Kaito glanced at Marco, pointed to Dalton lying on the ground, and said,
"Take this guy and get out of here. If you wait any longer, it'll be too late."
Marco froze for a second, then instinctively nodded. He hoisted Dalton onto his back, shifted into his beast form, and flew off into the distance.
Kaito, meanwhile, flickered and appeared high above Hachinosu.
There were still many members of the Rocks Pirates scattered across the island. Most of them hadn't realized what had happened yet — the earlier fight had barely caused any commotion.
Kaito's eyes narrowed slightly, a golden light flashing across them.
The next moment, Hachinosu exploded with a deafening roar, disintegrating completely — along with every pirate on it.
Marco, who hadn't flown far, was nearly knocked out of the air by the shockwave. He turned to look back — but where Hachinosu had once been, there was now only churning seawater. Not even a single fragment of the island remained.
He swallowed hard, steadied Dalton on his back, and continued flying toward Wano Country.
From that day on, he decided to live in Wano as a doctor — a man who healed and saved lives.
...
At Marineford, the Holy Land—
Kaito placed a round, glossy Devil Fruit on the table in front of Shalria. Its surface was so smooth it reflected her face like a mirror.
Curious, Shalria poked it with her finger and asked,
"Kaito, what kind of fruit is this? It's so round and shiny!"
Kaito smiled and replied,
"This is the Smooth-Smooth Fruit. Eat it, and you'll become incredibly beautiful — and no one will be able to hurt you easily."
The moment she heard "become beautiful," Shalria's eyes sparkled with excitement. She was already quite pretty to begin with — but what woman would ever refuse to be even more beautiful?
Beside her, Hancock blinked in surprise.
"Kaito-sama, wasn't this fruit once owned by that woman, Alvida?"
"Yeah. I wiped out the entire Rocks Pirates. That Alvida was shouting about wanting to capture you, remember? So I took care of her while I was at it."
At that, a sweet smile bloomed on Hancock's face. She slipped her arms around Kaito's and murmured softly,
"Kaito-sama..."
Seeing this, Shalria instantly grew dissatisfied. She pouted and shouted,
"Hey, hey, hey! Can you two not flirt right now? I'm about to eat a Devil Fruit here!"
Kaito gave her a sidelong glance.
"Then eat it. It's yours anyway. What, you want me to peel it for you?"
"That wouldn't be so bad..."
"Hmm?"
Kaito's eyes narrowed. Shalria shivered, quickly reaching for the fruit — but when her hand touched it, it slipped right off. No matter how she tried, she couldn't get a grip on it.
Finally, she looked up at Kaito with pleading eyes, helpless.
Hancock covered her mouth, laughing quietly. Kaito shook his head in amusement, looking at both the fruit and Shalria.
"Alright," he said casually.
"Huh?"
Shalria blinked in confusion, while Hancock's eyes widened in surprise.
"Shalria, you..." Hancock began.
Shalria quickly touched her own face, panicking.
"What? What is it? Did something change?"
A look of appreciation appeared on Kaito's face. With a casual wave of his hand, a mirror of water formed in the air before her.
Through the reflection, Shalria saw her new self.
Her skin was impossibly smooth and pale — even newborns couldn't compare. Her figure, too, had subtly transformed; even her loose nightgown could not conceal her refined, graceful curves.
If the Smooth-Smooth Fruit could turn Alvida into a beauty, then for someone like Shalria, who already had an excellent foundation, its effects went far beyond "icing on the cake."
She twirled before the mirror, then suddenly threw herself into Kaito's arms, exclaiming happily,
"Kaito, you're the best! I love this fruit!"
Hancock poked Shalria's cheek in amazement.
"It's really so smooth!"
Shalria lifted her chin, lips pursed in a little pout — her meaning obvious.
Kaito chuckled and leaned down to kiss her. The sensation truly was extraordinary. No wonder Rocks had kept that Alvida around all the time.
Shalria giggled, her mood radiant. She jumped out of Kaito's embrace and began testing her new ability right there in the hall.
Now her feet slid across the floor as if she were wearing built-in skates. She glided all over, laughing in delight.
Kaito and Hancock sat together on the sofa, smiling as they watched her — almost like parents fondly watching their child play.
Just then, Gion walked in.
Shalria tried to brake, but the floor was far too slippery — she ended up crashing headfirst straight into Gion's chest.
The impact startled Gion. Everyone knew Shalria was famously fragile; that hit hadn't looked gentle at all. Worried, Gion immediately cupped Shalria's face, inspecting her carefully.
Shalria only grinned foolishly — as a Smooth-Smooth Fruit user, she wasn't going to get hurt that easily, especially not by something physical like that.
Gion didn't know that, of course. She looked up at Kaito anxiously.
"Kaito! Come here! I think Shalria hit her head too hard — she's acting weird!"
Kaito appeared beside her in a blink, gave Shalria a light knock on the head, and she yelped in pain, clutching it.
She stared at him in disbelief.
"Ow! Why does that still hurt? Did my fruit power stop working?"
"Fruit power?"
Gion blinked, and Kaito briefly explained. When she heard that Shalria had eaten the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, Gion couldn't resist touching her skin herself — and, just like Hancock, she gasped.
"So smooth!"
Kaito rubbed Shalria's head again and commented with a smirk,
"Yeah, really smooth. Maybe we should call you Little Slippery from now on."
Shalria instantly puffed up her cheeks, waving her tiny white fists.
"No way! That sounds awful!"
Kaito ignored her protest and turned to Gion.
"Why are you back so early today?"
Gion smiled.
"Well, I heard you'd returned. My squad of female soldiers has been clamoring to see you again. I used that as motivation to get them to train harder — and it worked. So, I figured I'd keep my promise. What do you say? Care to come with me?"
As she spoke, Gion slipped her arm through his and gave him a charming, teasing smile.
A little public affection like this... surely wasn't too much to ask, right?