“Wh-where is this place!?”

Caesar, hands bound by Sea-Prism Stone cuffs, looked around in bewilderment at the strange scene before him.

It seemed like he was in some sort of special space. The walls and surroundings all appeared somewhat surreal, as if they weren’t entirely real.

“I feel like I’ve stumbled into something really bizarre…” Caesar muttered as he glanced around nervously. Then, tentatively, he called out, “Is… is anyone there?”

Just two minutes earlier, Caesar had been in the bathroom, desperately trying to figure out a way to escape. The Sea-Prism Stone cuffs had drained him of energy, but his survival instincts kept him going. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand. He knew that the tall, masked guy outside the bathroom door had been harboring thoughts of killing him for a while now. If he didn’t find a way out soon, death was the only thing waiting for him.

However, just as Caesar was pulling himself up by gripping the sink, he noticed the large mirror in front of him start to ripple.

At first, he thought he was hallucinating. Instinctively, he reached out to touch the mirror. But the moment his hand made contact, ripples spread across its surface again. A powerful force suddenly pulled him in, sucking his entire body into the mirror!

As Caesar stumbled through the mirror and found himself in this strange and eerie space, his shouts echoed in the empty surroundings. Receiving no response, he had no choice but to gather what little strength he had left and stand up. His legs trembled from weakness, but despite the exhaustion, he forced himself to explore this peculiar place.

Somehow, he had the feeling that he might have just been saved…

Meanwhile, in a hidden chamber within the castle, Charlotte Brûlée was holding a mirror in her arms. She turned to Perospero and said, “It’s ready, Brother Peros. The mirror world is open! Through this mirror, we can access every room in the castle that has a mirror.”

Perospero nodded in acknowledgment. He then turned to a woman beside him, who was smoking a cigarette and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and asked, “Amande, have most of the guests left their rooms by now?”

“Most likely,” replied Charlotte Amande, also known as the “Demon Lady” and Minister of Nuts.

“Alright then, let’s move!” With a wave of Perospero’s hand, dozens of Big Mom Pirates’ subordinates began filing through Brûlée’s mirror one after another, entering the mirror world.

The search of the castle’s guest rooms had officially begun…

…

After walking out of the castle, Ian arrived at an outdoor plaza.

Since the banquet hall had been destroyed the previous day due to Ian’s outburst, it was no longer usable. As a result, the plaza had been set up as the wedding venue. Several large tables were arranged on the lawn, and at the front of the plaza stood a floral arch, made of wreaths, with countless singing flowers swaying in the breeze, playing cheerful music.

Katakuri was already there, waiting to greet the guests. Not far behind him, Smoothie stood, overseeing the Big Mom Pirates as they arranged tables and chairs.

As soon as Ian saw Katakuri, he immediately approached with a smile, raising his hand in greeting. “Yo, Nika! You don’t look too good—did you not sleep well last night?”

Katakuri, who had been standing with his arms crossed, was caught off guard by the nickname. “What… what did you just call me?”

“Nika!” Ian shrugged and said, “You’re second in rank, right? I called you that yesterday, didn’t I?”

“I called you that yesterday?” Katakuri was confused. He didn’t recall that happening!

However, he quickly began to piece things together. Could this be the result of Pudding altering Ian’s memory, and Ian filling in the gaps herself?

As Katakuri pondered this, Ian casually slung an arm around his shoulder and whispered, “By the way, Nika, is Smoothie still mad?”

“Mad?” Katakuri remained confused, completely thrown off by Ian’s overly familiar behavior. What exactly had Pudding altered in Ian’s memory?

Not knowing for sure, Katakuri could only respond vaguely, “Probably… not?”

“Great!” Ian snapped his fingers. Then, without hesitation, he bent down and plucked a singing flower from the ground.

