Chapter 198: The Tense Feast

"So, your devil fruit not only allows you to plunder devil fruits but also lets you acquire special bloodline powers, which you can then bestow upon others?" 

After hearing Shin's explanation, Pudding was initially thrilled by the power of the Sharingan. As she calmed down, she considered a thought and asked.

"You're pretty perceptive!" Shin nodded with a smile. 

"Yes, that's a large part of why my strength has grown so quickly. Not only that, but I can also replicate the physique of various strong pirates through body enhancements. Even without absorbing any bloodline powers or devil fruits, I could achieve peak power in the world through pure physical capabilities alone."

Pudding took a deep breath, her eyes reflecting amazement and relief. "That's an insane ability!" The realization brought her some comfort; having Shin as her captain meant having a powerful ally with vast potential.

After gaining Charlotte Pudding's allegiance, Shin set his sights on another target—the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, held by Charlotte Brûlée.

Brûlée lived in a small wooden house in a gloomy forest surrounded by sinister trees animated by the Homies. The deep forest added a haunting air to her home, and Brûlée's witch-like appearance made it easy to see why others found her intimidating.

However, judging people by appearance is not a smart move in this world—especially here, where appearances can be deceiving. By looks alone, you might suspect 90% of the men in this world to be villains. Despite her frightening face, Brûlée wasn't genuinely evil; in fact, she was somewhat of a rarity in the Charlotte family, holding no bounty and acting as a relative pacifist.

Her only flaw was an overly adverse reaction to beautiful women, which drove her to live alone in the forest. Many of Big Mom's daughters were indeed stunning, and she preferred to keep her distance to avoid any envy-driven outbursts.

With the information Pudding had provided, Shin quietly made his way to Brûlée's cabin, where he found her fast asleep.

He silently summoned a dark mist that enveloped Brûlée completely. She stirred but was powerless to resist.

After a moment, Shin retrieved the Mirror-Mirror fruit from his dark dimension, turning her abilities into a devil fruit.

Brûlée's eyes widened as she recognized the fruit in his hand, her face turning pale. "No... it can't be... You're the Plunderer, Shin!"

"I've taken the Mirror-Mirror fruit. In return, I've healed your scarred face," Shin replied. His form blurred as he phased into the ground.

"What?! Get back here!" 

Brûlée shouted after him, but Shin was gone. Realizing the fruit was truly gone, her expression shifted to panic, but her worry temporarily dissolved into delight as she caught her reflection in the mirror.

"The scars are gone!" She exclaimed, marveling at her restored face. Although her appearance still resembled that of an old witch, the scar's removal made her seem less frightening.

After admiring herself for a moment, she snapped back to the gravity of the situation. "Oh no, the Mirror-Mirror fruit is gone! I need to inform Brother Katakuri and Mama!"

She rushed forward, instinctively trying to phase through the mirror before her—only to slam into it. With a wince, she remembered she could no longer use the Mirror-Mirror fruit's abilities. Without the power to traverse through mirrors, she sprinted out of her cabin, hoping to find help among the forest Homies to deliver the message.

Thanks to the numerous Homies in the forest, she managed to get the news out before dawn, alerting the entire Charlotte family to the Plunderer's arrival on the island.

By morning, Shin noticed a distinct change in the atmosphere: Whole Cake Island's defenses were far tighter than the day before.

However, "tight security" meant little in this world, especially in a place where people suffered from face blindness and tended to think in convoluted ways. Their methods of finding Shin and his group, donning a disguise, were laughably inadequate.

Amid the heightened vigilance, Shin, Violet, and Ulti attended Big Mom's tea party, where there would be an abundance of delectable desserts. Violet and Ulti had been looking forward to the treats, so Shin prioritized sampling the local delicacies.

Although they weren't seated at the main table, the food served at the periphery was still impressive. Whole Cake Island was renowned for its culinary marvels, and even though they weren't receiving the best dishes reserved for honored guests, the food here could still be called world-class.

While Violet and Ulti enthusiastically enjoyed the feast, Shin found himself less interested. It wasn't that Cake Island's food was lacking—he simply didn't have a sweet tooth. Although the fruits tasted fine, the sugar-laden desserts quickly grew sappy.

Throughout the meal, Shin subtly observed their surroundings, aware that the Charlotte family was watching them, likely due to the loss of the Mirror-Mirror fruit.

"Is this increased security because of the missing Mirror-Mirror fruit?" Shin thought, smirking at the predictability of Big Mom's reaction. It would be just like her to lash out violently if things didn't go her way.

If they couldn't pinpoint the enemy among the guests, they had a straightforward solution: arrest everyone and use the Memory-Memory fruit to uncover the truth. Once they find their target, they can erase the memory afterward.

For Big Mom and her crew, the dark underworld giants present were mere puppets, only valuable as long as they were useful. Even Doflamingo, the foremost authority underground, was only a step away from servitude in Kaido's eyes.

Had the heist taken place any other night, Big Mom might have acted on the spot, but for a true glutton like herself, the feast was essential. Nothing would come between her and her birthday party. The food would be served, the cake eaten, and then she would deal with the consequences.