Whole Cake Island
Part Five
"Oh... his body is so tiny." Neo tilted her head back to look at Pound's small body dangling from the new hand's hand. His head was at least three times the size of his lower half.
"With that large head we assumed he'd be a giant!" Luffy and Nami said.
"You willingly and in detail gave precious intel to our enemies. You fool!" the man said.
"Wait, Cracker!" Pound kicked and waved his arms.
"Cracker? Do you think it has to do with his armor?" Neo asked.
"Doesn't matter." Law unsheathed his sword.
"At least let me see Chiffon one last time!" Pound continued. "I heard that she got married! The least you can do is let me congratulate her! Please, let me speak to Linlin! I also heard that Lola ran away. But she's also someone I still hold near and dear to my heart!"
Nami gasped. "You have a daughter name Lola? And she's run away from home?"
"Cracker! Unhand me!" Pound flailed in Crackers grasped. "Lola! Chiffon! I just have to see my girls!"
"You're so horrible!" Neo, tears in her eyes, bunched her fists under her chin. "How can you not let him see his kids?!" She released a crack of thunder. The wind picked up. "Let him see his kids!"
"Tsuru!" someone called from above.
Neo was lifted on her feet again. Blinking she found Law had grabbed her and jumped out of the way of a rabbit and crane. "Hey! I wasn't finished with him!"
"You are now." Law landed. "I know you're upset but you need to focus on our real goal here. That guy's family problems aren't ours."
"Fine." Neo huffed.
"Stop right here, Randolph!" Cracker said.
"Huh? Eek!" Neo squealed upon seeing the crane and rabbit. She ran over to them. They instantly cuddled up to her. She stroked their heads. "So cute! Good boys. Yes, you are. Just good boys."
"Hey! What do you two think you're doing?!" Cracker demanded. "You're not suppose to befriend the enemy! Attack her! Don't cuddle her!"
"Too bad for you! They're mine now!" Neo sang as she tightened her arms around her new friends. "They won't attack me! Ever!"
"Same goes for you clones!" Cracker glared at the clones.
The clones coward closer to Neo.
"There, there. I won't let him hurt you all," Neo cooed. "You're my babies now. Yes you are. The mean man won't ever touch you with me here."
Law sighed and rubbed his temple.
"Ah, I see. You're Trafalgar Law and Neo," Cracker said. "We didn't expect a former warlord and his lover to come with the Straw Hats. Now it makes sense why there's been so much trouble in stopping the Straw Hats. Animals won't work on an elemental."
"That's right. So you might as well- Huh?" Neo perched up at the feeling of a giant tree coming towards them. It broke through the rest of the forest, towering over them with a creepy expression. "Oh! He's cute too! And he can move, too! We have to take him with us!"
"No we don't!" Law snapped.
"But he's cute." Neo pouted.
Law twitched at her rounding eyes.
"It's her!" Nami said. "That's the woman who took Chopper and Carrot! Brulee!"
"Huh?" Neo looked up. Sitting on the massive tree was a tall witchy looking woman with a nasty looking scar across her face.
Suddenly the clones turned back to their animal selves and scampered off.
"Ah, they ran away." Neo slumped her shoulders.
"Better that way. They won't get hurt in our fight," Law said.
"Yeah I know." Neo nodded. "I don't want them to get hurt."
"So how come that one branch is talking?" Luffy asked.
"I'm not a branch, you dimwit! Feast your eyes on this, Straw Hat!" Brulee held up a mirror. Inside of it was Chopper and Carrot.
"Give them back!" Neo flew up to Brulee and threw a gust of wind at the woman. Before the gale can hit, her magic vanished. "Oops."
"Room! Shambles!" Law warped Neo to his side. "No more flying. Do you understand me?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that." The shattering of glass pulled her attention back up to Brulee. Luffy was kneeling on the ground beside mirror pieces. He picked a shard up and spoke into it, calling Chopper and Carrot's names. Heart hammering, Neo rushed over. Kneeling beside Luffy she saw them in the small shards of the mirror. "Are you two okay? You are okay, right? The mirror shattered."
"We're fine, Neo," Chopper said. "We're not really inside of the mirror itself, but in a mirror world. There are tons of mirrors in here."
"That's good." Neo exhaled. "I thought you were hurt."
"I've had enough of this nonsense!" Cracker swung his sword at Pound.
Luffy jumped into the air and kicked the sword away before it could connect with Pound's body.
Cracker growled and swung at Luffy.
With the ensuing cause the homies all scattered, Nami and Pound disappeared into the fray.
"Law, we have to help Luffy fight this guy," Neo said.
