Their landing on the deck of the Sunny was...a lot softer than any of them imagined it might be considering the height of the fall. After a sound beating from Nami for doing it, they quickly made their preparations and set sail. It going to take a few days of sailing to reach Whole Cake Island. Hopefully the ceremony hasn't taken place before then or the whole plan is going to be all the more difficult. They've barely left the massive Zunesha behind before they find that they've got themselves a stow away!
"This ship looks so heavy!" laughs Carrot. "But it's still floating and moving forward!"
"Why are you here?!" demands Luffy, staring at the Mink.
"How long have you been on board?" Run asks. "Wait, a minute...how did you GET on board?"
"Carrot!" calls Perdo. "What are you doing here?"
"I came along with you!" Carrot tells them all. She lunges forward quickly, and nibbles on Luffy's ear as her way of expressing minkship. Next is Nami, then Chopper, Run and finally Brook...who she deems as too hard to nibble on.
"I'm sorry, but can we go back?"
"Don't do that!" Carrot holds tight to Pedro's cloak, attempting to stop him as he casually walks away but ultimately to no avail. "Wanda will be mad at me!"
"Are you trying to cause trouble for those who saved us, Carrot?" Run seems to appear behind Carrot in a instant, and pinches her cheeks as he stares at Pedro.
"Awww~! C'mon, Pedro!" Run adds, grinning at the man. "Just look at this face! How can you turn her away? All she wants to do is have a little adventure!"
"Yeah, I just wanted to join Luffy and the others on an adventure at sea!" agrees Carrot, pouting at the man.
"We're sneaking into a Yonko's base!" Pedro tells them. "You of all people, red hair, should know how dangerous this situation is! We're not playing!"
"Please, I'll do anything, so take me with you! I didn't wanna cause trouble so I brought..." She quickly digs into her backpack and pulls out a handful of carrots, some carrot juice stored in a canteen and even a single change of clothes. "...all of this! It's enough for half a day! The sea sure is vast, isn't it?" For a few moments they don't have the heart to tell her that it's not going to be nearly enough for the trip but eventually Nami breaks the news to her. "What?! It's going to take DAYS?! I can't believe the sea is so big and vast! It's like a wonderland! It's going to be my first sleepover!"
"A wonderland?" echos Pekoms. "We haven't even seen an island, yet."
"Oh, well," Luffy says around a mouthful of carrot. "You're here now, so it can't be helped. Can you protect yourself?"
"Yes! I'll be...why are you eating my carrots?!" Carrot charges Luffy, tackles him to the ground and bites him on the shoulder.
"Dahahaha~! Wow! She's really fast!" laughs Run, watching her biting onto Luffy for a moment before the situation finally clicks. "Wait a second! No! Bad Carrot!" The red head covers the distance quickly, and grasps her by the ankles before lifting her skyward. "No! Carrot! Spit him out! C'mon! Open your mouth! Open your mouth!" He begins to shake her up and down attempting to free Luffy from her grasp...but it only serves to batter their captain against the deck.
"O-O-Oi! R-Run! Stop shaking me!" complains Luffy, bouncing off the deck.
"Luffy, pat her head!" Nami screams. Luffy reaches up and pats her on top of her head quickly. Seconds later she lets him go and Luffy falls back against the deck.
"Th-That was close," mutters Luffy. "You almost killed me! You're so strong!" Run stares down at the girl for a few moments before carefully spitting her around as if she weighs nothing and depositing her back onto the deck. Chopper stares in shock at the scene before him.
"It's ok," Carrot says. "You can have the carrot!"
"Luffy was almost defeated!" exclaims Chopper, hiding behind one of the red head's legs.
"Well," begins Pedro, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "She is quite a fighter." All eyes turn skyward at the Mink who has made himself at home in the crows-nest.
"Pedro, when did you get up there?" Brook questions him. "You really like heights!"
"I'm hungry!" complains Luffy. "Let's eat! Run, can you make something to eat?"
