Katakuri searched everywhere for Orochimaru, finally discovering him in a corner.
Orochimaru was holding a scalpel, completely engrossed in gesturing towards a teapot, his eyes filled with intense curiosity.
Katakuri's face was full of helplessness, his mouth twitching slightly. This was clearly just an ordinary teapot; what wrong could it have committed to suffer such a "poisonous hand"?
He felt a wave of powerlessness wash over him. While his younger siblings each had their own distinct personalities, none were quite like Orochimaru.
Katakuri couldn't help but speak, "That's just a teapot... If you like it, take it... It's not that serious."
Hearing Katakuri's helpless mumble, Orochimaru, who was already filled with curiosity for such novelties,
his eyes instantly lit up like two bright lamps, staring at Katakuri with a burning gaze, his face full of anticipation.
"Can I...?" The light in his eyes seemed to be waiting for Katakuri's nod.
Katakuri sighed helplessly, but finally nodded.
After all, Big Mom didn't truly care much for ordinary Homies, and quite a few Homies had been eaten.
"Then... the teacups..." Orochimaru's voice was a bit hesitant... Katakuri slowly turned his head, looking at the group of teacup babies not far away, tied together with ropes and trembling.
They huddled together in fear, letting out faint whimpers.
For a moment, silence... deafening silence. Katakuri felt his temples throbbing.
But seeing Orochimaru's eager and persistent gaze, Katakuri really couldn't refuse. He finally waved his hand, helplessly saying, "Take them... Take them all..."
Upon hearing this, the teacup babies let out a wail of despair.
Orochimaru looked at Katakuri with satisfaction, "What a good person!"
When Big Mom saw Orochimaru, the scene that met her eyes made her pause slightly.
Orochimaru was currently being held by Katakuri like a chicken, his legs dangling in the air, yet his face showed no embarrassment, but rather a hint of leisure.
Behind him, Katakuri was holding a string of tightly bound Homies in his other hand.
These Homies pitifully writhed, emitting a chorus of wails.
Big Mom watched this scene, first stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, her hearty laughter echoing through the large hall.
"Mamama~ My dear son, what happened? Treating our guest like this is a bit impolite, isn't it?"
Katakuri was full of helplessness, his temples throbbing. Orochimaru was like a slippery snake; as soon as he wasn't paying attention, he would disappear.
Every time he finally found him, the scene he witnessed made him laugh and cry. He was either dismantling one Homie or studying another, always surrounded by strings of Homies that had been "tormented" into disarray.
After repeating this many times, Katakuri really had no choice but to simply carry Orochimaru, fearing that if he wasn't careful, Orochimaru would bring another "disaster" to the Homies.
At this moment, he looked at the calm Orochimaru, his head full of pain.
Katakuri, with a helpless expression, lifted Orochimaru in his hand and roughly explained to Big Mom, "Mama, this Orochimaru really is... if I'm not careful, he runs off to tinker with the Homies. Look, these have all been targeted by him. I really have no choice but to carry him like this."
As he spoke, he shook the string of bound, pitiful Homies in his other hand.
Big Mom heard this, first paused, then laughed so hard she bent over.
"Mamama~" Big Mom let out her characteristic laugh as she slowly stood up, then squatted down, curiously and carefully examining Orochimaru in Katakuri's hand.
Her eyes held a hint of surprise; with her abilities, she couldn't see through the true age of Orochimaru's soul.
Was this the effect of some Devil Fruit ability, or was there another reason?
However, the Orochimaru in front of her looked quite young from his appearance.
A look of affection appeared on Big Mom's face as she softly asked Orochimaru, "Do you like them?" Her tone was like coaxing a child.
Katakuri was a bit surprised at this. In his memory, Big Mom's affectionate mode usually only activated when facing children under ten years old.
Orochimaru nodded vigorously, even blinking, "I like them!"
Big Mom smiled affectionately, reaching out to gently stroke Orochimaru's head, saying:
"You're a good child. It's good that you like them. From now on, you can research these Homies however you want.
If you don't find any you like, I can customize them for you."
Orochimaru instantly thought Big Mom was truly adorable, the kind he could trick without feeling guilty, so he looked at Big Mom with a smile.
"Then can I call you Linlin?"
Big Mom smiled brightly and nodded.
"You can."
Katakuri put Orochimaru down, and Orochimaru immediately bounced over to the string of Homies, his eyes shining as he examined them.
Big Mom stood up and said to Katakuri, "Katakuri, you keep him company and let him have a good time. Don't let him suffer any grievances. We'll talk about business in a few days."
Although Big Mom's temperament was unpredictable, she was never vague about serious matters, but she did show favoritism towards children she liked.
Katakuri nodded in agreement. Although Orochimaru's antics gave him a headache, he would obey Mama's instructions.
Orochimaru's days on Cake Island were like a fish in water.
Big Mom specially arranged a spacious area for him to research Homies.
After all, she was also interested in Orochimaru's novel species.
Orochimaru was completely immersed in it, constantly conducting various strange experiments.
Sometimes, he would fuse different types of Homies, attempting to create entirely new life forms;
At other times, he would explore the potential connection between Homies and Devil Fruit abilities.
Immersed in research, Orochimaru's days were fulfilling and happy. If Ichiji hadn't suddenly come looking for him, he would have almost completely forgotten about Sanji's matter.
Meanwhile, Sanji's days were also quite pleasant.
Pudding, who was disguised in everyday life, perfectly matched Sanji's ideal type in both appearance and personality.
Sanji was overjoyed, spending every day with "Pudding," occasionally displaying his gentlemanly demeanor and surprising her with small gifts, always wearing a happy smile.
All in all, these two could be said to have forgotten all about home for a week. What Vinsmoke Family, what Straw Hat, these happy days! Even two more years wouldn't be too much.
As for Katakuri, these past few days, dealing with one Orochimaru felt more demanding than dealing with all his younger siblings combined. However, he had also grown somewhat accustomed to this runaway "accessory," always able to precisely catch the Snake.
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