CHAPTER 6: THE WAX HOUSE AND THE UNLUCKY PHONE CALL

The walk back through the oversized fern trees was a lot slower than the walk in. Leo was practically dragging his left leg by now. The mud didn't help either, it just sucked at his boots with every step. Luffy was ahead, balancing on a fallen log that was thicker than a city bus, humming some weird song he made up about meat and dinosaurs.

"Hey, Leo," Luffy said, not turning around. He almost slipped on a patch of wet moss but caught himself with his rubbery toes. "Are there any more giants on the next island? I want a giant cook. Sanji's too small."

"Sanji would kick you into the ocean if he heard you say that," Leo said, pausing to catch his breath. He leaned his back against a massive green stalk that felt like damp leather. He reached down and checked the strap on his boot. It was slipping. He gave it three quick, sharp tugs—click, click, click—until the metal buckle locked back into place. That felt better. "And no, the next place is mostly just snow. Really cold snow. And a very angry king who eats houses."

Luffy stopped balancing and looked back, his eyes wide. "He eats houses?! Is he a big house-eating guy? Does he taste like stone?"

"He's just an idiot with a weird devil fruit," Leo muttered, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "Don't worry about him yet."

Zoro was walking behind them, his arms crossed over his chest, his three swords clicking together with a soft rhythm. He looked bored. "The candle guy was weak. His walls were hard, but he ran fast enough when the tree broke."

"He's a coward," Leo agreed. "He only fights when he can freeze people first. If you don't let him start his wax machine, he's nothing."

They reached the edge of the clearing where Sanji had disappeared earlier. The jungle here was a little different. The regular giant trees stopped, and instead, there were hundreds of weird, twisting vines that looked like frozen snakes. And right in the middle of it, sitting on a patch of gray rock, was a house that looked like a giant birthday cake. It was made entirely of white wax, with fake little windows and a front door that didn't have a handle.

Sanji was already there. He was standing near the front wall, his leg raised up high. 

*BAM!*

His boot smashed right through the wax wall, leaving a massive hole that smelled like burning fat. The white material didn't shatter; it just sort of melted and bent under the force of the kick. 

"Hey, cook! Find anything?" Zoro called out, walking up to the hole.

Sanji pulled his leg out and adjusted his wet tie, looking inside the dark interior. "It's empty. Just some fancy chairs made of wax and a table. But there's a weird den-den mushi on the desk. It's purple."

Leo's ears pricked up. *The purple snail.* That was the direct line to Crocodile, the boss of Baroque Works. In the original timeline, Sanji pretends to be Mr. 3 and convinces the boss that the Straw Hats are dead. 

"Don't touch the snail yet!" Leo shouted, limping through the hole Sanji made. The inside of the house was surprisingly cool, like a basement. The floor was smooth white wax, and it felt a bit slippery under his boots. "Let me check the desk first."

"Why do you get to check it?" Sanji grumbled, blowing a ring of cigarette smoke toward the ceiling. "I'm the one who found the place. And I'm looking for the compass. The lady princess is still crying back on the ship because she thinks we're trapped here for twelve months."

"The compass is in the top drawer," Leo said, pointing at a small wax cabinet near the corner. "The drawer has a false bottom. Just press the little flower shape on the side."

Sanji looked at Leo like he had two heads, but he walked over to the cabinet anyway. He pulled the drawer open. It looked empty. He felt around the side, his fingers clicking against a hidden latch. *Click.* A small wooden panel popped up, and there it was—a perfect, glass-enclosed Eternal Pose with the word *Alabasta* written on the brass rim in neat black letters.

"Well, look at that," Sanji said, his voice dropping into that smooth, satisfied tone he used whenever things went his way. He held the glass ball up to the dim light. "The kid actually knows his stuff. Nami-swan is going to kiss me for this."

"She's probably going to take it and lock it in her orange box," Zoro muttered from the door, his shoulder leaning against the wax frame. "She doesn't give out kisses for free."

"Shut up, moss-head! You don't understand the heart of a lady!" Sanji snapped, stuffing the compass safely into his inner suit pocket.

Luffy didn't care about the compass. He was currently trying to eat a wax candle that was shaped like a small pig, sitting on a side table. "Argh! This tastes like soap! Leo, why did you say this was a cake house? It's a lie house!"

"I said it *looked* like a cake, Luffy. Don't eat the furniture," Leo sighed. He walked over to the main desk. 

