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.
"It's hardly melting at all!" complains Luffy, waving a torch across the surface of the frozen sea.
"You gotta move slower, Luffy," Run tells him, stretching out a rope. "If you just wave it about it's not gonna thaw."
"What? Man, what a pain! We should just sleep here!"
"No way!" cries Nami. "What if the ants wake up and attack us again!"
"It'll thaw when the sun rises," Pedro informs them. "But during the night it gets cold and freezes up like this."
"Share those things before hand!" Nami shouts at him. "We've gotta melt it and get out of this starch sea!"
"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~! Look at you!" laughs Run. "Are you sure you were an explorer, Pedro? I think maybe a pirates life suits you best!"
"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...!"
"I hate this place!" complains Run, slowly pulling his coat over his shoulders. "I hate it! I hate the ants, I hate the chocolate, I hate the friggin starch sea! I hate it all!" 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. While he'd been fortunate enough not to end up chewed up the ants had still gnawed on his clothes and, more importantly, his coat. So, he'd been forced to more or less toss them out and change into a pair of dark pants, a grey tank top and a white button up with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows.
"Would you stop your complaining already?!" Nami demands, staring up at the crows nest from the deck. "You're supposed to be paying attention up there!"
"Yeah, yeah."
"Ow, ow, ow!" complains Luffy, rolling his shoulders slowly. "Those damn ants bit me all over, too! How come they only got your coat? Aah! My back really itches!" 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 stares back at him for several moments before his eyes slowly begin to narrow.
"Luffy. Please, don't-" He lunges forward and Run drops his coat to catch both wrists tightly with a grin on his face. "-do it! Dahahaha~! It's been a while since we've wrestled!"
"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 laughter.
"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!"
"Dahaha~! Wow!" laughs Run. "Those are some big-" Luffy suddenly removes the ants teeth from himself and snaps them shut onto Run's bicep. "-aah? Hmm...that hurts!"
"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.
"That can't be," Run says, straining his eyes against the bright sunlight. "Is that...casanova on the shore?"
"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!"
"Let's make sure we 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 casanova anywhere," Run tells her. "Hard to mistake him for anyone else especially around the eyebrow area. Still...I don't smell his cigarettes." 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!"
"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.
"Hey! Casanova!" Run shouts, earning Luffy's attention. "Would you quit with the disappearing act? We're here to-"
"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." As if that was all they needed to hear, the three immediately turn and go charging into the candy forest while Nami sighs heavily and looks at the red head. "Why are you the only one of these idiots I can count on?!" Run grins from ear to ear and actually reaches up to pat her on the head.
"Dahahaha~! Relax, relax!" Run tells her. "We'll find that idiot cook before you know it!" Nami and Run chase after the three of them, trailing behind the rest of their crew. Carrot, Chopper and Luffy 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.
"No, it seems more or less clear, really. What bothers me more than that is that I don't smell anything out of the ordinary. There's no cigarette smoke, no cologne...nothing but sweets."
"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.
"Dahaha~. I see that! Well, drink your fill and let's get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover if we're gonna find our cook." 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-ho! That's not good!" Run grabs Nami and neatly tucks her under an arm only moments before her entire world seems to blur around her along with a brief feeling of weightlessness before everything seems to suddenly and violently catch up with her. Her stomach churns as he carefully deposits her back onto her feet with the rest of the now gathered crew. They watch as a massive crocodile devours the entire bridge in a single bite...and taking a better look at it they realize that it's wearing a hat and suspenders? "Huh. Will you look at that?"
"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.
"Th...Thank you, Run," Nami mutters, slowly regaining her composure. "I can't believe that 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! How can-"
"THAT'S the real one," Run says calmly, pointing at their actual captain. "I recognize Luffy's scent. For everyone else...they look like mirror images. 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-"
"Sorry, pal!" Run tells him, walking around the buried head. "Any other day but today. Unfortunately, we're working on a fixed time line so I wish you the best!" 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 almost impreceptively 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's 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 white 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?!"
"Devour," Run says calmly, calling forth a massive set of teeth that completely consume the branches launched at him. "Dahaha~! Careful! Wouldn't wanna get hurt, would you?"
"Nami! Run!" calls Chopper. "You two go find Luffy!"
"You're sure?"
"Yes! I'll take care of her! If we all get caught then we'll be in big trouble!"
"Hah...alright! Be careful, Chopper...!"
"Aaah...why...do I have such crappy luck?!" complains Run, pacing through the forest calmly. Hours spent turning the forest upside down in his search for Luffy and the only thing that he's managed to accomplish is getting separated from Nami. Normally, he'd just rely on his Kenbunshoku to locate the members of the crew but since expanding his Haki in all directions carries the risk of exposing them to Big Mom's forces he's been forced to track him by scent alone. It's a feat made all the more difficult by the fact that the terrain keeps changing, and the sun is rapidly setting. "Hah. I HATE this friggin' forest! I-" The words die in his throat as the sound of heavy footsteps begins to echo through the forest. A large man with a larger sword approaches him slowly, the Homies around the two men parting for him.
"W-Why is Cracker here?!" gasps one of the trees. "It's one of the three Sweet Commanders!"
"Figerland Runelle," growls the man large man. "I'm going to put an end to your life."
"That damn Doflamingo," Run complains, looking up at the massive man. "Ever since he let the cat outta the bag..." Run's iris' briefly flash a bright crimson. "...everyone suddenly feels like it's alright to use my full name."
"It's over for you, red hair! One of-" The large man narrows his eyes as he stares at the Homies behind the red head, and they all collapse one by one as they slowly begin withering away into nothing but dead and rotted trees and flowers.
"When did you all suddenly become so self important?" Cracker rebukes.
"'Sweet Commander', huh?" echos Run. "Aah, sorry, but I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with the title. Is it important or...?"
"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." Run reaches up to scratch the stubble on his jaw with a grin.
"Well, well, well! If you praise me like that, Cracker...you'll definitely make me blush!"
"Interpret it how you please...it won't matter in the end. I'm here for your life, after all...!"