26 Chapter 26

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After King left, Kaido ordered a bucket of ice water and poured it directly on Pudding's head. "Ahh!" Pudding woke up in shock. When she opened her eyes, she saw the five Flying Six of Kaido and Beasts Pirates, causing her heart to twitch.

"It's over, it's over; I must be dead and in heaven!" Pudding thought anxiously. She knew that playing the pity card wouldn't work in this situation, so she surrendered. With soft, cute eyes and one hand holding her red cheek, she said, "Kaido-sama, I can help you with anything you need."

Kaido, expressionless, already understood from her ability to feign love for Sanji that she was adept at dramatizing. Her ability was what mattered most to him. He told her, "You know where your value to me lies. Use the memory fruit ability well and skip the theatrics."

He desired Black Maria's sensuality, finding Pudding's body unappealing. With a quiet nod, Pudding buried her head in disappointment and softly agreed, "Yes, Lord Kaido."

At that moment, everyone realized why Kaido had captured her: her magical memory fruit ability could potentially alter Yamato.

Suddenly, King entered, holding a small fox. Its fur was snow-white, except for black ears and limbs. It squirmed and yelped in King's grip.

Pudding felt her worth questioned by the presence of the fox. She thought, "Is Kaido after me just for this creature? Did he harm his own mother and wreak havoc just for a fox?" King placed the Seastone-bound fox before Pudding.

Kaido instructed, "Proceed. Erase all this fox's memories."

Pudding glanced from Kaido to the mischievous-looking fox and back again. Though she wanted to express her disbelief, she couldn't in front of Kaido. Professionally smirking, she complied, "Okay, Kaido-sama."

Then, under everyone's gaze, she reached toward the fox. The creature let out a pitiful whine and went limp. Pudding's hand seemed to delve into the fox's mind, reminiscent of how her Big Mom extracted souls. Slowly, she withdrew her hand, revealing something akin to a filmstrip.

It was so long that Pudding needed both hands to pull it steadily. Onlookers regarded the sight with fascination, having never imagined such a use for the memory fruit.

In a few minutes, Pudding had fully extracted the film and said, "May I borrow a pair of scissors?" Kaido responded by glancing at King, who unScabbardsed and Scabbardsed his blade in an instant, cutting the film at the base as Pudding recoiled in shock.

She slumped backward, feeling as though she had narrowly avoided being sliced herself. After shaking off her exhaustion, she pondered whether she could return home. Surely they would have no more use for her.

The room fell into a hushed anticipation, waiting to see if the fox, now known as Su Xing, would show signs of success. Moments later, the fox's eyelids twitched. It pawed at the air twice before it fully opened its eyes. Staggering, it tried to stand but fell due to weakness.

Several times this happened. King untied the seastone handcuff from the fox's foot as Kaido gestured. Once the fox rose, it sniffed at the Kings that had assisted it and then at the seastone. Upon touching the seastone, it felt weakness and instantly leaped away. It treated the seastone as a formidable enemy, baring its teeth and growling.

Kaido watched, noting the outcome. If the fox had retained its memory, it would have fled as soon as the handcuff was removed, instead of appearing confused as it did now. He sighed, finding the rule-type fruits quite effective. A faint power radiated from him; it was weak but more than enough to intimidate a memory-less fox.

Feeling its life threatened, the fox turned its aggression toward Kaido and snapped at him. As Kaido's power grew, the fox found itself overpowered and unable to move. It changed its stance from earlier resistance, whimpering softly.

Kaido extended his right hand, palm open, and spoke to the fox calmly, "Come to me." The fox, understanding the command, approached Kaido reluctantly, head bowed. For creatures driven by instinct, the principle of the strong preying on the weak and exploiting fear to survive is vital.

Yet, Kaido's focus lied in advancing his research. He noted that language, woven into instinct, had not been erased, indicating the memory fruit was not flawed to such an extent. The fox clawed at Kaido's trousers, attempting to climb up.

Watching quietly, Pudding finally spoke, trying to hide her smirk, "Lord Kaido... May I go home after this?"

Kaido's gaze shifted to her, those cold eyes causing her heart to race, and she struggled to maintain her smile, to appear non-threatening. Kaido stood, gripping her chin with a mace, and declared, "First, Onigashima will be your home now."

Feeling her hope fade, Pudding's world grew bleak. "Second, the task isn't finished; this is merely a trial." The words struck her heart with sharp pain. "Third, why do you believe you can leave after going to my Onigashima?" Kaido leaned in, his tone sharpening, "Is it because I have been too kind to you?"

Intent on asserting his power, the thought of simple borrowing was dismissed; he and his Big Mom had clashed in what was clearly theft. Pudding, frightened by his sudden anger, struggled to smile through her tears, her expression twisted. With a shaky voice mixed with sobs, she replied, "Yes... I'm sorry, Lord Kaido. I thought too much. I will be with the Beasts Pirates from now on."