Soon, Katakuri brought Breed and Chouchou before Ray.
Along the way, Breed and Katakuri chatted and laughed together—or rather, Breed chatted, and Katakuri listened stoically.
For Breed, this was the highlight of his life.
Katakuri was a true heavyweight, the invincible second-in-command of the Big Mom Pirates.
Since he was willing to personally bring a newcomer like him to check on the Beast Garden, it must mean he valued his abilities highly.
'He sees my potential!' Breed thought, giddy with excitement.
If Breed wanted to rise through the ranks in the Big Mom Pirates, he naturally needed the support of this powerhouse.
So, Breed spent the entire journey trying his best to please Katakuri, bootlicking with everything he had. His attention was completely focused on Katakuri's scarf-covered chin, leaving him completely unaware of the changes in their surroundings.
It wasn't until Katakuri stopped walking that Breed finally began to observe where they were.
"We're here," Katakuri grunted.
Breed turned and looked forward, expecting to see his pets.
Instead, he saw a very familiar person standing before him, leaning against a mirror frame.
Silver hair.
Red eyes.
A terrifying aura.
At that moment, Breed was stunned frozen.
"R-Ray..." Breed stammered, his eyes popping out. "Why... why are you here? You... you... you're already here?!"
Breed certainly knew how terrifying Ray was.
When Ray fought Big Mom at Enies Lobby, Breed had been hiding nearby, controlling Chouchou and the sea beasts from a safe distance.
He was the only one besides Aokiji who had witnessed the entire battle between Ray and Big Mom.
Ray's unnoticed arrival here posed a catastrophic threat to the Big Mom Pirates, potentially even bringing catastrophic destruction to the island.
But then, Breed looked back at his escort.
When he saw Katakuri actually greeting Ray with a nod instead of a fist, his brain short-circuited.
'Wait what?'
'Katakuri-sama... you are the second-in-command! Why are you communicating with Ray like your friends?'
'It's impossible. Unless...'
Breed even began to suspect whether the enhancement drugs given by Golden Lion's subordinates had side effects.
'Am I hallucinating?'
But what happened next interrupted his thoughts permanently.
Ray moved his hand.
FLASH.
A golden light flashed before Breed's eyes as Breed tried to dodge instinctively.
But... his body didn't seem to get the memo.
He couldn't move.
Yet, his vision was changing.
The world was spinning.
As his view rotated, he saw a headless body standing on the ground.
'Huh,' Breed thought sluggishly. 'Is that upside-down thing... my body?'
THUD.
In the blink of an eye, this ambitious man who thought he could achieve great things in a Yonko's crew was decapitated, completely departing from this world.
With Breed's death, the invisible control collar around Chouchou's neck also dissipated into smoke.
After witnessing this casual execution, Katakuri showed no dissatisfaction.
He calmly explained to Ray, "The man you just killed was the Pet-Pet Fruit user who controlled Chouchou. Mother recruited him with the intention of using him to create a massive sea beast army, but that plan died today."
Ray nodded; he had already suspected the content of Katakuri's explanation.
Now that the puppet master was dead, the next step was securing the victim.
ZIP.
Ray instantly appeared behind the red-eyed Chouchou, who was still in his small white dog form but growling with feral rage.
Before Chouchou, in his "rabies-like" frenzied state, could begin indiscriminate biting, Ray acted.
WHACK.
He whipped the back of the dog's head with a single, precise lash of his tail.
"Yip... yip... yip..."
As the whimpering gradually faded, Chouchou finally closed his eyes and went limp.
Looking at the unconscious dog, Ray knelt and gently wrapped him in his scarf-like tail.
After all, it was his own dog, his retainer, so he had to show some care, hmph!
After completing the handover of Chouchou, Ray stood up and spoke toward the direction of the large tree reflection behind him.
"Smoothie," he called out coldly. "Come out with the arm."
"As expected of you Ray-sama," a sultry voice replied. "You detected my presence long ago."
Smoothie stepped out. She had spent most of the day learning flattering phrases, specifically to use on Ray.
She struck a pose, trying to look alluring despite her injuries.
However, upon hearing this, Ray's expression remained unchanged, showing no trace of emotion.
He looked at her like she was a piece of furniture.
Smoothie deflated slightly.
She was somewhat disappointed, of course, but she reminded herself that her main goal today wasn't to gain Ray's appreciation—it was to reattach her arm.
With her arm restored, she could freely use her abilities again.
Once that happened, her already superior physical combat skills would allow her to reclaim her place among the strong on the seas.
'As long as I can keep growing stronger,' Smoothie fantasized inwardly, eyeing Ray's face.
'I'll eventually be able to overpower him. And then... I'll tie Ray-sama to my bed. Hehehe.'
