One Piece wouldn't be what it is if it hadn't shocked us repeatedly throughout its thousand episodes. A large part of these shocks were focused on the members of the Straw Hats, as they are a group that we thought wouldn't break up or go through shocking situations. But, not only did they have many such situations, but they even disbanded at one point and Luffy had to go looking for them to reunite the team. In addition, some members left individually throughout the series. This article will be dedicated to one of them, Vinsmoke Sanji, as we will tell you the story of how Sanji left and joined the Straw Hats in One Piece.

Sanji left the Straw Hats because he was blackmailed by Big Mom into marrying her daughter, Charlotte Pudding, so she could harm his family. Sanji even tried to push Luffy away, but Luffy knew Sanji and was convinced he would never betray them, which is why he helped him escape the wedding and Big Mom's captivity without any consequences. The comeback ended in episode 877 of the anime.

The rest of this article will focus on Sanji. We'll tell you the circumstances of his captivity and how he managed to escape, joining the Straw Hats. Be careful if you're not fully up-to-date with the plot, as this article will contain plenty of spoilers.

When and why did Sanji leave the Straw Hats?

At some point during the Zou Arc, Bege's crew captures Nami, Chopper, Brook, and Caesar. In his body, Bege announces that Sanji is invited to Big Mom's Tea Party. There, as the third son of the Vinsmoke family, he will be required to marry Charlotte Pudding, the 35th daughter of the Charlotte family. Sanji is stunned to learn this and explicitly refuses to marry a woman he doesn't know, but Vito, the Firetank Crew's advisor, blackmails him into agreeing, which he eventually does.

Namely, Big Mom promised that she would kill everyone Sanji came into contact with, including Zeff and the rest of the Baratie as well as Kedetrav's men, if Sanji refused to marry his daughter. This certainly forced Sanji's hand, and he was forced to reluctantly agree to Bege's request. However, after successfully freeing Nami and the others from Bege's body, he wrote a letter stating that he would return, though he didn't know when. He took Caesar Clown hostage and reminded Bege's men that his wanted poster read "Only Alive," meaning they were to keep him alive.

As Luffy later discovered through Pekoms, Sanji's marriage to Pudding would automatically lead to Sanji ceasing to be a member of the Straw Hats and becoming a member of the Big Mom Pirates. This shocked Luffy, who simply could not accept it. However, this proved false, as Big Mom's true intention was not to recruit Sanji, but to assassinate him and the entire Vinsmoke family during the wedding ceremony.

As wedding preparations were in full swing, Sanji reluctantly met with his former crewmates, Luffy and Numi, and deliberately disrespected them, trying to force them to leave and giving up on getting him back. Knowing him, Luffy didn't believe in such behavior, and after seeing Sanji's insincerity, he finally managed to help him escape without consequences. Here's how it all went down.

When and how did Sanji join the crew?

After discovering Big Mom's true intentions, Sanji decided to devise a plan to save his family and escape Big Mom's captivity, which included baking a fake cake that wouldn't harm anyone. Although they encountered some problems along the way, Sanji and his allies managed to bake the cake, after which Sanji went to reunite with his friends on the Thousand Sunny because—as he told the "evil" Pudding—they believed in him.

As they approach the Thousand Sunny, Bege promises Sanji not to touch the cake before giving it to Big Mom. Deciding to trust Bege's words, Sanji leaves the cake to him and continues. Pudding then takes Sanji back to the Thousand Sunny riding on Rabian's back, while Sanji hides in its folds. Back at the Sunny, Sanji is embraced by Nami and Brook.

As they head to Cocoa Island to retrieve Luffy, Sanji reveals that the Big Mom Pirates know their meeting point. After revealing this, Sanji takes Pudding as they both depart for Cocoa Island to meet Luffy. As she rides Rabian, Sanji thanks Pudding for her help, to which she reacts appropriately. Sanji vows that he will save Luffy.

Once on Cocoa Island, Sanji and Pudding hide as they see the Big Mom Pirates' forces gathering. Sanji tells Pudding that they will separate when Luffy returns and tells her that he is happy that she is his wife, and Pudding becomes emotional. Before they finish their conversation, Pudding makes one last request to the cook, who then leaps onto his neck to kiss him sincerely and then erases this memory with her Devil Fruit.

A few minutes before the rendezvous time, Sanji contacts the Thousand Sunny crew and warns them not to get too close to the fleet waiting on the shore, adding that he will take Luffy and return to the ship once this is all done. After Pekoms leaves the Mirro-World with him and Brûlée captive, Sanji sees Luffy and then warns the Thousand Sunny group.

When Raisin attempts to attack Luffy as he tries to run towards the nearby buildings, Sanji pushes Raisin away and grabs Luffy. Sanji then attempts to escape through the air with Luffy, but they are crushed to the ground by Charlotte Yuen. The arrival of the Germa 66 ultimately saves them. As Sanji's siblings shield him from bullets, they tell Sanji that he should escape with Luffy. Sanji then orders the Sunny's passengers to sail as fast as possible to the port.

After Sanji defeats several Big Mom Pirates, Oven attempts to attack him and Luffy. Ichiji pushes Oven away, and Sanji flees into the air. Right after, Yuen attempts to attack Sanji again, but Yonji intervenes. Several snipers then attempt to attack and shoot Sanji, and one of them fires a missile, but Niji catches Sanji before he is caught in the blast. Niji, holding Luffy and Sanji simultaneously, then moves at high speed and defeats several enemies with his sword.

Niji then sends Sanji and Luffy towards their ship, the Thousand Sunny. As the Sunny's crew passes the harbor, Sanji tells Luffy that their ship is an easy target. The two return to the Sunny, but are surrounded by Charlotte Smoothie's fleet until Vinsmoke Judge arrives to help them. As the Sunny passes Judge's castle, Sanji listens as Judge asks Luffy why he risked his life to save his son.

Sunny's group then sees the enemy ships approaching, and Sanji defends Carrot from Daifuku's genius. As the situation escalates, they are surprised when Wadatsumi appears and attacks the enemy. The Sun Pirates are then able to create a passage for the Thousand Sunny. But despite all their efforts, the Thousand Sunny is stopped and attacked by the Queen Mama Chanter, Big Mom's main ship.

Wadatsumi manages to save the Sunny by swapping the Sun Pirates' ship with the Sunny, hiding the latter in his mouth. Wadatsumi attempts to swim away, but Oven attacks him with his heat waves, forcing Wadatsumi to spit the Sunny out of his mouth. As he watches the Sun Pirates fend off the Big Mom Pirates, Jinbe decides to stay behind to help them, and Luffy accepts the decision.

After Jinbe joins his former crewmates in battle, Sunny's group leaves Cacao Island. As they approach the borders of the Totto Land archipelago, Sanji recalls his encounter with Pedro, learns of his death, and feels guilty. Carrot then arrives to comfort him, saying that it was Pedro's choice and that without him, the losses could have been much greater. She then begins to cry and asks Sanji to simply thank him. Sanji then offers to prepare a meal, which excites the crew. Much like Zeff, Sanji says that he will never fail to feed those in need.