"Aaah...I guess I'm goin', Luffy," Run says with a grin. With a flash of lightning he appears before the charging soldiers, cutlass held at the ready. A number of Big Mom's approaching soldiers quickly dodge out of the way, attempting to avoid the reach of the red head as he rushes through their ranks. "Churning Tide." Numerous deep gashes appear in the earth, and seem to part the very rain itself as they crawl to catch up with the red head before finally exploding in a sea of churning earth and splattering rain. Dozens of soldiers are scattered in all directions, falling motionless to the earth as more rapidly close in on the red head.
"Get him!" screams one of the soldiers, charging with weapon raised. It's barely managed two steps, however, before it's pounced on by one of the massive wolves. It's jaws snap shut around the soldiers wrist, body weight and momentum dragging it to the ground immediately before it's jaws seize the soldiers throat. With a snarl and a vicious shake it it's head, the soldier's own is sent flying. Dozens of Big Mom's soldiers are set upon by the wolves immediately, snarling and snapping as they take down one after another.
"Gum-Gum...Giant Axe!" shouts Luffy, his attack scattering a huge number of the soldiers with ease. Luffy lands beside Run, and the two turn to face the still massive army gathered before them. It doesn't seem like they've even made a small dent in their numbers.
"Damn it!" growls a painted face man. "There's only two of them! How hard can it be to take down two weaklings?! Go!" The soldiers swarm forward as quickly as they can towards the two of them.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!" calls a familiar voice, bolts of lighting raining down from the sky and striking the approaching soldiers. The two look back at Nami who stands on top of the giant tree that had before been rather quick to make his escape.
"I knew you had allies!" calls a woman. "So, it was you, Kingbaum!"
"N-No!" panics Kingbaum. "It's not what it seems! I'm telling you-" They ignore his pleas for mercy and reason, and instead charge forward once again. Big Mom's soldiers don't seem to have any fear at all. In fact, they seem rather single minded in their pursuit. Not waiting for them to recover, Luffy is quick to make his next move.
"Gum-Gum...Hawk Gattling!" bellows Luffy, knocking down a hoard of soldiers. Seizing the opportunity, the red head wades into the fold of soldiers. They fall in droves, dropping to the ground motionless under the strength of his Haoshoku. But rather than be deterred they simply swarm over their fallen comrades like ants in his direction. He's quick to move once again, cutlass flashing and soldiers falling one after another as he forces through.
"Man, just how many of you are there?!" complains Run, leaping away from several spears with ease just as the unfortunate soldiers are set upon by his wolves. "I take down one and three more pop up!"
"You'd never think you were fighting Big Bro Cracker all night, red hair!" calls a voice from above. He looks up at the man with the painted face, who is standing on levitating books. "The Chess Peacekeepers aren't that weak, after all! Maybe you're a bit stronger than I thought!"
"Dahahaha~! If ya say it like that I might start blushin, pal! I- whoa!" The red head lunges backwards just in time for a blade to pass in front of his throat. Once more he steps back, and this time his figure seems to briefly blur as he reappears standing several meters away from a very tall woman with a long neck. Run cranes his neck up to meet her eyes with a grin on his face. "Wow! You're really tall!" Rather than respond, however, the woman seems to appear before him with her sword held high.
"Slow Ballad," speaks the woman, bringing her sword down. Run quickly turns his shoulder, avoiding her blade once more before she turns sharply and aims once more at the red head's neck. He ducks under her blade, cutlass whipping up at her. The woman leans her head back with her neck bending in a way that would have been impossible for anyone else. Unfortunately for her, her hat and cigarette aren't nearly as lucky in avoiding his blade. The brim of her large hat and the cherry of her cigarette are sliced clean through and both immediately swept away by the storm. He brings his cutlass straight back down, aiming to slice in in two from shoulder to hip it seems. She's quick to react, raising her sword as his come down.
The ringing of steel against steel echos, accompanied by a shower of sparks and an impact that feels as though it rattles her teeth in her head. Her knees buckle under her, arms burning with exertion as the red head pushes against her. Rather than press his advantage, however, her breath is stolen from her as his foot suddenly drives into her stomach. She follows the impact backwards, bowling over several soldiers and eventually coming to a stop in a tangled mess of limbs several meters away. She quickly pulls herself free from the pile of soldiers as the red head closes in quickly.
"Oh, no," calls the man with the painted face. "That's not going to happen, red hair." As the red head closes in, a book appears in his path and he tries to come to a stop but smashes right into the pages of the open book. His world spins rapidly, becoming a blur of colors surrounding him before finally coming to an abrupt halt. He finds himself in some strange kitchen of bright colors, and chattering skulls.
"What in the hell?" Run questions, slowly glancing around at this surroundings. "Dahaha~! This is really trippy, pal!"
"You're in my World of Books!" A gout of flame erupts from the weapon the man is carrying, and the red head's cutlass whips up, scattering the flames with ease.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Relax-" A sharp blow across his shoulder blades causes him to stagger several steps forward. Confusion flickers across his face as he turns sharply, swiping his cutlass through the air at an enemy that doesn't seem to be there. More hissing fills the air and he glances over his shoulder as a great number of snakes that seem to form out of the very air. They swarm forward, surrounding the red head and quickly wrapping him up tightly. "Devour." In a flurry of gnashing fangs the snakes binding him tightly are consumed entirely leaving Run standing unharmed. "Uggh...being wrapped up by snakes was-" Another sharp blow strikes him, this time across the jaw and he steps in the opposite direction before he can catch himself and once more turns to swipe at the air. "Alright! Have it yer way!" He releases a sudden shrill whistle and seconds later the world violently shudders and swirls around him before he finds himself once more standing in the middle of the rain soaked field, surrounded on all sides.
"N-No! Get off! Get off! Get off!" Run turns sharply, cutlass raised to watch as the man with the painted face is pulling against one of the large wolves. By some miracle his ankle has managed to avoid the fangs of the massive wolf, however, his pant leg hasn't been nearly as successful. He's being drug across the ground quickly towards several more, kicking the massive wolf in the head with no effect other than chipping off small pieces of the ice nearly entirely encasing it's body.
"Aah, what a way to go...buh-bye, pal!"
"STOP!" demands a female voice, drawing the attention of the red head quickly. A red haired woman stands with a gun pointed at a captured Nami's head. "Unless you want me to kill this woman...you'll call of those dogs of yours, red hair!" Run slowly scans the area, finding a massive pile of soldiers pressing down on a hand-cuffed Luffy. Once more Run issues a shrill whistle, and the man's cries for release are silenced as two more of the large wolves prowl in his direction, one of which presses him into the dirt with a paw on the chest and fangs bared in his face. "Red hair! This is your last warning!"
"Hah...alright! Have it your way!" He glances over his shoulder at the pinned man and the wolves and motions with a free hand. The wolf pinning the man lifts it's head and actually steps on his face several times as they begin to prowl away...occasionally snapping and growling at any soldier that gets too close before disappearing into the gloom they seem to have come from.
"Hmph...good boy. Now, Mont-d'or, get up!" A large man approaches with a set of manacles in hand, and roughly clamps them around Run's wrists before stripping him of his cutlass.
"You two sure put up one hell of a fight," Mont-d'or says standing with a grunt and looking around at all the defeated soldiers. "Fortunately for you, we were ordered to capture you all alive. Bring him along, Cadenza." The large man tugs sharply on the chain attached to the red head's wrists, his brow furrowing when he doesn't budge an inch. He tugs a bit more sharply, and growls in frustration when Run doesn't move. "Don't be stubborn now, red hair. You wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen to your friend, now would you?"
"Fine. But the least you could do is offer me a bottle of sake for the trouble..."
"Aaah, c'mon, pal! I thought we had a deal?" Run calls, leaning against the wall with a grin. "I don't turn you into wolf food and I get a bottle of sake for my trouble!"
"Oh, would you SHUT UP?!" demands Mont-d'or. "Are you an idiot?! Do you not understand the situation, red hair?!" Held captive by Big Mom...not something that any of them thought was in the cards for them, honestly. But, regardless, they find themselves in some strange book shaped prison and pinned to the wall unable to make their escape.
"Why don't you spell it out for me?"
"Let us out!" bellows Luffy.
"Why would I want to do that?" asks Montd'Or.
"I gotta get back to that spot before Sanji comes!"
"Good luck with that. Because you're never going to get out of here. Ever!"
"Let me out!" Nami barks at them. "I want a shower! My body is completely covered in that sticky syrup!"
"Dahahaha~!" laughs Run. "You should-"
"Don't be crass, idiot! It's not funny! My whole body feels sticky and uncomfortable!"
