A rather violent ejection...that's what Run would consider it. He strikes flat on his back and rolls to his feet quickly with a small growl. The rest of the crew follows suit, rapidly looking around the area for any sign of Big Mom or her children. But the coast seems to be clear for now. Far in the distance, they can see the collapsed Whole Cake Chateau, lying in ruins on it's side. Whatever and whoever caused that explosion really did a number on it. In fact, it might be quite a long time before it's been rebuilt from the looks of things.
"Thank you, Bege," Nami sighs. "I really thought we were done for."
"Maybe you're not such a bad guy after all," Run adds with a grin. "Dahaha~! I don't care what anyone says about you, Bege!"
"Don't thank me," Bege tells her bluntly. "Being thanked makes me feel like I did something good. Just the thought of it makes me sick to my stomach."
"I'm the one who carried you!" screams Caesar. "You fools should be thanking me!"
"Oh, shut up, loser!" growls Nami. "I haven't forgotten what you did to those children on Punk Hazard! You've served your purpose, so you can just drop dead now!"
"You can't speak to a genius like that! I could turn this whole place into a poison gas trap, if I wanted to!" Bege takes a long pull on his cigar and reaches into the folds of his jacket. He pulls out Caesar's heart and tosses it over his shoulder at the man without looking back. "O-O-Oi!" Caesar scrambles quickly to snag it from the air, cradling it gently. "Don't just throw my heart like that! What if it landed on something sharp?! I could die if it landed in a sticker bush!"
"Take your heart back," Bege tells him. "You're free now, Caesar."
"You should have crushed it," Nami huffs.
"F-Finally...finally!" bellows Caesar. "I'm finally free! I have my heart back! Goodbye, idiots and stupid girl!"
"Father!" calls Vito. "Just as I thought, it seems that Big Mom and her children all survived the fall."
"Hmph," snorts Bege. "I thought that the explosion and collapse of the chateau would be the end of them. But even so...I can live with these results." He pauses to take another long draw on his cigar, exhaling a cloud of smoke before smiling. "Big Mom won't easily forget what happened here today."
"So, now all that's left to do is run away, right?" Luffy asks him.
"We've been doing that the whole time, Straw Hat. There were just too many obstacles for it to be a clean get away. But that's changed, and so we'll part ways here. You should all hurry to your ship. It's going to take at least a day to sail out of Big Mom's territory." Bege changes his legs into a set of treads, and begins to quickly make his escape...but not before leaving behind a sign pointing in the direction that they're going to be fleeing in.
"BETRAYAL!" accuses Run, watching the man disappearing into the distance. "I take it back! You are a dick after all!"
"Shut up! We have to survive, and we're not allies anymore, red hair!" Bege rapidly disappears into the distance leaving all of them standing next to the sign...which Run quickly tips over with a sour look on his face.
"We'll head for the shark submersible," Brook says, as Chopper transforms into his Walk Point. "After we've picked it up we'll come straight back to the Sunny." The two quickly take off, sprinting in the direction of the shark submersible.
"Aah, the quickest way back for us is probably through the forest," Run tells them.
"What about the Homies?" Nami question him.
"Well, I'd say that we don't really have to worry about subtlety anymore. If any get in our way we can just take care of it! Still it wouldn't hurt to have a guide so..." The red head pauses for a moment and releases a shrill whistle. His shadow seems to grow darker, and numerous crimson lights blink into existence within it before a trio of wolves seem to crawl out flanking him. He pats one of the frost covered wolves on the head with a grin. "...about time you three quit playing around! You- wait one." He reaches down and lifts the head of the nearest one by it's chin before leaning in slightly. The wolf in question does everything it can to avoid meeting his gaze as he reaches up and wipes a smear of something white off it's chops. "Is that...were you three goons eating cake instead of fighting?! Bad wolf! That's a-" A series of barks, yips and growls sounds from one of them. "No! No! I don't wanna hear excuses! You three gluttons are gonna work hard today! Let's go! Lead the way!"
With their plan of action decided on, they flee quickly in the direction of the Seducing Woods. For now it doesn't seem like Big Mom or any of her children know where they're at...but that won't last long once they start burning down the forest. It takes several minutes of running before the forest comes into view but their biggest surprise is Kingbaum standing proudly, somehow stitched back together and flirting with a female tree...right.