"Aah, sure," Run says. "How's curry?"
"Yahoo~!" Luffy leaps from his back to his feet with a grin on his face. "You guys are gonna love this! Run used to cook for Robin and I all the time in Foosha! His curry is the best!" Luffy follows after the red head into the kitchen where he starts getting all the ingredients together. While they're doing that Brook takes Carrot on a quick tour of the ship. While Run's in the middle of cooking, and trying to prevent Luffy from tossing things into the mix, Pedro barges through the door with newspaper in hand. The rest of the crew follows behind him while he shows the paper off to Luffy. Apparently, the Revolutionary Army's base has been attacked, and not by the Marines but by Blackbeard.
"Blackbeard?" echos Run, staring at the paper. "Now how in the hell did they...?" His words trail off as a realization begins to dawn on him, and his jaw begins to tighten as he grinds his teeth. "Burgess!" A very deep growl rumbles in the red head's chest, and his iris' briefly flash a deep crimson as he leans over the counter to snatch the paper from Pedro's hands. "How many times do I have kill that man?" Luffy takes the paper from his hands, and stares at the pictures emblazoned on it.
"Sabo is on there, too!" Luffy observes. "Do you think he go away alright?"
"Aah...I'm sure he's fine, Luffy. Sabo's not gonna be beaten by Blackbeard or his crew."
"Wait, Sabo?" echos Brook. "The other brother that you two met in Dressrosa? Isn't he the Chief of Staff?! That makes him second in command of the Revolutionary Army!"
"What an unusual group of brothers the four of you are!" adds Nami.
"So, this Dragon guy," begins Luffy, staring at the second photo. "That's my dad?! Hmm, he doesn't really look like me! Anyway, I'm worried about Sabo!"
"Didn't you look into it at all over these last two years?! Normal people would care if their father is such a famous figure!" Run arches a single brow. "You don't count! You've knew your father was famous the whole time you were growing up!"
"Don't get swept up by someone's reputation," Run tells her with a grin. "You're liable to land flat on your face when you meet them in person, Nami!" Out of the corner of his eye, Run catches something moving quickly in his direction and quickly snatches a small fish out of the air. "Fish doesn't go in this, Luffy."
"C'mon! I want a bunch of meat!" Nami takes the paper from Luffy and quickly scans through it. According to the paper, their base was found as a result of an anonymous tip, and after butting heads with CP-0, Blackbeard beat a hasty retreat. The number of casualties hasn't been released but since there's no mention of Dragon or Sabo being captured, they can assume that the two of them managed to survive and slip away before the Navy caught up with them. Another movement and he snatches a shank of meat from the air before turning to face Luffy.
"Now, Luffy, too many cooks spoil the broth. We can add-" Several quick splashes follow, and Run looks back at the pot quickly in confusion. "How did you even...? Wait, no! Aah! Luffy, you're gonna spoil it if you don't give it a rest...!"
It took less than two days of traveling to completely deplete their food stores. Every time the red head turned around Luffy was tossing something into the pot, and several times he had to throw out the meal and redo it. Now, they're reduced to fishing for their meal. To make matters worse, the temperature seems to have risen drastically over the last few days. This heat makes them feel like they're back in Alabasta...no, that's not true. There was at least a break in the heat in Alabasta.
"I'm gonna dry up," mumbles Luffy. "Sanji...ice cream."
"Aaah...whhhy...it is so friggin' hot?!" complains Run, slumped over the railing of the Sunny with fishing pole in hand. Maybe it's a side effect of his Devil Fruit the same as his increased sense of smell and sudden high tolerance for the cold...but he just can't seem to stand the heat anymore! "Hah, someone take me back to Punk Hazard...or the Drum Mountains...anywhere with snow and ice, please and thank you."
"I can't stand the heat," complains Chopper. "I wish I could take off this fur skin..."
"We're like you," adds Pedro. "We Minks have low tolerance for heat."
