After giving the guards the slip, they buy what they need to restock the pantry and start heading for the Sunny again. However, when they return to the Sunny they find that Pekoms has completely vanished. They quickly search the ship from top to bottom, looking for any sign of him and eventually finding a message scratched into the bathroom's tile floor; 'Turn Back'...like they're going to listen to that. They quickly weigh anchor and set sail for Whole Cake Island, following the map provided to them by Pudding.

However, even following the map provided they find that the waters around Totto Land aren't like anything they've encountered before. The sea seems to change from water to juice and back on a whim, and the monsters! They can't seem to go more than an hour before finding themselves attacked by some kind of sea monster! To make matters worse, when the sun finally sets they find themselves caught in a syrupy sea, the Sunny unable to move and then assaulted by thousands of ants! After Brook charms the ants to sleep with his musical talent, they all disembark from the Sunny, torches and ropes in hand to pull her along.

"The sea around here freezes when the sun sets," Pedro tells them. "When the sun rises it'll warm up and we can get moving again."

"Share those things before hand!" Nami shouts at him. "We've gotta melt it and get out of this..." Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Brook and Carrot all turn to look pointedly at the red head, who stands in front of the Sunny's bow, rope in hand. "Ohhh, Run~..." He looks over at their navigator, brow furrowing in suspicion. She never speaks this sweetly to him. "...with those new Devil Fruit abilities of yours, you could make quick work of this, right~?" Ahh, there it is. He drops the rope in his hands with a sigh.

"Grab the rope," Run says, pacing closer to the the ship. Luffy laughs as he sprints over and picks up the thick rope. The others quickly join their Captain as flames roar to life across the red head's right arm. It's going to be his first attempt at creating a continuous stream of flames instead of a single powerful burst...it shouldn't be too hard. "Alright, stand back." He flexes his fingers, a stream of flames quickly erupting from the palm of his hand and striking the surface of the frozen sea at the base of the Sunny. The whole ship shudders moments later, and with a sharp tug they pull it forward, resulting in a loud 'splash!' as it falls back into the sea.

"Yeah!" laughs Luffy. "Go, go, go!"

"So cool~!" Chopper and Carrot gush, as they slowly pace backwards. It's going to be slow going but beggers can't be choosers, after all.

"You know, those Sea Ants once ate my ship," Pedro confesses to them. "We got stuck like this, and couldn't get ourselves free."

"Really?" Luffy asks. "You were here once before?"

"Pedro used to be a pirate with Pekoms," Carrot tells them. Pedro tells them that when he was younger, he thought of himself as an explorer...he even ended up with a bounty on him. He set out to sea searching for the Poneglyphs because he wanted to help Nekomamushi. But he trespassed into Big Mom's territory, and was defeated here. Even so, he chose to accompany them in the event that his past knowledge about this area could be used to help them retrieve Sanji. He also decided to help them after learning that Nekomamushi and Inuarashi had shown them the Road Poneglyph, something they haven't shown to anyone else in twenty-six years, not since they allowed Gol. D. Roger to see it.

That it was shown to them means that they must remind the two of them of Roger and his crew...and means that they believe they'll need that knowledge one day. Since they'll need that knowledge, being in Big Mom's territory presents them with an opportunity to steal her Road Poneglyph, something that Pedro has been planning to do. A grin spreads across the red head's face in response.

"Dahahaha!" laughs Run. "Oi, you sure you were an explorer, Pedro?"

"Robin did say she wants me to get it," begins Luffy. "But I want to rescue Sanji first."

"I'll get the Road Poneglyph," Pedro assures them. "You guys go for Sanji. When we reach the island, could I have a little time first? I'll make sure I steal it this time!"

"Are you sure you can lift it? Maybe you should take Run with you."

"I'm not planning to take the whole thing just a rubbing. Even so, I appreciate the offer. You just make sure to protect Sanji. Even after you get him back things are going to be rough."

"Alright! Then, we'll leave it to you!"

"I wonder if Luffy was born lucky," mutters Brook.

"Hm? What's that?"

"Nothing, Luffy. I'm lucky, too, after all!"

"Waaaah! The ants! The ants are waking up...!"


A...long and eventful night would certainly be one way to describe the last few hours. They managed to avoid having the Sunny, and themselves eaten by the Sea Ants but they hadn't come out of the fight completely unscathed. Franky is going to give them an ear full for scuffing up the Sunny when they finally link back up with the rest of the crew in Wano. "Ow, ow, ow!" complains Luffy, rolling his shoulders slowly. "Those damn ants bit me all over!"

"Really?" Run asks, leaning against the railing of the crows nest. "I feel perfectly fine."