It takes only a little goading, and flexing of Big Mom's Vivre Card to convince Kingbaum to once again serve as their mount. It's strange that Nami still has Big Mom's Vivre Card especially considering their capture by her children. But apparently their sneaky Navigator cut the card in half and hid part of it away just in case. With Kingbaum's help they'll be able to cut a straight line through the Seducing Woods without having to chop down have the forest to make a path.
"Why me?!" complains Kingbaum. "What did I do to deserve this?!"
"Let's go!" cries Luffy, grinning from ear to ear. "Full speed to the Sunny!"
"You people are like a plague! Just get out of the country already!"
"Behind us!" Carrot calls out. "Enemies are closing in!" All heads turn quickly, finding a whole hoard of Big Mom's children chasing after them at top speed. But that's not their biggest problem. Crackling lightning accompanied by the laughter of Big Mom fills the air, attracting their attention skyward. Big Mom is rapidly closing in on them, brandishing a massive sword with her eyes wild.
"Wedding Cake!" screams Big Mom.
"Run faster, Kingbaum!" demands Nami.
"Taste the Spear of Elbaph!" Big Mom raises her sword and swings it in their direction. "Ikoku!" The blast of energy from her sword flies in their direction, destroying a third of Kingbaum's body with a single stroke. It's so powerful, that is actually passes through Kingbaum and continues on into the Seducing Woods with no resistance.
"We're not gonna make it with Big Mom riding Zeus," Jinbe tells them. "We need to do something quick!"
"I've got an idea," Nami says, quickly producing her Clima-Tact. "Black Ball!" She spins her weapon around, rapidly producing a seemingly endless number of small thunder clouds. "Thunder likes thunder!" True to her words, Zeus suddenly swerves as Big Mom raises her sword again. She's so unbalanced, or perhaps simply out of her mind, that she's bucked from his back as Zeus chases the clouds, gobbling them up like his life depends on it. Big Mom strikes the ground hard, as Kingbaum continues sprinting with all his might, leaving her in the dust while Zeus does his best to keep up. They plunge into the Seducing Woods, the trees parting for Kingbaum and leaving them with a straight shot to the Sunny.
"Oi, oi, those small thunderclouds," Zeus says, flying close to them. "I really want some more of them!"
"Black Ball? They were that good?"
"I've never enjoyed such rich tasting thunderclouds! Ohhh, they went down so smooth!"
"How about giving us a lift, cloud?" Luffy asks him, poking his body without a single concern.
"Huh? No, I can't do that. Only Mama can ride on me."
"If you really want to eat the Black Ball," begins Nami. "Then, how about becoming my servant? Then, you can eat them whenever you want."
"Really?! Oh, what should I do? What should I do?"
"Dahaha~!" laughs Run. "Big Mom inspires a lot of loyalty in her crew, I see. Well, I guess..." His words trail off as he tilts his head to stare past the large crowd in the direction they've come from. Both his eyebrows raise in surprise as he finds that not only is Big Mom chasing them on foot, in fact, she's starting to GAIN on them. "Uhhh...Kingbaum? I don't wanna nit-pick here but...must go faster, please!"
"Seducing Woods!" Big Mom screams. "Stop them!" The path created for them is instantly closed through a single command by Big Mom. Kingbaum comes to an immediate stop, his large body trembling. Big Mom approaches them slowly.
"I'm not going out like this!" bellows Kingbaum, surging onward while trampling the trees of the Seducing Woods. Numerous groups of Homies are tossed aside as he charges forward, none of them seeming capable of obstructing their path.
"Hey, Kingbaum," Prometheus growls, growing in size as he begins to hover over all of them. Kingbaum slows to a stop, his massive body trembling and even beginning to smolder under the heat of the sun above them. "You're nothing but a traitor...do you think that we'll just let that go?" Luffy suddenly stretches an arm out and wraps it around Nami's waist, as Prometheus slowly descends in their direction.
"Let's go!" Luffy tells them. "We'll go on foot from here!" They all leap off the top of Kingbaum's head seconds before Prometheus slams down, completely incinerating Kingbaum. "Tree!"
