Ch. 38- Ten O'Clock Start
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard and Monkey D. Aika © Me
Rokuji © Gakuto1991
At the Eastern Inlet of Whole Cake Island...
"Hey! Where the hell do you think you guys are going-growr?!"
"What does it look like, Pekoms? We're leaving this country."
Pekoms was seen, bound to a rock with a tray of rice balls on his lap and a bottle of water next to him while the Sun Pirates were seen, loading some baggage onto their vessel.
"Sorry about this, Pekoms," said Aladdin, "but you'll just have to wait here until someone comes and finds you."
"What do you think you're doing, huh?!" Pekoms questioned. "Does Mama know about this?!"
"I certainly hope not!" Aladdin replied. "What's that saying of hers? 'If you leave, you die', right?"
Pekmos grunted in slight surprise at this.
"Jimbei was grateful to her, you know," Aladdin said. "Don't get him wrong...it's just that he has no choice, now."
Flashback
Jimbei sat before the Sun Pirates, who all gathered around him to hear his plan.
"It is nothing more than a sheer miracle that I was able to hear Pekoms' story, just now!" Jimbei proclaimed. "I cannot imagine the plan to assassinate Big Mom will achieve its effect, but now we know that Mama has her own plot to assassinate Germa!"
"What are you thinking, Jimbei?" asked Aladdin.
"If Luffy's group hears about it," Jimbei began, "they will no doubt risk great danger to rescue Sanji, and I cannot stand by and do nothing while their lives are at risk! Therefore, I must assist them!" He then clenched his fists tightly, turning his blue knuckles white. "In other words...I will be fomenting rebellion and betraying Big Mom! I tried to do the honorable thing and went to meet her, face-to-face, to request my leave from her service...but I was forced to reconsider my actions! The Roulette Wheel she brought had numbers on it, meant to indicate the number of fellow sacrifices that had to be made along with me! Big Mom's price for leaving went beyond the bounds of just my one life, alone. It was unreasonable and dishonorable! Do you understand?"
"...If you left, she would not have just killed you," Aladdin began, "but the rest of us, as well."
"That's Mama for you, I'm afraid," said Praline, worriedly. "She never makes these things easy."
"Precisely, Praline," Jimbei agreed. "Thus, I want the rest of you to flee to safety, as far as you can get! On tea party days, such as this, the hors-d'oeuvre ships from each island are escorting guests, and therefore, security is thin within Mama's territory! If anything should happen at the party, then all attention will be focused inward! That will be your big chance to escape from here!"
"We've always been prepared, should it come to this," said Aladdin, "but Jimbei...we want to help you be free, as well!"
"I know that, Aladdin!" Jimbei replied.
"I don't think you do!" Aladdin barked. "I know that should it come right down to it, you'd be willing to go down in a blaze of glory with the Straw Hats!"
"Fine then!" Jimbei conceded. "Let's say, for example, that I will one day join the Straw Hat Crew. I would gladly lay down my life for my captain, Straw Hat Luffy! The only distinction, Aladdin...is if I do this now or later!"
Aladdin paused...but then he sighed as he turned away from his current captain.
"Fine then," he said. "Do as you will! Just make every effort to protect your own life, understand?! We'll be taking the ship back to Fishman Island."
"A...Aladdin?" Jimbei asked in surprise.
"...You're worried, too, aren't you?" Aladdin asked before he turned to face Jimbei. "About the Ryugu Kingdom."
"...Yes," Jimbei admitted. "I am..." He then bowed his head. "I'm...sorry to do this!"
"Hahaha!" Aladdin laughed. "Stop that. How many years have we known each other?" He then smiled at his sworn brother. "...Let us meet again, Jimbei."
"...I hope so," Jimbei replied.
Flashback end
"Aladdin?" Praline asked, causing her husband to look up and see her worried face. "Are you all right, dear?"
"...Yes, Praline," Aladdin said. "I'll be fine." He then turned to the Sun Pirates. "Set the sails!"
"Aye, Aladdin!" shouted one of the Fishmen on board.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Pekoms yelled. "DAMMIT, ALADDIN! YOU GET BACK HERE! MAMA WILL HEAR OF THIS BETRAYAL, JUST YOU WAIT!"
XXX
Meanwhile, at Whole Cake Chateau...
"About time you and Rokuji showed up, Reiju," said Yonji. "Where were you two, anyway?"
"Well, you lot were partying all night, weren't you?" asked Reiju. "Of course Rokuji and I needed a quieter place to sleep in!"
"Give a grown woman and her dog their privacy, Yonji, you dolt," Niji added.
