Chapter 196: Shin's Epithet

"It's such a strange feeling... It's completely different from using the Glare-Glare Fruit." Although Violet initially disliked the sight of white eyes, she quickly became fascinated by their magical ability.

With the enhancement of the white eyes, she could sense that her Glare-Glare Fruit had significantly expanded in both range and observation clarity. Now, everyone on Whole Cake Island was within her sight, unable to hide their movements.

"Alright, I'll let you play with it later. Have you found them?" Shin asked Violet, who was watching with delight. Violet then refocused, observed carefully, and replied, "Yes, I'll mark their locations immediately."

Soon after, Shin took the map Violet provided and set off to locate Charlotte Brûlée and Charlotte Pudding.

Walking through the Whole Cake Island, even though it was nighttime, the area was teeming with Homies, yet none seemed to react to his presence.

Shin had used a jutsu to add a protective layer around himself, causing any Homies who noticed him to subconsciously forget and ignore his presence. Although this low-level genjutsu wouldn't fool any strong opponents, it miraculously affected the Homies created from fragments of souls.

Whenever Shin encountered obstacles, he used Kamui, allowing him to phase through objects by slipping into the Kamui dimension. Going in a straight line, he quickly reached his first target location.

"Charlotte Pudding... the Three-Eyed Tribe... It's said that when members of this tribe fully develop their abilities, they can hear the voice of all things and even read minds."

"It's unfortunate that this race is nearly extinct. I have no idea where Big Mom even found her..."

"Big Mom really has made exceptional efforts to protect endangered species from extinction."

"If this were Russia back then, she'd be a heroic mother and a great mother!"

With these thoughts in mind, Shin arrived at Charlotte Pudding's quarters, where he saw her sitting and reading, seemingly absorbed in her studies.

A large, jelly-like creature sat on her shoulder, likely another form of Homie.

"Who's there?" Sensing something, Charlotte Pudding turned immediately, just in time to see Shin emerging from the wall.

"Sir, are you lost?" she asked softly, smiling sweetly and batting her eyes.

On the surface, Pudding seemed gentle and well-behaved, but deep down, she was cunning and an excellent actress. She understood what it meant not to suffer in the face of a powerful pirate and perfectly played her role in front of Shin.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Shin activated his Rinnegan, and powerful Yin Chakra flooded the area. The jelly-like Homie on Pudding's shoulder let out a faint squeal before falling silent.

Pudding herself, she trembled but remained conscious despite Shin's genjutsu.

Though Shin hadn't used his full power, he could sense a force like dojutsu radiating from her third eye. While only a fraction of its potential was apparent, a greater power lay dormant within.

"It's a fascinating power, close to pure Yin Chakra. I've changed my mind." Shin gave a slight smile. "Charlotte Pudding, would you do something for me?"

"Is... is this gentleman proposing to me?" Pudding forced a smile. "With your strength, my mother might even approve."

"Heh, don't play dumb. You understand what I mean. I have no intention of becoming Big Mom's son-in-law."

"Besides, if Big Mom truly saw me, I'm not sure she'd dare consider me as her son-in-law!"

As he spoke, Shin removed his disguise, revealing his true identity.

"You... you're Shin! The infamous pirate from the Whitebeard Pirates, Shin the Plunderer!" Brûlée's eyes widened as she exclaimed in surprise.

"Plunderer? What kind of title is that?" Shin asked, puzzled.

In this world, names were notoriously straightforward. A white beard earned you the name Whitebeard. Red hair? You get Red Hair Shanks. Wear a straw hat? Straw Hat Boy.

People who liked having children were called Big Mom and those drawn to the power of Zoan Devil Fruits were called Beasts.

The ones with slightly more imposing names included Golden Lion, Red Earl, Demon Heir, and World Destroyer, which were primarily based on personal traits and reputation.

The person with the most nicknames was Doflamingo, known as Heavenly Yaksha and Joker. Each epithet corresponds to his status in the underworld (Joker) and his actions (Heavenly Yaksha).

Yet, Shin didn't recall doing anything that could earn him the title "Plunderer."

In the Drum Kingdom, he had initially raided the treasury, but no one should have been aware of it.

"Because... because you have the power to seize devil fruit abilities. You want to take my Memory-Memory Fruit, don't you?" Pudding stammered, her face turning pale as a thought struck her.

To Pudding, her Memory-Memory Fruit was invaluable. Often, a Devil Fruit's ability influenced a person's character, and her exceptional acting skills were largely a byproduct of her fruit's influence on her personality.

Moreover, her current family status was deeply tied to her Memory-Memory Fruit. If Charlotte Linlin hadn't held high expectations for Pudding's Three-Eyed Tribe abilities, she would never have bestowed this fruit upon her.

If she lost the Memory-Memory Fruit, not only would her family standing suffer, but she might also lose the potential to awaken the Three-Eyed Tribe's abilities. And with Charlotte Linlin's temperament, Pudding's life would only become more precarious.

Pudding knew all too well what Linlin did to children who disappointed her, and she might lose decades of her lifespan.

Shin was taken aback for a moment. Had his ability to plunder Devil Fruits been exposed so quickly? But on second thought, it made sense. Zephyr's group likely possessed a Den Den Mushi that allowed them to contact the Marines. After drifting at sea for a few days, the Marine Headquarters would undoubtedly have received the news.

Perhaps by now, they'd even prepared a wanted poster for him.

In that light, the title "Plunderer" was actually entirely appropriate.