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'What have I gotten myself into this time?'

"So brother was stuck in this cramped fourth-rate bakery all night?" The blonde examined the bakery.

Tall... the guy was just tall. He had a shaved head but his short blond hair was still visible along with his blonde moustache. His face was hard and he wore a dark blue coat with a yellow cape.

'Cramped? Fourth rate?'

"It's pretty basic compared to our partners" the orange clover folded his arms "Why was he getting so worked up about it?"

This man was covered in muscles and like his companions towered over you like you were nothing. His hair was parted into three sections with an orange gradient from his root hairs to ends. He had an orange beard and wore nothing but capris, gloves, and a high-collared cape.

'Basic?!'

"Shihihihi I thought the same thing too big brother!" Brûlée, the only face you recognized, cackled. "And she's exactly the same"

'EXCUSE ME!? No calm down... deal with this professionally... you're not a child (y/n)'

"First of all My name is (Y/n) not 'she', secondly I'd like to kindly remind you that you're the ones who were spying on my cramped fourth-rate bakery, run by a basic girl. So I must ask, what does that make you?" You smiled sweetly.

'There goes my professionalism' you internally faced palmed.

"WHAT WAS THAT YOU LITTLE WAGH!"

"AGH!"

"AHH!"

Brûlée, blondie and burnt clover winced as the thin man in the black candy button jacket hit them with his candy looking staff. He was much slimmer than his associates and displayed a much higher sense of maturity, for someone who was spying on you. His tongue dangled against his pink stained lips as he analyzed you.

"Forgive my siblings, they tend to forget their manners. Pero-lick" Candyman sighed.

'He seems to have some sort of decency about him' You eyed him suspiciously but gave a small nod of understanding.

"Could you please explain why a bunch of grown men and women were spying on my bakery in the middle of the day?" you inquired.

Trying your best to not sound completely terrified by the giant people surrounding you was difficult. They were all so intimidating. You felt like a lamb surrounded by lions. It was a struggle not to fiddle with your (h/t) hair.

"You don't know who we are?" The blonde raised a brow.

"I mean, I've only met Brûlée before" you muttered "I'm guessing you're Katakuri's siblings so that you're members of the big mom pirates, but that's about all I know"

"I told you she's as dense as a-!" Brûlée began

"Quiet Brûlée! Your remarks are getting us nowhere" Candyman chided. "My name is Perospero, first son of big mom and Minister of Candy" he informed you with a hand on his chest as if waiting for your applause.

'So he's Katakuri's older brother?... He's smaller than I expected...' you stared at him. 'And why does he keep licking the staff?... is he hungry?'

"This is Daifuku, 3rd son of big mom and the Minister of Beans." Perospero continued gesturing to the blonde who simply glared at you. "You've already met Brûlée, and this is-!"

"DELICIOUS!" a voice boomed.

Burnt Clover head was happily munching on a handful of sweet pan de chocolate's that you'd left on display in case the boys popped by. His eyes sparkled with delight as he gladly helped himself to more, effectively finishing what was left.

'What the hell!'

"H-Hey!" You shouted as you started to realize what he was doing "Who told you, you could-!?"

"How did you manage to get this buttery crispness?" He interrupted you, bending down as he shoving his face into your own.

"I ...uh ...what?" You stumbled back from the sudden closeness.

"The texture!" He repeated as though it were obvious "how did you get it like that!?"

"Well I oven baked them of course" you answered.

"I oven bake all the time and they never turn out like this good!" He declared. "What are you doing differently?"

'Differently?...'

"There's nothing different about it. After I make the dough I make sure they're cold before going into the oven" you explained.

"You cool it beforehand? wouldn't that stunt the baking process?" he scratched his orange beard in contemplation.

"That's why you have to rotate them while they're baking" you smiled.

"Rotation? As in spinning the dough in the oven as it bakes? But wouldn't that cause the dough to be lumpy in certain areas?" He gave a quizzical look.

"That's the hard part!" You beamed, completely absorbed in the topic, and forgetting the circumstance that you were in. "The trick is turning it at the right speed and maintaining it until it's fully baked. Thankfully we have some very skilled craftsmen on the island who designed my oven specifically for these circumstances"

"Incredible..." He breathed, his previously doubtful face lit up with excitement "Absolutely incredible!" He praised.

'Isn't that how everybody does it?' you thought to yourself.

"Thank you?" you flushed from the praise even though you were completely unaware as to what he was praising you for. "Ah! But that still doesn't excuse the fact you just took it without permission!" You scolded.

All four of them seemed surprised at your confidence and readiness to lecture them. It was obvious that you were in no position to do so. Everyone was still, that was until a snicker was heard from the Candyman, which was then followed by full blown laughter from fire beard, next to you.

"It's good to know that there are others capable of doing my job, in keeping you in check" Perospero snickered. "But you're so small it's so hard to take you seriously"

"I like her!" the burnt clover cheerfully declared to his siblings. "I can see why Big brother Katakuri likes her too!"

"Wh-What!?" You gawked.

