Under Linlin's amused gaze, a blushing Pudding hastily dressed herself before heading out.
"Mamamama~ Come to the window first. I have something to tell you," Linlin chuckled, her eyes glancing toward Yamato's carefree sleeping form on the bed.
Pudding covered Yamato with the blanket before pursing her lips and approaching the window.
At 8.8 meters tall, Linlin had to bend down to reach the second-story window about six meters above ground level.
"Mama, what did you want to tell me?" Pudding's cheeks remained flushed.
Tonight had been too stimulating - not only being ambushed by Yamato and peeking into her memories, but now being caught by her mother.
If Big mom mentioned this to Kaido tomorrow, Pudding wouldn't know how to explain it.
Some situations only get worse the more you explain.
Linlin lowered her voice, "Pudding, your father brought Blackbeard here. Soon, he'll have Blackbeard extract the Memory-Memory Fruit power from you. This ability is too valuable, and limited by your current strength, you can't utilize its full potential. That bastard Kuzan betrayed us again today - even attempted to assassinate your father."
Pudding's face instantly drained of color.
Not only because Linlin said she wanted Blackbeard to strip her of her abilities, but also because Kuzan assassinated Caesar.
Kuzan's memories were altered by Pudding at the time.
Although the changes were minimal, Pudding had been very confident in her abilities back then.
Pudding's face turned pale as she trembled and asked.
"Is... is Papa hurt?"
Since she and Sanji had already seen Caesar on Whole Cake Island, the only possibility was that Kuzan only manage to injured him.
"Mamama, Kuzan is decent, but compared to your father, he's still far too weak. Don't worry, he's fine."
Perhaps noticing the fear and uncertainty in Pudding's eyes, Linlin gently reassured her, "Pudding, don't be afraid. You'll be fine. When the time comes, your father will use his lifeforce to create a pool to sustain your life force constantly. In this world, only your father can do something like that. Remember, don't reveal your ability to Blackbeard."
The fear in Pudding's eyes gradually faded, but she still looked worried.
"Mama, but... as far as I know, no one in the world has ever possessed two Devil Fruit abilities at once. What if... what if something happens to Papa? What if—"
Linlin chuckled. "No need to worry. Doesn't Blackbeard already use two abilities? Besides, Caesar said that guy might even have a third ability."
Pudding's pupils dilated in shock. "A... a third ability?! How is that possible? Is he a monster?"
"Mamama, whatever the reason, even if Blackbeard can possess more than two abilities, he still only has one body. The conflict between those abilities must be endured by a powerful physique. Pudding, do you really think Blackbeard's body can compare to your father's? At best, he might barely reach Kaido's level—or maybe not even that."
"With your father's physique, which far surpasses Blackbeard's by who knows how many times, and his nearly limitless life force, even if there's a conflict from merging a second Devil Fruit ability—or even if it fails—he'll be fine. You don't need to worry."
Pudding finally relaxed and smiled. "Mama, do I need to prepare anything?"
Linlin grinned. "No need. Come here, I'll take you to them."
Linlin extended her palm to the window.
Pudding climbed onto the windowsill and then onto Linlin's massive hand.
Effortlessly, Linlin lifted the petite girl and began walking toward Caesar's residence.
Prometheus carried them into the air, flying straight toward the other side of Sweet Island.
Along the way, Linlin spoke softly, "Pudding, after you lose the Memory-Memory Fruit ability, is there any new ability you'd like? The treasure vault in Tottoland still has over a dozen Devil Fruits stored away."
Sitting in Linlin's palm, Pudding looked up and smiled.
"No need, Mama. I'm not much of a fighter anyway, so there's no point wasting those abilities on me."
Linlin shook her head. "You know your father's temperament—he'll definitely compensate you with another Devil Fruit. Mamamama, how about this? A few days ago, Doflamingo found a new fruit—they say it's the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit. Its ability allows the user to transform into anyone's appearance. It should suit someone like you, who isn't much of a fighter. After you lose your memory ability, you can eat this one—at least it'll give you some means of self-defense."
Hearing Linlin's firm words, Pudding smiled slightly and stopped refusing.
Pudding was well aware of Caesar's principles in handling matters.
Merit must be rewarded, and mistakes must be punished.
If he demanded something from you, he would compensate you in other ways.
This applied not only to those close to him, like Pudding, but even to the lowly pirates of the Beast God Pirates.
It was precisely because of this that the atmosphere within the Beast God Pirates had grown increasingly better and more united.
A leader who was both powerful and charismatic was someone any pirate would willingly pledge their life to follow.
Linlin moved swiftly, arriving in no time at the massive estate perched on the seaside cliffs.
Caesar and Blackbeard stood in the courtyard of the estate, with a washbasin placed at their feet.
Judging by the broken tiles, it had clearly been forcibly removed.
Linlin descended, setting Pudding down on the ground, then turned to Caesar and asked.
"Caesar, are you ready? Should we evacuate everyone on the island first?"
Caesar first smiled and nodded at Pudding before turning his gaze to the visibly uncomfortable Blackbeard.
"Blackbeard, what do you think? Will your ability cause a big disturbance?"
Blackbeard twitched his lips.
"Zehahaha! No need. It won't be a grand spectacle, and it'll be over quickly—just a few minutes. If the ability she possesses isn't awakened and isn't particularly strong, the energy fluctuations will be minimal, making the process even faster."
As he spoke, Blackbeard kept eyeing the petite Pudding up and down, his expression one of surprise, his brows furrowed.
He couldn't see anything about her that suggested the aura of a strong individual.
Generally speaking, someone like her wouldn't possess any formidable ability either.
Powerful individuals and powerful abilities were interconnected, each enhancing the other, making the ability user stand out.
At the very least, their presence would be unmistakable.
But the Pudding before him showed no trace of energy fluctuations whatsoever.
Blackbeard didn't sense any Haki from her either, and as for her physical strength?
That went without saying—it was pathetically weak.
'Could it be some kind of rule-based or mind-affecting ability? Like the Door-Door Fruit or the Luck-Luck Fruit?'
Blackbeard didn't hold back his curiosity and asked with a grin, "Little girl, what's your ability?"
Whack!
Caesar swung his hand and smacked Blackbeard on the back of the head.
"What's the matter, Blackbeard? Why ask so many questions? My daughter is already married. If you're interested, I have plenty of other daughters—I wouldn't mind being your father at all."
-----------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator