"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
On the grassy main deck of the ship, the crew froze.
Luffy, who had been midway through stretching his arm toward the kitchen for a snack, blinked.
Zoro's hand stopped an inch above the hilt of his sword.
Oimo, standing near the main mast, reached up and scratched the side of his helmet. He frowned, tilting his head toward the vibrant, aggressively pink island they had just docked at.
"Gebababa..." Oimo rumbled, a look of genuine confusion crossing his face. "Isn't that the cook's voice? It sounded like he stepped on a rusty nail. Did something happen to him?"
Nico Robin, sitting gracefully in her deck chair, didn't even bother looking up from her book. She simply turned a page, a calm, serene smile touching her lips.
"Perhaps the warrior women of this island have decided he is an intruder," Robin murmured, her voice smooth and entirely devoid of panic. "They might be initiating a sacred, localized ritual with his male parts. I read that some isolated tribes deal with male trespassers by slowly harvesting their internal organs, or perhaps by turning them into decorative, screaming centerpieces for their dining halls."
Usopp and Chopper, standing nearby, instantly turned the color of chalk.
"ROBIN! STOP SCARING US!" Usopp shrieked, grabbing his head. "WHY IS YOUR BRAIN LIKE THIS?!"
"Sanji's centerpiece is going to be removed?!" Chopper wailed, tears streaming down his furry face. "I don't have another one to fix a centerpiece! We have to save him!"
"A rescue mission!" Luffy roared, his eyes lighting up with the promise of a fight. He completely forgot about his snack. "Sanji is in trouble! Let's go beat up the organ-stealers!"
"SUUUUPER RESCUE!" Franky yelled, striking a pose. The blue-haired cyborg didn't hesitate. He engaged the hydraulic pistons in his legs and vaulted entirely over the ship's railing, landing on the pink sandy beach below with a heavy thud.
Luffy stretched his arms, grabbed the railing, and slingshotted himself after the cyborg, shouting battle cries.
"Wait! You idiots, that's not what's happening!" Nami yelled, but it was useless.
Seeing their captain and shipwright charge headfirst into unknown enemy territory, the rest of the crew had no choice but to follow.
Zoro grunted, hopping over the side. Usopp, Chopper, Vivi, Caroo, Robin, and the four Giants followed suit, rushing down the gangplank.
Ben strolled down last, adjusting his glasses. Merry and Sunny walked on either side of him, each holding onto one of his pinky fingers. They wore simple, practical hiking clothes—Merry in a light pink windbreaker and Sunny in a small blue hoodie—chatting normally about the strangely colored trees as they walked.
The pursuit led them away from the beach and deep into the island's interior.
The environment of the Momoiro Kingdom was bizarre. Everything—the trees, the grass, the dirt, and even the local wildlife—was tinted in various shades of vibrant, aggressive pink. It was like walking through a massive, botanical cotton candy machine.
Luffy and Franky ran at a blistering pace, tearing through the pink foliage for a solid fifteen minutes, following the faint, echoing sounds of a commotion ahead.
Finally, the thick brush cleared, opening up into a massive, sprawling valley shaped like a giant heart.
Luffy skidded to a halt, his boots kicking up pink dust. Franky stopped right beside him. The rest of the crew, panting slightly from the sprint, caught up a few seconds later.
"Did you find him?!" Usopp gasped, pulling out his transforming bow-rifle, ready for a fight to the death with tribal warrior women. "Where are the Amazons?! Where is Sanji?!"
Luffy didn't answer. He just stood there, his jaw completely unhinged, staring at the valley below.
Franky pulled his sunglasses down his nose. "Bro... what... what am I looking at?"
The crew stepped up to the ridge. They looked down.
Merry and Sunny peered over the edge, still holding Ben's fingers. "Are those men wearing dresses?" Sunny asked, blinking in confusion.
"It looks like a very loud parade," Merry observed simply.
In the center of the valley, Sanji was running. He wasn't just jogging; he was sprinting with the desperate speed of a gazelle being hunted by a pack of starving lions. He tried to use Geppo to kick into the air, but the moment he left the ground, a dozen pink feather boas shot up like lassos, wrapping around his ankles and violently yanking him back down to the dirt.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Sanji screamed, his royal blue suit torn and covered in pink dust. "I AM A LOVER OF LADIES! REAL LADIES! STAY BACK!"
Sanji was not being chased by beautiful Amazonian warrior women.