"Here comes Mama." However, rather than come face to face with the Yonko herself, they find themselves confronted with a transponder snail set on top of a pedistal. After a few moments of silence, the transponder snail opens it's eyes.
"It's been a while, Straw Hat Luffy," Big Mom says through the transponder snail. "You finally made it this far."
"Big Mom?" questions Luffy. "Let me out! I gotta go back! I'm gonna get outta here even if I have to destroy everything!"
"Wow, you've still got that kind of fight in you, huh? Since you didn't bring your whole crew, I thought you'd forgotten what you said to me on Fish-Man Island."
"Yeah, I'm gonna kick your ass someday. But right now, I'm just here to take Sanji back."
"Even with the bluffing! You're just gonna rot away helplessly in there! Straw Hat, you're already doomed! And as for you, red hair...I wonder what kind of face your father will make when he finds out that I've got you locked up nice and tight, never to be seen again!"
"Huh," Run grunts. "Well...I've never thought about what the old man would do if he found out I snuffed it, or got captured. I would guess that it won't turn out well for anyone involved. So...I guess do your worst, old woman! We'll settle up after!"
"If you wanna fight, then come face me!" demands Luffy. "Show yourself!"
"Don't push your luck!" laughs Big Mom. "You're a rookie who just entered the New World! That's presumptuous of you to request an audience with me. Plus, they don't need my help in killing you. Listen up...if you give up on Sanji completely, then I'll let you all leave alive. Sanji and Pudding's wedding is very special to me. So sit there quietly until everything is over. If you spoil what I've been looking forward to, then I'll really make you pay. Oh, yeah! When you gave me all that treasure as compensation for the sweets on Fish-Man Island, guess what I found in it? The Tamate Box! It's a treasure that's been passed down through generations. I really love treasure boxes, so you can forget about the candies. I'm gonna open it tomorrow at the tea party, it's going to be so fun!"
"No, it won't! Because Sanji isn't going to marry! I want to speak to Pudding! She's my friend!"
"Huh? Friend? Don't be absurd! Why would the bride be your friend? By the way, girl. I heard you killed Lola."
"What?!" gasps Nami. "There's no way I would! Lola is my friend! She gave me that Vivre Card as a token of friendship! She told me to take it, and if we got in trouble that we could use it to find you so you could help! That's the message she gave me! She told me her mother was a pirate but I didn't think she was a Yonko."
"Screw that! I want her dead! If you know where she is, then tell me! I'll send an assassin right away! She still thinks we're family?! Children just don't know how indebted they are to their parents, as they say! She ran away after rejecting the biggest political marriage I ever arranged! Lola's friend, Cat Burglar Nami...I'll make you cough up where she's at."
"What a boring story," complains Luffy. "Lola didn't marry...you didn't become King of the Pirates. I'm gonna pick a fight with you again! Just because you're a Yonko, doesn't mean you can be cocky! I'll win Sanji back! We're the one's who will have the last laugh!"
"You damn brat! You talk like you're someone! But that's alright! I don't mind hearing some nonsense. It's nothing compared to the fun that I'll have tomorrow." The line goes dead and Luffy growls in response, shouting at the transponder snail.
"How amusing!" laughs Galette.
"How dumb are you?" asks Mont-d'Or. "Picking a fight with Mama in this castle?!" The door to the room is suddenly thrown open and a child riding on top of a caterpillar comes barging in quickly. "Oh, Anglais, what's going on?"
"We have an intrudee at the treasure room," Anglais tells them. "I'm not gonna brush my teeth tonight! Thank you! Everyone is chasing after the intrudee! Thank you!" The child's warning causes all of them to quickly leave the room to deal with the intruder, leaving behind Opera to watch over them. Several long minutes of listening to Luffy complaining and shouting is eventually interrupted by the arrival of Pudding.
"Oi, Pudding, get us outta here!" Luffy shouts. "We got caught!"
"Brother Opera, can I talk to Luffy, Nami and Run in there for a minute?" Pudding asks.
"Yeah, sure," Opera tells her. "Oi, go ahead and open it for her." One of the soldiers approaches and opens the bars to the cage with a large book-mark. Pudding steps inside, stopping at the entrance of the large jail cell several feet away.
"Oi, Pudding, we went to the coast!" shouts Luffy.
"You got beat up," Pudding says. "Luffy, Nami, Run...I'm sure that my brothers and sisters did horrible things to you. I'm sorry." She approaches and kneels down in front of the three of them. "I couldn't go to the coast where we promised to meet, either...I'm sorry."