"We can mourn later," Run says, gripping Luffy's shoulder and quickly pulling him in the direction of the Sunny.
"As long as Big Mom is having one of her attacks all we can do is run away," Jinbe adds, shattering a tree that leaps in their direction.
"An attack? Sounds more like a child throwing a tantrum!"
"Exactly! Seeing you destroy the wedding cake she was looking forward to must have been the trigger for her attack! Until she gets what she wants, she's going to continue rampaging indiscriminately!"
"I knew it was a bad idea to destroy it!" Nami cries.
"Why?" Luffy asks her. "The plan worked, didn't it? Besides, how often do you get to eat a cake that delicious?" Through the rapidly parting trees in front of them they catch sight of a bridge across a river...or it seems to be if not for the fact that it's a complete bridge instead of one that's been half eaten.
"Do you think that you can get away from me?" Prometheus questions them, appearing from behind. "I won't-"
"Crimson Tide!" calls Run, spinning and launching a wave of energy at the Homie...which unfortunately passes right through it without any resistance at all. "Aaah...right. Ball of fire. Uh...time out?" Jinbe sprints ahead of them and dives into the river without a second thought, resurfacing seconds later as Prometheus pushes through the fire with ease.
"Spear Wave! Murasame!" Jinbe exclaims, lashing out with numerous blasts of water at Prometheus. The sun deflates under the blasts of water, and Jinbe quickly scrambles out of the river as they all cross. "He is Prometheus the Sun! You need to remember that he's basically nothing but a mass of flames! Water is his weakness, Run!"
"Dahaha~! Yeah, his and mine both!" laughs Run, sprinting beside the Fishman. The two glance over their shoulders at Big Mom pursuing them relentlessly, the forest parting as she follows after them. "Even if we make it to the Sunny that old woman is gonna sink us before we can even set sail!"
"I think I've got an idea," Nami tells them. "Zeus has been eating the Black Ball this whole time! His body is chock full of it, so..." The end of Nami's Clima-Tact begins to violently arch electricity from it, and Zeus's body soon follows suit. "Zeus Breeze Tempo!" The storm clouds massive body crackles violently before dropping a massive bolt of lightning straight down on Big Mom's head. It smashes into the ground, leveling a large part of the Seducing Woods and leaving behind a smoldering crater with no sign of Big Mom. They're not sure if that was enough to even wound the Yonko but they're not interested in stopping to find out, either, and continue sprinting through the woods to put distance between themselves and the crater.
"Straw Hats!" screams a familiar voice, causing them to rapidly look around. To their absolute surprise, Pudding and Chiffon appear several feet above them, riding on a flying carpet.
"Aah, c'mon, give us a break here!" complains Run. "It ain't that serious!"
"I'm not-"
"I knew we should have tied her up!"
"I don't-"
"Why is Chiffon with her?!"
"I'm-"
"You lookin' for a fight?!"
"I'm not here to fight!" bellows Pudding, glaring at the lot of them. "Now just shut up and listen to me!"
"Pudding!" gushes Sanji. "I'm so glad that your beautiful self isn't hurt!"
"S-Sanji! P...Pathetic! You bastards think that you'll be able to escape?! Even if you make it to your ship, Mama will hunt you all down! She'll hunt you down and kill the lot of you no matter how far or how fast you try to run away! You- No! No! That's not what I'm here for! Sanji! We need your help! Mama is going to keep rampaging until she gets what she's after, and she just so happens to believe that you all have stolen it! We need to make a wedding cake! It's the only thing that is going to calm Mama down! We'll...We'll also help you guys escape!"
"But...why are you with her, Chiffon?" Nami asks. "I thought you escaped with Bege?"
"I want to repay my debt!" Chiffon tells them. "For helping Lola! So, I'm willing to risk my life to help you!"
"Don't include me in that," Pudding quickly adds. "I...I was just...passing by, yeah! That's all! Making the cake just happens to be something I was planning to do anyway! I-It's not like I care whether you die or not!"
"What about the ingredients?" Sanji asks.
