Chapter 702: Where Are the Good Points?
However, what Ian didn't expect was that Caesar suddenly threw himself to the ground, hugged Ian's thigh, and wailed loudly, "Save me, Boss!"
He pointed a finger, snot and tears streaming, at Brulee behind him, and said, "Boss, please make this crazy woman get lost! I can't take it anymore!"
"Damn it! Don't wipe your snot on my pants!" Ian quickly kicked Caesar a couple of times. "Speak properly!"
"Oh... oh!" Caesar quickly stopped his sniffling and said mournfully, "Earlier, I accidentally picked up a remote control and pressed it, which blew up the cake. This crazy woman was right next to me at the time. I was afraid she'd snitch, so I quickly pinned her down and covered her mouth to stop her from screaming. But then she latched onto me! Now she insists on following me and even says she wants to marry me!"
Capone Bege, overhearing Caesar's lament from not far away, broke out in a cold sweat. Damn, so it was you who blew up the cake! Finally found the culprit!
Here I was, the one who planted the bombs, and I got blown up instead. What a pathetic mess...
Just as Capone Bege was thinking about how to settle the score with Caesar, Brulee shyly cupped her face and said, "What do you mean 'covering my mouth'? That was clearly you kissing me! Your tongue even went inside..."
At that, both Capone Bege and Ian shuddered and instinctively stepped back to put some distance between them.
Ian glanced at Brulee and quickly looked away. There was no helping it—among Big Mom's children, there were all sorts of strange ones, but when it came to ugliness, Brulee probably ranked first. With her witch-like appearance, sharp red bulbous nose, messy purple hair, and the scar on her face, it took some courage for a normal person to look her straight in the eye.
Still, Ian could understand Brulee's situation. He didn't know her exact age, but since she was the eighth daughter of the Charlotte family, she couldn't be that young. A conservative estimate put her around forty. An older single woman like her, still unmarried—it was easy to imagine how anxious she must be inside, even if she didn't show it.
Now, suddenly meeting someone like Caesar, who had the guts to pin her down and stick his tongue in her mouth, if she didn't seize the chance, she'd never get another one!
Life wasn't easy for older single women either... Ian felt a deep sympathy for her.
So, Ian crouched down, patted Caesar on the shoulder, and said, "Sorry, buddy, I can't help you. Where I come from, there's a saying: 'You made your own bed, now lie in it.'"
You brought this on yourself, don't blame me.
*Biubiu!*
Caesar felt as if two arrows had pierced his chest—it was heartbreaking! Boss, do you have to be like this? Are you kidding me? Brulee is Big Mom's daughter! Is it really okay to just let her be? I was counting on you to save me from this disaster, and now you're telling me you can't help!?
While Caesar was on the verge of tears, Ian even looked up at Brulee, gave her a thumbs-up, and said, "I support you! Bravely pursue your true love!"
A precise finishing blow. In that instant, Caesar felt as if he were standing at the edge of a lava-filled pit, and Ian, the big shot, smilingly pushed him into the abyss below...
"R-really!?" Brulee's eyes lit up at Ian's words, and she said excitedly, "I misjudged you! You really are a good person! Don't worry, as long as Caesar stays with me, I won't seek revenge on you. After all, Caesar is your subordinate..."
Ian's mouth twitched. Damn! Is the mother-daughter bond between you and Big Mom really that cheap? One man and you forget your own mother?
Ian felt he couldn't handle it anymore and wanted to slip away, but Caesar clung tightly to his thigh, refusing to let go, crying out, "Boss, you can't do this!"
"Lighten up!" Ian had to crouch down and whisper in his ear, "Brulee might be ugly, but you have to see that she has her good points too!"
"What good points? I don't see any!" Caesar asked angrily.
"Hmm..." Ian rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said uncertainly, "For example... big chest!?"
Hearing this, Caesar froze and secretly glanced back.
Well... that might be true...
