"Everyone! Sorry for the wait."
When Naruto appeared before everyone with the three brothers and Pudding, not only did the Straw Hat Pirates breathe a sigh of relief, but even Big Mom quietly let out a breath as well.
She didn't care about Sabo, some brat who came out of nowhere.
For Big Mom, what mattered was Pudding.
—More precisely, it was Pudding's third eye, capable of reading the Poneglyphs.
Just as Pudding had imagined, Big Mom didn't have much affection for her, bordering on disgust.
If it weren't for Pudding's ability being useful, she would have been tossed onto some unknown island in Totto Land long ago, or casually handed over to some underworld boss as a tool for 'marriage alliance', or simply executed outright.
Of course, even if Pudding did help Big Mom decipher the Poneglyphs and obtain the One Piece, her fate would only go from 'low-level marriage tool' to 'slightly better marriage tool'. There wouldn't be much difference.
Big Mom also knew that Pudding certainly didn't want to accept this fate, but given the vast power disparity, she had no room to resist.
But... if Naruto, that unpredictable factor, got involved, things could go either way.
After all, that brat Naruto had a habit of meddling in others' affairs. If Pudding actually asked Naruto for help, that kid might really start a war with the Big Mom Pirates over a single girl.
This concern had multiplied several times for Big Mom after she witnessed Naruto using some unknown means to send Kaido away.
Though she hated to admit it, Big Mom had to acknowledge that Naruto might now be someone she couldn't handle.
Being able to deal with Kaido that quickly essentially meant he could deal with her in the same amount of time.
This kind of deterrence was far more effective than empty words.
Big Mom even began to regret bringing Pudding along.
So, when she saw that Naruto not only didn't interfere but even allowed Pudding to walk back to her side, the weight hanging over Big Mom's heart finally lifted.
"Gulp, gulp..."
Big Mom downed the liquor in her oak barrel mug and glanced sideways at Pudding, who was still foolishly standing beside her.
"Hurry up and get back to the ship!"
She was genuinely afraid that something else might pop up and cause complications, so she decided not to let Pudding attend the wedding party at all, sending her back to the Queen Mama Chanter to stay put.
After this scolding, 'Pudding' didn't cower in fear as usual. Instead, as if reacting with a slight delay, she silently lowered her head and obediently walked towards the dock.
"Hmph."
Big Mom dismissed it, but Katakuri, standing nearby, seemed to sense something amiss. He looked up at Naruto, who was already drinking with old-timers like Garp and Rayleigh, then glanced back at Pudding walking docilely towards the dock.
In fact, his instincts weren't wrong.
Once that 'Pudding' boarded the Queen Mama Chanter, she completely abandoned her usual timid demeanor, casually pushed aside the toy soldier trying to lead the way, and walked into 'her own' room.
But her expression wasn't like the "villainess" she used to pretend to be either… that natural, unrestrained 'heroic spirit' could easily remind one of someone else.
"Ah... not bad, quite comfortable."
After closing the door, 'Pudding' nonchalantly lounged on the sofa, pulled out a flask from somewhere, and downed several gulps.
"For the next while, I'm going to have a tough time~"
Despite her words, judging from the contented look on her face, it was hard to tell just how tough it would be.
…
Meanwhile, a portal quietly opened on an island nation in the West Blue that belonged to the Red-Hair Pirates' sphere of influence.
Then, a 'tall young woman' in tight-fitting clothes stepped out.
Her features were about seventy or eighty percent similar to the original Pudding's, but she looked significantly older.
Considering Pudding was not yet fifteen, this 'big sister' appeared to be at least over twenty-five.
Her short-cut brown hair danced freely in the breeze. The third eye on her forehead was almost invisible, leaving only a faint, barely perceptible mark that made her look almost like a regular person when she didn't actively open it.
Of course, this was ignoring her tall, slender figure, which exceeded two meters.
Somewhat uncomfortably tugging at her underwear, which was clearly several sizes too small, the young woman... no, the woman frowned.
"Hmm... before starting my new life, I need to buy some new clothes."
After all, the clothes Naruto had temporarily pulled from the sealing space were Karin's old spare clothes for changing.
Although Karin's figure had developed significantly during this time, there was still a big gap compared to someone exceptionally gifted.
—Especially after that person's body was remade and strengthened by Yin-Yang Release, a certain measurement seemed to have grown along with it.
Fortunately, Karin's clothes were all in a Ninja style. At least they were practical for movement, much more convenient than the long dresses or gowns the woman usually wore.
"Let me see... it should be over there!"
The young woman shaded her eyes with her hand and looked into the distance. Even without her [Three-Eyed Tribe] naturally exceptional vision, just using this newly remade and strengthened body, she could clearly read the writing on a wooden sign hundreds of meters away.
After confirming that the country name on the sign matched what Naruto had said, this reborn girl picked up the suitcase sent along with her and strode towards it on her long legs.
A new chapter of life began here.
…
On the other side, at Amazon Lily, only one day remained before the wedding.
Most of Naruto's invited friends had arrived. The rest probably wouldn't come.
This included a certain World's Strongest Swordsman who didn't like crowded places, and a former Warlord of the Sea who had escaped the World Government's schemes and successfully reunited with his daughter.
But Naruto hadn't expected that even Jinbei wouldn't come.
Given Jinbei's personality, he should have attended Naruto's wedding.
Later, Ace explained on behalf of Jinbei and the invited Fish-Man Island King, Neptune.
Apparently, he, Luffy, and the others had returned to Fish-Man Island before this.
King Neptune had wanted to come, but because Whitebeard had been keeping a low profile lately, some ignorant hotheads had started trying to topple the older Emperor to make a name for themselves.
Most of them were driven back by the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders, but there were a few particularly troublesome ones.
Like the 'kidnapper' that appeared on Fish-Man Island.
Recently, there had been multiple cases of mermaids going missing on Fish-Man Island, which had put King Neptune on high alert.
However, with the World Government's collapse and Whitebeard's impending demise, Fish-Man Island's 'deterrence' had hit rock bottom.
This led to many pirates not just passing through Fish-Man Island on their way to the New World but also lingering there.
And pirates, well... they were lawless types, so King Neptune strongly suspected the kidnapper was one of them.
Therefore, King Neptune's army, along with strong fighters like Jinbei and Namur, Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 8th division, had been closely monitoring those pirates, resulting in several battles.
Even when Ace and the others arrived, they helped Neptune deal with a group calling themselves the [Fire Tank Pirates].
Capone Bege, one of the Worst Generation, was no match for Ace and the strengthened Luffy and his crew. After being beaten up and realizing he couldn't cause trouble there, he was forced to slink off to the New World with his tail between his legs.
But they were also ruled out as suspects for the kidnappings.
In short, until they caught the real kidnapper, Fish-Man Island probably wouldn't have any spare hands.
"...So that's the situation. But I did bring their gifts with me… they're on Luffy's ship."
Ace finished explaining to Naruto, pointing towards the Thousand Sunny docked at the port.