Five days later.
Dressrosa Royal Palace.
That morning, bright sunlight streamed gently through the balcony curtains, greeting the bedroom with warmth.
Buruburu~!
The sound of a Den Den Mushi suddenly echoed in the room, breaking the morning silence.
Sephiroth, lying on the large bed, slowly opened his eyes. On his chest, Scarlett was still fast asleep, her breathing steady.
Sephiroth carefully eased his body away, stepping out of bed. He walked a few quick steps, retrieved the trousers laid on the long sofa, and pulled out his Den Den Mushi from the pocket.
"Hello!" he answered.
"Boss, we're ready. When will you be here?" Tesoro's voice came from the Den Den Mushi, enthusiastic yet slightly urgent.
Sephiroth lowered his head, thought for a moment, then said, "Give me two hours. I'm still in the Dressrosa Kingdom right now."
"Huh!? The Dressrosa Kingdom is very far from the Sabaody Archipelago... How can you get here in two hours?" Tesoro's voice was filled with palpable disbelief. The two places were thousands of miles apart. Forget two hours, even by boat, sailing with the wind the entire way, it would take more than two days to go from the Dressrosa Kingdom to the Sabaody Archipelago. Not to mention having to cross the Red Line, or pass through Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters beneath the sea...
"Time is a bit tight... I'm hanging up now!" Sephiroth didn't offer much explanation. He casually hung up the phone, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Immediately, he lay back down on the bed, leaning towards the pink-haired girl's ear, still deeply asleep, gently nudging her as he whispered softly, "Princess, it's time to wake up~!"
"Sephiroth~! Let me sleep a little longer!" Scarlett, still drowsy, whined coquettishly. "I slept late last night..." She turned over, hugging a pink pillow, and only showed her pale back and slightly disheveled waist-length pink hair to Sephiroth.
"Today is our departure day. Wake up quickly!" Sephiroth urged, trying to suppress his laughter.
"No~! I want to sleep..." Scarlett replied in a spoiled tone, still showing no intention of waking up at all, sinking into the comfort of her pillow.
After a long while, Sephiroth saw that she was still unresponsive, continuing to lie in bed, apparently preparing to sleep until she woke up naturally. He could only let out a helpless sigh and gently said, "Princess, being stubborn also depends on the timing. Today's matter is very important and there can be no mistakes..."
Originally, Sephiroth had the idea of appealing to her emotions and reasoning with her, but the girl was like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. No matter how he coaxed her, she remained completely unmoved. In desperation, he could only lift the blanket covering Scarlett, carry her, walk to the wardrobe, pick out a dress, and begin helping the still slightly dizzy Princess get dressed.
After doing all this, Sephiroth led her to the dressing mirror and began to comb her hair and draw her eyebrows.
"Hey, hey, hey-! Wait, why did you draw my eyebrows so thick, and they're completely asymmetrical..." A still-groggy Scarlett opened her eyes and immediately saw the makeup Sephiroth had applied to her. Her face instantly turned pale with shock and a hint of horror, and her drowsiness vanished instantly.
"I called you, but you wouldn't wake up, so I had no choice but to do it myself," Sephiroth shrugged helplessly, a faint smile still plastered on his face.
"If I go out to meet people with makeup like you've done for me, won't I be utterly humiliated!" Scarlett said, pushing him away, then grabbed bottles and jars from the dressing table and began cleaning the makeup from her face, striving to erase the traces of Sephiroth's "artwork."