While Caesar was stunned, Ian quickly pulled his leg free and slipped away. Brulee rushed over and hugged Caesar tightly, a blissful expression on her face.
"Sigh..." Caesar let out a deep sigh and let her hold him.
Fine, if big chest counts as a good point, then I'll go with the big chest...
Those two idiots together were just too much. After escaping, Ian finally felt relieved and went to face the last person.
Besides Charlotte Pudding and Charlotte Brulee, the last of Big Mom's children still on the island was none other than Charlotte Smoothie.
Ian had noticed earlier that during the battle between the Dragon Hunter Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, Smoothie hadn't bothered with the others but had focused entirely on fighting Reiju and the others. As for why, Ian had a vague idea, and now he was really troubled about how to handle Smoothie.
The Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates were now Katakuri, Smoothie, and Snack. But Ian hadn't seen Charlotte Snack—he must have been out on a mission overseas. Originally, according to the normal timeline, Charlotte Snack would have encountered Urouge, been defeated by him with great effort, and then Cracker would have taken his place as one of the Sweet Commanders.
But history had changed. Urouge was now with Ian, Katakuri had been killed by Ian, Snack wasn't around, and Smoothie was the last Sweet Commander left on the island.
Smoothie was incredibly strong, but her opponents were Reiju, Robin, and Konenai. Although Smoothie was formidable, Konenai was the main tank, Reiju the DPS, and Robin the support—the three women had a perfect lineup and managed to capture Smoothie together, winning that terrifying catfight...
The details were indescribable, but it was thrilling and intense.
However, after being captured, when Ian announced the release of the Big Mom Pirates members, Reiju and the others let Smoothie go. But Smoothie didn't leave. She just knelt there, her eye under her bangs fixed on Ian.
So when Ian walked over, his heart was pounding, not just because of Smoothie's gaze, but also because of the looks from Reiju and the others.
Why did it feel like the atmosphere around these four women was radiating a vibe like the Asura battlefield after Kuina had opened her domain!?...
"Ahem!" Under the half-smiling expressions of Reiju, Robin, and Konenai, Ian coughed awkwardly. He knew they had figured out the situation with him and Smoothie's earlier act.
But before Ian could speak, Smoothie calmly asked first, "What do you take me for!?"
"Well..." Ian scratched his head, thought for a moment, and decided to apologize first. "Sorry for deceiving you earlier, but I hope you understand it was part of the plan. In the end, the Big Mom Pirates and I are enemies..."
Smoothie shook her head and said, "I know. I've already forgiven you for tricking me. I have to admit, your plan with Capone Bege succeeded. Mother, caught in her hunger pangs and rampage, got separated from us, leading to her death at your hands. I can understand all that. If I were in your shoes, I might have done the same... But I just want to ask you, what do you take me for? Do you realize how humiliated I'll be when this gets out!?"
Smoothie hung her head in dejection. "The world will say that Smoothie, one of the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders, was so desperate for a man that she brought you, a dangerous enemy, into the crew!"
"It's not your fault!" Ian frowned. "Wasn't it Big Mom's idea? And... think about it, we've only met a few times. Can real feelings really develop that quickly? Would it really be good for you to live with false emotions modified by Pudding's Memo-Memo Fruit?"
"I don't know..." Smoothie shook her head. "All I know is that waiting all these years for a man stronger than me has just been a dream..."
Smoothie stood up. "I'm leaving. Since you're letting the others go, you won't stop me, right?"
Ian didn't speak, just nodded silently. Smoothie then strode off on her long legs. Ian watched her back and noticed she seemed to wipe her hand across her eyes.
"You should have stopped her from leaving just now," Reiju said, appearing beside Ian and whispering, "If you had spoken up to stop her, she might have smiled..."
"Really?" Ian asked doubtfully.
"Of course!" Reiju nodded firmly. "But now that she's gone, no man will ever be able to move her again..."
Too tired to love? I'm tired too!
With the women at home already hard to handle, how could he dare to get involved with others?