"Aaah, you can turn into fire! That's no fair! Ah, my back is itching!" Luffy reaches over his shoulder and surprises them both when he comes back with a set of Sea Ants jaws. Just how in the hell did those stay in him? "Hmm." Luffy stares at the set of teeth and then looks to Run who narrows his eyes.

"Luffy, don't you-" He lunges forward and Run catches both wrists tightly. "-dare!"

"It's...only...fair!" The two strain against one another, grinning from ear to ear while Luffy snaps the jaws of the Sea Ant together again and again. "Just...one bite...Run!" The rest of the crew watches from below while they wrestle with one another. They disappear from view in a tangled mess of limbs and shouting.

"Would you two quit screwing around up there!" Nami screams at them. "You're supposed to be keeping a look out!"

"That hurts!" Silence follows the scream and seconds later both reappear with Luffy leaning over the railing of the crows nest. A set of Sea Ant's teeth is clamped tightly to the top of his head but he doesn't seem to be any worse for wear. "We're just having some fun! We..." Luffy trails off as he looks towards the horizon, a grin spreading across his face. "Look! Look!" Ahead of them Whole Cake Island looms in all it's glory. "It's gigantic! So, this is where a Yonko lives!"

"It's...cakes?" Run mutters.

"That tallest whole cake is the castle where Big Mom lives," Pedro tells them.

"Brook, take us to that cape," Nami tells him. "It's the only place without security." As they get closer to Whole Cake Island, they spot someone standing along the shore.

"Oi, Luffy," Run says. "Is that...Sanji?"

"Where?! Where?!" Luffy asks, scanning the shore. "Ohh! There, I see him! Sanji!" Luffy waves his hands wildly, hoping to attract his attention but it seems as though they blink and he disappears. "Huh? I don't see him anymore. Sanji! Are you there?" They draw close to the cape, furl the sails and drop anchor quickly. The lay out the plan for what's going to happen as well. Brook is going to be assisting Pedro in finding Big Mom's Road Poneglyph, and the two of them are going to be using the shark submersible to better infiltrate while the rest of them are going to be looking out for Sanji and Pudding. After seeing Brook and Pedro off, Luffy is the first to jump from the Sunny and onto Whole Cake Island. "Alright, I landed! We've arrived at Big Mom's island! The whole island is made of cakes!"

"We should keep an eye out," Run says, scanning their surroundings. "We don't want to-"

"Oi! Sanji! Pudding! We're here as promised!"

"Don't scream!" Nami tells him. "You'll give us away!" She looks around as well. "Are you sure you two saw Sanji?"

"I'd recognize the cook anywhere," Run tells her. "Hard to miss those eyebrows." Luffy goes sprinting forward and the red head follows after him. They quickly scale a small cliff that they saw Sanji standing but after taking a quick look around they can't find any sign of him.

"I'm sure they were here," Luffy says. "Sanji was right here!"

"This is the southwest shore," Nami confirms. "And you two don't lie but why would he leave?" Run slowly scans their surroundings once again. Sanji WAS here, he saw him for sure. He turns towards the forest and stops when he spots their cook standing at the base of a tree.

"Cook!" Run shouts, earning Luffy's attention.

"Sanji!" shouts Luffy, grinning. "Oi! Sanji!" Rather than responds, he simply turns and starts running into the forest. "Huh? Let's go, Run!" Both quickly leap down from the small cliff and go running after him. "We saw Sanji! Why is he hiding?" They chase after him into the forest but unfortunately end up losing him after several minutes. When they finally stop they find themselves surrounded on all sides by sweets of all kinds. "We lost him...but this place looks delicious! Sanji! Come on out!"

"We came to pick you up!" adds Chopper.

"Alright! Let's split up and search!" Luffy points towards a great number of cakes in the distance. "I'm going this way! Where you see all the cakes!"

"I'm going straight! Where the sweet caramel-like smell is coming from!"

"Then, I'm going this way!" Carrot says. "Look at those jelly beans! They're so cute!"

"Stop right there!" screams Nami. "I don't want a secondary disaster!"

"Why?!" complains Luffy. "We lost him, so all we can do is follow a hunch!"

"No, you're just following your stomachs!"

"No, we aren't!"

"Look, we'll all search together! All three of you stay with Run and I." Nami then looks pointedly at the red head. "And you! You need to take some responsibility here! You're the First Mate of the crew, you need to reign Luffy in, too!" The red head responds with a shrug of his shoulder and a smile. "I'm being serious! We're in enemy territory!"

"Relax," Run tells her. "There's no point in getting worked up."

