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Chapter 170 Test Battle
Chapter 170 Test Battle
Before long, a huge juice palace appeared before our eyes.
The entire palace was built from transparent fortified fruit juice and colorful candies. Sunlight shone through the crystal walls into the interior, refracting into a rainbow of colors. The floor was as smooth as a mirror, clearly reflecting the figures of everyone present.
Inside the palace, the enormous dining table stretched as far as the eye could see, laden with all sorts of desserts and juices: mille-feuille cakes, cream puffs, chocolate fountains, fruit tarts, and countless cups of freshly squeezed juice in various colors and with enticing aromas, each cup taller than a person.
All I can say is that the carbohydrate and sugar content here is far too high.
"This is the banquet hall at Juice Island. Please feel free to make your own choice."
Smoothie walked to the head of the table and stopped, gesturing to a maid to pour her a glass of premium juice. Her tone remained indifferent: "Don't be shy. You've received Mama's invitation, so you're guests now. We always treat our guests with utmost care."
Kanna stared wide-eyed at the table full of desserts. If Bai Yu hadn't gently patted her head, she would have pounced on them and devoured them long ago.
Violet, standing beside Bai Yu, lowered her voice and whispered, "She's arrogant. It seems she's gotten used to everything."
Bai Yu chuckled softly, his gaze falling on Smoothie, who was holding a juice glass and had a cold and aloof expression: "The more arrogant a cat is, the more interesting it is. But since our host is so hospitable, we should naturally have a good taste of just how intoxicating this sweetness from all over the world really is."
Smoothie's fingers tightened slightly on the juice glass; she had a feeling that this Uchiha wasn't a good person.
She could clearly sense Uchiha Shiraha's composure when he heard his mother's name; it was an attitude that showed he was not at all overwhelmed by her aura, but rather had everything under control.
This caused Smoothie, who was always arrogant and used to looking down on others, to feel a strange emotion for the first time.
She wanted to see just how capable these lucky guys really were.
Meanwhile, on Whole Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin, upon receiving Smoothie's report, broke into an excited smile on her enormous face. She slammed her thick fingers on the table, causing the entire Whole Cake Island to tremble slightly.
"6
Mamama, how interesting! Someone actually came following the invitation!
"Smoothie, treat them well! I want to see for myself whether these little ones are truly worthy of becoming a force within my kingdom!"
Inside the Juice Palace, after hearing the old woman's telepathic message, Smoothie slowly put down her juice glass. Her cold gaze then fell once more on Uchiha Shiraha, who stood calmly by the dining table.
Smoothie hung up the call with the old lady, and the aloofness around her subsided slightly. Although she was still arrogant, it was no longer pure indifference, but rather a more serious scrutiny.
She glanced up at the various people in the banquet hall, her gaze finally settling on Bai Yu. Her cool voice carried a hint of decent hospitality.
"Your mother already knows of your arrival, so you will stay on Juice Island until you go to Cake Island to see her."
The way of hospitality in all nations is such that guests who have traveled from afar will never leave empty-handed.
She raised her hand and waved it lightly, and the petite sweet-loving citizens and juice maids who had been standing at the corner of the hall immediately bowed and began to move in an orderly manner.
Several maids dressed in fruit-colored dresses pushed a crystal juicer half their height into the hall. The machine was made of solidified transparent fructose, as clear as ice. They took the freshest fruits from the towering trees that lined the roadside: fist-sized purple grapes covered in morning dew, golden mangoes so plump they seemed about to burst through their skins, red dragon fruit juice as vibrant as agate, and a sweet honey fruit cultivated exclusively by Smoothie, its skin shimmering with a faint pink light—a rare variety that could only be produced on Juice Island.
The maids moved gently yet efficiently, putting the fruit one by one into the juicer. No extra force was needed; the machine operated on its own, gently grinding and pressing the pulp inside, leaving no residue wasted. The thick juice flowed slowly through the crystal tube into the giant goblets that had been prepared beforehand.
Fine water droplets instantly condensed on the glass. The aroma was not pungent or cloyingly sweet, but rather a refreshing and lingering fruity fragrance, mixed with a hint of sea saltiness, creating an astonishingly rich and complex flavor profile.
Smoothie picked up her glass, her fingertips lightly touching the rim, and explained softly, "The fruits on Juice Island are specially cultivated, with a moisture and sweetness several times that of ordinary fruits. I then use my ability to squeeze the fruits to fine-tune the taste, which is why it has a flavor unique to the world."
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand to signal everyone to take some.
Connor could no longer contain herself. She held a small but still sweet glass of juice and sipped it slowly. Her eyes instantly curved into crescents. The sweet but not cloying juice slid down her throat, and even the air around her seemed to become warmer.
