Skypiea was a wildly special place to someone from the Blue Sea.
And in the same way, the Blue Sea was just as fascinating—almost unreal—to someone from Skypiea.
Forget people in general—Conis alone was intensely curious about the Blue Sea, especially after learning more about it through Arton's diary. She wanted to see all kinds of scenery down there… and she wanted to see mermaids living beneath the sea.
As that thought settled in, Conis's gaze gradually hardened with resolve.
"Alright then, Raki—when we go in, let's do it together," Conis said. "We'll use the same reason to ask Arton-san to take us with him. And if he decides to give me the Serval template and bring me along… then I'll ask him to take you too—together with me."
"W-Wait… we can do that?" Raki blinked.
Almost immediately, she realized it really could work.
Arton agreeing to let Conis join the Flame Blade Pirates was basically a done deal. The Serval template was strong—he would definitely want to find someone suitable as soon as possible.
And by pure luck… Conis was exactly that kind of person.
Sure, if Arton left Skypiea and missed Conis, he could still meet someone compatible with the Serval template in the future—but who knew when that would be? Soon… or years from now.
If she were Arton, she wouldn't let Conis slip through her fingers either.
With that in mind, if Conis "guaranteed" her, the odds of Arton accepting Raki along with her went way up.
"Okay—let's do it," Raki said, pumping her fist with excitement.
"Then let's hurry up and finish the noodles, and bring them in to Arton," Conis said with a bright smile.
"And don't forget to make a bowl for Uta too," Raki added. "She's probably… burning through a lot of stamina right now."
Conis's face went red, and she nodded.
Thanks to what the doujinshis had taught her, she understood exactly what Raki meant—and a whole string of vivid images instantly popped into her head.
"Also… one more thing, Conis," Raki asked while working, "are you prepared?"
"Prepared for what?" Conis asked.
"When we go in, Arton and Uta's… battle might not be over yet," Raki said carefully. "If Arton invites us to join in… would you?"
Conis pressed her lips together, then tossed the question back at her, cheeks warm. "If Arton-san invited you… would you join?"
"…Hehe." Raki smiled. "Me? Yeah. I've already made up my mind. If offering myself can save everyone… I'm more than willing."
Conis nodded seriously. "Right. If it can save everyone… then what does it matter if it's 'just' offering myself?"
They both already knew—through Arton's diary—that Enel planned to destroy Skypiea and then head to the moon.
To them, if Arton hadn't come to Skypiea, that future might've been inevitable.
So Arton was the only person who could stop Enel.
No matter what, they couldn't afford to miss their chance with him.
With that determination in their hearts, the two of them quickly finished two big bowls of ramen. Then, nervous but resolute, they walked to the door of the room where Arton and Uta were.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Arton-san, Uta-san," Raki called through the door, forcing herself to be brave. "Are you in there? The noodles are ready—do you want us to bring them in?"
Chapter 544: Uta — I Really, Really Love You, Captain
Inside the room.
"The noodles are done?" Arton called out toward the door. "Hang on a second."
Then he turned back, looking at Uta as she kept bouncing in front of him like she had endless stamina.
"Seriously, Uta… shouldn't we be wrapping this up?" Arton said with a strained laugh. "Raki and Conis are already here."
"H-Huh? B-But… I… I'm not… done playing yet…" Uta sucked in a breath and wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"Sure, but you know we don't exactly have time," Arton said, sounding a little helpless.
Raki and Conis were just making noodles. Even if it was that famous pumpkin ramen from the original future, it was still just noodles. Even kneading dough from scratch and cooking it fresh didn't take that long.
"T-Then… let them in," Uta said, smiling as she looped her arms around Arton's neck. "I don't mind if they see."
Raki and Conis were both diary-copy holders—odds were they'd end up as crewmates, as "one of them." So what did it matter if they witnessed a little of the chaos?
"You don't mind, but I mind," Arton hissed, tugging at the corner of his mouth and dropping his voice as low as he could.
"What? Since when is our Captain this shy?" Uta's eyes went wide, genuinely shocked.
Of course, her hands didn't stop moving—if anything, she got even bolder.
Arton sucked in a sharp breath, equal parts stunned and impressed by how fearless she was.
"You're unbelievable… This is Conis's room, you know," he muttered. "Alright—get down. We'll keep playing later."
Then he added, voice rougher, "And if you really can't wait, use your Devil Fruit and drag me into your dream. We can play properly there."
He'd already decided: once he was inside Uta's dream, he was going to teach her a lesson she wouldn't forget—make it crystal clear who called the shots in this household.
If he didn't fight her until she was too worn out to even keep her power running, then he didn't deserve to be the captain of the Flame Blade Pirates.
"B-But I'm so thirsty…" Uta whined. "Arton… can't you think of something?"
"You don't look like you're asking for water," Arton said, glancing at her lips—then lowering his gaze.
"It's fine," Uta said with a grin. "This works as 'water' too."
At that, Arton finally understood exactly what she meant.
"You are seriously—…Whatever," he sighed, shaking his head. "Normally, boiling water takes time…"
His eyes narrowed, the corner of his mouth lifting. "But it's not like I can't cheat a little—raise the temperature early… and send it to where it's about to go."
The moment he finished, Uta's eyes flew open—then she shut them again, bliss spreading across her face as her smile slowly widened.
She didn't even need to see it. In her head, she could picture it perfectly—Arton "pouring" for her, serving her like she was precious.
That feeling—being taken care of by the man she liked—made her ridiculously happy.
She hugged him tight against her chest, melting into him, and said in the gentlest, most content voice, "Arton… I really, really love you."
Arton patted her back and answered softly, "I love you too, Uta."