"Wealth, fame, power. The man, who once owned everything, the Pirate King, Gold Roger. The words he said before his death sent all the people of the world out to the seas."

"My treasure? If you want it, I'll give it to you! Find it! I left everything in that place."

"Men, searching for romance, pushed forward towards the Grand Line. The world is now in the Grand Age of Pirates!"

Chapter 19: Beek's Hidden Agenda & The Uneasy Truce

I'm-gonna-kick-that-Krieg-guy's-ass! I-won't-let-him-hurt-my-friends!"

Beek let out a bellowing chuckle as he glanced towards Luffy. "OH MY, STRETCHY BOY! YOU ATE FAR TOO MUCH SUGAR IN THE SUGARCANE FJORD!" He reached over and poked Luffy's bulbous belly with his finger. "THAT MUCH SUGAR IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU! PLEASE SHOW MORE RESTRAINT!"

Luffy's eyes darted to Beek, back to the road before them, back to Beek, up into the sky, behind them, and back to Beek again. All the while, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates resembling a hummingbird more than a young man. "ButIwassohungry! I can't-beat-these-guys-up-on-an-empty-stomach! I-wish-I-had-meat-instead! Loud-guy! Do-you-have-any-meat-on-this-island?"

"MEAT?" Beek looked at Luffy and let out a hearty chuckle. "OH, OF COURSE WE DO! WHY, WE CANNOT SURVIVE OFF OF SWEETS ALONE! OH MY, NO, THE PEOPLE OF BON BON ISLAND NEED PROPER NOURISHMENT AS MUCH AS THE INHABITANTS OF ANY OTHER ISLAND ON THE GRAND LINE!" He reached over, giving Luffy a pat on a back, which sent a ripple through Luffy's now round body. "COME, COME. WE WILL BE IN MARSHMALLOW MARSH SOON, AND THEN YOU CAN EAT ALL THE MEAT YOU WISH!"

Luffy continued on with Beek for some time before, finally, they were well clear of the Sugarcane Fjord and walking along the base of the island's inner mountains that housed the Chocolate Volcano. The path along the mountain was narrowing, but fortunately Luffy was able to reduce the size of his ball-shaped body along the way both by using his Devil Fruit powers to compress himself… but also by having to make several roadside stops to "release" the contents of his stomach, much to Beek's dismay. However, now that Luffy's body had mostly returned to its normal size, the pair were making good progress.

Beek pointed up the pathway with a finger as he guided Luffy. "NOT MUCH FURTHER NOW, STRETCHY BOY. THERE IS A SHORTCUT NEARBY THAT CUTS THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS AND WILL LEAD US DIRECTLY TO MARSHMALLOW MARSH!"

"Ooooh, that's awesome! I can't wait to get there and eat some meat, and maybe everyone else is there by now too!"

Beek sighed before analyzing Luffy carefully. "HRMMM… SHOULD YOU REALLY EAT? OH, YOU ATE SO MUCH CANDY! IT IS MIRACULOUS THAT YOU ARE NOT SICK AT THIS VERY MOMENT."

Luffy laughed in response as he patted his belly. "I can eat anything, loud guy! You don't have to worry about me. When are we gonna get to the shortcut though? I want to see my crew!"

"PATIENCE." Beek glanced between Luffy and the path. "IT IS NOT FAR NOW."

Indeed, after another few minutes of walking, Beek escorted Luffy into what appeared to be a narrow cave in the mountainside. As they walked through, Luffy squinted before letting out a frustrated whine. "I can barely see in here! Loud guy, are you sure this is the way? How can you see?"

Beek merely proceeded along, guiding himself by slowly moving forward and feeling along the walls. "I HAVE TAKEN THIS ROUTE MANY TIMES BEFORE. PLEASE TRUST ME!" Taking a few more steps, Beek stepped and looked over his shoulder slightly. "STRETCHY BOY, WAIT JUST A MOMENT. I MUST MAKE SURE IT IS SAFE."

"Huh? Safe?" Luffy tilted his head, looking ahead in the darkness. He couldn't see anything, but merely heard Beek stepping forward. "Oh, okay. Do you need help? I can beat up anything that might be a problem!"

"THAT WILL NOT BE NECESSARY." Beek's tone of voice was suddenly rather monotone, and a lot less friendly than it had been previously. There was a strange sound of a stone depressing in front of Luffy before the floor rumbled around him and the sound of something emerging all around him filled the area.

