Bege was full of doubts, truly unable to understand how a Pirate Crew like the Straw Hat Pirates, known for their 'extreme goodness,' could produce such a character.
However, on second thought, the Straw Hat Pirates' way of doing things was also quite crazy, and it suited this snake spirit/crazy person (derogatory nickname/insult for orochimaru) quite well.
Bege's shock did not last too long, but the phrase 'a bad bamboo produces good shoots' involuntarily came to his mind.
It was truly ironic; a Pirate Crew producing such a character would normally be an honor, but it just had to be the 'straw hat' Pirate Crew, a Pirate Crew that could even gain a good reputation.
Bege suppressed the surging thoughts in his mind, his gaze falling on Orochimaru, who was covering his ears, and still nodded slightly.
After all, he was still a member of the Big Mom Pirates at the moment, and bringing back a first mate was no small matter; he had to report it to his superiors.
Subsequently, Bege greeted the people of the Vinsmoke Family, stating that he would take both of them, and promised to send Vinsmoke Sanji back to them later.
If they were really worried, the three of them could also come along.
Ichiji frowned slightly, and after a moment of contemplation, slowly nodded.
In his opinion, Sanji's marriage alliance with Big Mom, and meeting him now, was reasonable, and this much face had to be given.
Ichiji turned his gaze to Orochimaru, recalling some earlier impoliteness, but he was quite approving of Orochimaru's thoughts.
"Hey, Orochimaru, if you have any ideas, come find me anytime."
He said loudly, with a hint of enthusiasm in his tone.
As soon as he spoke, Sanji, who was standing nearby, instantly flew into a rage, his eyes wide and bloodshot, as if they were about to shoot fire.
Without a word, he clapped his hands "slap" and heavily placed them directly on Orochimaru's hands, which were covering his ears, and roared angrily: "You scum, show some respect!"
Immediately after, Sanji's movements were fluid; he clamped Orochimaru at his waist and strode forward.
As he walked, he kept muttering, "I won't listen, I won't listen to the turtle chanting scriptures. This snake is really troublesome."
Orochimaru, clamped at the waist, had a look of helplessness on his face.
He opened his mouth, but said nothing.
Orochimaru was speechless... Orochimaru... silent... Sure enough... Sanji, full of smoke smell, was so stinky... disgusted (๐ • ̆ · ̭ • ̆ ๐)
Soon, Orochimaru and Sanji were placed in different rooms.
As soon as Orochimaru entered the room, he instinctively shivered, as if to shake off that annoying smell of smoke, then raised his hand to smell himself with a look of disgust, his features instantly scrunching up.
"This smell is unbearable," he complained in a low voice, and without a moment's delay, walked directly to the bathroom.
Turning on the faucet, warm water sprayed down, and Orochimaru stood under the shower, closing his eyes and enjoying the rush of water, trying to wash away the pungent smell of smoke Sanji had left on him.
After all, meeting with Big Mom, appearance was still important; he was, after all, half a king of the underground forces.
In the bathroom, steam swirled like a light veil, blurring the surroundings into a hazy realm.
Orochimaru stood under the shower, warm water flowing down his sleek body, splashing up layers of spray.
He was fully engrossed in contemplating his bargaining chips for the deal with Big Mom, various thoughts intertwining and surging in his mind.
Suddenly, a "swish" sound broke the silence as the bathroom curtain was abruptly pulled open.
Orochimaru was a little puzzled, and subconsciously looked up, his expressionless face, and his clear, cold eyes met Katakuri's deep gaze head-on.
For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to be sucked away, so quiet that only the sound of the shower water could be heard, their gazes locked together, and time stood still at that moment.
"Katakuri-sama, slow down! This room has a guest!" A chess soldier jumped in frantically, its sharp voice breaking the eerie silence.
But its warning was already too late; the awkward situation was already before them.
Katakuri's body instantly stiffened, a rare hint of panic appearing on his usually calm face, those eyes that usually saw through everything were now full of surprise and awkwardness.
After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly reached out to pull the curtain, his movements urgent and flustered, the curtain rustling loudly.
At the same time, a wave of heat seemed to rise from the top of his head; even through the curtain, one could feel his inner embarrassment.
Immediately after, a "pardon me" with a hint of embarrassment and apology came from outside the curtain.
Orochimaru calmly wiped the water from his face, his tone flat: "Oh... it's fine."
After all, he had also been distracted just now, and from Katakuri's performance, it seemed that his Observation Haki, which foresaw the future, was not always active.
After a pause, Orochimaru raised his voice and added: "Since someone's here, can you get me some clothes?"
His voice was steady, showing no trace of panic, as if the previous awkwardness had never happened.
Outside the curtain, Katakuri's voice was a bit unnatural, slightly strained: "Yes... yes, please wait."
His footsteps hurried away, bringing a slight breeze, as if he wanted to escape the awkward atmosphere as quickly as possible.
Soon, Katakuri returned, holding a set of brand new clothes.
He stood outside the curtain, cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound normal: "The clothes are here."
The curtain was pulled open by Orochimaru, and the swirling steam instantly rushed out.
Orochimaru was naked from the waist up, with a towel wrapped around his lower body, slowly drying his hair with a towel, water droplets sliding down his toned abs and disappearing into the towel.
Katakuri hadn't expected Orochimaru to come out like that; the moment his gaze met Orochimaru's, his breath hitched, and he instinctively clenched his fists, his eyes frantically trying to look away.
If Doflamingo were here, he would surely roar and wrap up this unconscious snake, then add a line:
"How many times have I told you! Don't come out right after a shower!!!"
Orochimaru seemed oblivious, calmly taking the clothes, a faint smile playing on his lips, clearly in a good mood after his shower: "Thank you."
His voice was low, with the moist warmth of water, gently entering Katakuri's ears.
Katakuri turned his back, trying to calm himself down, but his heart pounded uncontrollably.
He secretly regretted how he could be so flustered in such a situation.
After Orochimaru had changed and walked out of the bathroom, their gazes met again.
After a brief silence, Katakuri turned his head and said in a low voice: "Follow me, Mama is waiting to see you."
He had already learned the details from Bege earlier and had also met Mama, so this time the reception was left to him, as he had been impolite first.
Katakuri's back exuded a hint of unease, his footsteps slightly hurried, as if he wanted to quickly escape the heart-pounding awkward scene in the bathroom earlier.
In contrast, Orochimaru still seemed to be daydreaming, leisurely following behind Katakuri. When passing through the garden, at some unknown point, he even pulled out a screaming flower... then... his steps strayed further and further... until Katakuri turned around... and found... he was gone...
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