"Aah, don't sweat it," Run tells her. "I mean, I hit them a lot harder in the end so I guess it all evens out."
"Don't say that, idiot!" shouts Nami. "They're still her-"
"Listen," begins Pudding. "There's something I have to tell you three. I was actually proposed to by Sanji. But I know that Sanji is just being nice to me. I'm not going to marry him because...that idiot who played right into my hands and fell completely head over heels for me...I'm going to kill him myself right in the middle of the wedding." The bangs of her hair split to reveal a third eye in the middle of her forehead, surprising all of them nearly as much as her words are. "We're not gonna keep you guys alive, either." She stands and walks away from the three of them calmly.
"Damn," Run finally says. "That got really dark really fast! What the hell is wrong with this family?" Pudding leaves the cell and Luffy begins to rant and rave, thrashing violently against his restraints even as she leaves the room. He stretches himself again and again, winding himself up and smashing against the bars of their cell with no regard to his well-being. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Luffy! Stop! You're gonna tear your arms off!"
"That's better than sitting here!" Luffy retorts. "We can't stay trapped in here! I gotta tell Sanji about Pudding's true colors!"
"I know, I know! Just...give a minute, I'm thinkin' here."
"Oi, girl," calls Opera. "Mama told me to get Lola's where-abouts out of you during the night. So, out with it already."
"No way!" Nami shouts back. "I'm not gonna betray my friend!"
"Fine, I'll just torture you, then."
"Don't say it so casually!" The man walks across the room to retrieve something and finally comes back with a crossbow which he points at her.
"I'm gonna shoot you with this every five seconds. So just go ahead and spit it out whenever you feel like it."
"Aah, c'mon, pal," Run says with a grin. "Can't we talk it out? Besides, it's not like you'll actually hit her. I'm sittin' right next to her!" Before the man can fire the first shot, however, the door to the room opens and a large figure steps inside. "Is that...?" Opera turns quickly, surprise washing over his face.
"Wait, I thought you weren't allowed to enter the castle right now!"
"There are fights everywhere," Jinbe says. "So don't be so hard headed. I'm sorry, Opera." Jinbe stops in front of the man and quickly raises a fist. "Five-Thousand...Brick Fist!" His punch strikes Opera square in the stomach, and sends him flying across the room before crashing into the wall. Jinbe approaches the cell they're locked in with a smile.
"Jinbei!" cries Luffy. "What are you doing here?!"
"I heard that you were captured. I'm glad that you're alright. We'll talk later but for now let's get you out of there." Jinbe steps back, taking his stance. "Fishman Karate...Shark Brick Fist!" His strike flies in their direction but after several moments there's no effect. "Just what I'd expect from Mont-d'Or's book. But there's another way...books can be destroyed by fire!" Jinbe produces a small torch which he quickly sparks to life.
"You're gonna burn the book?!" demands Nami.
"Yes. It's the only way I can think of. So, it would behoove you to get out of there as quickly as you can." He tosses the torch at the base of the book, which rapidly catches fire. The flames quickly spread across the entire book, surrounding them on all sides. Nami panics as the flames quickly begin to encroach on them, drawing closer and closer to the nail that's been pinning their hands to the wall. Luffy, Nami and Run strain against the restraints violently until at last the nails themselves give way, going up in smoke.
"Yes!" Luffy and Run shout in unison. Run quickly scoops up Nami and darts through the flames, shielding the two of them as best as possible with his coat. Unfortunately for the two of them, however, they've barely cleared the flames before they're doused with water from head to toe courtesy of Jinbe. Run grunts in surprise, closing his eyes with a heavy sigh as he deposits Nami onto the ground.
"Thank you, Jinbei," sighs Run, turning his head and spitting out a bit of water. He spots his cutlass leaning against the arm of the nearby couch and quickly collects it with a grin on his face.
"Yeah!" cheers Luffy. "We got out!" He turns to Jinbe, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks, Jinbe! Because of you I didn't have to rip my arms apart!"
"Come to think of it," begins Jinbe. "The first time we met was in a prison like this." The large Fishman motions to all the burned people lying around the book they'd been kept in. "Look. They were all captured in the same book as the three of you. The World of Books is as big as your imagination which means that it's infinite. Big Mom has a great number of powerful underlings like Mont-d'Or."
"Thank you for the help," Nami tells Jinbe. "But what are you doing here?"