"It's really hot," continues Brook. "I'm gonna become a mummy...a mummy! Nami, if I become a mummy, it'd be a bit of a resurrection for me, wouldn't it?"
"I don't care," Nami tells him.
"In that case, can I see your panties?"
"I don't have the energy to smack you. Catch some fish before we all starve!" Run glances over his shoulder at Nami, Pekom's and Carrot all doing their best to stay in the shade.
"Aaah, I just want a cool breeze," complains Run, looking back towards the boiling sea. "Snow...or maybe some..." His words trail off as he suddenly stands straight up with a grin on his face. "...maybe a little bit of ice and frost! Dahahaha~!" He tilts his head back and releases a shrill whistle, startling the whole crew.
"S-Shhh! Run!" shouts Brook. "You'll scare the..." The temperature around them seems to lower by the second as the few shadows on deck seem to grow deeper, and the breath of all present slowly becomes visible as a pair of massive wolves seem to coalesce from the shadows themselves. "...fish?!" A layer of frost slowly begins to crawl across the deck, accompanying the footsteps of the wolves as they prowl about before eventually settling in the shade beside Nami, Carrot and Pekoms.
"Hah...nailed it."
"Yohohohoho~! Well done, Run! Oh! What a pleasant breeze they've brought with them!"
"I don't think a Devil Fruit is supposed to be used like that," mutters Nami, inching away from the wolves.
"I can always send them back," Run tells her plainly, grinning at her over his shoulder.
"You wanna go for a swim, red hair?" Before he can even retort, Luffy's fishing pole suddenly flexes downward.
"Luffy, you've got a bite!" shouts Pedro. "Quick, reel it in!" He begins to reel in the fish quickly, a giant shadow showing under the boiling sea and the ship tilting to one side under the weight. With a powerful jerk, Luffy pulls the fish from the sea and onto the deck. It's a giant, brightly colored fish with a mouth full of sharp teeth.
"It's color," mutters Chopper. "It doesn't seem...right. Are we sure this is edible?"
"What are you saying?" huffs Luffy. "There's no such thing as an inedible fish!"
"There are certainly exceptions, Luffy," Run tells him, approaching the fish. "Chopper, I think casanova keeps an encyclopedia in his locker beside some other...ahem, interesting reading material. Would you mind going and getting that?" With a nod of his head, their little doctor goes sprinting towards the men's bunk room while Run leaves into the fishes mouth and digs out the hook. After a bit of fishing, no pun intended, he succeeds in pulling it free as well as pricking his finger slightly. "Ow-ow-ow! Man, that hurt! Those teeth aren't for show, I guess." Luffy quickly busies himself ripping off a piece of the fish's skin, and before he can shove it into his mouth Run takes it from his hands. "Whoa-ho! Hold on a second there!"
"Awww, c'mon, Run!" Luffy complains, reaching for the skin only for Run to raise it high above their heads. "I just want a little taste!"
"Nope! Let's wait for Chopper before we dig in. A few seconds won't kill you." Luffy whines and crosses his arms in frustration but waits for Chopper who comes sprinting back to the deck.
"No one eat it!" cries Chopper, holding the book. "I found Sanji's book! According to his notes, the skin of the fish is extremely poisonous!" Run looks at the skin in his hands and quickly tosses it over the railing of the Sunny and into the boiling sea.
"So...we caught a dud, then?"
"Not exactly. According to his notes, the fish can still be eaten so long as you peel the skin off. He even wrote down a recipe!" The red head looks at his cut finger now covered in the fishes blood, and juice. It said poisonous if eaten...but what about exposure to a cut? There's no stinging beyond the initial feeling of being cut, and there's no burning sensation...it should be fine, right? It was only a few seconds, so maybe there wasn't enough time for the poison to soak in.
"Alright! I'll cook it up for us then!" cheers Luffy.