"H-Hey! Loud guy, what's going on!?"

Suddenly, the path was illuminated by a torch Beek held in his hand. The glow of the torch had sparked just soon enough for Luffy to see the iron bars trapping him from all sides and Beek's free hand resting against a stone tile in the wall of the cave that he had apparently pressed to activate the trap. "Hey! What's the big idea? We're friends now, loud guy!"

"OH NO, YOU'VE GOTTEN IT ALL WRONG." Beek stepped forward and pointed the torch towards Luffy. "I AM BEING PAID OFF BY DON KRIEG. YOU SEE, I HELP HIM TAKE OVER THIS ISLAND AND HE HELPS ME! I TIRE OF BON BON ISLAND. MY CAFE HAS BEEN IN MY FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS, BUT THIS ISLAND'S STUPID DEPENDENCE ON CANDY HAS CAUSED THE CAFE TO STRUGGLE FOR DECADES NOW. I WILL NOT LOSE MY FAMILY BUSINESS OVER THIS ISLAND OBSESSING OVER CANDY PRODUCTION ALL TO SATISFY THAT ENORMOUS WOMAN!"

"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head, not seeming to understand anything that was said to him. "Oi! Let me outta here! I have to get to Marshmallow Marsh!"

"NO, STRAW HAT LUFFY." Beek leaned in and stared menacingly at Luffy. "YOU WILL REMAIN TRAPPED IN THIS CELL FOREVER. I LIED, ONLY I KNOW OF ITS LOCATION! YOU WILL PERISH IN THIS CELL WHEN DON KRIEG BURIES BON BON ISLAND IN CHOCOLATE!"

Luffy glared at Beek before grabbing the iron bars and trying to shake free. "I'm gonna kick your ass for lying to me! Let me ouuu…. ooooh…."

Beek watched as Luffy wavered before dropping to his knees. "OH YES, I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT THE BARS ARE MADE OUT OF SEASTONE. YOU'D BEST NOT TOUCH THEM!" As a weakened Luffy mumbled incoherently, Beek simply turned and began to walk away. "FAREWELL, STRAW HAT LUFFY! I PRAY THAT YOU HAVE A QUICK DEATH WHEN THE VOLCANO ERUPTS!"

"Ah, finally!" Usopp took a step forward out of the cave, basking in the sun. "We're out! No more spiders!"

Brook mimicked Usopp's motions, arms outstretched towards the sky. "Yohohoho! It feels good to be out of the darkness and in the sun! It feels so good on my skin!" There was a moment of silence from Brook before he spoke again. "… but I don't have any skin."

"We need to hurry." Robin moved past both Brook and Usopp as she surveyed the rocky coastline that they appeared to be at. "There is no telling how far that cave set us back, and we must find the others."

"Oh yeah!" Usopp straightened up as he glanced at Robin. "Do you think they're all okay?"

Robin smiled and nodded firmly. "Yes, I believe so. Franky, Luffy, and Sanji could surely handle anymore of those spiders. They are probably in Marshmallow Marsh by now. We should hurry."

Brook took a step forward, putting a hand to his forehead as if to shield himself from the sun before looking around. "Yohoho, that is a good idea! But where are we? There is nobody nearby!"

"Yes, there is."

A female voice. The trio all spun around to locate the source of it, immediately spotting the female marine standing nearby who was no stranger to Robin and Usopp. Usopp himself jumped in shock. "H-Hey! That's that marine that we saw in Alabasta!"

"Captain Hina." Robin narrowed her eyes, but quickly widened them again when she saw who Hina was dragging behind her. Being dragged by one foot was a borderline unconscious Sanji, muttering 'mellorine' happily to himself. "Sanji! What have you done to him?"

Hina took a step forward. "It is Major Hina now, and this one…" She dumped Sanji in front of him as he sputtered incoherent nonsense, a large bump was visible on the side of his head. "I needed to wash the blood from my uniform. He saw something that he should not have seen. Hina annoyed."

As usual, Usopp was almost quaking in fear. "W-What are you going to do with the rest of us? You're gonna let us go… right!?"

"Negative." Hina kicked Sanji towards the group. "Venturing alone under these circumstances is against mission protocol, and this island is… suspicious."

Robin stared at Hina almost suspiciously, doubt etched across her face. "Are you saying that we will travel together?"

Hina merely nodded, cigarette bobbing slightly in between her lips. "Affirmative. Hina cooperate."

TO BE CONTINUED