Put Down That Cake And Come At Me If You Can! (3/5)

Super Battleship

A sudden burst of light illuminated the teleportation center, and Charlotte Pudding materialized. She blinked in confusion, timidly glancing around at the unfamiliar environment.

"Sword Immortal..." she called out softly, "Sword Immortal?"

Her voice echoed in the empty space, but no one responded. After a brief silence, the door swung open, and a young woman in a Marine uniform entered.

Startled, Pudding stepped back. "W-who are you?" she stammered, her eyes wide.

The woman smiled kindly. "I'm Tashigi. The young master just contacted me. He asked me to take care of you until he returns. You can ask him anything when he gets back."

Pudding's brow furrowed. "Young master?" she repeated, confused.

Tashigi's smile broadened. "Yes, the sword immortal you mentioned. He is our young master, and everything here belongs to him."

Earlier, when Finn had teleported Pudding over, he had immediately reached out to Tashigi via the system's communication link, instructing her to care for Pudding. He had also briefed her on Pudding's special ability—the Memory-Memory Fruit. Despite its power, the ability required her target to be under her control, making her more vulnerable than expected. With Tashigi's strength, she had little to fear, as long as she remained alert.

"He's... the young master?" Pudding murmured to herself, her eyes widening in realization. "It makes sense... Someone like him would always be the center of attention."

Tashigi interrupted her thoughts, pulling out a food box. "You must be hungry. The young master told me to give you something to eat."

She opened the box to reveal an array of gourmet dishes—each more exquisite than a Michelin-starred meal.

The aroma hit Pudding like a wave. She hadn't eaten since the tea party began, and now her stomach growled in response. Hesitant at first, she took a small sniff. "So fragrant..."

"Don't be shy," Tashigi encouraged. "Have as much as you like."

Pudding blushed, still unsure of Tashigi, but her hunger got the best of her. "I'll just try one..." she muttered shyly.

As soon as she took a bite, her restraint vanished. In seconds, she devoured the food as though she hadn't eaten in days.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Finn had just teleported Pudding, and the shock rippled through the crowd around him.

"What kind of ability is that?" someone exclaimed. "He can teleport people? Could it be one of those legendary space-time fruits?"

Across the room, Charlotte Linlin's expression darkened. "Sword Immortal! Where have you taken Pudding?"

She knew the stakes. If anything happened to Pudding, the memory fruit's power over her family members would fade, undoing all the memories she had carefully altered. Resentment would brew, and her carefully controlled empire might collapse.

Linlin stood up abruptly, her gaze boring into Finn.

Finn smirked. "Pudding came voluntarily. Relax. You've got nothing to worry about."

"Boy!" Linlin roared. "You're courting death!"

In a flash, she summoned her weapons. "Thundercloud, Zeus!" she barked, thrusting out her left hand. "Prometheus, Sun!" she cried, raising her right.

Her family, sensing the impending clash, readied for battle.

But before the storm could erupt, a sweet scent wafted through the hall. Everyone turned to see the head chef, Long Bread, wheeling in a massive dessert cake—towering over ten layers high.

Finn's heart skipped a beat. The mission target... finally here.

He could already hear the low rumble of hunger emanating from Linlin. She took her eyes off Finn, her attention fixated on the towering cake.

"Mama's craving for sweets is kicking in!" one of the family members muttered in panic. "This isn't good! If she gets distracted now, the Sword Immortal could strike!"

"It's too late to stop it! We have to make sure she eats the cake!" another chimed in.

Everyone knew the stakes. If Linlin's craving wasn't satisfied, her hunger would turn her into a walking calamity.

"Cake... Celebration Cake..." Linlin muttered, her eyes glazed as she drifted toward the dessert.

But Finn had no intention of letting this moment pass. He darted forward in a blur, Advanced Shave!

He was almost at the cake when a figure blocked his path.

"Sword Immortal!" Katakuri's voice boomed. "You will not touch Mama's cake!"

Katakuri stood resolute, trident in hand, as if he were a god of war.

Finn smirked. "Oh, foreseeing the future again?" he quipped, recalling Katakuri's infamous ability from the manga. The man's Observation Haki was so advanced that he could glimpse moments into the future.

But Finn wasn't deterred. "Let's see how well you can predict this."

With a flick of his wrist, four energy swords materialized and flew toward Katakuri, attacking from all sides.

"I can see your attacks," Katakuri sneered, summoning additional arms to wield multiple tridents, each parrying the flying swords.

"Impressive," Finn admitted, his feet shifting as he prepared his next move. Advanced Shave!

In an instant, he appeared before Katakuri, his fists charged with Armament Haki.

"Even with Haki, you can't touch me," Katakuri growled. His mochi arms formed a barrier, ready to block Finn's strike.

But Finn had a trump card. "Medical Ninjutsu—Super Nervous System Rupture!"

As his punch connected with the mochi, a surge of chakra energy exploded, disrupting Katakuri's control over his body.

"W-what?!" Katakuri staggered, his attacks faltering as the energy swords found their mark, slicing through his defenses and drawing blood.

"You can predict my attack route," Finn said, his voice calm, "but you can't foresee what I hide within my strikes."

In the blink of an eye, Finn stood before the towering celebration cake.

"Stop him!" one of the family members shouted.

But it was too late. With a wave of his hand, Finn activated his chakra.

"Advanced Multiplication Technique—Fifteen Times!"

In an instant, his figure expanded, towering over the room. The once-gigantic cake now seemed small in his hands.

"Let's have some fun, shall we?" Finn grinned at the stunned crowd. "Watch closely. I call this... Three Bites to Finish a Cake!"

He opened his mouth wide, and in three impossibly large bites, the entire celebration cake vanished.

The hall fell silent, save for the stunned gasps of the onlookers.