"Absolutely not!" Nami shouts quickly. "You're the last one who should be in the kitchen! How many times did Run have to throw out food because of you?! Run! You keep him out of the kitchen and I'll cook the fish!" They quickly butcher the fish, disposing of the skin by tossing it over the railing of the Sunny. They've barely finished before Run starts to feel chills. He shakes his head slowly and takes a seat on the staircase, sweat beginning to form on his brow.
"Aah, uh...doc?" Run ventures, waving their doctor over to him. "That book it didn't, uh...happen to mention what happens if it...gets into your blood, did it?" The red head holds out his hand for Chopper to examine...who immediately flies into a panic and sprints to retrieve his doctors bag. He digs through his bag quickly, looking for anything to give to the red head to treat his poisoning.
"Waaah! Run's going to die!" screams Luffy. "Give him something, Chopper! Come on!"
"I'm not...gonna die and...the ship is NOT...spinning!" He slumps back against the stairs to the upper deck, and the rest of the crew watches as the wolves lying in the shade seem to return to the shadows once more. Unfortunately, they're short of any herbs that might be used for treatment. They're only hope is going to be stopping by a island on the way to Whole Cake Island. Pekoms, who has been relatively quiet these past few days, finally starts to pull his bandages off and approaches the railing of the Sunny to look around.
"That's not gonna be possible," Pekoms tells them. "We're about to enter Mama's territory. There are some islands in the area around Whole Cake Island. I'd say Black-Foot and the others have passed through those islands and reached Whole Cake Island by now." A heavy fog suddenly surrounds the Sunny, obscuring their vision in all directions. "Our best bet is to stop at the first island. We can pick up an antidote there." The red head looks up at the sky as it starts to...snow? No, that's not snow. It's not cold enough, and the 'snow' looks fluffy
"I'm not...hallucinating yet, am I? This is cotton candy...right?"
Nami takes a long look at the clouds for a few moments before it finally dawns on her.
"Sugar clouds," Nami says.
"That's right," Pekoms tells her. "It's Cotton Candy Flurry that's falling." Chopper perks up quickly, dashing around the deck of the Sunny with his mouth open to catch the falling cotton candy. "You all need to hide or disguise yourselves quickly."
"I see something, Pekoms!" shouts Pedro from the crows nest. "It's a ship! A ship is coming towards us!"
"That quickly?! They're here already?!"
"Who's here?" Luffy asks him.
"It's probably a TARTE, one of our scout ships. I'll handle it somehow! You guys go and hide!"
"We can't move Run," Chopper says, attracting their attention to the slumped over and sweating red head. "The poison has spread through his system too much! We need to treat him immediately! Don't they have an antidote on that scout ship?" The fog clears to reveal a massive ship, the number '66' emblazoned boldly across his sails.
"This is Germa!" announces a voice. "Is that the Straw Hats' ship? Why are you here, Straw Hats?!" They spot a man standing by the railing of the massive ship, and staring down at them while hidden under a cloak. But even so they can still make out the man's swirling eyebrows and assume that they've found Sanji.
"Sanji!" shouts Luffy, grinning from ear to ear. "Oi! Sanji! What are you doing up there?! Come down here! Run got poisoned! We need some help!"
"Stop calling me 'Sanji'. My name is Yonji!" The man pulls his hood back to reveal a head of green hair. He has the same eyebrows as Sanji and sort of resembles him...they must be family. "My relationship with your friend Sanji is a secret of secrets. It's absolutely confidential!" Another man approaches him from behind and after exchanging several words lost across the distance, he turns away from them. The red head breaks out into a loud coughing fit, and heaves several times before collapsing back against the stairs heavily.
"Run!"
"The poison is spreading!" Chopper tells them, pushing up the sleeve of Run's shirt to reveal a rash. "Run's strong but he won't last much longer without help!" Chopper jumps onto the railing of the Sunny. "Please! I bet you have antidotes! We used what we have but we need more!"
"Sorry," Yonji tells them. "I'm not in the business of saving people. Why don't you try robbing the medicine from us like pirates?"
