Chapter 673: Life is a Play, All About Acting
“Wha… what is this place!?”
Caesar, his hands cuffed with Seastone handcuffs, stared blankly at the bizarre scene before him, equally confused.
This seemed to be a special space. Caesar could see the walls and surroundings, all giving off an unreal feeling.
“It feels like I’ve ended up in some strange place…” Caesar looked around, then tentatively called out, “Is… is anyone here!?”
Just two minutes ago, Caesar had been in the restroom, trying to figure out a way to save himself. The Seastone handcuffs left him weak all over, but the will to survive made him grit his teeth and struggle to prop himself up. He knew that the tall, masked guy outside the restroom had already developed murderous intent toward him. If he didn’t find a way to escape soon, death was all that awaited him.
However, just as he was pulling himself up by the sink for support, he noticed that the large washroom mirror in front of him suddenly rippled with waves!
Caesar almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Instinctively, he reached out to confirm, but the moment his hand touched the mirror’s surface, it rippled again in concentric circles. Then, a tremendous suction force pulled him in, swallowing him whole!
Falling through the mirror, Caesar landed in this strange space.
After calling out a few times, his voice echoed hollowly in the space. Frustrated, Caesar forced himself to stand, his legs trembling weakly, but he still tried to explore the area.
Because he felt like he might have been saved…
Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, in a secret room, Charlotte Brûlée held a mirror in her arms and said to Perospero, who stood before her, “It’s done, Peros-nii. The mirror space is open! Entering through this mirror connects to every room in the castle that has a mirror.”
Perospero nodded and asked a woman beside him, who was smoking a cigarette and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, “Amande, are the guests in the guest rooms gone by now?”
“Probably all gone!” replied Charlotte Amande, the Nut Minister, also known as the “Ghost Lady.”
“Good, let’s go in!” Perospero waved his hand, and dozens of Big Mom Pirates’ subordinates followed him, filing one by one into Brûlée’s mirror.
The search of the castle’s guest rooms had begun…
…………………………
After leaving the castle, Ian arrived at an open plaza outside.
The banquet hall had been destroyed yesterday when Ian went berserk, so it couldn’t be used anymore. The plaza had been set up as the wedding venue, with several large tables placed on the lawn. At the front of the plaza, an arch made of flower wreaths stood, and countless singing flowers swayed their blooms, playing cheerful music.
Katakuri was already waiting there early to greet the guests. Not far behind him, Smoothie stood, directing the Big Mom Pirates’ members as they arranged tables and chairs.
As soon as he saw Katakuri, Ian smiled and walked over, raising his hand in greeting, “Yo, Kata the Second! You look pale—didn’t get enough rest last night?”
Katakuri, who had been crossing his arms, was taken aback by Ian’s address. “You… what did you call me?”
“Kata the Second!” Ian shrugged. “You’re the second child, right? Didn’t I call you that yesterday?”
“Called me that yesterday?” Katakuri was a bit confused. That didn’t seem right!
But then he quickly realized—could this be a nickname Ian had come up with on his own after Brûlée modified his memories?
Just as Katakuri was thinking this, Ian reached over and slung an arm around his shoulder, lowering his voice to ask, “Hey, Kata the Second, is Smoothie still mad?”
“Mad?” Katakuri continued to be baffled. And what was Ian doing, acting all chummy like this?
What kind of memories had Brûlée implanted in Ian’s head?
Since he wasn’t sure, Katakuri could only hedge, “Probably… not?”
“Good!” Ian snapped his fingers, then bent down and plucked a singing flower from the ground.
The flower panicked as Ian pinched it, but he didn’t care. Holding the flower, he dashed forward, dropped to one knee on the lawn, and slid right up to Smoothie.
“Dear Miss Smoothie!” Ian presented the flower to her. “Good morning. This morning, you are still as radiant and beautiful as this flower!”
The few early-arriving guests—the Loan Shark King, Ferudo; the Funeral Home Mogul, Drago; and the Shipping Magnate, Umit—were already seated at a table.
When they saw Ian appear, the three exchanged glances, smirking to themselves, curious to see how Ian would handle Big Mom’s tea party today.
But Ian’s sudden move startled them. Ferudo’s cigar fell from his mouth with a thud onto the table, and everyone stared dumbfounded at Ian’s grand display of affection toward Smoothie.
What… what was going on!? How had the situation flipped like this!?
Not just the guests, but even Big Mom’s children present wore identical dumbfounded expressions. The guy who had been so cold and defiant yesterday, clashing with Katakuri-nii, had suddenly become… this exaggerated!?
But Ian didn’t care what they thought. Life is a play, all about acting. Right now, he was playing the role of a man whose memories had been altered by Brûlée, madly in love with Smoothie.
This kind of acting was simple—he just needed to mimic that pervy cook, Sanji! Back when he was with the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji used to fawn over Robin like that all the time. Ian had scolded him for it countless times—he knew the routine well!
And sure enough, though Ian’s performance was a bit over the top, when Katakuri and the others saw it, they didn’t suspect a thing.
In fact, after an initial moment of surprise, Smoothie even blushed. She bent down and took the flower from Ian’s hand.
“Th… thank you!” Smoothie held a hand to her cheek, shyly turning her face away, unable to meet Ian’s eyes.
A man’s reputation casts a long shadow. Ian, with a bounty higher than Katakuri’s, was not only powerful but also handsome. Smoothie had been quite satisfied with the marriage Big Mom had proposed from the start. She felt that only a man like Ian could match her. That was why she had been so furious when she learned Ian had rejected the marriage yesterday.
But now, everything was fine. Brûlée must have altered his memories, making him fall in love with her. At the thought, even Smoothie felt a bit flustered, but her heart was filled with sweetness.
“You… Ian, would you like something to drink?” Smoothie asked shyly.
Ian’s face stiffened for a moment, then he scratched his head and said, “Uh… dear Miss Smoothie, could I have something normal? You know, I’m not really into those weird drinks…”
“O… okay!” Smoothie didn’t suspect a thing. She took out a huge watermelon, held it in both hands, and twisted it. Red watermelon juice dripped into a glass, while the watermelon’s exterior remained completely undamaged…
Handing the juice to Ian, he breathed a sigh of relief, raised the glass in a tender toast to Smoothie, and then sat down at an empty table, right next to Ferudo and his group.
Turning his head, Ian glared at the three underworld bosses, who were still staring at him with dumb expressions, and snarled, “What are you looking at!? Never seen a guy hitting on a girl before!?”
Gah! The three underworld big shots nearly choked. The attitude shift was too stark! Why were they still getting this treatment!?
Katakuri noticed this too and thought to himself, “It seems Brûlée didn’t erase Ian’s memory of disliking these people… but whatever. As long as his relationship with Smoothie is fixed, when Mama arrives and brings up the marriage again, he shouldn’t object, right?”
With that thought, Katakuri also confirmed that the person who had broken into the treasure room last night was definitely not Ian.
“Now, it all depends on Peros-nii’s search results!” Katakuri’s face darkened as he thought this. “Whoever it is, trying to cause trouble on Whole Cake Island, they’ll pay a huge price!”