The snail was sitting right in the center of the dark wood. It was a large, heavy den-den mushi with a purple shell and a little golden receiver resting on its back. The snail looked half-asleep, its little eyes drooping on their stalks. But suddenly, the little shell started vibrating. 

*Purupurupurupuru...*

The sound was loud inside the quiet wax room. The snail's eyes snapped open, its little mouth widening as it started to mimic a ringtone. 

*Purupurupurupuru...*

Luffy dropped his half-chewed wax pig. "Hey! The bug is making noise! Is it gonna explode?!"

"No," Leo said, his hand hovering over the golden receiver. He looked back at Sanji. "Sanji, come here. You need to answer this. But you have to sound like the candle guy. Use a really annoying, high voice. And call him 'Boss'."

Sanji blinked, his cigarette tilting down. "Why me? You're the one who knows everything."

"Because if I do it, I'll mess up the accent," Leo said quickly. "Mr. 3 has a very specific way of talking. He sounds like he thinks he's better than everyone else. Just pretend you're a waiter at a really expensive restaurant where the food is terrible."

Sanji grunted, but he walked over and grabbed the golden receiver off the snail's back. The moment he lifted it, the snail's face changed. Its skin turned dark gray, its eyes narrowed into sharp, cruel slits, and a small painted cigar appeared near its mouth. The snail was perfectly mimicking the face of Crocodile, thousands of miles away in Rainbase.

"Mr. 3," a deep, raspy voice came out of the snail's shell. It sounded like rocks grinding together under water. "I assume the business with the Straw Hats and the princess is finished."

Sanji took a quick breath, his face going tight. He shifted his posture, leaning one hand on his hip. When he spoke, his voice was totally different—higher, squeakier, and full of fake pride. "Ah, yes! Of course, Boss! It is I, Mr. 3! The strategic genius! The operation was a complete success, baby!"

Zoro made a small choking sound near the door. Sanji glared at him but kept his voice steady.

"Did you eliminate them all?" the deep voice asked. The snail didn't move, just sat there with that cold, lazy stare. "The princess as well?"

"Every single one of them, Boss!" Sanji squeaked, waving his free hand around like a theater actor. "They were no match for my beautiful wax art! They are currently sitting in the jungle, turned into very lovely, permanent statues. They won't be causing any more trouble for Baroque Works!"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. The only sound in the wax house was the steady hum of the jungle insects outside. Leo held his breath. He knew what was coming next—the Unlucky pair, Mr. 13 and Miss Friday, were supposed to show up with their little notepad to check on the mission.

"Good," Crocodile's voice finally came through the snail. "The Marines have been sniffing around the desert lately, and I don't need any distractions. I'm sending a ship to the regular meeting point near the coast. Pack up your things and return to Alabasta immediately."

"Understood, Boss! I shall fly like the wind!" Sanji said, his fake voice sounding incredibly eager. 

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the hole in the wall. 

Leo spun around. Standing on the gray rock just outside the house was a small, brown sea otter wearing a neat little dark blue coat and a yellow scarf. Next to him was a giant black vulture with a pilot's hat goggles strapped to its head. The Unlucky pair. 

The otter was holding a small leather notebook and a pen. His tiny black eyes looked into the house, locked onto Sanji holding the receiver, then shifted to Luffy who was still holding the wax pig, and finally to Zoro who was already reaching for his sword.

"Uh oh," Leo whispered.

The otter didn't scream. He just quickly opened his notebook, his little paws moving like a machine gun as he drew a perfect, detailed picture of Sanji's face, Luffy's face, and Zoro's face in less than two seconds. 

"Hey! A bird with glasses!" Luffy yelled, pointing at the vulture. "Let's catch it and eat it!"

The vulture let out a sharp *SCREECH*, its giant wings flapping as it grabbed the otter by his coat collar. They rose up into the air, trying to escape over the high fern trees before anyone could stop them.

"They're going to report us!" Leo shouted. "If those drawings get to the boss, the whole trick is ruined!"

Sanji didn't even drop the phone receiver. He just spun around on his left heel, his right leg snapping out through the open hole like a whip. 

"Concassé!" 

The shockwave from his kick didn't hit the animals directly, but the sheer force of the air pressure caught the vulture's tail feathers. The giant bird wobbled in mid-air, losing its balance. The little otter dropped his notebook, the small leather book falling straight down through the trees and landing with a soft *plop* right into a deep puddle of black jungle mud.

