"Cain?! Did we really have to go this far out of our way just to buy a camera? Wouldn't a Camera Den Den Mushi be much easier? You wouldn't even have to change the film."
Uta sat atop Cain's head with her legs dangling in the air, turning the brand-new camera over in her hands as she studied it from every angle.
She leaned forward and called down toward him, confusion written all over her face.
"A Camera Den Den Mushi would be more convenient, but take a look at what we're already carrying."
Cain gestured toward his back.
Uta followed his gaze and saw a huge bundle strapped across his broad dragon body.
More than a dozen Den Den Mushi of various sizes were crammed inside, several of them napping with their heads tucked into their shells.
"We already have an entire bag of them. Sure, they're easy enough to keep alive with some cabbage and water, but we really can't add any more."
Uta looked down at the sack of Den Den Mushi, then at the camera in her hands, and sighed.
"I suppose you're right."
She hung the camera around her neck and patted the lens.
"Besides, I want to take lots of pictures for my fans and share them with everyone! Like this trip to Momoiro Island."
She rose excitedly to her feet and looked toward the distant sea.
"Look! We're almost there!"
An island rested quietly among the glittering waves.
Its buildings were painted in every imaginable color, with heart-shaped decorations and pink flags hanging everywhere.
Viewed from above, the entire island resembled one enormous heart.
"There are hearts everywhere! It really does deserve to be called the second Amazon Lily."
"Let's go down!"
"Yeah, all right. Though it's already afternoon."
Cain opened his jaws and released a tremendous dragon roar.
The sound surged into the heavens and erupted into a rolling series of thunderclaps.
The previously clear sky changed instantly.
Clouds crowded in from every direction, piling over one another until they completely blocked the sunlight.
Darkness spread across the sea while thunder rumbled continuously overhead.
Cain's enormous body suddenly twisted.
His long, scaled tail tore through the air, whipping up a fierce gale that spiraled upward and slammed into the gathered storm clouds.
The thick cloud layer split apart down the middle and rolled away to both sides, revealing a sky painted orange and dark purple by the setting sun.
Lightning still flickered along the torn edges of the clouds, but most of the earlier menace had already faded.
Violet lightning intertwined with the golden evening glow and the soft pink lights shining from the island, creating a breathtaking sight.
Uta stared at the sky in amazement.
"It's beautiful…"
"But why did you do that?"
Cain transformed back into his human form and joined Uta atop Bella as they descended.
"We're visiting someone's home. We can't exactly sneak in without announcing ourselves."
"With that much noise, they should know we're here."
The moment they landed on the beach, a voice came booming from the high ground nearby.
A gigantic silhouette was charging down the slope.
Cain narrowed his eyes.
It was Ivankov's head.
To make sure Cain spotted him immediately, Ivankov had enlarged his head dozens of times beyond its normal size.
"Cain Boy—!"
The moment he shouted, his foot slipped.
His head, now dozens of times larger than an ordinary person's, plunged forward and began rolling down the beach.
His face spun around and around as he tumbled, his expression alternating between excitement, terror, and occasional attempts to look calm.
A deep trench formed behind him as sand exploded in every direction.
"You finally arrived—!"
His voice was still echoing through the air, but his body had already become a rolling ball.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't come any closer!"
Cain's face turned green as he grabbed Uta and retreated several steps.
His mind raced.
He would have Bella carry Uta into the air, then stop Ivankov himself.
Cain clenched his fist and carefully calculated how much force he needed—enough to halt Ivankov without sending him flying.
But the moment he extended his fist—
Gulp.
His entire arm plunged straight into Ivankov's mouth.
"What?!"
Ivankov's jaws closed around Cain's upper body, dragging him along as they continued rolling.
The two carved a long, crooked trench through the sand and were seconds away from plunging into the sea.
Fortunately, Uta reacted quickly and ordered Bella to freeze the water, finally bringing them to a stop.
…
"Cain Boy, you finally came! Do you have any idea how excited I am?!"
Ivankov shouted through a mouthful of Cain, tears streaming down his face.
Cain braced both hands against Ivankov's teeth and pushed with all his strength.
"Okay, okay! I understand! Now spit me out!"