"Let's not delay," Judge spoke up. "The ceremony is up on the roof, I hear."
"Where's Sanji?" Ichiji asked. "The coward hasn't run away, has he?"
"Oh, no!" answered a servant. "The bride and groom are both ready for their big day!"
Reiju gasped quietly at this while Rokuji looked up at her.
"Is something wrong, Lady Reiju?" he asked.
"Err...no," Reiju answered. "Nothing."
'What is Sanji thinking?!' she thought. 'He knows what will happen to us if he doesn't escape from here!'
XXX
Concurrently, in Sweet City...Mont d'Or, Galette, and several Chess Peacekeepers had found Bobbin- or rather, his dead body- on the ground.
"...Who did this...?" Mont d'Or growled.
"Well-" one of the Peacekeepers started.
"Our Bobbin the Disposer," Mont d'Or growled, again. "WHO THE HELL KILLED HIM?!"
"W-we haven't found the killer, yet!" answered a Pawn Peacekeeper.
"We're still investigating!" added another, hopefully.
"When did he get shot?" asked Galette.
"Probably late last night," said one of the Peacekeepers.
"...Straw Hat..." Mont d'Or mumbled. "Was he the one who did this?"
"Straw Hat?" asked Galette. "Don't be ridiculous, brother. Opera said he had burned Straw Hat, White Wolf, and Cat Burglar to death in the Prison Library."
"I'm not so sure about that," Mont d'Or said. "I won't be certain until I see their charred corpses for myself!"
"We have a report, sir!" exclaimed one of the Peacekeepers. "Someone saw Master Sanji and the young girl who was with him heading to the outskirts of the city last night, riding on the back of a white wolf!"
"Sanji, you say?" Mont d'Or inquired. "Hmm...Sanji and Straw Hat..." Both he and Galette turned to look up at the castle. "If either of them killed Bobbin...then the wedding is out of the question!"
XXX
Sanji panted as he ran back to the castle as fast as he could, carrying a sleeping Aika piggyback style.
"Gotta hurry...!" he whispered. "If we don't make it back in time, we're toast!"
XXX
"Where's Sanji?!" asked Mont d'Or as he and Galette stood at the door to Sanji and Aika's bedroom.
"He's here in his room, sir," said a Bishop Peacekeeper.
"Any visitors?" asked Galette.
"After we saw him and the girl asleep in their beds," said the Peacekeeper, "I can safely say no one entered or left the room."
"Are you certain?" asked Mont d'Or, skeptically.
"Of course, sir!" the Peacekeeper answered, which caused the two Charlotte siblings to glance at each other before Mont d'Or went up and began to bang his fist against the door.
"Hey, Sanji! You there?!" he called...unknowingly waking up the eggplant soldier that was sleeping inside.
"W-what was that...?" he mumbled, sleepily.
"Hey! You in there or not?!" Mont d'Or asked again, causing the soldier to gasp before he got out of bed and looked around. "Mister Sanji? Kid? Where are you guys?"
"Hey!" Mont d'Or shouted as he banged on the door again. "Are you in there or what?!"
The soldier gulped, nervously as he gripped at his hat.
'This isn't good!' he thought. 'On top of Mister Sanji and the brat disappearing, if they find out I was sleeping on the job, Mama will take my lifespan away!'
"That's it!" Mont d'Or shouted. "I'm coming in!"
On that, he opened the door...only to gasp upon seeing Sanji, wearing a white tuxedo with Aika standing beside him while wearing a bright yellow dress while holding his hand and rubbing her eye, tiredly.
"How annoying," Sanji muttered. "What the hell do you want from me, so damn early in the morning?"
"Don't you know it's rude to wake up little kids?" Aika asked with a yawn.
"W...were you in here, this whole time?!" asked Mont d'Or.
"Of course we were," Sanji answered, which caused Mont d'Or to give him a scrutinizing glare, but the blonde-haired cook remained stone-faced.
"...Is there anyone here who can actually prove you were here?" asked Mont d'Or.
"You sent this idiot to watch us, right?" asked Sanji as he pointed at the soldier behind him. "He should know."
"...You there!" Mont d'Or shouted. "Were Sanji and the brat really here in this room, the whole time?!"
"Y-yes, sir!" answered the soldier, nervously.
"Are you sure about that?!"
"Y-yes, sir! I wouldn't tell a lie!"
"Hmmm..." Mont d'Or hummed, quizzically.
"You got your answer," Sanji said. "Now get out. I've got a wedding to get ready for." On that, he attempted to close the door, only for Mont d'Or to stop it with his foot.
