Cake

As dish after dish was served, a gigantic cake followed close behind, so large it could rival a Giant dozens of meters tall.

"It looks so delicious!" Milim and Charlotte Lingling's eyes sparkled as the chef elegantly cut the two largest slices from the cake.

He placed them before Milim and Lingling respectively, while the rest of the cake was distributed among everyone else. At that moment, Milim had eyes only for the cake, and she was practically drooling.

She quickly grabbed a slice and stuffed it into her mouth, her eyes filled with satisfaction. Beside her, Gloriosa watched Milim eat so happily, a lovestruck smile appearing on her face.

"Mamamama, it's so delicious! I want to keep eating forever." Like Milim, Charlotte Lingling kept stuffing slice after slice into her mouth. Her slender figure seemed impossible to fill.

Below, Shakki took the initiative to pick up her wineglass and walk over to Rayleigh, drawing the attention of many people present.

Roger and Garp both stared wide-eyed at Rayleigh, their gazes brimming with envy.

Rayleigh stiffly accepted the glass and clinked it against Shakki's.

Seeing him like this, Shakki curled her lips into a smile and gave Rayleigh a flirtatious wink. "Hope you have fun!"

Rayleigh shuddered all over, immediately downed his drink, then turned his head away, almost too embarrassed to look at Shakki directly. "You too!"

Shakki then left Rayleigh's side and returned to her seat, where she began earnestly savoring the food.

"Damn it! Why did Shakki take a liking to you?" Roger flashed over and immediately hooked an arm around Rayleigh's neck, his tone and eyes overflowing with jealous resentment.

Rayleigh did not answer. He merely stared blankly at the wineglass in his hand and the faint red lip print on its rim, his mind in complete disarray.

Wherever Roger was, Garp was sure to be nearby. Garp leaned toward Roger and loudly chimed in, "How could Shakki possibly like an illiterate brute like you? It's obvious she likes cultured people like Rayleigh."

"What are you so proud of? Aren't you illiterate too?" Roger shouted in displeasure.

Garp replied with a grin, "I attended the Marine Academy. I'm completely different from an illiterate like you."

Garp's retort left Roger speechless. He really had never gone to school, nor did he have much education.

His eyes darted around before Roger leaned close to Garp's ear. "Then what does our cultured gentleman have to say about a scene like this?"

As he spoke, Roger pointed at the crowded banquet, hoping Garp would say something philosophical.

Garp smirked. "Then listen closely. I'll show you what a cultured person is."

"Please, begin your performance." Their conversation had not been quiet, attracting the attention of some nearby people. Milim ate cake while giggling at the commotion below, finding it quite amusing.

Listening to them, Vegapunk wore a proud expression. He was not bragging—in terms of learning, everyone present combined could not compare to him, Vegapunk.

The other spectators also looked forward to hearing what famous words this rising Marine star might offer.

With so many people watching him perform, Garp suddenly broke into a goofy grin. "Wow! There are so many people!"

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Roger's hand slipped, and he nearly fell to the ground. The other spectators were also left speechless, while Vegapunk openly looked at him with contempt.

"I never should've believed a crude brute like you had any culture." Roger climbed back up, contempt clear in his eyes. Though he had not believed Garp was educated to begin with, he had never expected Garp to say something so plain and utterly unremarkable.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Even Garp blushed under so many contemptuous stares, but he still argued stubbornly, "Can't you see how fitting what I said was?"

"Hehe! You shameless bastard, take this!" Roger suddenly grabbed a plate of cake and hurled it at Garp's face.

Caught off guard, Garp took the cake squarely to the face, and his entire face was covered in cream.

"Roger, you despicable Pirate! To think you'd use such tactics against a righteous Marine!" Garp was no pushover either. Having received the signal that war had begun, he grabbed a cake and smashed it upside down onto Roger's face.

The two had a grand time playing around, and their horseplay soon affected the others. Before anyone knew it, more people had joined the battle.

Milim sat on the stage, watching the chaos below with a delighted smile. Of course, how could a birthday banquet be complete without this event?

So Milim decisively jumped off the stage, grabbed a cake, and charged at the wide-eyed, incredulous Vegapunk.

"Milim, don't come over here!" Vegapunk was so frightened that he lost all control of his facial expression, turning to flee.

"Vegapunk, where do you think you're going? Don't run—face me!" Holding up the cake, Milim charged toward Vegapunk like a jeep.

"Honestly!" Charlotte Lingling stuffed another piece of cake into her mouth and grumbled, "What a waste of food. This is delicious birthday cake!"

This farce continued until the sun was about to disappear beyond the horizon, when everyone finally stopped.

Milim had little cat whiskers drawn on her face with cream. Even Charlotte Lingling, who had not joined the battle, had a plate of cake—thrown there by someone unknown—resting atop her head.

As for Roger and Garp, the two had completely turned into cream-covered men. All anyone could see were two cream men still clinging to each other and rolling around.

Gaban held two cake-made axes, laughing heartily as he gnawed on them.

But Rayleigh was the most conspicuous of all. No one knew who had done it, but he was perfectly clean from head to toe—except for the part that symbolized a man's dignity, where someone had placed a plate of cream.

As the ladies passed by Rayleigh, their eyes instinctively drifted toward his little brother. They then covered their mouths shyly, chatting as they walked away.

What made Rayleigh even more embarrassed was Shakki in the distance. Holding a piece of cake, she watched his little brother with a strange smile in her eyes while eating the cake in her hand.

Rayleigh wanted to crawl into a hole. If Roger and Garp, those two bastards, had not kept hold of his legs even while hugging each other, he would have fled long ago.

The grand banquet had ended, and what came next was a small gathering among friends.

After returning home to bathe, everyone quickly gathered together again.