"I'd rather get you out of here. You don't need to be in a fight with your magic going out," Law said.
"Law." Neo narrowed her brow. "I'm not leaving. We're helping Luffy. This Cracker guy has a devil fruit. I can feel it. He can make crackers or something. He's about to do it now."
The enemy put up a wall of crackers.
"Gum Gum Gatling!" Luffy threw punch after punch at the wall. The cracker wall shook but remained standing.
"See? He can apparently change the density of them. We have to help."
"Very well," Law agreed. "But you keep back. Maintain your sniper position. I don't want you in close combat with an emperor's crew."
Neo nodded, taking her stance as Law rushed in to help Luffy fight. Law formed his Room and struck out. Multiple crackers crumbled. Neo summoned several water crystals. Placing them close to the crackers she soaked them then snapped vines at them. Her eyes shifted to Luffy. His body grew into the form he used to defeat Doflamingo.
Pulling back his fist, Luffy slammed it into Cracker. Cracker's body cracked and fell into two pieces.
Neo's stomach churned at the sight. Before she could turn away from the scene a man with his hair divided into three tails, positioned to the sides and top of his head, emerged from the divided Cracker. "What the heck? Who is that guy?"
'Probably the real Cracker.' Law thought to her. 'Looks like his former body was just a shield made from his devil fruit. It's a good strategy, especially since he can change the density of these crackers he makes.'
Cracker clapped his hands. Dough swirled around him before forming into clones of his former self.
"Wow. He can create an army of himself instead of just crackers." Neo's stomach growled. "All these crackers... They're making me hungry."
Law sliced one of the cracker soldiers. It remained standing. The soldier turned and took a swing at Law. He warped himself to Neo's side. "These crackers soldiers have become even harder than before." They both looked at Luffy. The Straw Hat captain was punching away but not getting anywhere. "Even Straw Hat's having trouble now."
"Harder, huh? Well, I can take care of that." Neo summoned more water crystals. Hovering them over the cracker soldiers' heads and shot a stream out, completely soaking them. Their bodies slumped from turning soft.
"Thanks, Neo!" Luffy chomped down on the soften crackers. "Yummy! This is so much better! They taste great!"
"Really?" Neo stepped over to a cracker man, ripped a piece off, and slipped into her mouth. Salty mush brushed her tongue. "Not bad. Too soggy though."
"Muscle Balloon!" Luffy's body expanded from all the crackers he ate. "Fourth Gear! Tank Man Full Version!"
"You just made that up!" Law snapped.
Neo laughed. "Leave it to Luffy to turn his obese state into a battle stance."
"You all are nothing more than annoying pests!" Cracker pulled back a punch. "Especially you, woman! Die!"
Neo faced Cracker. Aiming her crystals, her magic vanished.
"Neo!" Luffy called.
Law grabbed Neo and jumped just as Cracker swung his fist at her.
"Don't touch her!" Luffy slammed a fist into Cracker's cheek.
Cracker sailed through the air, flipped over, and landed on his feet. He walked back over to Luffy. "I must say, that's a stark contrast from your initial transformation. Can you even move in that state? Honey Pretzel!" Cracker poked Luffy's chubby stomach with his sword and sunk into Luffy's body. "What the...?"
"Neo! Don't spray water on the biscuits! Leave them as they are!" Luffy said.
"Sure. Okay. Think he has a plan?" Neo tilted her head.
"Straw Hat never has a plan," Law said.
"It's time you felt the power of my fullness!" Luffy said. "Gum Gum! Enjoy your trip to the ends of the New World! Cannon Ball!"
Cracker flew through all his cracker men, damaging them to no repair before disappearing into the distance.
"Wow! He's flying far." Neo shielded her eyes.
"He could have been more serious about it." Law huffed. "Eating them? Really?"
"That's Luffy. At least it's over." Neo sensed the giant tree. Looking up she spotted Nami riding the tree. "When did you get here? Oh! What's with the big tree?! Wasn't he with that Brulee woman?"
"Just now. I was coming back to help Luffy with the fight. But looks like that wasn't needed. Don't worry about this guy. He's under my control thanks to this." Nami held up a small piece of paper. "I'm not sure where Brulee went. She ran off."
"Is that a vivre card?" Law asked.
"It sure is." Nami winked. "It was a gift from a friend. And it happens to belong to Big Mom. These homie guys here are afraid of it. They obey everything and anything I say."
Neo eyed the plant homies. They were cowering away from Nami.
Luffy fell onto his back and burped. "That was so good."
"You didn't have to eat them all." Law poked Luffy with his sheath.
"Listen, please forgive me for not having more faith in you earlier." Pound walked over to them.