"You bastard," growls Luffy, raising his fists. Before Luffy can make a move Yonji is suddenly kicked from the ship and sent splashing down into the water. Luffy catches sight of someone moving through the air seconds later, tracking them as they land on the deck of the Sunny several feet away. "Oi, who are you?"
"Sorry about that," the woman says. "My young brother is a cold-blooded jackass."
"She has twirly eyebrows, too!" Chopper says quickly. Yonji suddenly breaks the surface of the sea, hovering above the deck of the Sunny and staring down at them.
"Reiju!" screams Yonji. "How could you humiliate me!"
"Don't be selfish!" Reiju retorts. How he's hovering is certainly confusing. If he were a Devil Fruit eater he'd have been weakened by the water, and it doesn't seem to be through the use of a technique. While they're wondering how he's doing it Pekoms tells them that it's through the use of science. Germa 66 is something of a scientific fighting squad, always on the cutting edge of modern technology. In fact, that's what Big Mom is after. Reiju approaches the red head. "Alright, may I have it now?"
"Huh?" grunts Luffy. "Have what?" Reiju grabs his right hand and looks at the small cut on his index finger, and the rapidly spreading rash moving up his arm.
"It looks like he was exposed to the poison of an Armored-Stone Fish from the Boiling Sea. He didn't eat it but instead got some of the venom in his cut. From the looks of things it seems like he only received a small dose." Reiju leans over the red head with a smile. "He's quite lucky. This venom...is one of my favorite things!" All of them freeze in place when she slants her lips to the red head's own. Several seconds pass before her pink cloak begins to flutter, dots slowly beginning to form across the cloth as the color returns to Run's skin, his rash fading quickly.
"She's sucking out the poison?!" Chopper gasps. Reiju pulls away from the red head seconds later, and swallows the poison before stepping back from him. Run brow furrows, his eyes snap open and he sits up quickly looking around. "Run!" Chopper and Carrot rush the red head, nearly smashing him back into the stairs as the jump into his arms. "I'm so happy you're alright!"
"Dahaha~! Yeah, I'm feelin' much better, doc!" Run laughs, gently patting him on the back. "Your medicine works like a charm every time!"
"Y-You idiot! That doesn't make me happy to hear at all, idiot! B-But it wasn't me, this time! It was Sanji's sister! She saved you by sucking the poison out with a kiss!"
"Fufufu~. It was quite delicious," Reiju tells him.
"Hmm," grunts Run, reaching up to wipe his lips with the back of his palm. "Well, I guess I owe you a thanks if there wasn't another way. With that out of the way...you're casanova's sister, huh?"
"That's right. Sanji is one of us, one of the Vinsmoke family. Our father parted from Sanji when he was a little kid and has been looking for him...not unlike the parting you had with your own father, Figerland Runelle. When Sanji's wanted poster was circulated two years ago, our father immediately asked Navy HQ to pursue him. Unfortunately, they found the wrong man, a man named Duval."
"Pfff! Daha~! Dahahaha~!" The red head immediately falls back against the stairs as gales of laughter begin to escape him. "I-I-I completely forgot about-" Nami moves before any of them can react, raising a trio of knots on Run's head who immediately raises both hands to cover his head. "Owie! Didn't hurt!"
"Would you shut up and be serious for a moment, idiot?!" demands Nami.
"It was only recently that the Government informed us that they managed to capture an image of 'Black Foot' Sanji among the chaos caused by the Straw Hats' comeback," Reiju continues, ignoring both Nami and Run. "Our father had his bounty increased right away and changed the conditions from 'Dead or Alive' to 'Only Alive'."
"So, that's why Sanji's wanted poster was changed."
"Dahahaha~! Wow!" Run laughs, reclining against the stairs and threading his fingers behind his head. "That's really dirty, Vinsmoke Reiju! I mean, seems to me if Sanji wanted to see any of his family then he'd have done it already. I'd guess that your parting wasn't on the best of terms...right?"
