After they successfully made it through the border, Pekoms poked his head in the car, to tell them he was going to go ahead and get them clothes to wear, so they didn't stand out in their current attire. Luffy sat up, easily, trapping Nami between his knees and chest unintentionally, and watched as Pekoms walked into the city, where no roads were found, to get them clothes. Nami blushed, lightly, but hit him over the head, as Brook and Pedro rose from their crouched positions. Chopper and Carrot released each other, and sat up to look at the city.
"Chopper," Luffy began, "It said on the sign it was known for its chocolate."
"Really?" Chopper asked, and looked toward the city, "Do you think it's sweet?"
"I don't know," Luffy stated, as Nami looked up to his face, noticing his desire to eat, and squirmed against him to get off. Luffy seemed not to notice her there in the first place, since he began to get up and climb over the seats.
Nami successfully made it easier for him, by hitting him over the head so he'd look at her, and he stupidly asked her what she was doing there. After he leaned back onto his palms, did she slide off him, and he climbed over the seat with Chopper, got out of the car, and ran into the town. Nami got out, and glanced around. Everything there was either chocolate themed, or sold chocolate. As they made their way through the town, to stretch their legs, a citizen ran into Pedro, but he shut him up, and continued following them. As they reached the center of the town, they ran into Pekoms, who handed them all clothes to wear, and said he had to get going.
Nami and Carrot went into a public restroom and changed, putting their old clothes in the shopping bags Pekoms had the clothes in, and Pedro and Brook did the same. There were only the two shopping bags with new clothes left, one for Luffy, and the other for Chopper. When the four regrouped, there was a police officer who dashed past them, on a bicycle, yelling 'I'll handle it!' into his walkie-talkie. Nami looked at where he was heading, and Brook suddenly dashed after him, Carrot following behind, with a gleeful smile on her face. Pedro shrugged, and followed, leaving Nami alone with her bag of clothes, and Luffy's new ones, Brook had Chopper's.
When Nami reached the scene, she saw Luffy, and Chopper sitting on their knees, bowing their heads to the officer. They were in front of a chocolate store, and the culprits had chocolate speared on their lips. Nami looked over at Brook, who laughed, and Pedro, folded his arms, and adjusted the hat on his head. Carrot looked oblivious to what was going on, so she decided not to ask her. She stepped up, out of the crowd that had gathered, "Excuse me, officer," she began, "What's the problem here?"
The man looked over at her, and huffed, folding his arms, and turning his nose away from her, "Why should I tell a 'nobody' like you?"
"Excuse me!" Nami began, beginning to stomp forward, before a voice broke out from the back of the crowd.
"Stop! Officer-san!" the woman's voice called, and it sounded familiar to Nami.
The officer turned around, to look at the approaching woman, along with the rest of the crowd, "Pudding-sama!" he exclaimed, and bowed his head, "What brings you here?"
"I asked them to try my chocolates!" Pudding stated, "I wanted to know if they would taste good." she looked over to Luffy and Chopper, "They were good, right? That's why you ate them all?"
"Ate them all?" Nami repeated.
"Yep! They were delicious!" Luffy and Chopper responded, in sinc.
"That's great to hear." Pudding smiled, and turned back to the officer, "There's nothing to worry about, I promise!"
"Alright, Pudding-sama," the officer said, and got back onto his bicycle, riding off. The crowd dispersed, afterwards.
Pudding turned back around, "Let's go inside and talk." she smiled.
Nami handed Luffy his bag of clothes to change into, and Brook handed Chopper his, "Okay, Pudding." Nami answered.
Luffy opened the bag, and peeked in, "Nami, what is this?"
"A change of clothes, idiot." Nami responded, as she followed the brunette, Pudding, in through the back door of the shop, to a small apartment.
After Luffy and Chopper changed, and joined them, Luffy asked, "So who are you?"
Pudding glanced over at Nami, then back at Luffy, "You're Sanji's friends, right?"
"Yeah, and?" Luffy responded, taking a seat between Nami and Chopper at the table.
"I'm Charlotte Pudding, Sanji's fiance." Pudding responded, a light blush adoring her cheeks, "Though, I'm afraid I can't marry him."
"I know this is beneficial to us, and all, but why?" Nami asked.
"Well, when I met him, again, yesterday, he was really sweet, but…" she smiled, "he told me that he couldn't marry me, because he had to get back to his friends."
"Sanji rejected a girl!" Nami, Luffy, Chopper and Brook yelled, before being hushed by the said girl.
"But," Nami began, testing the waters, "weren't you and Sanji dating?"
"What?" Luffy asked, and turned his head toward the orange haired girl next to him, "Sanji was dating someone?"
"Yes, we were," Pudding responded, Luffy's question being ignored, "but we decided to go on break… I decided to go on break." she corrected.
"Wait, why?" Nami asked.
"Well, you know how Sanji is part of that vi-" Pudding was cut off by Pedro, who placed a dagger under her chin, as he gripped her from behind.
"Pedro!" Nami yelled.
"We have to kill her, Luffy, she knows too much." Pedro stated, inching the dagger closer to the girl's neck.
Brook, Luffy, and Chopper shook their heads, as Luffy spoke up, "Yes, we know," he answered Pudding, "is that why you 'went on break'?"
Pudding nodded, as Pedro released her, and sheathed his dagger, "So, I want to help you guys."
"What?" Nami asked.
"But aren't you the daughter of Big Mom?" Brook asked.
"Yes," she sighed, "that's true, however, I want to help you guys out, so that you can get your friend back."