"There are extra supplies of the ingredients at Chocolat Town!" Chiffon tells him. "We'll go there as quickly as possible to bake the cake! Once it's complete, we'll carry it back to you to that you can use it to distract Big Mom while you all slip away!"
"Alright! Everyone, I'm going to leave you for now...but I promise that I'll be back!" Sanji leaps to the flying carpet and lands beside the two women.
"L...Let me clear a path!" Pudding says, extending her arms out quickly. "Flashback!" The Homies around them all freeze for several seconds before completely ignoring the lot of them. Whatever she's done to them it seems that they don't care the least bit about the crew anymore. "That should do it!" The carpet quickly flys upwards, breaking through the tree cover just as Big Mom's screaming shatters the silence of the forest. Her massive sprinting footsteps echo loudly in the distance as she rapidly gives chase in the direction they've been fleeing. Several long minutes of running away, and dodging Big Mom's attacks follow before they finally break free of the forest, their beloved Sunny waiting right where they left her.
"Oi! Who are they?!" demands Luffy, spotting several people standing on the deck. Spread out across the deck are a number of Big Mom's subordinates including Katakuri, and the man with the long tongue from the wedding. The long tongued bastard is even standing close to a candy encased Brook and Chopper.
"Perospero and Katakuri," grunts Jinbe. "Out of all of her children, it had to be those two."
"I'm impressed by your determination!" laughs Perospero. "You've managed to make it this far but unfortunately for you the only thing awaiting you is an early grave!" He thrusts an arm out in their direction quickly, creating a huge wave of candy that rapidly forms into a spiked wall. "Candy Maiden!"
"It's a wall of candy!" shouts Carrot.
"It's obvious that it's not just a wall!" Luffy, Pedro, Jinbe and Run sprint directly at the massive spiked wall quickly.
"Fishman Karate...Shark Brick Fist!"
"Gum-Gum...Jet Bazooka!"
"Churning...Tide!" Their combined attacks strike the wall head on, shattering and then mincing the pieces of candy before they even get a chance to fall to the ground. However, rather than fall they surge skywards, rapidly recombining to form an even larger darker colored candy wall.
"Not yet, not yet!" shouts Perospero. "Don't underestimate me! Candy Maiden Decoration!" The spikes decorating the mouth of this candy creation fire off rapidly in their direction, and Nami immediately makes a dive to hide behind the red head.
"What the?! Aah, c'mon, don't use me as cover!" complains Run, slicing one of the spikes in half with ease. "Crap! This guy really isn't gonna let us go straight through! Luffy! Let's circle-"
"No! Charge straight ahead!" shouts Luffy, rushing in the direction of the massive candy structure. "Gum-Gum..." Luffy stretches an arm back as far as he can, flames pouring out around his fist quickly. "...Red Hawk!" His fist strikes the surface of Perosperos creation, immediately crushing and then melting the candy.
"Dahaha~! Just job, Lu- hoh?" Run's figure blurs, and he reappears several meters in front of Luffy immediately intercepting an attack thrown by Katakuri. Their fists connect with a near deafening 'boom!' echoing through the area, neither man moving as they strain against one another. Katakuri's arm swells and Run immediately shoves the man's fist to the ground. The impact immediately shatters the earth, creating a large hole as Katakuri's arm retracts back to him and Luffy and Run land with a grunt. "Whooo~!" The red head shakes his aching hand with a grint on his face. "That's some awfully tough Haki, Katakuri!" Katakuri's eyes flash a deep crimson and Run's grin only widens in response. "What's wrong? Cat got yer tongue up there, big guy?"
"Wedding Cake!" cries the now irritation voice of Big Mom as she breaks free of the forest. She swings her sword left and right madly, slashing as the air in her daze.
"What should we do, Luffy?!" demands Nami. "We're surrounded!"
"We need to kick Katakuri off the ship!" Jinbe tells them. "We'll figure out how to set sail after that!"
"Alright! Let's go!" orders Luffy, charging at the Sunny with the rest of the crew. "That bastard...he must have come here through the mirror dimension!" Luffy leaps up towards the deck of the Sunny. "Gum-Gum...Hawk Gatling!" Luffy launches a flurry of attacks at the man, each one seemingly passing through him harmlessly until Luffy finally stops. "Why?! I'm using Haki but I can't hit..." Jinbe scoops up Nami and leaps up to the deck of the Sunny next while Carrot, Pedro and Run come sliding to a stop in front of the ship.
