One Piece (Love Story) [Part Two]

Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty Eight

-Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty-Eight-

"Yep, that was me" Luffy smiled, seemingly able to understand the man perfectly well enough to answer him. "I could go for some more right about now" he confessed as the man spoke once again in his thick accent. I understood bits and pieces of what he was saying as I let my gaze travel up towards the top of the factory where he was pointing—the Jolly Roger proudly displayed on it causing my eyes to widen.

"Oh, that's bad..." I quietly murmured, pinching my lips as I saw that the Jolly Roger on the Candy Factory was Charlotte Linlin's—or, as she was more importantly known, Big Mom. Even if I didn't understand the man completely, I knew that when a pirate's Jolly Roger was proudly displayed on an island it usually meant that that pirate had claimed the island as their own.

"That's a nice thing to do" Luffy smiled when Tamago told him the meaning of the Jolly Roger and how the island was under Big Mom's protection. "I like your boss already, kind of a weird name though."

"Oh contrary, this is a business deal" Tamago corrected, confusing the rubber man as he went on to explain that in return for Big Mom protecting the island, they had to pay her back in ten tons of sweets every month. This new information seemed to cause Luffy's smile to falter.

"That's a lot..." he remarked as the man agreed and continued on to explain that Big Mom seemed to have a special love for the sweets that were produced on Fishman Island before he smashed the end of his cane into the ground.

"Pay up tomorrow and we will bid you adieu" he said.

"I'm sorry, sir" the Catfish Fishman nervously frowned, "but I told you before" he said. "The machine we use to make the candy was badly damaged—it'll take us at least two weeks to make the repairs. We won't be ready tomorrow" he explained.

"That is not our problem, monsieur" Tamago calmly said.

"Hey Fancy, why can't you just wait awhile?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah, why doesn't your boss have the balls to come talk to him himself—he's one of the Four Emperors isn't he?" Zoro asked.

"She's not a he" I corrected, catching the two's attention.

"Where are your manners, our leader happens to be a Madame pirate and a fearsome one at that" Tamago scolded. "That said, I do not think Mama has the balls."

"It's a girl? That's different then..." Sanji muttered with a blush staining his cheeks, a wide smile tugging at his lips as he became lost in thought before snapping back into reality. "Anyway, what if your boss lady doesn't get her candy?" he asked.

"In that case" Tamago said as he spun his cane around before smashing the end of it into the ground. "The deal is off—the Big Mom Pirates will attack in mass and you can say so long and bonsoir to this island" he revealed, causing Luffy's eyes to widen.

"You want to destroy the island?! How crazy can you be?!" he shouted. "You can't do that over some stupid candies! I won't let you—we just saved this place, you know?!" he frowned

"Sacre bleu! I cannot believe my ears—their brains must be scrambled like eggs in an omelet" Tamago scoffed as he reached up and pulled his teacup off the top of his head and started to drink from it. "This is quite a unique predicament, whatever are we to do with them?" he asked before the sound of a Transponder Snail went off.

"I already told Mama" Pekmons said. "Gah! She's probably calling in to check on us!" he frowned as the surrounding Fishman started to panic. I leaned against Zoro as he wrapped one of his arms around my waist and leaned back against his bag of treasure. His eye closed as we listened to the Transponder Snail continue to ring, no one making the effort to answer it. Tamago and Pekoms seemingly pushed the responsibility of answering the snail back and forth between one another, neither wanting to tell Mama that she wouldn't be getting her candy.