"Where is Sanji now?" Luffy questions her.
"Who knows," Reiju tells him. "He could be with Big Mom or father, already. We came to greet him but I think we missed each other. Well, if he can attend the tea party, that's all that matters. I also got to meet all of you. Thank you for looking after my brother all this time." She turns away and starts to walk in the direction of her ship.
"Oi, Sanji's sister. Thank you for saving Run's life. But...I still want Sanji back! He's my friend! I'm gonna take him back at any cost!"
"Hey, you!" shouts Yonji. "You're Pekoms from the Big Mom pirates, aren't you? Why are you with the Straw Hats?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you!" Pekoms shouts back. "There's no bond between us yet!"
"You're right," Reiju says before leaping skyward and landing on the railing of the Germa ship. "I'll pretend I didn't see anything for now. But we'd best all tread lightly for now." Reiju looks pointedly Run, favoring the red head with a wink. "'Til we meet again, red hair." Their ship begins moving, pulling away and disappearing into the fog surrounding them.
"Alright!" Run chirps. "We'll keep what happened here between us, agreed? Not a word to Robin!" They press forward now as well and Chopper quickly retrieves his doctor bag to examine the red head. Whatever Reiju did seems to have completely cleansed his body of poison. Pekoms takes the time to give them a little information about Whole Cake Island. There are apparently thirty-four islands that surround it with thirty-four minsters, one to run each island. This vast area is called Totto Land, and all of it is completely under the control of Big Mom. The old Yonko has apparently gone to great lengths to invite people of all kinds to live in her 'Kingdom' to create a place where all the races of the world can live together without discrimination.
Their first stop is going to be Cacao Island, where they can pick up some supplies before continuing on to Whole Cake Island. When they do reach Cacao Island, they've barely dropped anchor before Luffy and Chopper have bound over the railing of the Sunny and are sprinting straight for the town in the distance.
"I...should probably be concerned about that," Run says, scratching the stubble on his jaw. "Hey! Pekoms! Just what kind of place is Cacao Island?" He explains that just about everything on the island is made out of chocolate. In fact, you can eat as much as you like so long as it's not the roof-tiles, window glass, construction posts or private property...basically, don't eat any of the buildings or anything not made out of chocolate. "Oh-ho...we might have an big issue on our hands here!"
"Huh?" grunts Pekoms. "What do you mean?" Shouting and screaming in the distance drags a firm nod of the head out of Run.
"Aah. Yup, there it is." Run leaps the railing of the Sunny quickly and sprints towards the town in the distance. It doesn't take for Pedro and Brook to catch up, and for the three of them to find a bloated Chopper and Luffy being interrogated by a man they assume to be a member of the police force. Behind them, what looks like a half-eaten house lies in ruins. "Aaah...crap. I- ugh." Run wrinkles his nose slightly as the over-powering smell of chocolate and sugar finally seems to catch up with his now sensitive sense of smell.
"They'll be arrested if we don't intervene," Pedro says, grasping the hilt of his sword. "Should we attack?"
"No, ugh...we make a scene and we're screwed before we've started."
"What should we do then?"
"I'm thinkin', I'm thinkin'."
"Wait, Chocopolice!" shouts a female voice, as a woman descends from the sky on what seems to be a flying carpet. She swoops down, landing several feet away from them just as Nami and Carrot catch up with them. She dismounts from the carpet and the police officer salutes the woman, identifying her as the owner. "Oh, no! What did you do?!" She approaches Chopper and Luffy, hands on her hips. "How could you leave this much? This isn't what we agreed on! You have to finish it properly!"
"Alright, now's the time, Pedro. Just follow my lead." Run strides forward confidently through the crowd of people. "Aah, hello, there, fellas~! I see you've had yourselves a good time and started before we were ready!" The red head grins at the woman across from them. "Sorry about this, ma'am! There must have been a miscommunication and the demolition got started before we were ready!" Chopper and Luffy waddle around in place to look at the two of them in confusion.