"Okay!" Luffy laughed, and leaped into the air, "then let's go!"
"I can't," Pudding frowned, "because I am the bride, but…" she grabbed out a piece of paper from behind her, and scribbled on it, "if you take this route, you can get to Whole Cake without being detected by the guards and security." she handed the paper to Nami, who looked it over.
"Got it, thanks Pudding." she smiled, "Will Sanji be waiting here?"
"I'll bring him there, I promise." Pudding responded, as Luffy and the others exited the apartment, and made their way back to the forefront of the city to Luffy's car.
"Let's get some chocolate, Nami." Luffy said, eyeing a stand.
"No." Nami scolded, pulling on his shirt, as he carried a new bag of food she had purchased.
Once they got into the car, Nami taped the map to the dashboard, so she could see it, and started the vehicle. Luffy sat in the passenger seat, Pedro behind him, Brook behind Nami, and Carrot squeezed next to Chopper between the older men. Nami buckled herself into the car, hating the fact that they had to drive again, and Luffy rolled down the window. It luckily only took around half a day to get there, avoiding entering the city limits, or in a five mile radius of the city limits, for each city they passed on the way there. For some reason, on the way there, they had to traverse through a herd of angry wild black cattle, which Luffy, Brook, and Pedro successfully defended the car from, as they hit them away out the windows, or above the car, in Pedro's case. Upon reaching the main city, or capital of Tottoland, Whole Cake, Luffy jumped up in his seat, nearly hitting his head on the ceiling of his vehicle.
"Look! Look!" he exclaimed, like a child at an amusement park, "There's Sanji!"
"What? Where?" Chopper asked, leaning forward, half because he didn't have any room, and half because he was eager to see the blond headed friend of theirs.
"Over there!" Luffy said, eagerly, pointing out at the slight curvature of a mountain, near a cliff, where a blond man in a white shirt and black pants was standing.
"Oh! Wow! You're right!" Chopper exclaimed, and pushed Nami's shoulder, "Hurry, Nami, he's waiting!"
Nami parked the car, just outside the city limits, and Luffy jumped out, instantly, "Sanji!" he yelled, running up to the man, who ran off. Luffy froze, with one arm raised, he glanced back at Nami and the others, before chasing after him, "Sanji! Wait!"
"Sanji-kun!" Nami exclaimed, watching him run off, "Luffy, wait!" she called, and ran after the black haired man.
"Sanji!" Chopper and Carrot yelled, chasing after him as well, leaving Brook and Pedro to the car.
Luffy walked inside the woods, and stopped, Nami bumping suddenly into his back, "Why'd you stop?" she asked, a hand on her nose.
"He's gone." Luffy answered, and glanced around, "where'd he go?" his attitude changed, slightly, "Nami," he turned to face her, his face stern, "Why'd he run!"
Nami stepped back slightly, shocked. Although Luffy's eyes were partially covered by his black sunglasses, she could see the stern look he held, as his dark chocolate brown irises peered over the rim of the sunglasses. His black hair slick with sweat, from his run, as his hat shaded all but the sun's reflection in the whites of his eyes. He looked a little scary, she had to admit. "I…" she began, but hung her head, Luffy didn't appear like the Luffy she knew and loved, and it hurt her, "I don't know." Her stubbornness on her own feelings failed to see the hurt in his eyes, the tears threatening to fall under the concealment of his sunglasses.
"Luffy," Chopper began, but Luffy turned away.
"Let's go find him," he said, "he's got to be in here somewhere." he walked off, Chopper nodding, as he followed his friend of two years.
Carrot looked back at Nami, as she was hesitant to leave her, she lightly grabbed her wrist, "Nami?" she asked.
Nami looked up at her, her eyes glossed over, "What, Carrot?"
"Are you hurt?" she asked.
"No," Nami lied, "we should catch up, and find Sanji."
Nami stumbled along, ever so often looking up, to see the straw hat covered by a white cap in front of her. She sighed, "he was hurt, too, wasn't he?"
"What?" Carrot asked, looking back.
Nami glanced up, "Nothing."
She noticed they were coming into a clearing, there were still a few trees around, but it was mainly filled with flowers, pink, red, and gold flowers, making it appear like the grass itself wasn't even there. As if they were walking on a road of happiness, and it hurt her even more. Luffy's stern expression had faded, and he was calm now, occasionally calling Chopper over to look at a strange bug he found, but for the most part, she ignored him. She faintly recalled him calling to her, but she didn't know what for, because she didn't pay it any mind. She glanced up and he had disappeared, with Chopper and Carrot.
"Luffy?" she asked, and ran ahead, hoping they hadn't strayed very far. She was correct, for as she went around a few trees, and the bend in the road she realized he was following, she saw him, bending over a small river taking a sip of the mountain water. Chopper turned to look at her, he had a hurt expression on his face, probably because they couldn't find Sanji, she assumed, and Carrot smiled, a small smile.
Luffy began crossing a bridge, "Come on! I think I saw Sanji over here!" his voice was less serious than the last time she had heard him, it was hopeful.
"Yeah," she muttered, as she noticed him fix his sunglasses back onto his eyes.
Nami followed Carrot onto the bridge, as a large crocodile leaped from the water, and jumped over the bridge. Carrot ran, and she tried to follow, but tripped on her own footing, and froze as the jaw came close to her. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the impact of the sharp jaws to pierce her flesh. The warm blood pouring over her pale skin, the pain that would make her forget about her selfishness.