"Anyway, we'll take over from here. You don't need to worry about the rest."
Cain spoke firmly, and with that, Brûlée finally stopped lingering.
A moment later, she disappeared into the mirror.
Once that was settled, Cain turned toward Uta with a hint of concern.
"When we first arrived, Bella said she wanted to go out and play."
"This is Big Mom's territory, and basically a paradise for Homies. She might not like this place anymore, but there's nothing wrong with her going off on her own for a while…"
He frowned.
"But she's been gone for ages."
"And we still need the medicine she's carrying later."
Before he could finish, a pair of arms gently wrapped around his neck from behind.
Uta pressed her warm cheek against his shoulder and lowered her voice.
"Don't worry."
"She probably got distracted playing and forgot the time."
"With how strong Bella is now, especially with the More-More Fruit, there's probably nobody in Totto Land who can actually restrain her."
Her arms tightened slightly around him.
"And besides…"
"Since Bella isn't here right now, the two of us finally get to enjoy some time completely alone."
Her voice softened further.
"It's been a long time since we had any real privacy."
Her fingertips slowly slid down Cain's neck and across his chest before coming to rest near his waist.
The movement was deliberately slow, dragging out the implication.
"We never got to have that red wine bath I wanted at Chiffon's wedding."
Uta leaned closer to his ear.
"So we're making up for it this time."
"You promised me we'd turn everything pink."
"You're not allowed to back out."
The warmth against his neck and side made Cain's body stiffen slightly.
He didn't move away.
After leaning there in silence for a moment, he answered with a slightly dry voice,
"Then I'll go get some milk ready."
"No need."
Uta immediately stopped him.
"Back then, we weren't strong enough to notice everything happening around us."
"But now?"
"You know perfectly well how far your Observation Haki can reach."
She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes.
"If nobody's watching us…"
"Then this time, I want…"
She left the sentence unfinished.
The rest was already clear in her eyes.
Cain swallowed.
He understood.
This time—
there really was no escape.
…
Meanwhile, deep inside one of Totto Land's refrigerated storage rooms—
Bella's idea of "playing" had naturally brought her here.
But the expression on her face now was completely different from the sweet, dependent look she wore whenever she was around Cain and Uta.
There was something commanding in her eyes.
A natural authority.
Bella sat in the center of the freezer atop an enormous throne carved from solid ice.
She took a long sip of the frozen drink being respectfully offered to her and nodded in satisfaction.
"Pretty good this time, Zeus-senpai."
"Much better than Prometheus."
Bella glanced at Zeus, who was holding the drink with extreme politeness.
Then her gaze shifted toward the other side of the room.
Prometheus was completely frozen inside a massive block of ice, unable to move.
"No, no, it's nothing!"
Zeus laughed nervously.
"As your senior, taking care of Bella is only natural!"
His eyes drifted sympathetically toward the unfortunate Prometheus.
Tragic.
The moment Bella arrived on the island, she had gone straight out and dragged both of them away from Totto Land.
Napoleon had gotten lucky, since he was still sitting on Big Mom's head and therefore escaped the purge.
Zeus wasn't quite as much of a bastard as the other two, so Bella had spared him.
Prometheus, on the other hand…
had gotten absolutely destroyed.
Bella immediately cut off Zeus' flattery.
"Don't call me Bella."
"You three might technically be the commanders of all Homies, but I'm way stronger than you."
She narrowed her eyes.
"So what are you supposed to call me?"
Zeus stiffened.
"B-Big Sis."
"That's right."
Bella nodded in satisfaction.
"Much better."
Then she added,
"Oh, and don't tell Papa and Mama about any of this."
Bella had changed considerably since Big Mom had once tried to forcibly replace her.
Her mindset had matured just as much as her strength.
So when it came to these Homies, she no longer bothered being polite.
And she definitely didn't hold back.
Still…
there was no reason Papa and Mama needed to know about this side of her.
Bella glanced once more at Prometheus trapped inside the ice.
'Yep.'
'He definitely deserved another beating.'
Inside the ice, Prometheus was practically screaming in frustration.
'Damn it!'
'How did this little brat get so much stronger in just one year?!'
She had beaten him in a single move.
One move!
How was that even possible?!
He refused to accept it.