"Oi, Run, what are-" The red head quickly slaps a hand over Luffy's mouth, effectively silencing the man.
"We'll make sure to get this all cleaned up properly! So, don't you fret!"
"R-Right!" agrees the woman. "Chocopolice, as you can see these men were only doing as I asked. The cafe will be expired soon so I asked them to eat the whole building!"
"O-Oh, pardon me!" apologizes the offical. "I didn't know they were a demolition crew! C'mon, guys! You should have put a sign out if you were going to be working. I mean, there were still customers in the building after all. Well, then, if you'll excuse me."
"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry that we've disturbed everyone!" The crowd seems to accept her apology and begins to slowly disperse.
"Oh! Before I forget, congratulations on getting married, Pudding! Your wedding day is approaching and you're even checking in on your cafe? Don't work too hard! We all wish for your happiness!" With that the man turns and goes on his way as well.
"I can't believe that really just happened," mutters Pedro, placing a cigarette in his mouth. "Talk about lucky."
"Luffy's got the devil's own luck..."
"So, your name is Pudding!" laughs Luffy. "Thanks so much for saving us!" After barely avoiding being arrested through this woman's good graces, she was even kind enough to bring them all to her home so they could speak with her. She's even allowed Luffy and Chopper to eat parts of her home while they sit around a table in her kitchen. Chopper and Luffy chew through the walls of her home without any concern for the potential consequences and normally Run would be doing what he can to stop them since...well, obviously they're LOAD bearing but since Pudding doesn't seem concerned maybe he should be either. "Run! You should try this! It's soooo delicious~!"
"Aaah, I haven't really got much of a sweet tooth," Run says, pausing for a moment before look at Pudding quickly. "No offense intended."
"No, no!" Pudding tells him. "It's fine, really! I'm just glad I could help you all, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it! That chocolate at the cafe was a new blend that I came up with! Did you like how it melted in your mouth? I added milk to cocoa butter and high purity beet sugar and kneaded it for three days straight at twenty nine degrees celcius!" The red head blinks in response. All of that work just for some chocolate?
"I don't know what any of that means but it was really good!" Luffy tells her, finally settling in at the table with Chopper...who seems intent on EATING her kitchen table.
"Just hearing that makes me so happy I could cry! Thank you! I'm so happy to hear it!"
"I really like chocolate!" Chopper tells her. "This whole town smells like chocolate and it's like heaven!"
"We really want to stay and thank you," Nami begins. "But we really have to go."
"Really?" Pudding asks them. "That's too bad. Before you go would you like a cup of tea?" Since it seems like they won't be able to refuse, they agree and she quickly goes about pouring each of them a cup of tea. "Oh! I never did get to ask you what your names are."
"I'm Luffy! I'm gonna be King of the-" Run covers his mouth quickly...but it seems to be too late as Pudding turns to face them quickly.
"Luffy?" She takes a close look at Luffy and then screams loudly. "Now that I look closer, you look familiar! You're Straw Hat Luffy!" Pudding backs up against the counter. "You're really the Straw Hat Pirates! You're Sanji's comrades!"
"That's right!" Luffy tells her. "Wait, you know Sanji?"
"Wait a minute!" shouts Nami. "You're Charlotte Pudding! Luffy, she's Big Mom's daughter! The one who Sanji is supposed to marry!"
"Ehhh?! You're marrying Sanji?!"
"Y-Yes," mumbles Pudding, her face flushing red. "B-But you people shouldn't be here! Mama is a scary pirate and you're in her territory!" Pudding finally seems to realize that she's talking to pirates and grasps a knife from her kitchen counter. "You people are scary pirates, too!"
"Calm down!" Nami says quickly. "We're not going to hurt you!" Pedro moves in an instant, disarming Pudding and pressing the blade of his sword against her neck.