"You're back too," Neo noted. She curled a strained of hair around her finger. "You doing okay, Luffy?"
"I think I've just been eaten a life time of biscuits," Luffy said.
"Poor baby." Neo patted his head.
"Luffy, am I imagining it or are you shrinking?" Nami asked.
"I am. Fourth Gear takes up a whole lot of stamina so I burn through calories much quicker," Luffy said.
"Do I need to heal you?" Neo asked.
"I'm fine. Save your magic," Luffy said.
Neo nodded.
"Well, either way." Nami threw her hands in the air. "We won!" She slapped Pound's hand. "Share in my enthusiasm, for crying out loud! We just beat the living crap out of an officer in an emperor's crew!"
"Oh... my... What have we done?" King Baum asked. "I've helped these ruffians defeat Lord Cracker. It's common knowledge amongst us homies that we are powerless in the face of Mama's vivre card. And so to that end, even her own children are prohibited from carrying one around. And yet... just how is it that you of all people-"
"Wow! That's news to me! I'm beginning to have a greater appreciation of just how valuable this thing really is." Nami stared at the card and licked her lips.
"You're scary," Neo said.
"Never mind that. You have no clue as to the precarious position we're all in now!" Pound said. "Rumor has it that when Commander Snack was defeated in a battle a while back Cracker's troops swarmed out into the sea to seek revenge and Linlin created a storm which was supposedly the physical manifestation of her rage. Together they annihilated the enemy in the blink of an eye."
"A storm?" Nami gasped.
"Linlin is a woman with the ability to control and manipulate the weather. Her left had can summon Zeus, the thunder cloud. And her right hand can summon Prometheus, the sun," Pound continued. "Once she crosses that line there's absolutely nothing anyone can do to contain her rage. My advice to all of you is to leave this place while you are able. Before Linlin finds you and has her way with you."
"Control the weather?" Nami asked.
"That doesn't sound like such a big deal." Luffy wheezed. "You should see me when I'm throwing one of my raging tantrums. Besides we have Neo here. She is the weather."
"While that is true Neo is still having issues with her magic," Law said. "She might not be able to use her crystals if a situation like that arises."
"It'll be fine. I'm more concerned about Sanji. Darn it! What was he thinking leaving that stupid letter behind and just running off like that? He could have at least said something to our faces," Luffy said. "We were able to make it this far, thanks to Pudding's map... but then Pekoms just vanished. Pudding said she'd bring Sanji to us, but when we arrived at the meeting spot, nobody showed up at the coast. Then we got lost in this forest, losing valuable time in the process. I mean, isn't Sanji officially going to be part of Big Mom's crew once the wedding is over?"
"You should have listened to Neo's instincts and ignored that woman," Law said. "We can't trust anyone here, especially if they're in Big Mom's family or crew."
"Either way, we still have no idea when the actual ceremony will take place. I did hear that the Vinsmokes were suppose to be visiting the castle today," Nami said. "What time is it now? We've got to stop them from entering the castle!"
"Hey, tree!" Luffy said. "You know where the castle is, don't you? Carry me there! I'll definitely going to bring him back with me!"
"Yeah!" Neo nodded. "Me too!"
"What?! No way! I'm not going to help you anymore!" King Baum said.
"Please?!" Neo teared up. Clasping her hands in front of her she pouted up at the massive tree. "We have to save him. He's very important to us. And... I want to cook with him again! Please! Take us to the castle!"
King Baum twitched. "But you... so cute... Why am I have such trouble resisting her?"
"Please? Pretty please?" Neo fluttered her eyelashes.
"Well, I..."
"He's totally caving to her." Nami pulled out the vivre card. "But we need to move faster. Get going. Take us there. Now."
"Fine." King Baum sighed.
"Yeah!" Neo cheered.
"Great. Let's get going them. Tra, do that switch thing and get us to the top." Nami looked at Law.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Law glared.
"Switch thing?" Neo asked. "You mean warp?"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Nami waved. "Let's go."
"Come on, Law." Neo poked his arm.
With a sigh Law warped all of them to the top of the tree.
"Oh, you're missing the top part of yourself," Neo said. "You got caught in the battle, didn't you?"
"Yes. It was awful. Now I'm being manipulated by this witch," the tree grumbled.
"Who are you calling a witch?" Nami held out the vivre card.
"Ah! Sorry!"
"What about you?" Neo looked down to Pound.
"I'm going to go see my daughter." Pound waved to them then ran off through the forest."
"Let's go, King Baum!" Nami pointed.
"Fine." King Baum took off running.
...
Author's Notes: Man, I am burned out. These chapters aren't coming out that great.