In reality, however, she watched Ray nervously.
Though rationally she knew Ray wouldn't go back on his word, emotionally she still felt anxious.
She was entrusting her lifelong matters—her physical integrity—to Ray.
If this went wrong, her future happiness (and career) would basically be gone.
Ray, of course, had no idea about the dirty internal struggle in Smoothie's mind. He only planned to fulfill his promise to Smoothie before going to kill Big Mom.
Thus, he spoke coldly to Smoothie, "Hurry up. Place it. Align the position correctly."
Katakuri was also very nervous at this moment—after all, it was his little sister's arm.
So, he ran to Smoothie's side, picking up the severed limb. He carefully aligned the bones of the severed arm with the hollow of the wound on her shoulder.
"Smoothie," Katakuri said with intense seriousness. "Your brother is going to align it with that.... hole. Don't be afraid of the pain—just endure it, and it'll be over soon."
As a seasoned veteran who frequently fought in battles, Smoothie naturally wasn't afraid of pain.
When Ray had torn off both her arms earlier, she hadn't even cried out.
But for some reason, listening to the phrasing, her heart was beating extremely fast now.
The moment Katakuri touched her shoulder, her body suddenly trembled twice.
This made Katakuri extremely anxious.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked worriedly.
Smoothie gritted her teeth, her face flushing slightly. "It's fine! Push it in forcefully!"
"Alright," Katakuri nodded, determined. "Then it's better to endure short-term pain than long-term suffering. Here goes."
Watching this scene from the side, Ray felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.
'...Phrasing please!' Ray thought.
Although he appeared sexually indifferent, before his transmigration, he wasn't an inexperienced virgin.
The dialogue between these two siblings—"align with the hole," "push it in forcefully," "endure the pain"—inevitably made Ray think of other scenarios.
"Ahem."
Ray cleared his throat mentally and stepped forward.
After the awkward commotion between the siblings, Smoothie's severed arm was finally aligned with the wound.
Ray drew the blade at his waist.
HUMMM.
A blue light flashed as he infused his own Demonic Power into the blade, causing Tessaiga to emit several pulsating sounds resembling a heartbeat.
Thump-thump.
As the healing mode—once belonging to Tenseiga—activated, Ray's demon eyes could clearly see the ghostly shadows swirling around Smoothie's severed arm.
"These are the Netherworld Imps," Ray murmured. "They cause decay and eliminate vitality."
Aiming at these little shadow creatures, Ray swung the blade.
SWISH.
As the light flashed, the imps shrieked, turned into dust, and vanished into the world.
The flesh on Smoothie's shoulder knit together instantly.
After doing this, Ray sheathed the sword and said to Smoothie.
"The severed arm has regained its vitality. Once you have someone stitch it on or use your own power, it will recover on its own."
Of course, Smoothie could also directly reattach the arm instantly by absorbing the energy of two slaves or captives—it all depended on her choice.
"Deal's done," Ray said.
With that said, Ray turned, prepared to go cause trouble for Big Mom.
But just as Ray took a few steps, he suddenly remembered something.
He turned to the blonde narcissist hiding nearby.
"Cavendish. Do me a favor."
Hearing Ray assign him a task, Cavendish excitedly jumped up from behind a rock.
"YES BOSS!" Cavendish saluted. "Just give the order! I, Cavendish, will go through thick and thin without hesitation! Whether it's climbing Cream Mountain or diving into the Chocolate River, I am your man!"
"Mm."
Ignoring the guy's glib talk and dramatics, Ray told Cavendish his request.
"Find a fruit. Specifically, the Pet-Pet Fruit."
The ability would undoubtedly be a much more practical Devil Fruit for Chouchou.
Already capable of intimidating wild beasts with his dog demon's aura, Chouchou, combined with the Pet-Pet Fruit ability, would definitely be a being comparable to the Ancient Weapon, Poseidon.
Poseidon could only control sea beasts.
Chouchou, by then, would likely be able to control all beasts on land, in the sea, and in the sky.
"The previous owner of this Devil Fruit, Breed, was just killed by me right here," Ray explained, pointing to the headless body.
"According to the rules, the reborn Devil Fruit will reincarnate and preferentially appear in the nearest fruit."
Coincidentally, their current location inside the Mirror World reflected an orchard just outside—a place filled with cream, chocolate, ice cream, and plenty of fruits.
"Search the orchard," Ray requested.
"Roger that!" Cavendish shouted, looking determined. "I will find the most beautiful fruit for the most beautiful man!"
As Cavendish ran off to search, Ray turned his gaze toward the exit and he slowly advanced toward the direction where Big Mom was located.
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