"Not so fast," he said.
"What now?" asked Sanji in annoyance.
Mont d'Or gave a smug grin and said "Straw Hat Luffy is dead..."
Sanji glared at the Minister of Cheese before he looked away.
"...I see..." he muttered.
"At least that's what my idiot brother, Opera, says," said Mont d'Or. "People say they saw you and the kid, riding on the back of a white wolf through the city...Straw Hat's alive and I bet he's plotting something with you...am I right?"
Aika gulped worriedly before she glanced up at Sanji, who looked down at her and gave her this look that said "It'll be all right. I'll handle him."
"Listen here," said Sanji as he glared back at Mont d'Or. "I am a proud prince of the Germa Kingdom who is about to marry Big Mom's daughter. I don't give two shits if some low-class pirate is plotting something or rots in the ground, somewhere, and if you delay me any further, you know how angry your mother is going to be, don't you?!"
Mont d'Or tensed up at this, as did Galette, causing both siblings to look at each other, nervously before they regained their composure.
"...We'll be leaving, now," said Mont d'Or as he and Galette turned to leave, causing Sanji to sigh in relief.
"You're a really good actor, Sanji," Aika said.
"Well, Aika, some people just have the touch," Sanji replied.
"...You don't really mean that about Big Brother, though," Aika said. "...Right?"
Sanji chuckled as he kneeled down to her height level.
"You know I don't," he said before he began to tickle Aika's tummy, causing her to giggle.
"You two sure surprised me," said the eggplant soldier, and a brief flashback soon followed, showing that Sanji had used his Sky Walk to enter the bedroom at the last second, just as Mont d'Or was opening the door. Of course, Aika didn't have too much time to change, so she had to wear her dress over her little mafia outfit.
"It wasn't easy," Sanji said, "but we pulled it off."
"Where'd you two go, anyway?" asked the soldier.
"Don't you remember?" asked Sanji. "I went to bring Pudding her food, and then I left to go look for Aika."
"I got lost looking for the bathroom," Aika said. "This is a big castle!"
"Err...I guess that makes sense," the soldier said. "I get lost on the way to the bathroom, too."
"Anyway," Sanji began, "let's get going Aika. The wedding's about to start."
"Okay, Sanji," Aika said as the cook took her by the hand and walked out.
'...I hope everything goes well,' she thought. 'I just wanna get outta this crazy place.'
XXX
FWOOOOO...BABOOM! POP-POP! Fireworks were being shot into the sky and confetti was falling over the ground...signaling the start of the ceremony. Soon, all those on Whole Cake Island began to sing.
"It's time! It's time!
It's time for Mama's tea party~!"
Just then, a large pig came running up while pulling a carriage behind it, but then he came to a screeching halt.
"The Porkswagon is in a race!
A race against the clock!
They're very late!
They must make haste!
The big guests have arriiived!"
At that moment, several people began to emerge from the wagon.
There was a rotund man with large ears, nose, and lips, and a grisly scar going down his forehead, right between his eyes which were being covered by a pair of round sunglasses. His hair was arranged in cornrows, alternating between platinum blonde and black, and his outfit consisted of a vivid purple suit with a corsage in his breast pocket, plus a large, dark purple fur coat hanging off his shoulders.
LOAN SHARK KING
"GOD OF FORTUNE" DU FELD
Then there was a youthful-looking, blue-eyed woman with short, curly, blonde hair. She wore a backless salmon-colored dress with a purple fringe and pink diamond patterns on it, too, a small white cape around her shoulders, a sunhat that was similar to the one Robin wore in Dressrosa with a red rose pinned to it, and black high heels with ribbons tied on top of them.
QUEEN OF THE PLEASURE DISTRICT
STUSSY
Then there was a large man that nearly reached Du Feld in height. He had dirty blonde hair that was styled like a lion's mane and he had a metallic mask over his eyes with red star markings that made him look like a circus clown or something. He wore a light yellow jacket with four pockets (two on each side) and the number 495 printed over his left breast, as well as a pair of dark gray pants with the same number of pockets, an orange tie around his neck, and a brown belt around his waist. Around his left arm is some sort of strap with the kanji for "death" written on it while carried a large sickle in his hand.
MAJOR UNDERTAKER
DRUG PECLO
Next was an older man with a slightly hunched back and a big, white handlebar mustache. He had on a black-and-blue striped suit and a tall hat to match, plus a gray cape over his shoulders. He laughed as he guzzled down a bottle of wine.