The flower, startled, began to panic in Ian’s grasp. But Ian paid no attention, gripping the flower as he suddenly dashed forward. Sliding dramatically on his knees across the grass, he stopped in front of Smoothie. R̃áℕỒ฿Èŝ

“My dearest Lady Smoothie!” Ian offered the flower to her with a flourish, saying, “Good morning! You are as radiant and beautiful as ever this fine morning, just like this flower!”

Several of the early guests had already taken their seats. These included Loan Shark King Lu Feld, the funeral director Drug Peclo, and Sea Transport King Umit. The three had been watching Ian ever since he showed up, exchanging knowing glances, amused at the thought of how he would handle Big Mom’s tea party today.

However, Ian’s sudden display left the three men utterly shocked. Lu Feld’s cigar fell from his mouth with a loud thud onto the table, and everyone stared blankly as Ian shamelessly showered Smoothie with attention.

What… what just happened? How did things suddenly take such a drastic turn?!

Even Big Mom’s children, who were present, had similar dumbfounded expressions. Just yesterday, this cold, aloof man had gone head-to-head with their brother Katakuri. Now, all of a sudden, he was acting… this over the top?

But Ian couldn’t care less about what they were thinking. Life’s a stage, and acting is key! Right now, his role was that of a man whose memory had been altered by Pudding, deeply infatuated with Smoothie.

This kind of performance was actually pretty easy. All he had to do was imitate Sanji, that perverted Kappa! Back when he was with the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji used to fawn over Robin in much the same way. Ian had scolded him so many times back then, so he was more than familiar with this act.

Oddly enough, though Ian’s display seemed exaggerated, when Katakuri and the others saw it, they didn’t doubt it at all.

Even Smoothie, after an initial moment of surprise, blushed. She bent down, shyly accepting the flower from Ian’s hand.

“T-Thank you!” Smoothie stammered, placing a hand on her cheek as she shyly turned her face away, unable to meet Ian’s gaze.

Ian’s reputation preceded him. A man with a bounty even higher than Katakuri’s, not only strong but also handsome, Ian had caught Smoothie’s eye from the very beginning. When Big Mom first mentioned the possibility of this marriage, Smoothie was quite pleased with it. She believed only a man like Ian was worthy of her. That’s why, when Ian had rejected the proposal yesterday, Smoothie was so furious.

But now, everything seemed fine. Pudding had definitely altered his memory, making him fall in love with her. The thought of it made Smoothie feel both a little flustered and a lot more content, with a sweet feeling welling up inside her.

“I-Ian, would you… like something to drink?” Smoothie asked, a bit nervously.

Ian’s face stiffened for a moment as he scratched his head and said, “Uh, dear Smoothie… could I get something normal, please? You know I’m not too fond of those, um, strange drinks…”

“Sure… sure!” Smoothie replied without suspicion. She pulled out a gigantic watermelon, gripping it in both hands and giving it a twist. Red watermelon juice began dripping into a glass, yet the watermelon’s outer skin remained completely intact, without a single mark.

After handing the glass of juice to Ian, he breathed a sigh of relief. He raised the glass, making a romantic gesture toward Smoothie, before moving to sit at an empty table nearby—right next to where Lu Feld, Drug Peclo, and Umit were seated.

Turning his head, Ian glared at Lu Feld and the other two, who were staring at him in stunned silence. He snapped, “What are you looking at!? Never seen someone expressing his love before?”

Ugh! The three underground bosses nearly choked on the air they were breathing. This attitude change is way too extreme! How come he’s still acting like this toward us!?

Katakuri, who had noticed this exchange, thought to himself, “It seems Pudding didn’t erase Ian’s memory of disliking these people… but whatever, as long as his relationship with Smoothie is fixed, that’s what matters. Once Mama brings up the marriage again, he shouldn’t oppose it, right?”

With that thought in mind, Katakuri was now convinced that the intruder who broke into the treasure room last night wasn’t Ian.

“Now, we just need to wait for Brother Perospero’s search results!” Katakuri thought, his expression darkening. “Whoever dares to cause trouble on Cake Island will pay a heavy price!”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read