Violet took a small sip, a hint of amazement flashing in her eyes. Even the usually composed Retsu Unohana nodded slightly, clearly appreciating the exquisite taste.
The arrival of desserts further enhanced the sweet atmosphere of the banquet hall.
The first dish served was a mille-feuille cake. The bottom layer was a solidified mango juice jelly, which was bouncy and translucent. In the middle were more than a dozen thin fructose crepes, with cream made of fresh milk and strawberry jam spread between the crepes. The top layer was covered with fresh fruit pieces and edible sugar petals. When you cut into it, the jelly trembled slightly, and the aroma of milk and fruit exploded at the same time. It melted in your mouth and had no sweetness.
Following closely behind is the Chocolate Lava Fructose Tart, a towering spire made by alternating pours of dark and white chocolate. The interior is hollow and filled with warm lava chocolate sauce, while the outer layer is coated with a crisp caramel shell. The moment you bite into it, the warm sauce slowly flows out, creating a wonderful contrast in texture with the cool fructose shell.
There are also rainbow cotton candy puffs, crystal fruit pudding, and sea salt honey donuts—each dessert is handmade by the top artisans of the dessert empire, with exquisite shapes like works of art, and no expense spared in the use of ingredients. The giant dining table was quickly filled with a dazzling array of desserts, colorful and fragrant, enough to make any diner swoon.
Smoothie stood to the side, watching everyone enjoy the meal, and a faint, arrogant smile curved her lips so quickly it was almost imperceptible.
She wasn't a particularly enthusiastic person to begin with. This hospitality was partly due to following the old lady's orders, and partly to make these outsiders understand that the true nature of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand was far more complex than what they perceived on the surface.
"The food at Juice Island goes far beyond what's served in the banquet hall."
She walked slowly to Bai Yu's side, her gaze looking down at him, but her tone was much calmer.
"In the afternoon, I will have someone take you to the orchard to pick fruit, or to the juice factory, so you can see for yourselves how the fruits of the entire island are transformed into the purest power."
Bai Yu raised his eyes: "Such hospitality makes me feel quite flattered."
"No need for formalities," Smoothie said, withdrawing her gaze.
In the afternoon, Smoothie truly fulfilled her duty of hospitality, personally leading the group to the core pressing workshop in the heart of Juice Island.
In the center of the workshop, a massive crystal pillar rises straight to the sky, its interior flowing with golden concentrated fruit juice—the essence of the entire island. Smoothie uses her Devil Fruit powers to manipulate water and juice, and here she can mass-produce concentrated fruit juice.
Then, with a casual wave of her hand, Smoothie caused the moisture in the air to condense into glistening water lines, flowing into the workshop's pipes with a light and elegant movement.
Unohana Retsu observed quietly, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes. This Minister of Juice's domineering aura and Devil Fruit ability had already reached a level of perfection. Shiraha's so-called Devil Fruit awakening was not an exaggeration.
As the sun sets, its golden rays bathe the crystal-clear Juice Palace, casting a warm and sweet glow over the entire island.
The dinner was even more lavish than during the day. Smoothie even personally used her fruit-squeezing skills to extract a glass of concentrated supreme juice, which was a deep rose-red in color and had an aroma so rich it was almost solidified. After taking a sip, even the breath in one's body became warm and abundant.
After a satisfying meal, Kanna leaned against Shiraha, rubbing her tummy with a contented expression. Violet and Retsu Unohana also relaxed.
Only Bai Yu remained calm and composed, as if the ultimate luxury and delicious food before her were nothing more than ordinary scenery.
It was this composure that ignited Smoothie's competitive spirit and desire to test him.
As night falls, a sweet breeze gently blows across the fructose plaza outside the Juice Palace.
Smoothie put down her empty glass, her long hair gleaming softly in the night. Her tall, aloof figure stood in the center of the square, and her aura suddenly changed, transforming from a haughty hostess back into the decisive and ruthless Sweetheart Star.
She looked up, her gaze fixed directly on Bai Yu, and her clear, cold voice rang out without any beating around the bush.
"Uchiha Hakuha".
"The desserts and juices of the world are never given away for free to the useless. You have eaten the delicacies of Juice Island and enjoyed my hospitality, so you should show me your true skills and see if you are worthy to set foot on Cake Island and meet Mother."
As soon as she finished speaking, Smoothie slowly raised her right hand, her fingertips glowing faintly, and the moisture in the air began to surge wildly.
"I don't like wasting time."
"Right here, right now."
"I, Charlotte Smoothie, as the Minister of Juice and one of the Four Sweet Commanders, challenge you to a battle."