His flames surged violently inside his body as he tried desperately to melt through the ice.
But no matter how fiercely he burned, the frozen prison didn't even begin to break.
Naturally, his struggle was hopeless.
Every one of Bella's current techniques was being amplified through the More-More Fruit.
Prometheus already couldn't beat her before.
Now?
It wasn't even close.
…
By the time Bella finally finished "playing" and returned to Cain and Uta's guest room, night had already fallen.
Then she saw—
Uta lying sprawled comfortably across the bed.
And Cain lying flat beside her like a dried corpse.
"PAPA!!!"
Bella flew over in a panic.
"What happened to you, Papa?!"
Her eyes immediately filled with tears.
"What happened while Bella was gone?!"
"This is Bella's fault!"
"Bella wasn't here, so Papa couldn't use the More-More Fruit!"
"Bella shouldn't have gone off playing!"
"Bella was wrong!"
"Papa, wake up!"
Her frantic crying immediately turned Uta's face bright red.
After all, Uta had used practically every trick she knew to leave Cain in his current condition.
And if Cain's already absurd physique had also been amplified by the More-More Fruit…
Uta did not even want to imagine the result.
But that was one detail Bella absolutely could not be allowed to learn.
And under no circumstances was she getting involved.
Uta hurried over and tried to reassure her, looking slightly guilty.
"Bella, it's fine."
"Your papa's just tired."
"Yeah…"
Cain weakly raised one hand and gently touched Bella's cheek.
"This isn't your fault."
A pleased, affectionate smile appeared on his exhausted face.
"Our Bella really is such a good girl."
Bella instantly froze.
In front of Cain and Uta, she really was a good girl.
But behind their backs…
she was the undisputed boss of the Homies.
Cain had once jokingly called her a "Big Sis," never seriously believing Bella would actually act like one.
But the truth was—
she absolutely did.
Just as the atmosphere was beginning to turn warm and touching—
the door opened.
Katakuri came in pushing a food cart piled into a small mountain.
"Cain."
"I heard you needed food, so I brought some over."
Then his eyes landed on the suspiciously corpse-like creature lying on the bed.
His expression actually changed.
"…What happened to you?"
…
"Ah…"
"I'm alive again…"
Cain devoured food at an alarming speed.
Little by little, his appearance finally stopped resembling a dried mummy.
Katakuri stood nearby, one of the rare complicated expressions of his life showing on his face.
"So you're sure you weren't attacked?"
"We just got a little carried away."
Cain had barely finished speaking when Uta chopped him on the back of the head.
"Don't say it like that!"
Her face turned tomato red.
"Ahem."
Cain immediately corrected himself.
"I just burned through a lot of stamina!"
Then he hurriedly changed the subject.
"Anyway, Katakuri, why are you here this late?"
Katakuri reached into his coat and pulled out a thick booklet.
"This is the latest list of registered participants."
"I need to explain the rules and what comes next."
"You should know who you might be dealing with in advance."
Cain took another bite of chicken.
"Isn't this basically cheating?"
"You're seriously giving us everyone else's intelligence?"
Katakuri answered without changing expression.
"Gathering information is itself part of a participant's strength."
"And since you're members of the Charlotte family, using the family's resources to obtain that intelligence is perfectly reasonable."
He paused.
"Besides, the Charlotte family is the one hosting this tournament."
"And you are the center of the entire event."
"So giving you a little information is hardly inappropriate."
Cain slowly raised a greasy thumb.
"…That excuse is so good I can't even argue with it."
He wiped his hands with a napkin and opened the booklet.
There were quite a few familiar names inside.
Enough to make Cain start questioning reality.
Sai.
Why the hell are you here?
(—Running away from my engagement! If I marry Big Mom's daughter En-chan, I can legitimately cancel the old one, right?)
Cavendish?
Aren't you always bragging that your beauty is unrivaled?
Why are you entering a marriage tournament?
(—Only a woman as dazzling as En-chan is worthy of my flawless beauty! Those ordinary women aren't even fit to appear in the same frame as me!)
But those weren't the names that truly caught Cain's attention.
At the very bottom of the list were two strangely suspicious entries.
Lucy.
Ann.
The two names appeared side by side.
No photographs.
No detailed background information.
Only the names and one short note.
Identity unknown. Suspected aliases.