Chapter 191 – Excited Smoothie

[Tia Harribel is the Espada ranked No. 3 among the Arrancar—she's also the only female among the Ten Espada.]

[As one of the Espada, Tia Harribel can fight equally against a Captain-level Shinigami… Well, better to call her a Hollow or "Arrancar" rather than a living being.]

[I'm thinking Nojiko isn't qualified to use this power. Of the heroines I've drawn who could handle Tia Harribel's abilities, Smoothie—who can use water as a weapon—would fit best, right?]

Gion: "Smoothie, huh. If that big-shot female from the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders got hold of a Character Template like this, even a beginner-level one, she'd be a real menace."

Cinnamon: "Exactly—this power is perfect for Smoothie. If she's the one to get it, our pirate crew's strength will jump tremendously."

Stussy: "But Smoothie's still a long way from Arton. Will he even hold onto the template for her that long? There's a chance someone else who fits the profile might pop up along the way and snag it first."

[It's a shame that Smoothie's in the New World, and the likelihood of her leaving Big Mom's crew to join me is quite small, so Tia Harribel's template may not end up going to her.]

[Setting her aside, it's also somewhat suitable for Whitey Bay, Tashigi, Rebecca, etc. And I guess Custard as well? If I were to give it to Custard, it'd be better off going to Smoothie anyway.]

Custard: "Oh, you talk a big game, Arton! But it's true—if anyone in our crew got the template, it'd be better to have Smoothie than me."

[Tashigi's swordsmanship is connected with water, she's female, and can line up with Tia Harribel's swordswoman vibe. Too bad Tashigi's a Marine, so I wouldn't hand a template over to her. She's a good-hearted woman, though, fitting the 'sacrifice' trait Tia Harribel has.]

[Gion also can use it, but heh—if I don't beat her up, that's already good enough. No chance I'd give her my template.]

[Whitey Bay might work, too. Even if she's not specifically water-based, there could be synergy with her swordsmanship. But as a daughter of Whitebeard, she probably won't ever become my crewmate…]

[Thinking it over, maybe Rebecca is the best fit for Tia Harribel's template. She uses that "Backwater Sword Dance," so at least she's got some water theme going on—though not as direct as Smoothie. If in the future Rebecca became the head of her kingdom, that'd line up with Tia Harribel's 'ruler' trait, too.]

Tashigi: "…Because I'm a Marine, I can't get this template?"

Gion: "He's really holding a grudge, is he? Always thinking about fighting me…"

Whitey Bay: "If it could save Ace and Father… I wouldn't mind joining your crew or becoming your woman, Arton!"

Rebecca: "Huh? Am I really that well-matched with this template? But… how am I even supposed to find Arton in the first place?"

Viola: "Rebecca's so compatible with Harribel? If I track Arton down, maybe I can have him reserve this template for Rebecca? But if he gifts Rebecca the template, presumably he'd plan to marry her, right? Then what does that make me? How am I supposed to face Arton, or Rebecca, in that scenario?"

Viola felt a sudden wave of confusion.

Simultaneously, others who had seen Arton's mention of them now grew ever more curious about Tia Harribel's powers. Arton didn't keep them waiting long. Soon, he uploaded a skill-demo compilation of Tia Harribel to the Diary Copy.

[Video: Demonstration of Tia Harribel's Key Abilities!]

["My name is Tia Harribel, a member of the Espada," announced a golden-haired woman clad in white, addressing Toshiro Hitsugaya.]

[The moment she spoke, Tia Harribel brandished her blade and slashed at the ice-wielding Captain Hitsugaya. Countless arcs of golden sword energy spun through the air, while the concentrated spirit bursts of her 'Cero' forced Hitsugaya to retreat.]

Black Maria: "So that's Tia Harribel—her strikes are swift and decisive."

Ulti: "They're fighting mid-air? Does having Harribel's power mean you can fly, too?"

Custard: "Her opponent manipulates ice—'Toshiro Hitsugaya,' it says. Seems pretty strong himself."

Tashigi: "I can barely see what's happening—Harribel's and Hitsugaya's speeds are crazy fast."

