Thinking of this, an exasperated Shin flicked Charlotte Pudding on the forehead. "Enough nonsense. Training starts tomorrow!"
Well, strong warriors are forged through battle—except when cheating is involved, Shin mused to himself. Besides, hadn't he already died once to Kaido? While he managed to recover, that had been a true life-or-death battle.
As for whether he felt ashamed of his own power-ups? Not at all. If anything, he wished his advantages were even greater. If he had been born with a Kryptonian physique and could gain strength just by basking in the sun, that would have been ideal!
Of course, there was no need to share this ridiculous thought with Pudding.
Despite her initial reluctance, once the training began, Pudding didn't hold back. Almost every battle left her with serious injuries, sometimes beyond the reach of conventional medicine. More than once, Shin had to use his Munch-Munch Fruit ability to heal her.
However, the sheer extremity of this training revealed untapped potential within her. Under such grueling conditions, her strength skyrocketed.
Each time Shin healed her with the Munch-Munch Fruit, he subtly refined her body, pushing her closer to her mother, Charlotte Linlin. Soon, Pudding herself began noticing the changes.
From her perspective, she merely believed her latent bloodline had been awakened. This only fueled her enthusiasm for training.
"Captain Shin, do you think I can do this?" Pudding asked hesitantly.
"Don't worry. At this point, Charlotte Linlin is no match for you," Shin replied, rolling his eyes at how many times he'd had to reassure her.
Even after gaining two additional Bat-type Zoan Fruits and undergoing extreme training, Pudding's strength had only just surpassed a Yonko's threshold. In an even match, she might still struggle against the strongest emperors.
However, Charlotte Linlin had long since lost the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit, drastically weakening her. Between Pudding's rise and her mother's decline, the gap had widened significantly.
More importantly, Shin doubted that Charlotte Linlin could maintain the same indomitable spirit after their last encounter. Even Kaido had weakened after his defeat. Compared to him, Linlin lacked the same unshakable resolve and ambition.
"Alright, we're almost there."
By now, the ocean had turned into a swirl of colorful juice, and in the distance, Whole Cake Island rose like a fairytale landscape.
Seeing her birthplace again, Pudding took a deep breath. Surprisingly, she appeared calmer than before.
"Captain, I want to go up alone first. Can you stay out of sight for a while?" she suddenly requested.
Shin raised an eyebrow. On the surface, Pudding often acted lazy and timid, as if she truly had a princess complex. However, when it mattered, she had never backed down from making tough choices.
If Shin stepped in immediately, Charlotte Linlin would never go all out against Pudding. Even if Pudding won, the Big Mom Pirates wouldn't fully accept her leadership. Some might even plot against her behind the scenes.
But if she could defeat her mother herself and earn the crew's recognition, she could truly take command of the Big Mom Pirates.
"Alright." Shin nodded. "Let's see what you can do."
As soon as he spoke, Shin activated the Clear-Clear Fruit, slowly fading into invisibility.
Pudding smiled faintly. Looking up at the sky, she transformed into her full vampire form. A dark mist spread across the heavens as she lightly tapped her foot on the deck. In an instant, she dissolved into a swarm of bats, soaring toward Whole Cake Island.
At that moment, the Charlotte family's gathering was in full swing. This rare event brought together nearly all of the Big Mom Pirates.
Standing at the center, Charlotte Katakuri suddenly tensed, his expression darkening.
Looking up, he saw ominous clouds rapidly swallowing the once-bright sky, plunging the island into an unnatural night.
"Who goes there?!" Katakuri was the first to react. His trident, Mogura, shot from his arm as he scanned the sky warily.
His advanced Observation Haki allowed him to glimpse the immediate future—and what he saw made his eyes widen in disbelief.
Even though he recognized the intruder, he still found it difficult to believe what he was seeing.
"Heeheehee! Brother Katakuri, have you forgotten me so soon?"
The dark cloud twisted, merging into a single figure. A girl with blood-red wings spread wide appeared before them.
"Pudding ?! Is that you?!"
Katakuri's expression shifted. He never expected that, in just a few short months, his once-delicate younger sister could exert a presence even greater than their mother's!
"Yes, it's me, Brother Katakuri." Pudding descended from the sky. The other Sweet Commanders instinctively moved to surround her, but sensing the drastic shift in her aura, they hesitated.
"I'm here today—" Pudding declared, her three eyes glowing ominously.
In an instant, several of the surrounding Sweet Commanders shrieked in pain. Their souls and memories were attacked, causing them to collapse. In mere moments, their bodies rapidly aged, turning frail and weak.
"—to become the new leader of the Charlotte family!"
Katakuri took a deep breath, glancing at his fallen siblings. Before he could react, Pudding flapped her wings, sending out a shockwave that hurled several more away.
"Mom! Come out! I challenge you now!" Pudding proclaimed proudly.
Katakuri clenched his teeth, tightening his grip on Mogura. "If you want to lead the Charlotte family... then you'll have to get past me first."
Pudding chuckled. "Brother Katakuri, you're as kind as ever. You just want to test whether I'm truly worthy of facing our mother, don't you? Fine. I'll play along."
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