The Thousand Sunny had officially entered the waters of "Totto Land."
Thanks to the invitation letter, they weren't treated as an enemy ship. However, they were instructed to anchor and wait for an escort.
"Reiju-nee, was that what you called the 'Chess Soldiers' earlier?"
Nami marveled at the orderly march of the soldiers as they departed. These soldiers looked like oversized toy figures but moved with the intelligence of real people—and their voices sounded surprisingly pleasant, too~
"Mm, that's right," Reiju confirmed. "The Chess Soldiers are the primary defensive force around Totto Land's perimeter. Additionally, there's an underwater security network made up of sea slugs and a series of Tart Defense Cannons."
Reiju pointed at the sea, and sure enough, the crew could spot some large, tart-shaped objects floating nearby.
"Whoa~~ Those aren't actual tarts? They look so tasty…"
Luffy and Chopper stared wistfully but quickly brightened up again:
"Hey, look at that island! What's all that stuff on top? It looks like sweets!"
"That's probably chocolate," Reiju said after a glance. "This should be Cacao Island."
She smiled and added, "Normally, you could eat whatever chocolate you liked, but things are different now. Since we're here by invitation, we have to be on our best behavior."
"Once the escort arrives and we get to Whole Cake Island, you'll realize—this is just a small taste."
"The amount of delicious food on Whole Cake Island will definitely blow your minds."
"Wow~~ I can't wait!!"
"Oi! Luffy! There's a ship approaching ahead!" Usopp shouted from the crow's nest.
"Huh? What's up, Usopp?" Zoro asked lazily as he pushed up his sunglasses and peered into the distance.
"Hmm? That ship… doesn't seem to match Totto Land's style," Franky commented, narrowing his eyes.
Ships belonging to the ministers of Totto Land usually had a strong personal flair—often styled after various foods.
But the approaching pirate ship...
"It belongs to one of the 'Worst Generation' Supernovas from the West Blue—Capone 'Gang' Bege and his Fire Tank Pirates," Robin said, frowning slightly as the ship drew closer.
"I did hear he joined Big Mom's crew... Is he the one coming to escort us?"
"Looks that way," Zoro said, yawning and standing up. He absentmindedly rested a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"So he's part of the 'Worst Generation' too, huh? Interesting... Seems like he's been busy these past two years."
"Hey! Quit thinking about fighting!" Usopp leapt down from the crow's nest and slapped Zoro on the back.
"He's an escort! An escort, man! If you start something here, we'll get wiped out!"
"I wasn't gonna cut anyone—yet."
"Heh... So lively as always," Reiju chuckled softly, glancing toward the table where her four younger brothers sat silently. She gave them a small nod.
Sanji's feelings toward his brothers were complicated, but after a few days together, he had gradually come to terms with it.
After all, most of the resentment came from their father, Judge. His brothers were victims too—and they had apologized. At least until they saw the old man again, they could maintain a truce.
"..."
Sanji stared intently at the lighter in his hand, which was faintly glowing with a golden sheen.
"See, oniisan? There's no need to resist the power of science," Yonji piped up again, apparently unable to keep silent any longer.
"It's not just about your own strength—it's about protecting your crew too!"
"Yonji's right," Ichiji added with a nod. "Sanji, you never underwent the modifications we did. No matter the circumstances, you've always been weaker than us."
"And right now, it's the same," he continued. "You've worked hard, sure—but at your current level, you won't be able to handle the dangers ahead. You need to grow stronger—fast."
"As a prince of the Vinsmoke family, you should know that Germa isn't what it used to be."
Niji smirked. "Take that tanuki... your ship's doctor, for example. Several of the medical tools he uses are products of Germa."
"It's just that for security reasons, they were branded with the Gran Tesoro's logo instead of Germa's. The Gran Tesoro is Germa's largest business partner, after all."
"!!"
Sanji's eyes widened. Reiju had mentioned Germa's situation briefly before, but he hadn't expected their operations to have grown so vast.
But considering who was backing them...
Sanji sighed, feeling the lighter in his hand grow heavier.
"I had my suspicions when I got this... Shape-memory alloys are Germa's specialty."
"But I didn't recognize this particular metal. I thought… maybe it was top-secret Marine tech."
"Since it could only transform into cooking tools, after all."
"Yours was custom-made," Ichiji said, holding up his wristwatch and pointing at Sanji's lighter.
"That person arranged it this way, for your sake. Right now, it really can only turn into kitchenware."
"But if you agree to it—it will become a powerful asset."
"The escort ship is almost here," Niji said grimly. "Danger could break out at any moment. It's time to decide."
"We have a special mission, and we might not be able to look out for you. Don't go getting yourself killed... Father's still waiting."
"..."
Sanji clenched his jaw, glancing toward the ship now drawing alongside the Sunny.
"You guys are acting like I'm dead weight!"
"Didn't you lose to Reiju-neesan in just a few moves?" Yonji said, rolling his eyes.
"And don't give me that 'I don't hit women' excuse—you couldn't even defend yourself!"
"I—"
"Enough, Sanji," Ichiji cut him off sharply, stepping into his big brother role. "Stop whining like a kid. Are you a man or not?"
"..."
A tool...
"That's right," Sanji muttered. "A tool's strength depends on who wields it—and I'm the one who decides how to use it!"
Biting down hard, he threw the lighter to Ichiji.
"Your transformation catchphrase sucks!"
"You'll be saying it soon enough," Ichiji smirked, fiddling with the lighter using a small device. He tossed it back to Sanji, who was now red and pale in turns.
"There. You know the password now. We think it's pretty cool."
"Use it well, Number 3—'Stealth Black.'"
...
Meanwhile, aboard the ship that had come to escort them, Capone Bege stood on the deck with his right-hand man, "Monster Gun" Vito.
"Hmm? Looks like they have more people than expected," Bege muttered, eyeing the Sunny's deck suspiciously.
"Did the Straw Hat Pirates always have this many members?"
"Please don't mind us, dear messenger~ We just came to visit our little brother and tag along~" Reiju said sweetly.
"We heard they received an invitation to the tea party, so we thought we'd come along. You don't mind, do you?"
"..."
Bege fell silent for a moment, glancing at the siblings' identical curled eyebrows.
Where have I seen that before? Never mind...
"Totto Land welcomes anyone... so long as they follow the rules."
He nodded meaningfully.
"Follow me. I'll take you to Whole Cake Island."
"Whole Cake Island! There's tons of food there, right!?"
Luffy and Chopper drooled openly, their eyes shining as they stared at Bege, making the gangster break out in a nervous sweat.
This is the guy who said he'd take down Big Mom?!
What's with that crazy glint in his eyes?!
"Of course... Whole Cake Island has more delicious food than you can imagine."
"Yay! Let's go!!"
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