Doll: "They're moving at a level beyond even Marine Vice Admirals. As expected, no template from Arton is weak."

Yamato: "But so far, Harribel's not using any water-based attacks, is she?"

Gion: "'Hyorinmaru'? So that's the name of Hitsugaya's sword—it can control even stronger ice than before? Harribel must have a few aces up her sleeve to handle it."

["Engulf him—'Ola Azul'!" Tia Harribel's body radiated intense spiritual pressure; water gushed from her sword, swirling around her. Moments later, when the water dispersed, Harribel's originally hollow shortblade transformed into a shark-gill-patterned greatsword, and the clothes on her torso gave way to a revealing bone-like armor!]

["Three-Fork Mist Halberd!" Tia Harribel murmured softly and swung her greatsword at the Hitsugaya Toshiro in front of her.]

[In that instant, three consecutive slashes composed of high-pressure water vapor shot toward Toshiro, directly slicing his ice clone into two…]

Cinnamon: "She's firing water as a weapon now? This looks like… Sister's 'Water Blade'?!"

Doll: "So water-flow only comes into play once the sword takes that form, it seems. Come to think of it, this Tia Harribel and Hitsugaya's sword look a bit like the equipment Arton has used."

Whitey Bay: "They both need some kind of 'release' for their swords to show their true power?"

Gion: "That slash was actually faster than mine! Does Tia Harribel have power beyond a Marine Admiral's?!"

Ulti: "Huh?! She can't just manipulate flowing water—she can fire off a yellow beam from her sword, too?"

Black Maria: "That's apparently something called a 'Cero.' Looks like Tia Harribel isn't just about swordsmanship."

Kujaku: "A move called 'Burning Tide Flow'? She just instantly melted Hitsugaya's ice! Water doing what normally only fire or magma could do. If you used that against Admiral Aokiji's ice, would you melt it, I wonder."

Whitey Bay: "Interesting… If I had that power, I could at least handle Aokiji. Actually, if Tia Harribel can manipulate high-temperature water, maybe she could extinguish Akainu's magma, too."

As Whitey Bay pondered this, the fight between Hitsugaya and Tia Harribel escalated to a higher level.

["Cascada!" Tia Harribel suddenly brandished her sword. From the shark-gill-like patterns etched in the blade, an immense torrent of water gushed forth.]

[Seen from afar, that descending mass of water looked as grand and vast as a waterfall.]

[The raging pillar of water immediately shattered the icy creations controlled by Hitsugaya Toshiro.]

[What's more, once that water pillar struck the ground, it directly turned into a lake that flooded the entire street!]

Whitey Bay: "So strong—she just vanquished the ice dragon in one move! No mistake, that power can surely smash magma!"

Black Maria: "This ability is practically a natural disaster in itself. Even the three Marine Admirals are nothing compared to this. No—this might well be stronger than them."

Gion: "Altering the terrain in an instant, with water no less. It's almost like a Logia 'Water-Water Fruit.' A template like this could rival the Raiden Shogun's. If one of Arton's future crew members obtains such a power, they might surpass Admiral-class in no time… Indeed, we need Arton in the Navy as soon as possible."

Doll: "For Devil Fruit users, this power would be a nightmare."

Shyarly: "If this power were unleashed in the ocean, it might manipulate a huge expanse of seawater to form a massive tsunami, right? That'd be perfect for a mermaid."

Rebecca: "Am I really capable of mastering such power?"

Smoothie: "So this is it—this is the power I must have. No way can Tashigi, Whitey Bay, or Rebecca possibly be worthy. Only I, who can also manipulate water, have the right to wield this strength! With it, combined with my fruit power, I'd become stronger than anyone. I could even surpass Mama."

At that moment, Smoothie was more excited than she'd ever been. Even though the demonstration video had ended, her blood was still pumping. Tia Harribel's ability left her astonished and covetous. While Smoothie's fruit power let her manipulate the water in other people's bodies, she had no way of controlling large volumes of water like Tia Harribel did.

Smoothie now felt that missing out on the Raiden Shogun template wasn't so bad. After all, the template truly suited to her was right here waiting for her.

***

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