Back in Totto Land—
Uta had never imagined that Cain's decision to reveal his identity had nothing to do with rejecting the female image of En-chan, nor was it because they had finally run out of hormone medicine and he could at last abandon the disguise.
He had done it because—
he wanted to propose to her.
Uta stared blankly at Cain, her mind buzzing as her heartbeat pounded so hard it felt ready to burst from her chest.
The entire arena had fallen silent.
Everyone was waiting for her answer.
Uta didn't hesitate for even a second.
She thrust out her hand and smiled warmly.
"I will!!"
Cain's tightly held shoulders visibly relaxed.
A smile appeared on his face as he took Uta's hand and slowly slid the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
After all, they had spent so much time together that Cain knew practically every detail about her. Her habits, her little mannerisms, even things she probably never noticed about herself had long since become familiar to him.
There was no chance he would get something as important as the ring size wrong.
"It fits way too well…"
Uta looked down at the ring, laughing even as tears gathered in her eyes.
"Did you secretly measure my finger ages ago?"
Cain didn't even get the chance to answer.
Applause erupted like thunder.
The entire arena exploded into cheers as members of the Charlotte family clapped with genuine smiles, offering the two of them their wholehearted congratulations.
Uta, however, had already stopped caring about anything around her.
She jumped straight into Cain's arms and wrapped both arms tightly around his neck.
Cain staggered under the sudden impact, hurriedly catching her with one arm around her waist and the other supporting her back.
Uta clung to him as though she had no intention of ever letting go.
Then she lowered her head and kissed him.
Cain tilted his face upward and met her halfway.
They were pressed so closely together that each could feel the other's frantic heartbeat, their breathing tangling between them as the cheers and anguished cries from the audience blended into one enormous wave of noise.
Watching the scene, Stussy smiled elegantly.
She raised a Camera Den Den Mushi.
Click.
The moment was preserved forever.
Stussy slipped the photograph into her makeup bag with obvious satisfaction and sighed happily.
"Looks like I've added another wonderful piece to my collection."
She glanced toward Big Mom.
"Wouldn't you agree, Linlin?"
Big Mom's expression, however, was extremely complicated.
She looked happy, yet somehow irritated at the same time. She looked annoyed, but there was still an unmistakable hint of amusement in her eyes.
Even Linlin herself wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to feel.
She had once arranged a wedding for these two because she wanted better relations with the giants, only for that ceremony to collapse.
Now, just as she was preparing to announce her own connection to the Ancient Giants—
these two brats had turned around and staged a proposal instead.
Should she be furious?
Should she be delighted?
Big Mom genuinely couldn't decide.
What irritated her far more was the fact that Caesar still wasn't answering any of her calls.
What the hell was that bastard doing now?!
Eventually, Big Mom decided to stop thinking about it.
She strode onto the stage and, in front of the entire audience and the cameras broadcasting to the world, personally congratulated Cain and Uta as their mother.
Her words carried the authority of Mama herself, along with a faintly scheming undertone.
After all, from a certain point of view, this meant Totto Land had now established a very real connection to Red-Haired Shanks.
Once she finished her congratulations, Big Mom stepped away from the platform and ordered Perospero to continue hosting.
She was going to find Caesar herself and figure out exactly what that idiot had done.
Katakuri had already sensed that something was wrong as well.
Without saying anything, he quietly followed her.
Near the arena, Cain and Uta finally came back down.
Bella flew toward them from a distance, so delighted that she spun several circles in the air before reaching them.
Uta peeked out from Cain's arms with a bright smile, one finger still idly tapping the back of his neck.
"What made you think of proposing to me right now?"
She sounded amused.
"I was planning to hold En-chan in my arms and announce to the whole world that she belonged to me."
"And then you went and stole the spotlight first. You got all the good parts!"
Cain smiled awkwardly.
There was a trace of embarrassment in his voice, but he answered more seriously than ever.
"We kept our relationship hidden before because I didn't want it interfering with your music career."
"So we had no choice but to keep it secret."
"But now that the timing is finally right, I thought…"
"At the very least, I should make this up to you properly."
Uta blinked.
Then she rested her chin against his shoulder and smiled.
"Make it up to me?"
"This was a proposal, you know."
She paused, lifted her head, and leaned close to Cain's ear.
"But being proposed to on one knee while the whole world was watching…"
Her voice softened.
"…actually felt pretty amazing."
"So I should give you a proper reward too."
Uta pulled back with a grin.
"But before that, we should go say goodbye to everyone."
She took Cain by the hand and headed toward the backstage area with Bella following beside them.
Cain immediately became curious.
"What reward?"
Uta answered without hesitation.
"I'm drawing plum blossoms."
"Huh?!!!"
…
Meanwhile, inside Totto Land's laboratory—
the place was a complete disaster.
"What happened?! What the hell happened here?! Where's Caesar?! Where's Pudding?! Where is my precious son Thor?!"
Big Mom's furious roar shook the ruined facility.
"Something this serious happened and nobody contacted me?!"
She rounded on the nearby Homies and demanded answers.
None of them could provide one.
So Big Mom simply ripped their souls out with a wave of her hand.
Katakuri immediately accessed the surveillance Den Den Mushi records.
The footage showed Pudding implanting the prepared memories into Thor.
Not long afterward, something went wrong.
Thor began moving uncontrollably.
He reached toward both Pudding and Caesar.
Then—
the equipment exploded.
The recording turned black.
Charlotte Snack, who had been assigned to guard the laboratory, was lying unconscious nearby and couldn't provide even a scrap of useful information.
That only made Big Mom angrier.
She immediately moved to tear away his remaining lifespan, only for Katakuri to stop her before she went too far.
Even so, Snack still lost ten years of his lifespan.
Worse, Big Mom stripped him of his position as a Sweet Commander.
From that day onward—
Totto Land had only three Sweet Commanders.
Around the same time, someone compiled a list of the people who had been absent from the tournament venue.
After Mont-d'Or analyzed the names, suspicion quickly narrowed toward two groups.
Doflamingo—
and the Vinsmoke family, who appeared to have some connection to the incident as well.
Far away at the arena, Brûlée also received the report.
She hurriedly began searching for Thor.
A creature that enormous couldn't simply vanish without anyone noticing.
Eventually, she found him.
And the instant she understood what she was seeing, her face went pale.
She immediately called Big Mom.
"Mama! This is bad!"
"Thor… Thor…"
She swallowed.
"He's gone out to sea!!"
…
Out on the ocean—
Thor, an Ancient Giant standing over sixty meters tall, sat awkwardly atop a cake ship barely forty meters wide.
Long black hair streamed behind him.
Sharp horns rose from his head, while enormous lower tusks jutted upward from his jaw, giving him a distinctly beastlike appearance.
And despite his enormous body—
he was paddling.
With both hands.
Violently.
The giant cake ship surged forward as Thor chased the two figures ahead of him.
"I knew I shouldn't have listened to you!"
Smoker, currently wearing a pink wig, roared furiously while riding his smoke-powered motorcycle over the sea.
"Great job! We didn't draw the audience away—we drew that thing instead!"
"And now we're stuck dealing with it out at sea! Are you kidding me?!"
If Smoker hadn't received direct orders from above, there was no chance in hell he would have willingly lured this monster away.
Even Ace, still dressed as a woman, looked helpless as he increased the flames propelling the tiny boat beneath his feet.
"How was I supposed to know he'd be this persistent?!"
Ace glanced back at the colossal Ancient Giant still paddling furiously after them.
"He actually chased us all the way out to sea!!"