Chapter 253: Chapter 253: Seeds of Chaos and Sisters' Fury
Gion's eyes narrowed as she glanced between Nami and Kujaku, her suspicion growing with each passing moment. Her gaze lingered on Nami, whose youthful, radiant skin seemed oddly out of place given the current conversation.
"Wait a minute," Gion said, her voice cutting through the murmurs. "How old is this little girl? And why does her skin look like that?! Luffy… don't tell me you've been doing something inappropriate to her!"
Luffy's scalp prickled as panic set in. Gion's accusing stare felt like a blade at his neck.
He stood abruptly, waving Yamato over with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Oh, uh, Yamato! I just remembered—I need to talk to you about something important!" Turning to Kujaku, he added hastily, "Kujaku, be a dear and explain everything to Gion for me."
Before anyone could protest, he wrapped his arm around Yamato's waist and bolted out of the room without looking back.
Kujaku froze in place, cursing Luffy under her breath. That shameless jerk! He takes all the benefits and leaves me to deal with the fallout.
Clearing her throat, Kujaku forced a smile. "Well then, Kalifa, would you mind giving Miss Gion a complete beauty treatment? You know, the best kind. I, uh, have something urgent to attend to."
She tried to slink away, but Nami grabbed her leg, clinging like a barnacle.
"Oh no, you don't!" Nami shouted, her voice laced with indignation. "You scolded me for no reason, and now you think you can just run away? Not a chance! You're explaining everything right here, right now!"
Kujaku panicked, trying to shake off the younger girl, but Gion had already caught on. With a steely grip, she placed both hands on Kujaku's shoulders, pinning her in place.
"Don't even think about running," Gion said, her voice dangerously low. "You owe us an explanation, little Kujaku."
"Wait! Wait! Let me explain first!" Kujaku pleaded, her voice rising in desperation.
Meanwhile, Ain and the others had already retreated to a corner of the room, cracking open melon seeds they'd somehow procured. They watched the unfolding drama with glee, their eyes dancing with anticipation.
The truth unraveled quickly. The moment Gion realized Kujaku had tricked her into believing that Luffy's "seeds" could improve her skin, her face flushed a deep crimson.
"You—" Gion sputtered, her voice trembling with equal parts rage and embarrassment. "You actually made me eat those?!"
The room erupted into laughter. Ain clutched her stomach, tears streaming down her face. "No way! You really fell for that? And you ate them too?!"
Nami, struggling to catch her breath, nearly choked on her own spit. "I've never seen anyone this gullible in my life! And you're supposed to be an admiral candidate? No wonder the Marine's been going downhill!"
But the laughter came to a screeching halt when Hancock, sitting quietly until now, suddenly stood up. Her hands clenched into fists, and her eyes burned with fury.
"You… Kujaku!" Hancock's voice trembled with barely restrained anger. "It's because of you that we have one more sister now! I haven't even had my chance yet, and someone else already got there first! I'm going to shut that filthy mouth of yours for good!"
Hancock stormed toward Kujaku, who shrieked in terror.
"Wait! Wait! Listen to me!" Kujaku cried, flailing wildly. "If I hadn't told you about the pure gold, Luffy wouldn't have revealed anything to you either! You'd still be in the dark!"
Desperate, Kujaku turned her pleading gaze to Gion. "Miss Gion, think about it! If it weren't for me, would you have had this chance to stay young forever? Please, save me!"
Gion hesitated, her anger tempered by a sliver of logic. Kujaku's point wasn't entirely invalid. Without her, Gion might never have had the opportunity to join Luffy's crew or learn about the pure gold.
Still, the memory of being tricked and eating those ridiculous "seeds" made her blood boil.
"Fine," Gion said, crossing her arms. "I'll spare you the death penalty. But you won't escape punishment. I need to vent my anger!"
Hancock and Nami immediately stepped forward, their expressions dark with mischief.
"I'm in," Nami said, cracking her knuckles.
Kalifa joined them without hesitation, her grudge against Kujaku still fresh.
The rest of the women exchanged glances before shrugging and stepping forward. Even Olivia, Kujaku's closest friend, couldn't resist the chance to join in.
Kujaku paled as the group closed in. "W-wait! What are you doing? Olivia, you're supposed to be on my side! Ain, you're the elder sister—don't let them bully me! Hina, Koala, help me!"
But her pleas fell on deaf ears.
The room filled with the sound of laughter and Kujaku's exaggerated wails as the women took turns delivering their "punishment."
Outside, Luffy wiped the sweat from his brow, guilt gnawing at him. Yamato, recognizing the muffled cries coming from the room they'd just left, stopped in her tracks.
"Hey, I think that's Kujaku," Yamato said, turning to go back.
Luffy grabbed her wrist, pulling her close. "No, no, don't worry about it," he said quickly. "That's just, uh, normal fun between sister. Nothing to worry about."
Yamato frowned, unconvinced. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely!" Luffy grinned, steering her toward the residential area. "Come on, let's find you a room. And then we can sit down and talk about Wano Country."
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