"Sh-Shanks, why are you here?"
Uta stared at Shanks, who was being restrained by Rayleigh, her voice filled with confusion and resentment.
Shanks had no idea about the body swap.
He naturally thought "Cain" was speaking to him, and that tone only made his anger burn hotter.
"Hey, Shanks, don't get worked up first!" Rayleigh hurriedly held him in place.
Shakky also rushed to calm him down.
"Uta's situation is complicated. Put the sword away first."
"You're still helping him? Why?!"
Shanks was beyond listening. His usual calm had completely vanished.
"Enough! You don't get to interfere with my business!"
Uta's interrupted kiss had left her glaring at Shanks with obvious dissatisfaction.
Since things had already come this far, she threw caution to the wind.
Right in front of everyone, she bent down and kissed Cain, who was lying on the bed.
Part of it was anger, and part of it was her determination to finish the kiss they had failed to complete.
Cain, trapped below her, watched "his own" face coming closer and closer. His hands clenched the bedsheet beneath him, his toes curling as his gaze darted helplessly to the side.
He was completely flustered!
The moment dragged on for a long while.
Even Rayleigh and Shakky were stunned.
Uta was terrifyingly bold when she chose to take the initiative!
When Uta finally pulled away, a faint, shining thread stretched between their lips.
Cain lay beneath her, his face flushed bright red as he gasped heavily.
His first kiss.
He had been forcefully kissed.
And it taste like candy too!
Crack—
That was the sound of a father's heart breaking.
Shanks instantly turned gray and lifeless, slumping into the corner like a wilted shadow, his whole spirit drained out of him.
Then, after that moment of despair, he suddenly exploded.
He drew Gryphon from his waist and shouted the same line again.
"CAIN, YOU BASTARD! BACK THEN, YOU TOLD ME TO SEE IT FOR MYSELF, SAID I WAS OVERTHINKING THINGS, AND NOW WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! IS THIS HOW YOU FULFILL YOUR PROMISE TO ME?!"
Only then did Rayleigh, who had been guarding outside, hurry in with Shakky to stop him.
…
"Honestly, Shanks, you're already a grown man. Can't you at least listen until people finish explaining?"
Shakky poured wine into a glass while glancing sideways at Shanks sitting at the bar, her tone full of helpless complaint.
"Sorry. I didn't think it through."
Shanks shook his head helplessly.
By now, he had finally calmed down and understood the cause and effect of what had happened.
Shakky pushed the filled glass toward him.
"Well, this is the first time I've seen you lose your composure like that. Still, we should talk about little Uta's current condition."
"We only told her that something had gone wrong with her ability, so she needed to temporarily swap bodies with Cain. As for the Demon King, we haven't told her."
"According to Cain's guess, even if the score was destroyed, it may still be hidden inside Uta's subconscious memories. Unless we can find a way to help her…"
Before she could finish, Rayleigh helped Cain, whose steps were unsteady, down from upstairs.
"I already have a solution. Shakky-nee, please go take care of Uta first. Rayleigh and I can handle things here."
Shakky nodded and immediately turned back toward the upper room.
Clearly, even though Uta was using Cain's body right now, her mood must have been awful.
Seeing who had come down, Shanks instinctively said,
"Ut—no, Cain. About just now… I'm sorry."
"No. I'm the one who should apologize. I clearly promised you before that I would protect her properly…"
Cain shook his head lightly, then suddenly changed his tone.
"But still—"
Dragging his weak body forward, he lifted one foot, pulled off a slipper, and threw it straight at Shanks.
Shanks did not dodge.
He let the slipper smack him hard in the face.
"Do you have any idea how cruel what you did to Uta was? Before, I only heard about it. I could only sympathize with her from the perspective of an outsider…"
"BUT NOW, I'VE FELT IT FOR MYSELF! YOU BASTARD OF A FATHER!"
Cain pressed his right hand over his heart and roared at Shanks.
"I'M INSIDE UTA'S BODY RIGHT NOW. THIS BODY IS CLEARLY RESISTING YOU WITH EVERYTHING IT HAS, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT DESPERATELY WANTS YOU TO COME CLOSER. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT KIND OF CONTRADICTION FEELS LIKE?!"
"I DON'T KNOW WHAT UTA HERSELF THINKS, BUT YOU REALLY ARE A COMPLETE BASTARD! STOP ACTING LIKE EVERYTHING IS SO DEEP AND MYSTERIOUS, LIKE YOU HAVE IT ALL UNDER CONTROL."
"HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP HIDING IT FROM HER? WHEN EXACTLY ARE YOU FINALLY GOING TO TELL HER THE TRUTH?!"
Shanks picked up the slipper that had been thrown at him, stood, and slowly walked forward.
Then he crouched down and gently placed the slipper by Cain's foot.
Lifting his head, he spoke in a low voice.
"I know. No matter how many times I say sorry, it won't mean anything. Maybe now really is the time to tell Uta the truth."
"Don't stare at my face!"
Cain frowned, his tone carrying irritation.
"I'm using Uta's body right now, but the person you need to apologize to isn't me. What are you still dawdling for? Hurry up and go!"
Perhaps it was the emotions this body carried, or perhaps Cain truly could not stand the injustice Uta had suffered, but he showed not the slightest fear toward this future father-in-law.
Bracing his weak body, Cain raised his foot—
Then thought about it, switched to the foot still wearing a slipper, and kicked Shanks hard in the face.
Shanks was completely unprepared and tumbled over.
Without another word, he hurried upstairs.
"My, my. That's the first time I've seen Shanks look that miserable," Rayleigh said with a low chuckle.
"As expected of Uta, she can control Shanks so easily."
"Stop teasing me."
Cain leaned against the wall and took a breath.
"Help me sit by the window. I need some air… Right, where are Law and the others?"
"They went back to the submarine," Rayleigh answered while supporting him toward the window.
"Don't worry, they haven't gone far. That brat said a doctor won't abandon a patient… By the way, you said you found a way to save Uta?"
"Yeah. The Memory-Memory Fruit."
Cain looked out at the night sky, his voice calm.
"It's not good to tamper with Uta's memories, but if we only extract the fragments of the score, it shouldn't affect her."
"The Memory-Memory Fruit…"
Rayleigh clicked his tongue.
"Finding that ability user on the open sea would be harder than climbing to the sky."
"No. I know where that person is."
Cain turned to look at him.
"Next, I may have to visit the Big Mom Pirates."
"I see. You've really thought this through, haven't you, young man?"
Shakky's voice came from the staircase.
She slowly walked down and pointed upstairs.
"The father and daughter are clearing up their misunderstanding. I don't feel like interrupting, so I came down first."
"Yeah."
Cain sighed softly, then looked out the window and muttered,
"If only it were really that easy."
The moment his words fell—
Bang!
A deafening crash came from the room upstairs.
In the next second, Shanks flew out through the window like a sack of trash after being thrown by Uta.
He landed not far from Cain's line of sight.