"Yeah, Nami!" adds Luffy. "Just relax! Ohhh! Look!" Luffy, Carrot and Chopper go sprinting off with the two of them following. The three of them try a bite of just about everything they come across in this candy forest, heading deeper and deeper in. They find themselves approaching a bridge made from what seems to be a donut crossing over a strange green river. Run walks up onto the middle of the bridge slowly, looking around carefully for anything out of the ordinary...or as out of the ordinary as something can be in a candy forest.

"Do you see anything?" Nami asks him, approaching from behind.

"Looks clear to me," Run tells her.

"Oi, Run!" calls Luffy from below the bridge. "You've got to try this! The water is actually melon juice!" He glances over the railing of the bridge down at Chopper and Luffy who are drinking the green water from several large leaves.

"I don't have much of a sweet tooth, Luffy. Now, come on." The two leave the river and come sprinting up onto the bridge quickly. The surface of the river suddenly explodes into a spray of melon juice as a set of jaws rise on either side of the bridge. "Oh! Shave!" Nami finds herself tucked under an arm, and the world around her blurs before seemingly popping back into existence. The rest of the crew avoids the jaws of the giant crocodile as it devours the donut bridge in a single bite. Taking a better look at it, they realize that it's wearing a hat and...suspenders?

"A crocodile?!"

"Do you want to take it down, Luffy?" Carrot asks.

"No."

"Oh, just humans," mutters the crocodile. It looks at them out of the corner of it's eye for a few moments before calmly continuing on it's way down the river. Run finally sets Nami down on the ground and she presses a hand to her mouth.

"I...I don't...feel well," Nami mutters, slowly regaining her composure. "I thought you said it was clear! But there was a crocodile in the river! And it was wearing clothes and talking! This forest is too strange! I think we should just trust Pudding and wait by the sea! I'm sure she'll bring Sanji! And look! Our path back is already going to be difficult!"

"We'll be fine!" Luffy assure her. "We'll just jump to the other side when the time comes!"

"Luffy, I don't think we should stay in this forest anymore! I..." Nami trails off as she stares past. All heads turn to find Luffy standing several meters away from them. "There's another Luffy?!"

"Who are you?!" they shout in unison. Both of them stomp towards one another, eventually butting their heads together. "I'm Luffy! Stop mocking me! What do you want?! How did you do this?!" The two continue in perfect sync, mocking one another for several moments.

"Which one is the real Luffy?! They move and talk exactly the same!"

"They're different," Run tells her. "They look like mirror imagines. Look at the scar under his eye. That one has it under his right eye, not his left." The two argue a bit more before Carrot suddenly turns away and points towards the distance.

"It's Sanji!" Carrot shouts. Rather than stay and talk Sanji takes off once again, sprinting deeper into the forest. "Sanji, wait!" Carrot and Chopper quickly give chase after him, unwilling to lose sight of him once again.

"Wait!" Nami tells them. "This forest is strange! Something is going to happen again!"

"Run! Nami!" calls Luffy. "You two go with them! I'll join up after I beat this guy up!" They quickly sprint after Carrot, Chopper and Sanji. The two of them catch up with them quickly enough but find that they've lost sight of Sanji once again. They follow the winding path through the forest for several minutes, forced to follow the direction they believe he's gone in...they round a sharp bend and can't believe their eyes when they find themselves sprinting right at a head popping up out of the ground. They come to a quick stop with Carrot, Nami and Chopper screaming in surprise.

"There's a gigantic half buried man!"

"I want to drink juice," the man tells them. "If you go left there's-"

"Don't care," Run tells him, walking around the buried head. "Let's go." They bypass the strange man, and push deeper into the forest. Several minutes of walking later and they find themselves starting at the back of the strange man's head. "What in the hell?" They select a different path this time and once again find themselves back at the strange buried man.

"This forest is weird!" complains Nami. "Look! The needles of the log-pose won't stop spinning! We-"

"Shhh!" The red head slowly scans their surroundings, listening as the branches and shrubs slowly shake and shuffle. He watches as they shift and move, slowly changing the forest around. "The forest is moving? The trees are alive! No wonder we always end up back here! Let get back to the ship! We'll figure this out later!" They sprint back through the forest, heading straight in the direction of the Sunny and even passing Luffy along the way, who's still fighting with his mirror self. "Luffy! We're going back to the Sunny! This forest is alive!" Luffy breaks off his fight to run with them...but once again they find themselves right back in front of the man buried up to his neck.

"How?! It doesn't make any sense!" The trees, the bushes and even the soil around them once more begin to move.

"It doesn't matter if you know!" sing the trees. "Because there's no path out in the first place!"