He was being pursued by a tidal wave of over fifty massive, heavily muscled, hairy men. But they weren't dressed like warriors. They were wearing frilly tutus, fishnet stockings, heavy mascara, bright red lipstick, and heart-shaped pasties.
"Come back, sweet prince~!" one particularly large man with a thick beard and a pink ballet skirt yelled, blowing a kiss that physically manifested as a flying pink heart. "Don't be shy! We have so much love to give!"
"Let us show you the Maiden's Way!" another burly man in high heels shrieked, swinging a massive battleaxe decorated with ribbons.
The sheer number of them was steadily increasing. Every time Sanji turned a corner, more Okamas poured out of the pink woods, their eyes locked onto the handsome, tailored cook with terrifying, romantic intensity.
The Straw Hat Pirates stood on the ridge, completely frozen in shock.
Usopp slowly lowered his weapon. Chopper blinked his wide, innocent eyes. Vivi covered her mouth, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.
Nami's eye twitched. She slowly turned her head to look at the man standing casually beside her.
"Ben," Nami said, her voice a deadly, quiet whisper.
"Yes, Navigator?" Ben answered smoothly, keeping his eyes on the chaotic chase happening below.
"You said this was the Island of Women," Nami stated, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her Clima-Tact.
"Did I?" Ben tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I must have gotten my coordinates mixed up. Amazon Lily and Momoiro Island... they both feature pink flora, you see. It's a very easy navigational error to make. A simple geographical mix-up."
Nami glared at him. "You are the smartest man I have ever met. You do not make 'simple geographical mix-ups'."
"I'm only human, Nami," Ben offered a completely insincere, innocent smile.
"You did this on purpose," Nami accused, though she couldn't completely hide the small, amused smirk tugging at the corner of her own mouth.
Next to them, a strange sound broke the silence.
Pfft.
Zoro had his hand clamped over his mouth. His face was turning a dangerous shade of purple. He was shaking violently. He watched Sanji trip over a pink root, only to be immediately swarmed by three bearded men in lingerie trying to apply lipstick to the cook's face.
Sanji kicked them away, screaming, "I'LL BURN THIS WHOLE ISLAND DOWN! DIABLE JAMBE!"
Pffft-hahaha!
Zoro couldn't hold it in anymore. The stoic, demonic swordsman threw his head back and absolutely lost it.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Zoro roared, clutching his stomach as tears of pure, unadulterated joy streamed down his face. "LOOK AT HIM! HE'S IN PARADISE! THE IDIOT FINALLY FOUND HIS HEAVEN!"
Luffy, realizing the danger wasn't actually lethal, burst into his own fit of laughter. "SHISHISHI! Sanji looks so popular! They really like him!"
"Gebabababa!" Dory and Brogy joined in, their booming laughs echoing across the valley. "The cook has many admirers! A true ladies' man!"
Even Robin couldn't suppress a light, musical chuckle. "It seems he has found a very dedicated fan club."
The collective laughter from the ridge was loud enough to carry down into the valley.
One of the Okamas, a tall, muscular individual wearing a swan-themed corset and heavy blue eyeshadow, stopped chasing Sanji and looked up. The Okama gasped, placing a large, manicured hand over their cheek.
"Oh my!" the Okama squealed. "More visitors! And they look so rugged!"
The Okama abandoned the chase, sprinting up the ridge with surprising speed and agility, bounding over rocks in high heels to reach the Straw Hats.
Zoro immediately stopped laughing, taking a cautious step backward. Usopp hid behind Brogy's leg.
"Greetings, candies~!" the Okama bowed gracefully, fluttering their eyelashes at Luffy and Zoro. "Welcome to the Momoiro Kingdom! Are you friends of that energetic, handsome runaway prince down there?"
Luffy stepped forward, completely unfazed by the heavy makeup and the corset. He crossed his arms and grinned his trademark smile.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy declared proudly. "The man who's gonna be Pirate King! And yeah, that guy running away is our cook, Sanji!"
Luffy gestured to the rest of the group. "This is Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Vivi, Caroo, Ben, Merry, Sunny, Dory, Brogy, Oimo, and Kashii! We're the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Pirates?!" The Okama gasped, fanning themselves. "Oh, how thrilling! Rough, tough men of the sea! My name is Caroline! It is an absolute pleasure to meet you all!"