'I think there was something in the food, he's had a complete change of heart'

"I agree" Perospero chuckled to himself. "She's a far cry from what I was expecting. I bet you'd make a lovely candy pero-lick" he smiled sadistically as he licked his staff. "Very sweet indeed"

"Pardon!?" You squeaked.

'I stand corrected, I think there is something in the air, he's had a change of heart too' chills travelled down your spine.

Daifuku and Brulee had astonished looks on their faces. Neither expecting this outcome at all. Of course neither were you, and it was showing on your face. You were as red as a tomato unable to process a proper sentence.

"I can't believe it... There must be something wrong!" She concluded before rushing back into the mirror.

'Wait!? Don't you need her!?' you panicked.

"My name is Oven" Oven grinned, totally ignoring the fact that his sister just ran into the mirror cause she thought he was sick. "I'm the fourth son of the big mom and the Minister of Baking! You have a true gift with baked goods. I never even considered that method of baking" He marveled.

"It's really nice to meet you but it still doesn't excuse you eating my food without permission" you sighed as you crossed your arms over your chest, which only encouraged more laughter.

"Hey! Oven! Perospero! We didn't come here to make friends with her!" Daifuku gritted his teeth

"Daifuku" Perospero affirmed a sense of warning in his tone.

"Don't you remember the trouble Katakuri went through" Daifuku continued

"..." Oven became quiet as a frown formed on his once jolly face.

"And it was all because of her!" he jabbed his finger at you

"Daifuku!" Perospero slammed his candy staff on the ground, but it was already too late, the damage had been done.

"What are you talking about? Is Kata in trouble because of me?" your breath hitched.

"Kata?" Daifuku raised a brow.

"Yes, Kata! You're brother! The nice guy who sat and ate doughnuts with me! Is he alright? He's not hurt, is he? What happened?"

"Wait! Wait! Wait! You ate doughnuts with big brother Katakuri?" Daifuku exclaimed, "That's impossible!"

"Well it's not impossible because it happ-" you started

"But that means you would've seen him without his scarf" Daifuku interrupted.

"Well I did, but-!" You attempted.

"And you're still alive?" Oven jumped in

'Do I look dead to you?' you frowned, irritated at always being interrupted without any knowledge of what had happened to your friend.

"Yes, I'm alive, and yes I ate with doughnuts with Katakuri! Why are you all making such a big deal out of such an insignificant thing! Shouldn't you be more concerned about Kata!? Because that's all I care about right more! Is he ok!? Can someone please explain what's going on"

Tension and doubt rested heavily in the room. Everyone seemed to be on edge. Perospero sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Candy girl" he looked you dead in the eyes "We came here today because we wanted to see what Katakuri was fighting so hard against Mama for. He's always been efficient and never lost a battle or failed a mission once, but when he came back to whole cake without the well-praised baker in tow, he was risking his life."

'His... life?' Your heart dropped to the soles of your feet.

"Mama was furious at the fact that you'd turned her down and was probably gonna wipe out the island, but Katakuri begged and pleaded with mama on your behalf." Oven clenched his fists "He managed to reason with her but she still took ten years from his life, doubled his workload, and still requested an audience with you."

"I can only assume he was gonna ask you about it when he did picked up the delivery, but the chances are he wouldn't give you the details" Perospero added with a sigh.

"Katakuri is the pride of our family, so to see him pleading pathetically for a nobody like you!" Daifuku growled.

Your mind was so blank you didn't even realise your instincts had taken over.

"When can I meet Big Mom?"

The tension in the room increased by a ton. Each brother looked at you as if you'd gone mad. This was debatable, because at this point even you were surprised at the words that were coming out of your mouth.

"Hey (Y/n)! Didn't you just hear what we said?" Oven rumbled "She took life from Katakuri, her own son! why would-?"

"Candy girl, I would advise against whatever you're thinking" Perospero gave you a serious look. "Mama isn't the forgiving type pero-lick. To make her upset would be suicide."

Your body remained still despite the fact different emotions were wrestling around inside of you. Sadness and anger swirled around in your stomach at the idea that someone had been hurt on your behalf without you even being aware. Concern lingered in the back of your throat threatening you with one wrong word, all your worries would be voiced. Fear loomed over you liked the shadows of your past. Your tears started to materialise but you weren't going to cry. Not at a time like this.

"I just want to talk with her, isn't that what she wanted?" You confirmed. "So when can I meet her?"

It was getting easier to pronounce the words as the reasons behind it sank into your head. Your quiet demeanour was unsettling to the men in the room. It was like you didn't realize you were addressing a Yonko of the sea. But at the same time you seemed very knowledgeable of your circumstance and that was even more unsettling.

"I'M SORRY BIG BROTHER BUT I COULDN'T REFUSE THEM!" the mirror shrieked steaming everyone's attention.

Once again the mirror's reflection began to distort and its surface started to ripple as a sobbing brûlée was slowly carried in by a familiar face. He glanced around the bakery and his eyes became cold from the scene before him.

"What the hell is going on here?" His cool deep voice resonated behind his scarf.

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