Zoro was already out the door. He didn't use his swords; he just jumped up, grabbed a low-hanging vine, and swung himself upward like a green monkey. He caught the vulture by its thick legs, dragging the giant bird and the otter back down to the ground with a heavy *thump*.

"Got 'em," Zoro grunted, sitting on the vulture's back while holding the otter by its yellow scarf. The otter looked completely terrified, its little paws shaking.

Sanji looked down at the receiver in his hand. The snail's face was twisting, its little eyebrows drawing together. "Mr. 3? What was that noise? Did I hear a bird?"

Sanji quickly brought the receiver back to his mouth, his high voice returning instantly. "Ah! No! Nothing, Boss! Just... a giant prehistoric lizard tried to bite my wax cake! I just kicked it into the river! Everything is totally fine, baby!"

"Don't fail me, Mr. 3," Crocodile said, his voice dropping an octave, becoming incredibly cold. "You know what happens to agents who lie to me."

The line went dead. The snail's eyes rolled back, its skin turning back to its normal light pink color as it went to sleep.

Sanji let out a massive breath, his shoulders dropping as his real voice came back. "Man, that guy has a creepy voice. I feel like I need a bath just from talking to him."

"You did good, Sanji," Leo said, walking out of the wax house into the sticky jungle heat. His ankle was throbbing a little from the sudden movement, but the panic was over. He walked over to the mud puddle and picked up the otter's notebook. The pages were wet, but the drawings of their faces were still visible. Leo ripped the page out, tore it into tiny pieces, and stuffed them into his pocket. "The boss still thinks we're dead. That buys us at least three or four days of clean sailing."

Luffy walked over to Zoro, poked the giant vulture's beak with his finger, and looked disappointed. "It's too skinny. Not enough meat on the wings. Let's go back to the boat, I'm hungry for real food."

"What do we do with these two?" Zoro asked, lifting the shaking otter by its tail.

"Just tie them up and leave them with the giants," Leo said. "Brogy said he wanted some pets anyway. They can help him clean the camp."

The walk back to the Going Merry was much brighter now that they had the Eternal Pose. When they finally broke through the tree line and saw the ship floating in the river, Nami was pacing up and down the deck, her hair tied back in a messy ponytail. Vivi was sitting near the mast, her face still pale.

"You're back!" Nami screamed, leaning over the railing as they approached the mud bank. "Did you find anything? Tell me we aren't staying here for a year! I just saw a bug the size of my torso fly past the kitchen!"

Sanji leaped from the mud, landing perfectly on the deck with a theatrical bow. He reached into his suit coat and pulled out the glass ball, holding it up like a precious diamond. "For you, my beautiful Nami-swan! A direct path to the desert! No waiting, no years of lizards, just pure love and navigation!"

Nami grabbed the glass ball out of his hand so fast her fingers were a blur. She stared at the needle, her face instantly lighting up with the most terrifyingly happy smile Leo had ever seen. "It's real! It's an Eternal Pose! We can leave right now!"

Vivi stood up, her blue eyes wide as she looked at the compass. "You... you actually got it? From the officer agents?"

"Luffy punched the candle guy into the sky, and Leo knew where the secret drawer was," Zoro said, climbing over the side and dropping his swords onto the deck with a heavy clatter. He looked exhausted. "Let's get this boat moving. The smell of this river is giving me a headache."

"Aye! Set the sails!" Luffy yelled, climbing up to his favorite spot on the front figurehead. "Next stop, the desert place! I'm gonna ride a camel!"

Leo climbed up the ladder last, his boots making that familiar heavy sound on the wood. He walked over to his favorite corner near the water barrels and sat down, letting his long legs stretch out. The ship was already moving, the ropes creaking as Sanji and Usopp pulled the white sails tight against the warm wind.

Nami was at the wheel, her face bright as she pointed the ship toward the open ocean, away from the yellow fog of Little Garden. "Goodbye, dinosaur island! I am never coming back here!"

Leo looked down at his boot, gave it three gentle taps—click, click, click—and smiled. The first major hurdle of the Grand Line was done. They had the path, they had the crew, and the boss of the Baroque Works was currently sitting in his fancy office, completely blind to the fact that a rubber boy was coming to wreck his entire life.

"Hey, Leo!" Usopp called out from the kitchen door, holding a tray of square crackers. "Sanji made some tea! Come get some before Luffy eats the whole plate!"

"Yeah, coming," Leo said, standing up with a grin. The adventure was finally getting good.