Caroline looked back down into the valley, where Sanji was currently using a flurry of kicks to keep a horde of tutu-wearing men at bay.
"Your cook is quite the fiery spirit," Caroline sighed dreamily. "He came falling out of the sky earlier, screaming at the top of his lungs about 'Mellorine' and begging for 'romance'. We are a very hospitable kingdom, you know! When a handsome boy drops from the heavens demanding romance, we simply couldn't hold ourselves back! We wanted to give him exactly what he asked for!"
"He asked for romance?!" Usopp choked, trying not to laugh again.
"Yes!" Caroline nodded enthusiastically. "We prepared the finest dresses, the brightest lipstick, and the warmest embraces! But the moment we approached him to offer our maidenly affection, he started screaming and running away! We don't know what we did wrong!"
Zoro stepped forward, a malicious, evil grin spreading across his face.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Caroline," Zoro said smoothly, placing a hand on his hip.
"Zoro, don't," Nami whispered, knowing exactly what the swordsman was doing.
Zoro ignored her.
"Our cook... he's a bit of a tsundere," Zoro explained, using a tone of deep, understanding camaraderie. "He acts like he hates it, but he secretly loves the attention. He wants everyone to follow him. If he didn't want you to chase him, he would have just fought his way out. But look at him... he's running. He's playing hard to get."
Zoro pointed down at Sanji, who was currently sobbing while desperately trying to climb a pink tree.
"In fact," Zoro concluded, "I can say with absolute certainty that he is very, very happy right now. He's just waiting for you to catch him so he can finally accept your romance."
Caroline's heavily shadowed eyes went completely wide. A massive, radiant smile broke across the Okama's face.
"A tsundere?!" Caroline squealed, clapping their large hands together. "Oh, how precious! Playing hard to get! I understand completely! He wants us to prove our devotion!"
Caroline turned toward the valley, cupping their hands around their mouth.
"GIRLS! HE'S A TSUNDERE! HE WANTS US TO CHASE HIM HARDER!" Caroline roared to the mob below.
The horde of Okamas stopped for a second. They looked up at Caroline, then looked at the sobbing Sanji in the tree.
A collective, terrifying cheer erupted from the mob.
"WE'RE COMING FOR YOU, SWEET PRINCE!"
"DON'T WORRY! WE WON'T GIVE UP ON YOUR LOVE!"
Sanji stared down at the reinvigorated, highly motivated mob. He slowly turned his head to look up at the ridge. He locked eyes with Zoro.
Even from a mile away, the pure, unadulterated hatred and promises of murder in Sanji's visible eye were palpable.
Zoro just waved casually.
"Oh, don't you worry about a thing," Caroline assured the Straw Hats, wiping a tear of joy. "My friends will not leave his side until they finish giving him exactly what he asked for! He will be drowning in romance by sunset!"
The entire crew went dead silent.
They collectively pictured Sanji—the ultimate connoisseur of women, the man who bled from his nose at the mere sight of beautiful women—being caught, pinned down, and smothered in "romance" by fifty heavily bearded men in lingerie.
A unified, violent shudder ripped through the Straw Hat crew.
"That is a fate worse than death," Usopp whispered, going pale.
"I almost feel sorry for him," Franky muttered, adjusting his sunglasses. "Almost."
"He brought it upon himself," Ben said simply. "He shouldn't have jumped off the ship before getting a proper recon report."
Caroline beamed at the crew. "Since your cook is currently occupied with his courtship, why don't you all come with me? I can take you to the main settlement! We have wonderful tea and the best cakes in the Grand Line!"
"Cakes?!" Luffy and Chopper perked up instantly.
"Lead the way, Caroline!" Luffy laughed.
The Straw Hats followed the cheerful Okama away from the ridge, leaving the distant, agonizing screams of their cook behind them in the valley.
As they walked along a wide, paved road made of pink cobblestones, the environment grew more civilized. They passed fields of strangely shaped pink crops, and eventually, the towering, flamboyant architecture of the Kamabakka Kingdom's main castle came into view.
"This place is certainly... unique," Vivi noted, looking around at the vibrant decorations. "Is it always this lively?"
"Oh, always!" Caroline smiled, walking with a dramatic sashay. "Kamabakka Kingdom is the second island of dreams! A place where anyone can be exactly who they want to be, free from the judgments of the outside world!"
Chopper trotted up beside Caroline, his medical curiosity piquing. "Excuse me, Caroline-san! What is the specialty of this island? I mean, besides the pink trees. Does it have rare medicines?"