"Did you finally give up?" asks Luffy, suddenly grabbing Nami tightly. "That's the terror of this forest! The Seducing Woods!" Luffy's body shifts and changes rapidly, turning into a tall and rather ugly looking grey skinned woman in a while dress.

"Who are you?!" demands Carrot. "Another tree?!"

"I'm not a damn tree! I'm Brulee! A cute rabbit...a pretty girl...a handsome man...when I see those beautiful faces...I can't help but want to slice them up!" Brulee raises her free hand but before she can make a move a shadow falls over her and a knee smashes into her face. She flies backwards, vision flickering around the edges but pulls herself together as she strikes the ground and quickly launches herself back at them. The red head tenses but relaxes when Carrot goes rushing forward.

"Leave it to me!"

"You little tramp!"

"Eleclaw!" Carrots fist strikes the surface of a strange barrier created by Brulee, stopping her in her tracks.

"It's my turn now!" The surface of the barrier shimmers and suddenly reflects Carrot across it. "Reflection!" Carrot's own fist flies from the mirror and lands square on her jaw, sending her flying backwards. "I'm a mirror! I ate the Mirror-Mirror Fruit and became a mirror human! Just like a mirror reflects light, if you throw a punch at my mirror, it'll reflect it back, too!" Carrot launches herself forward once again.

"I'll crack that stupid mirror!"

"What a silly rabbit. Mirro-World!" Carrot's fist strikes the surface of the mirror and is instantly sucked in. "One down!" Carrot's reflection appears on the mirror, banging against it's surface.

"Let her go!" Nami screams at her.

"I can't do that." Brulee closes her hands, forcing the mirror to disappear. "Mama already knew you were here. Did you think no one noticed? How stupid are you? We're all coming after you on Mama's orders! All of us have been commanded by Mama! 'Leave the Straw Hats at large for now but don't let them see Sanji!'. 'Make them regret standing against me!'." The trees around them slowly begin closing in on them. "Alright, Homies! Don't let them escape!" While Chopper and Nami quickly scatter out, Run holds his ground even while a trio of the trees launch their branches at him. "What's wrong? To scared to move?!" The branches strike the red head, and pass through his body before bursting into flames.

"Careful now," Run says, smirking. The trees recoil instantly, waving their flaming branches wildly. "You don't want to burn the whole forest down." The holes created in his body rapidly seal and he exhales slowly. "That always feels so weird."

"A Logia?"

"Nami! Run!" calls Chopper. "You two go find Luffy!"

"You sure?" Run asks him.

"Yes! I'll take care of her! If we call get caught then we'll be in big trouble!"

"Alright! Be careful...!"


"Should've never let her outta my sight," complains Run. Hours spent searching through the forest for any sign of Luffy and he's hasn't turned up a single thing. Not only has he not turned up a single thing, he's also lost Nami, and he can't find Chopper, either. He stops in the middle of the path and turns to look up at the now dark sky. "I hate this fuckin' forest!" The red head sighs heavily and turns to look around the forest again. The Homies surrounding him all shrink back as his eyes land on them. A few hours of burning tree after tree to the ground has given all of them a deep fear of him.

Heavy footsteps from behind draw his attention and he turns around slowly. A large man with a larger sword approaches him slowly, the Homies around them parting for him. "W-Why is Cracker here?!" gasps one of the trees. "It's one of the three Sweet Commanders!"

"Red hair," growls the man. "I'm going to put an end to your life."

"It's over for you, red hair! One of-" Run motions with his hand, and a pillar of flame erupts from the ground behind him, reaching skyward and completely incinerating the Homie. The large man narrows his eyes as he stares at the Homies behind the red head, and they all collaspe one by one, withering away into nothing but dead trees and flowers.

"When did you all suddenly become so self important?"

"One of the Sweet Commanders, huh," Run grunts. "Is that important?"

"Mama believes in pre-emptive strikes. Since Straw Hat beat Doflamingo she bet that Brulee would have a difficult time, and so she sent me. You're not Straw Hat...but you are his First Mate. I've heard that you're quite strong...some say the closest to the title of 'Strongest Man in the World'." Run reaches up to scratch the stubble along his jaw, as if considering something.

"'Strongest Man in the World'...hmm. 'The World's Greatest Swordsman'...and 'The Strongest Man in the World'." Run chuckles for a moment before it turns into full blown laughter. "You know, maybe I've been looking at things all wrong! I'm the old man's son...but first and foremost, I am Luffy's First Mate. 'The Strongest Man in the World'..." Flames suddenly roar to life across the red head's arms. "...that's a title the King of the Pirate's First Mate ought to have...!"