"Haaah… I slept so well…"
Uta stretched long and lazily on the bed, freely extending her graceful curves.
She sat up, refreshed and clear-headed, then subconsciously looked beside her—only to be startled.
"You still didn't sleep, Cain?!"
"Yeah… pretty much…"
Cain lay stiffly on his back like a corpse that still happened to be breathing, staring blankly at the ceiling with lifeless eyes.
His eyes were red and swollen, and his voice came out in broken pieces.
"Who told you… to keep moving around at night? Especially these past few nights. You haven't behaved at all in your sleep… You're getting bolder and bolder! I couldn't close my eyes."
"Ah! Sorry, sorry! I thought you'd already gotten used to it! Then… you rest properly first. I'll go out and look around!"
Uta's pretty face flushed.
She quickly stuck out her tongue, apologizing while jumping out of bed.
After changing into fresh clothes behind the screen, she hurriedly slipped out.
This was their sixth day in Totto Land.
Over these six days, Uta had adapted to the environment at an astonishing speed.
She was practically thriving here, and had even made friends with quite a few members of the Charlotte Family.
Cain, on the other hand, had suffered terribly.
Every night, he had to desperately restrain the restlessness in his heart, and he had gone six whole days without sleeping.
During the day, he would be surrounded by that group of "brothers and sisters," dragged from island to island as they showed him around.
This exhaustion was even worse than fighting a life-and-death battle for six days and nights.
It was not physical fatigue, but repeated mental torture. His cerebral cortex was about to start smoking.
As for why he did not ask Katakuri to prepare another room?
Cain had, of course, asked.
But… apparently, this was Big Mom's order.
The two of them had to stay in the same room.
It was a mandatory requirement, and even Katakuri could not refuse it.
And so, it became Cain's personal trial.
After Uta left, Cain finally closed his eyes, which had been staring blankly for far too long, and silently thought to himself,
'Sure enough, the way to overcome fear is to face fear… Once we leave Totto Land… I'll definitely take Uta and… zzz… zzz…'
Before he could even finish making his "bold declaration," Cain completely fell into a deep sleep.
However, Uta, who had said she was leaving, had not gone far.
At the door, she skillfully sent away several Charlotte Family members who wanted to come in and find Cain.
After warning them that Cain needed proper rest and that no one else was allowed to disturb him…
She quietly pushed open the door and poked her head inside to observe.
Seeing that Cain was sleeping deeply, she tiptoed in and casually locked the door behind her.
She lightly removed her clothes and slipped under the blanket.
Because Cain was utterly exhausted, his Observation Haki had completely shut down, allowing Uta to approach him with ease.
Uta directly hugged Cain's head and slowly pulled him close against her.
Then she lowered her head and began humming an ethereal lullaby beside his ear.
As she gently patted Cain's back, Uta thought slyly to herself.
'Sorry, Cain. I planned for this moment for a long time…'
During this period, Uta had actually had several chances to use the Sing-Sing Fruit and directly send Cain into the deepest sleep.
In Uta World, she could have let Cain sleep properly.
But Uta refused.
She stubbornly held back and watched Cain get tortured into a "red-eyed rabbit."
She did this all so that now, in the real world, while Cain's consciousness was completely disconnected, she could righteously enjoy holding him close.
Because she knew that if she entered Uta World, Cain's spirit would enter with her, while his body would be left completely under her control.
That feeling of having everything in her grasp was not exciting at all.
That kind of closeness would have no meaning.
What she yearned for was the warm, real body in her arms right now, rising and falling with every breath.
After all, she had seen how hard Cain had been restraining himself during this time… to the point that even closer contact had become very rare…
Only in a situation like this could Uta boldly get close and let this man defenselessly sink into her embrace.
"Hiss… Looks like this guy isn't well-behaved even in his sleep!"
Uta suddenly frowned slightly and drew in a sharp breath.
Cain, in her arms, seemed to have had some dream about "fighting over food."
Because his exhausted brain was still twitching from overstrain, he instinctively mistook the warmth against his cheek for some especially delicious dessert and subconsciously opened his mouth.
"Don't… ah…"
Uta softly complained, her pretty face flushing, but she did not push him away.
Instead, she naturally reached out and ruffled his messy hair.
She lowered her head and looked at Cain's face, which remained slightly tense even in sleep.
She felt both a little heartbroken and a little pleased.
"Looks like he really has been holding back… Even in his dreams, he's being this careful. Is he afraid of hurting me?"
"Don't si… honestly, this makes me feel like I'm a mother…"
"There, there. Sleep, sleep…"
Uta held him quietly just like that, letting time pass.
She did not make any extra moves.
After all, no matter how mischievous this songstress was, she did not have the courage to casually tease a sleeping dragon that might wake up and pounce at any moment!
…
Cain was sleeping comfortably on his side, but Big Mom's mood at this moment was terrible.
Chiffon still had not been caught, and Big Mom was beginning to lose patience.
According to the current information, the ones who had taken Chiffon away were those who had arrived with Cain and Uta earlier—the Heart Pirates and the Fire Tank Pirates.
Big Mom had asked Katakuri more than once with a dark expression, trying to dig out signs of Cain colluding with them.
But Katakuri's response was always the same: Cain had not made any contact with those people.
That was exactly what made it strange.
Although the Heart Pirates and the Fire Tank Pirates had disappeared, their pirate ships were still docked at the port and had not moved at all.
In heavily guarded Totto Land, if those people had not sailed away, then where could they be hiding?
…
In Chocolat Town, Pudding had spent the entire night working on the cake for that so-called "banquet."
Dragging her exhausted body, she returned to her café.
When she pushed open the door, a rich aroma greeted her.
Chiffon had already been waiting for a long time, with a steaming cup of milk beside her hand.
"Pudding, this period has really been hard on you…"
Chiffon looked at her younger sister with eyes full of tenderness and guilt.
"It's all right, Sister Chiffon."
Pudding answered softly, her fingertips subconsciously rubbing the rim of the cup.
"Sister Lola finally managed to run to the sea and pursue that free happiness that belongs to her. And you…"
Her gaze shifted to the side, landing on the man who was subconsciously putting out his cigar with a solemn expression—the mafia godfather, Capone Bege.
"You've also found someone you can entrust your life to. I absolutely can't watch you fall into this cage, and I definitely can't let Sister Lola be captured and brought back."
The moment he heard this, Capone Bege, who had been trying hard to maintain his dignified image, seemed to choke on his own saliva and began coughing violently.
In that instant, Cain's face appeared in his mind.
He remembered that day, the expression Cain had worn while staring at him—deep, teasing, as if carrying a godlike perspective that saw through everything!
⌓⌣⌓
That look still made Bege feel a lingering fear.
Could it be…
Had that guy already calculated that he would reach this point?
Could all these escape routes and choices have been within his expectations?
Thinking this, a layer of cold sweat unconsciously seeped down the mafia boss's back.
'What a monster. He's too terrifying!'