"Medicine?" Caroline chuckled. "Well, little reindeer, our specialty is a form of medicine, in a way. The true treasure of the Momoiro Kingdom is our food!"
"Food?" Luffy drooled immediately.
"Not just any food," Caroline clarified, raising a finger. "It is the legendary Attack Cuisine."
Ben raised an eyebrow. He knew about Attack Cuisine, but he let the Okama explain.
"Our beloved Queen, Emporio Ivankov—who is currently away on important business, unfortunately—perfected the art of Attack Cuisine," Caroline explained proudly. "It is a culinary discipline consisting of 99 Vitality Recipes. These recipes aren't just for filling the stomach. They are designed to attack the body's weaknesses from the inside out."
"Attack the weaknesses?" Vivi asked, fascinated.
"Exactly!" Caroline nodded. "When prepared correctly, Attack Cuisine physically alters the consumer's biology. It builds muscle mass, rapidly heals fatigue, purifies the blood, and increases raw physical strength permanently. It is the secret behind the boundless energy and power of the Newkama!"
The crew stopped walking.
Zoro's eyes narrowed. Luffy stopped drooling. Ben adjusted his glasses.
"Food that permanently increases physical strength and heals fatigue?" Ben asked, his tactical mind instantly seeing the immense value. "That is essentially a biological upgrade system disguised as a meal."
"If Sanji learned those recipes..." Usopp muttered, doing the math. "We would be eating power-ups for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
"Our stamina would double," Zoro noted, gripping his swords. "The Time Chamber training would be twice as effective if our recovery time was cut in half."
"Caroline-san," Vivi asked, her voice firm and respectful. "Is it possible for outsiders to learn the 99 Vitality Recipes of Attack Cuisine?"
Caroline stopped walking. The cheerful, flamboyant demeanor faded slightly, replaced by the serious aura of a seasoned martial artist.
"It is possible," Caroline said, turning to face the princess. "But it is not freely given. The 99 recipes are the sacred treasure of our kingdom. They are guarded closely."
"Guarded by who?" Luffy asked, cracking his knuckles.
"To obtain the recipes," Caroline explained, pointing toward the massive pink castle in the distance. "An outsider must defeat the 99 Masters of Newkama Kenpo. Each master holds one recipe. You must fight them, one by one, and prove your strength and your spirit. If you lose, you leave with nothing."
Caroline smirked, striking a martial arts pose. "And let me tell you, candies. The masters of Newkama Kenpo are not to be taken lightly. We hit as hard as battleships, and we dance like swans!"
Vivi didn't flinch. She didn't look back at Ben or Luffy for permission. She gripped the shaft of her Vibranium spear tightly.
"I am ready," Vivi declared, her voice ringing with absolute confidence. The golden aura of the Simurgh flickered briefly in her eyes. "I will fight the 99 masters. I will win those recipes for my crew."
"Vivi..." Nami smiled, proud of her friend's resolve.
"Gebababa! A true warrior spirit!" Dory laughed.
"Are you sure, Princess?" Ben asked quietly, stepping up beside her. "Newkama Kenpo is no joke. They use high-level martial arts."
"I'm sure, Ben," Vivi nodded. "I spent fourteen months surviving Garp's training. I learned how to read intent, and I learned how to take a hit. I won't lose."
Caroline clapped their hands together in delight. "Oh, how brave! A beautiful maiden challenging the 99 Masters! Very well! Follow me to the dojo! We shall set up the gauntlet immediately!"
As the crew followed Caroline enthusiastically toward the castle, ready to cheer Vivi on in her gauntlet, the quiet ambiance of the pink forest was momentarily broken.
From the distant valley, drifting faintly on the wind, came the unmistakable, agonizing, tear-soaked voice of the ship's cook.
"PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU! JUST LET ME GO! I LIKE WOMEN! REAL WOMEN! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Zoro smirked, placing his hands behind his head as he walked. "Sounds like he's making a lot of friends."
"I'm sure he's fine," Ben chuckled, leading the way to the dojo. "He'll figure it out eventually."
While the Straw Hats prepared for a martial arts tournament to secure the ultimate culinary power-up, Sanji was currently sprinting for his life, desperately fighting off a horde of aggressive suitors in frilly skirts, unwittingly undergoing his own unique, terrifying brand of high-speed stamina training.