WAREHOUSE KINGPIN
GIBERSON
Then there was a man with baggy eyes and liver spots underneath them. He had long, greenish-black hair, beard, and a mustache. His attire consisted of a bicorne hat with an anchor printed on the front and three feathers sticking out of the side, plus a brown buccaneer coat, a ruffled white shirt, an orange scarf, and wrinkled, dark blue pants.
SHIPPING KING
"DEEP-SEA CURRENTS" UMIT
Last but not least was a tall, humanoid bird with white feathers, like a seagull. He had small eyes and a large, yellow beak, large, pluming tailfeathers, and wings that looked a bit like arms. He had on a blue top hat with a large, red-and-white striped feather in it, a light blue button-down shirt with a yellow bow on the top, red-and-white checkered pants, a dark blue cape, and a pair of a pair of white shoes that fit his bird-like feet.
PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD ECONOMIC JOURNAL
"BIG NEWS" MORGANS
These six individuals together were known as...the Emperors of the Underworld.
"Look! Look, it's Stussy! And wow, is she looking great, as always!"
"Hey, Stussy! Lemme have your number!"
"And look! It's Morgans, too!"
"Hey!" Du Feld shouted. "Who the hell invited you, Undertaker?!"
"Gugigigugi!" laughed Peclo. "Bold words coming from a man who reeks of blood, Du Feld!"
"Oh, don't be such a fuddy-duddy, Du Feld," Stussy chided. "Is an undertaker not allowed to celebrate a wedding, especially one so huge?"
"This wedding is big news!" Morgans declared. "And my newspaper has deep ties to Germa!"
"But the whole underworld knows about it!" Giberson pointed out as he guzzled down more wine. "It's old news, Morgans!"
"Ship-a-dip-dip!" Umit exclaimed. "News worth shipping? Hardly!"
"Welcome, welcome!" greeted Perospero. "Welcome, one and all! Esteemed Emperors of the Underworld, your path to the castle might cause a slight delay."
"Ah, it's you, Perospero," said Du Feld.
"So," Perospero began, "if you would prefer, I could prepare a shortcut for you-perorin?"
"A shortcut?" asked Stussy.
"Indeed!" answered Perospero before he waved his giant candy cane. "Like so!"
Soon, a huge escalator made completely out of candy syrup appeared, to everyone's amazement...especially the children, who looked ready to lick the escalator.
"Not too shabby!" Du Feld praised.
"Perospero," Morgans began, "your candy crafting is a true work of art!"
"Kukukuku!" laughed Perospero. "You're too kind. Mama hates tardiness. Now let's move, lickety-split! You are our final guests-perorin!"
Soon, the underworld kingpins began to ride the escalator up to the roof.
"Oh!" Du Feld exclaimed. "The stairs move on their own!"
"Oh, I love this!" Morgans added. "No walking required! How convenient!"
Just then, Perospero spotted a group of children attempting to lick the escalator.
"Ah-ah-ah~!" he scolded. "Now, now, kiddies! I understand my candy is quite scrumptious, but you may not lick it, yet!"
"Aww~!" the children whined.
"Worry not!" Perospero exclaimed as he took the lollipops off his hat and handed them out to the kids, one-by-one. "You can have these, for now, and after three minutes, you are welcome to lick the Candy Escalator."
"Yay!" the kids cheered.
"Thanks, Mr. Perospero!" said a little boy.
XXX
At the very rooftop of Whole Cake Chateau, outside the tea party...
"Open the damn gate! I told you, I don't need a body check!"
"Sorry, sir, but I'm afraid you do."
"Big Mom is in there, isn't she?! Well?!"
Outside the gate, Bege and his men were being confronted by a man with turquoise hair that was slightly receding at the forehead, as well as a mustache that somewhat resembled a breadstick. He had goggles over his eyes, had a white fedora, and a dark purple suit and dark blue shoes.
ORGAN DEALER
JIGRA
"You see," Jigra began, "I had an invitation for the last tea party, but sadly, I couldn't attend...for it was my Mother's funeral! I wrote my reasons for not coming in a letter...but what does Big Mom send me, instead?!"
But then, BLAM! Jigra suddenly collapsed on the ground...with a hole right between his eyes. However, what fell out behind him wasn't a bullet...but a simple jelly bean.
"Who was that?!" Bege asked. "Who the hell fired?!"
"He was going to say 'What do you think Big Mom sent me?'" a voice spoke, causing Bege to look up and gasp silently. "'It was my hospitalized Father's severed head in a box! And I came here today to take revenge! Now open the gate!' Then gunshots and he opens fire...he would have shot two of your men had I not been here."
"C...Commander Katakuri...!" Gigot whispered as he stared up at a man sitting on top of the gate.
