Queen blinked, scratched his head, then pulled open a tiny door on his massive belly, revealing intricate mechanical structures inside.
Blackbeard's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"A cyborg?"
Queen scoffed, shooting Blackbeard a disdainful look and muttering under his breath.
Then, he rummaged around inside his belly, tossing out piles of junk before finally fishing out a camera and handing it to Caesar.
Caesar laughed. "Why give it to me? Go take pictures of these guys' poses. Tomorrow, we'll extort them—10 billion berries per photo, not too much, right? Snap a bunch. If they refuse? Send 'em to Morgans and have him plaster 'em all over the papers."
Queen's beady eyes widened instantly, gleaming with berry signs as he gazed at Caesar in pure admiration.
Blackbeard's lips twitched as he eyed Van Augur and Doc Q, mentally calculating whether those two were even worth 10 billion.
Shanks subtly shifted his foot off Rayleigh's face.
Queen, eyes sparkling, tiptoed away with the camera, practically skipping with excitement.
'Today, I, Queen, am the world's greatest photographer—having eaten the Camera-Camera Fruit!'
"Pfft!" Doflamingo, who had been drinking with Kaido, suddenly spat out his liquor, coughing violently.
"Hey, Doffy, where's Katakuri and King?" Caesar asked, puzzled.
Doflamingo hacked for a while before catching his breath, then gave the unconscious crowd a sympathetic look.
"Katakuri went to arrange lodging and entertainment for the pirates. As for King... pfft. That guy passed out after one drink. Smoothie dragged him off by his wings."
"Alright, keep drinking then."
With that, Caesar called out to Queen again.
"Queen! Make sure you get Doflamingo's ugly shots! This guy's loaded—charge him 20 billion per photo! And back 'em up. After the first extortion, wait a bit and squeeze him again. Slow and steady wins the race!"
Queen instantly transformed into a ravenous wolf, staring at Doflamingo with drool pooling on the floor.
Doflamingo's glass-raising gesture froze for an instant as he pondered what excuse he could use to slip away from Kaido's presence, lest Caesar decided to extort him as a long-term meal ticket.
"Hmm? Joker! I've already downed my drink, why are you still hesitating? I haven't even settled accounts with you about skimming my money on SMILE deals yet! Drink up, no dawdling—or I'll marry Yamato off to you!"
Doflamingo instantly felt like crying.
Meanwhile, Caesar, dragging a sullen Blackbeard along with Linlin, casually boarded a ship heading toward Sweet Island.
*****
Sweet Island, Pudding's residence.
Sanji and Pudding walked hand in hand, chatting and laughing as they returned from Whole Cake Island.
Pudding's room—no, it should now be called Pudding and Sanji's little nest—had undergone some changes from its formerly elegant style.
The room now had an additional table with two chairs, set with tea utensils and a few basic cookbooks.
The original single bed had also been widened considerably, and the pink girlish bedding had been replaced with a festive red set.
Due to Pudding's strong insistence, Caesar had reluctantly agreed not to hold a grand wedding ceremony for her and Sanji.
Though Pudding's reasoning was that they'd already had one wedding and didn't need another, Sanji knew she was considering his feelings—which was why she'd gone out of her way to plead with that wicked Caesar.
"Sanji..."
The moment they entered, Pudding sidled up to him with a mischievous grin, peering into his eyes.
"Tell me, were you just startled by Yamato earlier?"
Sanji rubbed his nose and chuckled sheepishly.
"Nonsense, how could that be?"
Pudding pouted cutely, her face full of disbelief as she leaned in closer, her breath tickling Sanji's face and making his heart race.
"Were you... thinking about something naughty at that moment?" she whispered, biting her rosy lips as a blush spread across her cheeks.
"N-no way, Pudding-chan, don't make wild guesses."
Suddenly, Pudding pointed at Sanji's mouth.
"Sanji, there's some grease at the corner of your lips."
Sanji blinked, about to wipe it with his sleeve when Pudding stopped him.
"So unsanitary, using your sleeve! Hmph, even though you're the one who does laundry, cooks, and mops, I'd still feel bad for you."
"Haha... Pudding-chan, you're so thoughtful. I'll go get a tissue." Sanji lowered his hand with a gentle smile and turned toward the table.
"No need~ I'll help you."
Pudding reached out both hands to grasp Sanji's arms, freezing him in place.
Then Sanji watched as Pudding closed all three of her clear eyes, slightly parted her cherry lips, extended a pink tongue, and rose on tiptoe to lick the grease from his mouth.
Sanji's face instantly burned red, steam practically shooting from his head as his eyes transformed into heart shapes and twin jets of blood blasted from his nostrils.
"Mmm..."
....
After a long moment, Pudding's flushed face finally pulled away from his facec.
"There, all clean now."
Sanji stood there like a wooden post, grinning foolishly.
Blushing deeply, Pudding took Sanji's hand and led him toward the bed.
"P-Pudding-chan, we haven't washed up yet..." Sanji stammered nervously, his heart rate skyrocketing.
Pudding giggled softly, pressing close like a kitten as she whispered in his ear.
"No need... We'll just have to wash again afterward anyway."
"Pfft—!"
Sanji hurriedly pinched his nose shut.
'Sanji! Hold on, this is the test of a true man—don't lose yourself in the wicked trap of lust, hiss...'
The room was brimming with springtime allure, flushed with amorous energy, as seasons seemed to cycle within its walls.
While Sanji and Pudding were lost in their own world, they remained completely unaware of the flushed face peering in through the second-floor window.
"Hmph, shameless pair, sneaking back to do such things—utterly scandalous!"
Yamato lurked by the window, her eyes wide as saucers, watching with furtive curiosity.
It wasn't until over an hour later that the lights in the room finally went out.
Yamato licked her dry lips, her eyes darting mischievously before a sly grin crept across her face.
After waiting a little longer, she quietly pushed the window open.
With the agility of a cat, she arched her back and slipped noiselessly into Pudding's room.
Crouching low, Yamato crept towards Pudding's bed, her wolf-like eyes gleaming in the dark.
Seeing the two still entangled even in sleep, a pang of jealousy flashed across Yamato's face as she glared fiercely at... Sanji?
Her cheeks flushed from too much alcohol, a triumphant smirk played on her lips as she let her loose clothing slip off.
Then, stealthily, she slid under Pudding's covers.
-----------------------------
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