"Oh, right—"
Ivankov hurriedly opened his mouth and released him.
Before Cain could even catch his breath, Ivankov pressed his enormous head against him again.
"But I'm still so moved! Thank you so much for what you did for Kuma!"
"Kuma?"
"Exactly! It was all thanks to you!"
"You had Sabo bring Kuma back, found Bonney, and even lured one of Vegapunk's satellites into joining the Revolutionary Army!"
"We still can't completely restore Kuma to normal, but we've begun gradually freeing him from his modified body!"
"They're both doing well with the Revolutionary Army now!"
"If Ginny could see them, she'd be so happy!"
Ivankov excitedly thanked Cain for everything he had done.
Cain's mouth twitched.
When he thought about it carefully, had he actually accomplished any of those things on purpose?
Bonney meeting Sabo had happened only because Ace's group found her.
Cain had told Sabo where Kuma was, but without Bonney, it would have been extremely difficult to take him away from Sabaody Archipelago due to his final order to protect the Thousand Sunny.
As for Vegapunk's satellite Lilith…
Cain had simply forgotten to take her with him.
Left with no other option, she eventually joined the Revolutionary Army.
Every single part of it had been an accident!
"I see. I'm glad they're all doing well…"
Cain turned toward Uta.
She did not look particularly bothered.
Despite Ivankov's unusual relationship with gender, she showed no jealousy. She could tell that he was genuinely grateful to Cain.
Still…
Why did Ivankov look so familiar?
Ivankov finally noticed Uta, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Uta descended slowly on Bella and introduced herself.
"My name is Uta. I'm Cain's girl—"
She caught herself.
"His fiancée!"
"Hello, hello! I'm Ivankov!"
"Wait—you're his fiancée?!"
Ivankov hurriedly injected himself with hormones and instantly transformed into his tall female form.
Then she and Uta began chatting enthusiastically.
"I've already heard all about you from Bon-chan! And I've been following you recently too!"
"My people and I are all huge fans!"
"Would you like to hold a concert here? Whatever you need, I'll agree to it!"
"Really?!"
Uta's eyes sparkled as she jumped down from Bella.
"Of course! We play your songs here every day!"
At that moment, a crowd of okama came rushing over from the distance, shouting excitedly toward Uta.
"Wow!"
Uta became even more thrilled.
"I didn't expect to have fans here too!"
"Of course! We know all your songs by heart!"
Without any hesitation, the okama threw their heads back and began singing.
Their voices were loud and deep, accompanied by the Kamabakka Kingdom's distinctive swaying dance moves.
Uta laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.
Halfway through the song, more nearby residents heard the commotion and gathered around, joining the singing and dancing until the entire beach became a lively celebration.
Caught up in their enthusiasm, Uta began humming along.
That only made the okama even more excited.
They surrounded her in layer after layer, cheering and clapping as though an impromptu concert had begun.
Ivankov watched from the side, tears nearly spilling from her eyes.
"As expected of Uta-chan! Her voice is incredible!"
Perhaps because they were both currently women and had plenty to discuss, combined with the okama's enthusiastic welcome, Uta and Ivankov quickly became close.
They talked, hummed songs together, and completely forgot Cain existed.
That was Uta for you.
Her popularity really was extraordinary.
Cain, however, looked down at his saliva-soaked clothes and hurriedly spoke up.
"Um… could someone arrange a place where I can change?"
"This is getting pretty uncomfortable…"
Uta and Ivankov stopped dancing and turned toward him.
"Oh? Really?"
Ivankov gave him a meaningful look.
"Are you sure you want to put clothes on, Cain Boy?"
Even Uta looked rather intrigued.
Cain instinctively swallowed.
…
"What? These clothes are perfectly normal."
"I thought you were going to make me wear a dress."
Cain examined the white shirt, jeans, and pink belt they had prepared.
The belt might have been pink, but his hair was pink too. It did not look mismatched at all.
With that thought, Cain entered the bathroom Ivankov had prepared and began washing the saliva from his body.
What "she" failed to notice was that the water droplets running over her skin were gradually changing from transparent to pale pink…
Before returning to normal.