This man...he was extremely tall, taller than even Doflamingo. He was also extremely large and muscular with short, spiky, crimson hair. He had extremely long legs and his thighs were just as long, and he had these piercing red eyes that stared at you intently like he was looking right through you. He wore a ragged, overly long scarf that covered his whole mouth and even his shoulders, plus a leather jacket with the sleeves torn off with the name "CHARLOTTE" printed on the back that exposed most of his upper body, plus a pair of dark brown gloves, a leather belt with a skull belt buckle, and a pair of sharp boots with spurs on them. He also had some pink tattoos, which were three strips that went vertically down the left side of his body as well as one on his left arm that looked like a skull wearing a crown, plus a pair of spiked bracelets around his wrists and kneepads with a spike on each of them.
BIG MOM PIRATES SWEET COMMANDER
2ND SON OF THE CHARLOTTE FAMILY
CHARLOTTE KATAKURI
BOUNTY: 1,057,000,000 BERRIES
"But before he could," Katakuri began as he flicked some jelly beans up and down in his palm, "I simply threw a jelly bean at him. Was that a mistake, Bege the Rook? Now...tell Mama that it was my call and now you'll say 'All right, will do'...understand?"
'Dammit...!' Bege cursed mentally. 'This guy's gonna be the biggest source of trouble at the party. His Color of Observation Haki is so refined, he can actually see into the near future! No wonder this guy is worth over a billion Berries!'
Soon, the gate opened open, allowing the Underworld Emperors to enter and see the many other guests there.
"Please, do come in~!" the gate sang.
"Ooh, it smells lovely!" Stussy exclaimed.
"And it looks tasty around here, too!" added Du Feld.
"KYAAAAA~!" a woman shrieked, causing the tyrants to look up and see Smoothie, who had hung up a giraffe, a woman, and a molten rock.
"Welcome, everyone!" Smoothie greeted. "May I fix you all a drink?"
"What have you got for us today, Smoothie?" asked Morgans.
"A rock from the volcano, Mt. Mauri," Smoothie listed, "a woman who stabbed 100 men, and a giraffe with a peculiar scream."
"Hmm...I had a woman the last time I came to this party," said Morgans. "I'll try the giraffe this time! Something different!"
"I'll have some of that, too, if you don't mind," said Stussy.
"Coming right up, Morgans," said Smoothie as she picked up a wine glass, then began to wring the giraffe's neck, causing it to let out a very peculiar scream indeed as juice began to drip from its neck.
"Gyahahahahaha!" laughed Giberson.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Piclo added.
"Mmm..." Stussy savored the giraffe juice. "Tasty...and smooth, too!"
"It's nearly time for her to appear," said one of the partygoers, and sure enough, Big Mom soon made her entrance.
"Ah! Big Mom has arrived!" Morgans exclaimed, causing all eyes to fall upon the Emperor of the Sea.
"Mamamamamamama!" laughed Big Mom. "Thank you all for making the trip out here! Look to your left, look to your right! Everything you see here is edible! Eat and drink as much as you like and be merry! You're all in for a real treat today~! MAAAAMAMAMAMAMA!"
Soon, the attendants all cheered at this, raising their glasses to Big Mom.
XXX
In a separate, Sanji was giving himself one more once-over before he glanced down at Aika, who was holding a basket of flowers in her hands.
"...I guess...this is it," Aika said.
"Yeah," Sanji answered. "You ready, Aika?"
"...Not really," Aika admitted.
"...Neither am I," Sanji replied.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Whole Cake Island Arc!
Vito: Wow...there are a lot of big players here!
Rook Peacekeeper: Mama...here is the picture.
Big Mom: Aww...it's good old Mother Carmel. *smiles fondly*
Attendant: If you don't mind me asking, what's your connection to her?
Big Mom: *glares* None of your business!
Morgans: By the way, Big Mom! What is this great treasure you spoke so highly of?
Big Mom: *puts down the Tamate Box* Behold! A treasure of the deep!
Stussy: Oh, my!
Bege: Are the Straw Hats ready, yet?
Caesar: Why don't you look for yourself?! They're in your body!
Bege: *see that Luffy and the others are asleep* HEY! WHO SAID YOU COULD SLEEP?!
Pudding: Am I...dreaming? *looks at him cute, tearful eyes*
Sanji: *thinking* Dammit, Sanji, don't fall for it!
Next time: The Actor
Well, after a long time, it's finaly been updated. A good friend of mine gave me a pep talk after I had some doubts. ^^
Thanks, gamePsycho11!
Review, please!