"The Sun Pirates that I led are affiliated with Big Mom."
"Really?! But then...that means..."
"Yeah, this is a rebellion. I can't go back now."
"I thought you said you had some responsibilities to take care of first?" Run questions him. "I guess you got everything sorted out, then?"
"Not exactly. I just threw them away." Hearing voices coming from the echoing out of one of the halls across the room, all heads turn. "They sure are quick to react. We need to find somewhere to hide." Before they can make a move, however, Luffy collapses onto the ground beside them.
"I'm so hungry all of a sudden," complains Luffy. "It's alright, though. I'm not saying I want to eat something." A grin appears on the face of the red head as bends down and lifts Luffy with ease before tossing him over a shoulder. "Let's go, Run! We need to warn Sanji! Jinbe, take care of Nami for us!"
"Wait, you two! There are tons of tough enemies in this castle!" Regardless, Run charges forward down the hall. Numerous men stand in the wall, attempting by any means to block their progress. Unfortunately for them, as soon as Run lays eyes on them, the men all collapse to the ground while foaming at the mouth. He'd hoped to avoid using his Haki as much as possible to avoid giving away their jail break but given the circumstances it doesn't seem like it really matters. He charges on, carrying Luffy like a sack of potatos as he barrels down hall after hall, eventually taking a set of stairs two at a time with the number of people chasing them growing by the second.
"There they go! Stop them!" Run glances over his shoulder at the voices, finding a giant crowd of men chasing after them.
"Dahaha~! Man, they're like roaches!" laughs Run. "How are we gonna give them the-"
"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" shouts Luffy, as Run's pace begins to slow down. "Run! Stop! Someone is-" Run finds himself yanked backwards suddenly, flying through the air and striking the ground flat on his back. Luffy bounces around the new room they find themselves in several times before eventually landing on top of the red head. Both men grunt loudly from the impact and lie still for several moments before pushing themselves up.
"Where'd they go?!" demands a muffled voice. Both look at the door to the room, held tightly shut by none other than Reiju. "That damn red head is so quick! Oi, check that door!" The door to the room shakes several times before eventually stopping. "It must be locked. Alright! They can't have gotten far! Let's go!" The sound of footsteps rapidly departing sounds, and Reiju finally releases the door.
"Aah, Reiju," Run begins, standing with a grin. "Funny bumpin' into you here! Well, we were just lookin' for the can, so if you'll excuse us."
"Mm, going already?" Reiju questions him. "Won't you at least stay for a cup of coffee, Runelle?"
"Hah, 'fraid we're not close enough for you to use my name like that. Definitely not close enough for you to shove your tongue down my throat like you did on the Sunny." Reiju approaches with a smile on her face, coming to a stop with a hand on one hip in front of him.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me I stole your first kiss? Mm, I'll accept it gladly."
"Uh-huh. Movin' right along, then. We're looking for casa- I mean, Sanji. Mind telling us where he is?"
"Hmm, you're no fun at all. Well, if you're looking for Sanji I'm sorry to say that you've just missed him."
"Really?!" asks Luffy quickly. "Where is he?! Which way did he go?! Pudding was lying to us! She plans to kill him!"
"He knows about Pudding."
"What?! Has he known this whole time?!"
"He just found out. I convinced him to get away from this island but he was worried about the hostages in the East Blue and the harm it would cause to you guys."
"You mean Baratie? I know them well, too! If they're really in danger, then I'll go there and fight for them!" Luffy's stomach growls loudly and he presses a hand to it with a grimace.
"Are you hungry?"
"No! I'm completely fine!" After a few long seconds he releases a loud sigh. "But that's good. Sanji...Sanji knows about Pudding. If he's not being fooled, then that's good! Aside from that, I've done everything that I can! Alright! Thank you, Sanji's sister!" Without warning Luffy turns and sprints towards the window across the room. "Let's go, Run! This isn't the rendezvous point!" Luffy leaps through the window, smashing the glass to bits and plummeting straight down. Run dashes to the window and glances down at the ground just in time to watch as his Captain smashes through the roof of some poor person's home.
"Oh, fer..." mutters Run, stepping up onto the window sill. "How many times Luffy." He cracks his neck loudly as he begins to lean forward.
"Before you go," calls Reiju. "Here." The red head glances back and snatches something from the air as it flies towards him. "For good luck." He raises it and takes a look his eyes widening slightly as he stares at the panties in his hand.
"Aah, what is with this family...?"