"Let me see what kind of strength lies behind your calm demeanor in the face of the old lady and the world of Treasures."
Her tone remained arrogant, but her eyes no longer held disdain; instead, they held a genuine test of strength between two strong individuals.
Bai Yu slowly stood up, his black outer robe billowing in the evening breeze. The smile on his lips remained unchanged, but a hint of interest flashed in his eyes.
"Okay, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. I accept your challenge."
Uchiha Hakuba quietly drew his Zanpakuto from his waist.
On the Fructose Plaza, the evening breeze, carrying a rich fruity aroma, suddenly became sharp. Smoothie's aura suddenly surged, and her original gentle and welcoming demeanor vanished, replaced by the terrifying pressure unique to the Sweet Commanders, enough to intimidate pirates in the New World.
The long-legged tribeswoman's slender legs landed steadily on the crystal-clear fruit-squeezed floor tiles. Instantly, fine cracks appeared on the ground centered on her. The moisture in the air was frantically drawn by an invisible force, turning into a fine mist that swirled around her. Her ability to squeeze fruit was unleashed without reservation.
She raised her hand and gently grasped it, and a crystal longsword formed from extremely concentrated solid fruit juice appeared out of thin air in her hand. The sword was as clear as ancient jade, yet harder than fine steel. The blade was wrapped with pale purple Armament Haki, shimmering and dazzling, its sharpness fully revealed.
She didn't use the knife at her waist because she was arrogant enough.
Smoothie's cold eyes narrowed slightly. Her Observation Haki had already swept across the square, locking onto Bai Yu's figure, aura, and even the slightest movement of every muscle. She could clearly sense the extremely violent power hidden within the man in front of her, yet he always kept it perfectly contained. This control made her dare not underestimate him in the slightest.
Smoothie has already moved.
The Long-Legged Tribe's explosive power far surpasses that of ordinary people. With a light tap of her foot, she shot out like an arrow, so fast that she left a series of afterimages. Her longsword, wrapped in Armament Haki and accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, slashed straight at Bai Yu's face. The sword's momentum was incomparably fierce, carrying the immense power to shatter steel.
This sword strike combined speed, swordsmanship, and Armament Haki.
Bai Yu lightly touched the ground with his feet, instantly activating his Instantaneous Movement Technique. His figure transformed into a blurry black shadow, vanishing into thin air just before the sword blade struck him.
"Wow, that's fast!"
Smoothie was slightly startled. Her Observation Haki instantly detected that Bai Yu had appeared three meters away from her side. With a flick of her wrist, she slashed out with her crystal longsword. Wherever the sword wind swept, the juice-colored floor tiles on the ground were instantly cut open with a deep gash.
But Bai Yu's instantaneous movement technique had already reached its peak. His figure kept flashing in place, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. No matter how fierce Smoothie's sword strike was, it was always just a hair's breadth away from the target.
"Hiding is useless!"
Smoothie gave a cold shout, unleashing the full power of the Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit. She raised her hand and clenched it in the air, extracting and compressing all the water within a ten-meter radius, transforming it into dozens of arm-thick juice spears. The tips of the spears were imbued with Armament Haki, and they shot towards Bai Yu like a tidal wave, sealing off all escape routes.
"Lightning Release: Thousand Birds!"
Lightning surged from Bai Yu's palm, and blinding blue-white lightning exploded outwards. Countless arcs of lightning transformed into thousands of sticks and shot out. The juice spear struck the sticks and was instantly pierced and melted by the lightning, turning into a cloud of water mist that dissipated. The sound of the lightning exploding and the sound of the juice melting intertwined and echoed throughout the square.
Before Smoothie could change her move, Bai Yu had already counterattacked. He stepped on the ground and instantly appeared in front of Smoothie. His blade was wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, so fast that it was impossible for the naked eye to catch it, and he thrust it straight at Smoothie's heart.
Smoothie, sensing the danger with her Observation Haki, blocked with her longsword.
With a loud clang, the terrifying force traveled through the sword, causing her to involuntarily take three steps back, her long legs leaving deep footprints in the ground.
The two instantly became entangled in combat.
Smoothie's swordsmanship is steady and ruthless, with each move aimed directly at vital points. Her Armament Haki is thick and refined, and combined with the agile footwork of the Long-Legged Tribe, she is good at both offense and defense.
Her Juice-Juice Fruit ability is used to perfection. Sometimes she extracts water from the air to create water blades for slashing, and sometimes she condenses juice shields to block attacks. Her Observation Haki always predicts Shiraha's movements, allowing her to avoid fatal attacks at the last minute.