"Aah, boy," complains Run, scratching the stubble on his jaw. "We're really sandwiched here, huh?"
"Big Mom is coming!" calls Carrot, as the three watch her approach.
"Carrot," begins Pedro. "You-gara go help them set sail! Hurry up!" After a moment of consideration she leaps up to the deck of the Sunny quickly. "Red hair...can I ask a favor of you?"
"Unfortunately, I'm a little short on cash right now, Pedro," Run tells him with a grin. "But I could loan ya what I've got in my wallet."
"I appreciate the offer but what I ask goes beyond money. I...had a feeling that this would be my last journey."
"Wow. That got dark quick."
"'Everyone has their own turn'. That's what Roger said. I can see that it's finally mine so...would you please leave this to me?"
"Candy Wave!" calls a voice towards the bow of the Sunny. The ship shudders violently as it's suddenly lifted from the water and held aloft by a bed of candy under the hull. Both men immediately turn their attention to Perospero standing several dozen meters away from them. "Do you see the power of my 'Candy Wave'? I'm a perfectionist! It's either being destroyed by Mama or sunk by the cannons! Either way, you have no chance to survive!" Run shoves his cutlass roughly into it's sheath.
"...You're sure? There's always another way."
"I'm sure! Now, go help Luffy, and allow me to do this, Red- no...Runelle."
"Fine. Is there...anything that-" The red head finds a pack of cigarettes and a brass lighter thrust out in his direction quickly. "Save the smokes, huh? Alright, I'll see them safely to Laughtale for you, Pedro. I promise." He takes the items from Pedro and tucks them away safely into a pocket inside his coat. "I'm sorry you got wrapped up in this shitty situation."
"I'm not. Because I can proudly say I got to meet the future King of the Pirates and his crew. Now, go." Run nods and his figure flickers before reappearing on the railing of the Sunny. The fight between Luffy and Katakuri is still raging, the two men rushing about the deck of the Sunny exchanging blows at a dizzying speed. In an instant one of Luffy's arms are trapped in Katakuri's body, and he's quickly reeled in before being swatted across the deck of the Sunny as if he's weightless. The red head drops off the railing of the Sunny onto the deck as Nami and Carrot quickly swarm in his direction.
"Run!" Nami calls him quickly. "We can't use Coup de Burst like this! We need to-"
"Pedro is handling it," Run tells her firmly, surprising them both by reaching out and patting Carrot on the head. "Make ready to sail immediately."
"Hah?! You left him down there all alone?! You can't-"
"Make ready to sail, Nami," orders Run. It's a tone far more serious than any she's heard him use in the past, and one that fills her stomach with dread. "Carrot, go help her. I'm...I'm going to stand watch here." Run turns to face the cape, watching as Pedro begins to exchange blows with Perospero. In an instant, Perospero overpowers the Mink, casting him to the ground and pinning him there under a collar of candy.
"W-What are you doing, Run?! Pedro is caught! You need to go help him!"
"I am helping him, Nami. I'm standing watch." A firm hand suddenly grasps him by the collar of his jacket, drawing his attention down to their Navigator.
"Standing watch for what, exactly?! Pedro needs your help now! Get down there and..." Nami's words trail off when he reaches up and gently grasps her hand. The red head offers her a smile that she notes doesn't reach his eyes as he gives her hand a gentle squeeze.
"We almost never get to choose when our number comes up...'Everyone has their own turn'. That's probably the truest thing I've ever heard. Pedro...he's decided that it's his turn. So, I'll stand watch. Someone needs to observe it; a warrior's end." He hand slips from his grasp, and she immediately turns her attention to the two men in the distance. Pedro grasps Perospero by an ankle and opens one side of his jacket. Even over the distance, they can see a string of bombs daisy-chained together. The Mink grasps the lit cigarette in his mouth and sticks it to one of the fuses without a second thought even as Perospero smashes him with his cane in an attempt to free himself.
"P-Pedro...!"