Chapter 380: Problems for Pudding

Chapter 380: Problems for Pudding



Big Mom, Pudding, Sanji, and the Vinsmokes were sitting around a dining table inside what seemed to be an indoor lawn with walls painted like the sky. It was one of the rooms that Cherry had chased Katakuri through the night before.

Sanji's three brothers were perfectly presentable, but their smiles were forced. Germa's advanced medical technology was incredible, but there were still lingering wounds from their fight with Cherry earlier this morning hidden beneath their skin. In the presence of Big Mom, though, they could only grin and bear it.

Ichiji was particularly aggrieved since he was currently using glued-in dentures instead of his real teeth. The surprise dental work that Cherry had been so kind to perform on him had not just knocked them out, but crushed them as well. New ones were currently being grown for him for transplantation, but that would take time.

Still, he didn't envy Niji despite the fact that a thirty minute surgery was enough to reattach the 'bits' that he lost in that fight.

They weren't the only ones with their minds off somewhere else during this luncheon. Pudding was spacing out, staring blankly at the black and green tea containers who were vying for her attention in song.

Sanji, who was sitting to her right, naturally noticed that she was distressed. He subtly tapped the table with his left hand to get her attention whilst Big Mom and Judge were distracted by their small talk regarding the wedding.

Pudding glanced his way and saw the question in his eyes and the concern. "Is everything alright?" they seemed to ask.

Pudding bit her lip nervously, glancing at her mother to be sure she wasn't paying them any attention. She hastily scribbled a note and passed it to Sanji beneath the table.

When Sanji received it, he read "Meet me in my room later" and his heart momentarily leapt before he suppressed it. He knew she wasn't asking for a little pre-wedding fun.

He gave a small nod before turning his attention back to the conversation between the 'adults' at the table.

...

After the luncheon ended, Pudding paced in her bedroom.

"I should have specified a time, damn it..." All this waiting was killing her.

"Mama called for me first thing this morning though, and hasn't let me out of her sight until now. I'm afraid that I've caused them to get into trouble; I even saw my siblings forming a war party outside the chateau..." Pudding's tears fell in big, pitiful droplets.

"Ah! Don't cry Pudding! I saw Luffy not too long ago and he was fine," Sanji tried to calm her worries, ignoring the memory of kicking Luffy away from him. "They're a tough bunch, I'm sure they'll be okay."

"I wasn't able to keep my word, though!" Pudding raised her voice, voiced tinged with sadness and frustration. "They're in danger because of me!"

"Pudding, I wouldn't have gone to the shore with you anyways. I've already decided to accept my place here," Sanji spoke resolutely.

'You might have, but I haven't, you bastard!' Pudding swallowed the insult before it could voice itself. "But, you don't want to get married, do you? Don't you have dreams?"

Pudding congratulated herself for that one. Romantics like this dummy always had silly dreams that led them out to sea. If she could steer him towards running away of his own volition, then her worries would be over!

Sanji explained solemnly, "My friends might be strong enough to handle the threats of an Emperor-"

'Yeah, sure buddy.' Pudding thought derisively.

"-But I have people back in East Blue that aren't in the same position. If I were to run, then Big Mom would target them. My dreams aren't more important to me than my loved ones," Sanji continued. "Not to mention, I have these."

Sanji showed the 'explosive' bracelets on his wrists to her and she gasped. Cherry had supposedly disabled them, but she hadn't said as such, so it would be somewhat foolish to assume on the slim chance that she hadn't.

'Fuuuuuck! I forgot about those!' Pudding lamented internally.

"As I understand it, your mother is the only one with a key to these. Only Cherry would have any chance of getting it from her, though I expect she would be able to remove them without a key, to be honest." Sanji said, seeming to admire the deceptively thin bracelets that could apparently blow his hands clean off.

"Oh, right, Cherry is going to be engaged with one of my siblings, too. Mama hasn't decided who yet, but Katakuri refused three times despite only being asked once," Pudding relayed without thinking too much about what she was saying.

Sanji was frozen in place and Pudding was unaware of the turmoil roiling within his mind.