature.
But the moment his fingers brushed her skin—
"Ah!"
Carmen jolted like she'd been struck by lightning.
She yelped, stumbled backward in a panic—
—and tripped over the bedframe.
Losing balance, she fell back onto the mattress.
Out of reflex, her hand shot out to steady herself—
but instead, she grabbed the front of Arthur's shirt and dragged him down with her.
They landed together with a thud.
Their faces stopped barely an inch apart, eyes locked, breath mingling.
One tiny movement, and their lips would have touched.
Both froze, completely stunned.
Neither moved, neither spoke—
they just stayed there, tangled awkwardly, as the silence grew louder by the second.
And then—
"Carmen! What happened? Are you—uh…"
"We heard you scream! Are you—huh?!"
The others—Waldo, Crocodile, and Redfield—burst through the open door.
They took one look at the scene before them… and froze.
Oh, holy mother of all seas.
There they were—Arthur and Carmen—
in broad daylight, on the bed, tangled together like a live broadcast!
Both immediately snapped out of their daze, leaping to their feet like startled cats.
"We—uh—this isn't what it looks like!"
Before Arthur could even finish, Waldo let out a booming laugh.
"We get it! We get it! Next time, maybe close the door, yeah?
And Carmen, that scream—wow! Didn't know you had lungs like that!"
Crocodile and Redfield both gave knowing smirks, amusement written all over their faces.
Arthur's expression darkened.
"OUT!"
He jabbed a finger at the door, roaring like a lion.
There was no explaining this away, and honestly, he didn't even want to try.
The trio, instead of being ashamed, looked delighted—
especially Waldo, who was still grinning ear to ear as he tugged the other two out of the room.
"We'll leave you lovebirds to it!" he said, closing the door behind him.
Carmen, meanwhile, was red from her ears down to her collarbone.
If she could've crawled under the floorboards, she would have.
Arthur sighed, rubbing his temple.
"Well… that went about as bad as possible."
He'd only meant to give her a small surprise—
but somehow, it had turned into this ridiculous misunderstanding.
Trying to salvage the situation, he quickly reached into his storage and pulled out a weapon—
the Elephant Sword he'd taken from Spandam back on Enies Lobby.
"Carmen," he said, holding it out, "this is really just a misunderstanding.
I only wanted to give you this."
"Eh?"
Still flustered, Carmen blinked in confusion.
Her gaze shifted to the weapon in his hands—
a slender, curved sword with ornate patterns etched into its hilt.
Her eyes widened, instantly captivated.
Just like that, the tension in the room began to fade.
Seeing her focus shift, Arthur breathed a silent sigh of relief and began explaining.
He told her how the sword was fused with a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, granting it the power of an elephant—
and how it could recognize a new master.
Carmen, being both clever and endlessly curious, was instantly fascinated.
Using a controlled burst of Conqueror's Haki, Arthur forced the weapon's spirit to submit.
The Elephant Sword trembled under his overwhelming aura and quickly yielded.
Then, he formally passed it to Carmen, teaching her how to channel its ability and even suggesting she experiment with new ideas for combat or cooking applications.
Carmen couldn't put it down—
swinging it lightly, testing its weight, practicing small moves with startling natural precision.
After all, she'd spent her life wielding knives—
for her, this was just an extension of her craft.
Satisfied, Arthur gave her a few last tips…
and then promptly excused himself from the room—
before anything else could be misinterpreted.
"Beautiful misunderstanding, huh…" he muttered under his breath, smirking ruefully as he closed the door.
Inside, Carmen was still admiring the weapon, her heart fluttering for reasons she didn't quite understand.
When Arthur left, she felt a faint, inexplicable pang of disappointment.
Outside, Waldo was waiting, grinning like a fool.
He opened his mouth to tease—
—but one look from Arthur, sharp enough to kill a man,
and the words died in his throat.
Arthur walked straight to Jinlin, the little ship's living navigation spirit.
"Jinlin," he said, voice calm but firm.
"Locate the current position of the Vampire-type Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit."
The words were soft—
but they didn't escape Redfield's sharp ears.
The moment he heard Vampire Fruit, he was beside Arthur in a blur.
Arthur chuckled.
"Knew you'd come running, old man."
Everyone gathered around curiously as Jinlin activated the record sphere.
Pressing its tiny hands against the crystal, the spirit chanted softly.
Moments later, the sphere lit up—
a small golden dot appearing on its surface.
"Hey, it's moving!" Waldo exclaimed, leaning in.
"Where is it?" Arthur asked.
Jinlin's voice chimed sweetly.
"It's in the New World, Captain. Based on its trajectory, it's headed toward… Dressrosa."
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
He and Crocodile exchanged a look.
"Donquixote Doflamingo," they said in unison.
Arthur's grin turned sharp.
"Well, that just got interesting."
Redfield's eyes gleamed with hunger.
"Captain, we have to go. That fruit—it belongs to me."
Arthur patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"Relax, Count. You'll have it soon.
Once we reach Sabaody Archipelago and finish coating the ship, we'll head straight for the New World."
"Good!"
At the mention of the New World, the crew's spirits surged.
Everyone knew—
the second half of the Grand Line, known as the New World, was where the real adventure began.
It was a place ruled by monsters, legends, and dreams—
and for this crew of powerhouses, it was nothing short of paradise.
Waldo immediately kicked his speed ability into full throttle, propelling the Jinlin across the waves toward Sabaody at record pace.
Redfield, meanwhile, refused to take his eyes off the glowing dot on the record sphere.
He watched it like a hawk, terrified it might vanish if he blinked.
Arthur could only sigh.
"Forget it. Waldo, you take over Haki lessons for now.
We'll let the Count obsess in peace."
Waldo grinned sheepishly.
He wasn't exactly a master teacher, but he tried his best—
even if, secretly, he wanted to be the one learning from Redfield.
Arthur, meanwhile, had fully assumed the role of a laid-back captain.
He sat on the bow, sipping wine and fishing lazily.
When he caught something strange or colorful, he'd toss it into Jinlin's onboard aquarium.
When he caught something plump and tasty, he'd save it for Carmen's next meal.
Life was good.
And before long—
"Captain!" Waldo shouted from the mast.
"Land ahead!"
Arthur lifted his glass, squinting into the distance.
Beyond the shimmering horizon, clusters of enormous, green bubbles rose into the sky.
"The Sabaody Archipelago," he said softly, a smile playing on his lips.
"We've arrived."
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