"What should I do?" Pedro asks. "Shall I kill her?"
"Would ya give it a rest with the sword?" Run questions him.
"No," Luffy tells him. "Let her go. We just came to take Sanji back." Pedro releases her and Pudding begins to slowly calm herself down enough to take a seat at the table across from them.
"I knew he didn't consent," Pudding says. "She even uses her children's marriage to strengthen her pirate group. When you're one of her children, you only have two choices...give up on love or run away. One of my older sisters that I love very much did just that. She ran away and set sail on the sea looking for love."
"Arranged marriage, huh?" Run grunts. "Aah, what a crock."
"I read in the newspaper that you're 'Red Haired' Shanks' son...isn't it the same for you?"
"Nope. Not even close."
"Just out of curiosity," begins Brook. "The invitation said that you're the thirty-fifth daughter of the Charlotte Family. Does Big Mom have thirty-five daughters?"
"Well," sighs Pudding. "She actually has thirty-nine daughters, and forty-six sons. We're eighty-five brothers and sisters."
"Wow, so many!" shouts Luffy.
"We have different fathers. Mama has forty-three husbands so we're actually a family of one-hundred and twenty-nine people. Some of my older brothers and sisters already have children, so if you count them then we're actually an even bigger family. The Big Mom Pirates consists mainly of her blood relatives."
"Have you met Sanji yet?" Chopper asks her.
"Y-Yes! Although, it was only once...and his eyebrows were twirly, he was very kind and gentlemanly. Even though he's got heart eyes, he taught me so much about making sweets. I heard that his feet are black but he's tough and very dependable."
"You're in love with Sanji," Nami says, almost accusingly.
"L-Love?! Well, I mean...Mama's decision can't be over turned. If I have to marry someone, I prefer..."
"We should tie her up," Pedro tells them. "If we leave her as is, she'll tell them that we're here. If they find us on the outer-most islands, then we'll never be able to reach Sanji. We can't forget that she's Big Mom's daughter."
"I won't tell Mama about Straw Hat and the rest of you. I'm Big Mom's daughter, so I know it's hard to believe me but...I AM scared of Mama but I've made up my mind. If you've all come to take back Sanji, I'll help you! I can still let go of my feelings for Sanji." Pudding retrieves a pen and paper and quickly starts drawing a map for them. "The people of Totto Land...all of them are giving me their blessing for my marriage. None of us could disobey Mama's order so I knew I couldn't marry for love, but I've been dreaming of it ever since I was a child. I always wondered what my husband would look like...and then I met Sanji. He was such a wonderful man but he told me, 'I want to marry you but I can't'...'I want to go back to my friends'."
"I-I knew he wanted to continue the adventure," cries Luffy.
"It wasn't just him," Pudding says. "Because all of you came here to take him back at the risk of your own lives. Even if it's Mama's decision, it'd be hard for me to stay with someone who didn't want to get married. But most of all, I know you all care about Sanji so much and I can't take him away from you." Pudding completes the map and passes it across the table to them. "Take this route. It's the only way you can get there without Mama knowing which only her children know about. If you follow this route, you can reach Whole Cake Island...but Mama won't give Sanji up without a fight. So, let's meet up at the southwest shore of Whole Cake Island tomorrow. I'll bring Sanji there at any cost."
"Are you sure?" Nami asks her. "Won't you be punished by Big Mom?"
"I'm her daughter. I'll be fine. You should worry about yourselves, you're in enemy territory after all." A loud banging on the front door draws their attention. "That must be the guards. They're here to take me to Mama." Pudding motions towards a window facing towards the back. "Go through there, and go in the direction of the cafe. Move quickly, and I'll see you tomorrow." They all quickly pile out through the window as quietly as they can but Brook is the last one.
"Say, Pudding," begins Brook. "Before we leave, may I see-" A hand tightly grasps him by the front of his shirt.
"Would you give it a rest?!" Run whispers quickly, yanking him out of the window...