174

In the New World, Atvol Sea Area, Grims Island, Peony Hotel, Room 404. After the beauty pageant, Ailan returned to her place of residence.

She removed her lavish black dress, revealing her snow-white, smooth skin. Her long black hair was casually draped in front of her, covering her chest.

She poured a bottle of red wine from the liquor cabinet into a clear, shiny goblet. Ailan sat elegantly on the sofa, crossing her right leg lightly over her left, picked up the goblet, and took a sip.

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp

The sound of a transponder snail rang out, and Ailan gracefully answered the call.

Click

"Singer?"

"Prince?"

"Report on the mission."

"Hehe, why the rush? I'm sitting on the couch, enjoying some red wine."

"....."

After a moment of silence, the transponder snail on the other end spoke sternly and coldly.

"Cut the nonsense, Singer. Report on the mission. I won't repeat myself!" After a while, a man's voice came out of the transponder snail, extremely serious and cold.

"Fine, I got it." Ailan raised her goblet and took a sip.

"I've successfully joined Locke's Pirate Crew. Surprisingly, even the famous Locke is quite a passionate man. Just a little flirtation from me, and he agreed. Of course, I had to pay Berries a hefty sum."

"Berries? I understand. The government will reimburse you for the money you spend. Now that you've successfully joined Locke's Pirate Crew continue working hard on the next mission."

"Remember, you only need to find out the address of Dr. Vegapunk, and there's no need to do anything else. Do you understand?"

The man's tone was sombre, almost a command and a warning. "I understand, Spandam-sama. I'll take good care of myself."

"Hmph! You better." The man snorted and hung up the transponder snail. Ailan gently caressed the transponder snail, lifted her goblet elegantly, and savoured the red wine.

"That darned old pervert, always thinking about my body."

"But Locke does look quite handsome." Ailan's eyes shimmered, and her fingers drifted downward slightly.

"I wonder what he tastes like." Meanwhile, the Fairy Blossom Festival was still bustling with noise.

"Mmm, it's the first time so many people have watched me, but it's making me a bit shy."

With a light smile, Katerina Butterfly walked onto the stage, looking at the noisy crowd in the audience.

"Oh, isn't this the world's most fearsome woman, Xuan Yue Hunter, Katerina Butterfly? I didn't expect someone like her to participate in this competition!"

Morgans excitedly looked at Butterfly and took out a camera transponder snail, taking photos like crazy.

"This is big news!" Locke glanced at Butterfly and paid no attention to Morgans. Seemingly aware of Locke's gaze, Butterfly looked at him and smiled.

"Mmm, nice to meet you, Captain Locke. Please take good care of me and give me a high score." Locke didn't say much; just held up a scorecard with four points.

After Locke's scoring, the other judges also gave their scores individually. Morgans gave a perfect ten, while Leo also provided a total score. The others gave different scores.

In the end, Butterfly received a high score of 58 points. Seeing her score, Butterfly smiled contentedly, then walked down the stage and approached Locke.

"Mmm, Captain Locke, I've heard of your name for a long time, but this is our first meeting."

"However, I didn't come here specifically for this beauty pageant. I've come to offer my loyalty."

"Loyalty? Would someone like you want to be someone else's subordinate?" Locke looked up at Butterfly, leaning his chin on his hand, calmly observing her.

"Mmm, if it were someone else, I, Butterfly, wouldn't consider it. But if it's Captain Locke who defeated the Golden Lion Shiki and defeated the Golden Lion Pirates, I would be very willing to become your subordinate."

"I see, but becoming my subordinate is not that simple."

"Mmm, I understand that very well. So, I've come with sincerity." Butterfly took a piece of paper from her chest and handed it to Locke. Locke accepted it and opened it to read.

"I see. Your sincerity is quite good. In that case, you are now a Locke's Pirate Crew member."

After reading the note, Locke's expression remained unchanged. Butterfly lowered her head slightly, a hint of hostility in her eyes.

"So, Captain Locke, do you need me to help you care for her?"

"No need. She's more useful to me alive. I currently need money, and she has a large sum of money. Plus, she can continue to earn money. So, for now, keeping her alive is more valuable than killing her."

After hearing Locke's words, Butterfly got off the table.

"Mmm, I see. Well, Captain Locke, shall I go and monitor her for you? I'm quite confident in this regard."

"Alright, go ahead." Locke had a strong appreciation for Butterfly's abilities. After all, as an Animal Zoan-type Devil Fruit user in the form of a nine-tailed fox, she could quickly transform into anyone, making her the ideal candidate for gathering intelligence.

After Butterfly left, Locke crumpled the note on the table. "The World Government, huh? They've extended their reach to me. But this might be an opportunity."

"Next! Let's welcome the final contestant! From the Puppet Kingdom on the Grand Line, the renowned opera actress, Miss Lankar!"

Elnie's voice interrupted Locke's thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, the Fairy Blossom Festival was coming to an end.

As Elnie's voice fell, a girl who was only 1.4 meters tall, dressed in a black suit, and incredibly cute, like an exquisite doll, walked onto the stage.

The girl greeted the judges with her ethereal voice. After Lankar took the stage, the audience reached another climax.

Countless spectators, regardless of gender, had lecherous and admiring gazes fixed on her. Locke looked at the girl and muttered words like "loli."

"Indeed, no matter how you look at it, this doll-like girl is perfect."

"That's right! She looks just like a real doll!"

"Hehehe! Such a cute little loli, she's like a dream come true!" Several judges made astonishing comments.

Ultimately, the doll-like girl Lankar received a high score of 61. With the scores tallied, the final rankings were determined.

Princess Alice of England, with an overwhelming advantage, secured first place, becoming the champion of this year's Flower Blossom Festival and earning the title of "Flower Queen." She was also set to become the world's number-one beauty.

In addition to various titles and rewards, she would receive a prize of one billion Berries and a Devil Fruit, the Human-Human Fruit, in the form of the Fairy Blossom Goddess.

Undoubtedly, Princess Alice instantly became the most stunning figure in the entire venue.