Napoleon's blade was also entwined with the flames of another Homie, [Prometheus].
This was Big Mom's Happy Mother's Blaze.
Previously, it was by wielding this massive sword shrouded in Conqueror's Haki and solar flames that she had fought Naruto to a standstill a month ago.
Facing a sword larger than his own body, Naruto showed no intention of dodging.
The palm he raised in front of him instantly transformed into a sword, his five fingers becoming as transparent as the Mushoukou.
At the same time, Conqueror's Haki coiled around it-
[Mushoukou: Ryu no Kagizume] (T/N: Dragon's Talon.)
This time, Naruto's hand morphed into a dragon's claw, combining his swordsmanship with the Revolutionary Army's Ryusoken. (T/N: Dragon Claw Fist)
His fingers tightly gripped the space around Napoleon, and countless slashes infused with Wind Attribute Chakra rapidly cut through the gaps between his fingers, grinding away the flames and Haki emanating from the sword.
Their Conqueror's Haki clashed violently in that instant, the sheer force of their collision causing the surrounding environment to shatter and scatter.
After the exchange, neither emerged victorious.
"Brat… Have you eaten a Devil Fruit too?"
Big Mom looked at Naruto's blade-like right hand, her eyes narrowing as the fat on her face bunched up.
She held Napoleon in one hand while her other plunged into the cloud Homie, [Zeus].
In the next moment, a torrent of lightning surged toward Naruto.
The electricity struck at a speed far beyond normal human reaction… or rather, it struck the thin, Haki-coated resin film covering Naruto's skin.
Though the lightning shattered the coating instantly, the bubble membrane, which was originally used for ship-coating and diving, managed to redirect the current into the ground.
"What a convenient ability."
'If we're talking about convenient abilities, Big Mom, your Soru Soru no Mi isn't exactly lacking either.'
Naruto internally grumbled but kept a smile on his face.
"I just didn't want to ruin my clothes, no need to get so worked up, Big Mom."
"Shut it, brat! Don't think you can mock me just because you've got some skill. I'm one of the Emperors of the Sea!"
As Big Mom roared, waves of air surged alongside her Haki, battering the surroundings.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Naruto suddenly withdrew his hand, raising it in a stopping gesture.
Surprisingly, Big Mom, who, when not in a [Hunger Pangs] rampage, was somewhat reasonable, actually paused.
"I don't quite follow what you're saying here?"
At this point, Katakuri realized what had happened and quickly intervened.
"Mama! It's a misunderstanding! Naruto probably never received your marriage proposal."
'Marriage?!'
Naruto immediately whipped his head toward Katakuri, his expression screaming, 'Since when was this a thing? Why wasn't I informed?!'
"Oh, so that's it..."
Big Mom's demeanor shifted in an instant. After reverting Napoleon back into her hat, she flashed a grin that looked more like she was sizing up prey.
"Well then, brat, how about marrying one of my daughters?"
Honestly, if this were any other person Big Mom had chosen for an arranged marriage, they'd probably have agreed on the spot.
However-
"No, no, no, I'm still young and have no plans to get married yet."
As if casually brushing off an overbearing relative, Naruto refused without hesitation.
Then, as if remembering something, he added, turning slightly to the side:
"No offense."
Smoothie, who was standing next to Katakuri, also looked gloomy when she heard this.
And it was easy to understand why.
Imagine being set up for an arranged marriage. Some might resist at first, but after meeting the person and finding them not as bad as expected, maybe even warming up to the idea, the other party suddenly drops a:
"Oh, sorry, I don't like you."
That feeling… ooff.
For Big Mom, failed marriage proposals were a rare occurrence.
The last time was when she tried to arrange a marriage between her daughter, Lola and the Giant's Prince, Loki.
The Giants had agreed, but her own daughter had the audacity to run away, ruining Big Mom's plans to reconcile with the Giants.
Most others selected for marriage alliances would jump at the opportunity… after all, who wouldn't want the backing of an Emperor?
But Naruto had no intention of agreeing.
Asking for a favor was one thing, but tying it to marriage was a whole different matter.
Seeing Naruto's completely fearless expression, even Big Mom found herself at a loss.
Normally, if anyone dared to defy her wishes, threats would follow immediately-
"I'll chop off the heads of those most important to you and send them to you as a gift."
But when she thought about the people connected to this brat: Rayleigh, Shanks, Scopper Gaban…
She knew that approach won't work.
Big Mom irritably plopped back into her seat, glaring at Naruto.
"Then why the hell are you here?"
In Big Mom's eyes, Naruto at this moment was like a porcupine… impossible to handle.
"Like I said, I came for the banquet… and to ask a small favor."
Naruto glanced at the table full of desserts but couldn't find anything appealing, so he simply pulled out a large piece of roasted meat from his sealing space and started eating.
Between bites, he gestured with his fingers to emphasize just how tiny the favor was.
"Hmph. You dare refuse my proposal and still ask for my help? Brat, you've got more guts than I thought."
Despite her words, Big Mom didn't outright reject him. Instead, she silently resumed eating her cake, clearly waiting for Naruto to explain further.
"I need to borrow one of your daughters-"
Realizing how that might sound, Naruto quickly added:
"For legitimate reasons."
Big Mom didn't even lift her eyelids, only grunting in response.
"Which one?"
"The little girl with three eyes."
"Pudding?"
Her first thought was that this brat might be after Pudding's ability to read the Poneglyphs… maybe even eyeing the red Road Poneglyph in her possession.
After all, gathering all four Road Poneglyphs would reveal the location of the legendary treasure, One Piece.
But then she remembered-
This damn brat in front of her had already reached Laugh Tale with Roger's crew back in the day.
Besides, Pudding hadn't yet 'awakened' her third eye's full potential and couldn't read the Poneglyphs yet.
Before Big Mom could voice her doubts, Naruto pulled out the [Purin Purin no Mi] he had obtained by chance.
"Oh, and this… Purin Purin no Mi. Since I know you like this kind of thing, I brought it as a gift."
After said that, without a care for whether he might get robbed, Naruto casually tossed the fruit toward her.
"So? Consider it payment for the favor."
The small fruit landed in Big Mom's massive palm, looking no bigger than a strawberry in comparison.
"Pudding…?"
Big Mom examined the fruit, vaguely recalling its existence.
Due to her own eccentric tastes, most of the Big Mom Pirates' top officers had food-related Devil Fruit's abilities… a well-known 'fact' in the New World.
"Fine. Tell me, what exactly do you need her for?"
After weighing the pros and cons, Big Mom decided to at least hear Naruto out.