@Icefae:
Chopper MVP for giving Luffy a cool towel thing for his farewell to Jinbei.
Maybe Big Mom wouldn't let them go, but I feel like there should be some acknowledgement that the Straw Hats had an opportunity to kill her and didn't, and also that Sanji's cake deliberately saved the day (and Germa). I mean, them leaving Germa behind defies the whole purpose of them staying on Totland anyway, right? It at least sort of justifies the slow padding for time while the cake was being made. It would be kinda cool to see BM try and fail to steal Luffy's soul. Either way, a final confrontation with BM seems inevitable, and I can't think of anyone else left who can save them.
I don't understand why people keep framing it as them leaving them behind. The context is different. Sanji saved them earlier because they were about to be betrayed by the BM Pirates while they were defenseless. That was successful. Since they were saved, they repaid their debts to the Straw Hats by coming to Cacao Island, and even that was under the guise of wanting to enact revenge upon on the BM Pirates first and foremost. So the Straw Hats saved them, and Germa saved them back. They are now good. As for the siblings in particular, they pretty much told him to leave as well, with Reiju even having a flashback over it. As for Judge, Luffy already told him goodbye as well.
This does not mean that now the Straw Hats have to now watch over Germa until they've escaped as well. They don't even want that to begin with, made clear in Ch. 870 where they stated that they don't want to be indebted to Sanji of all people. Additionally, it was their choice to come here. They have their suits back, their fleet, the element of surprise, and made the choice to attack the BM Pirates.
Lastly, the Straw Hats can barely protect themselves right now, especially while they're at sea. They even left behind both Jinbe and the Sun Pirates, and Luffy actually wanted to help them. But he can't, because he's injured, and even then, they just don't have the time or strength necessary to get the job done, and that's not even factoring in Big Mom potentially making it there before the Straw Hats leave. So when I read that people are taking offense at the idea of the Straw Hats keeping it moving (despite not being obligated to help), they seem to be implying that they want them to essentially fight all of BM's fleet, which is of course unrealistic. Because I don't know what else exactly people expect the Straw Hats to realistically do here. Hell, out at sea, Germa poses far more of an actual threat to BM's fleet, yet weirdly people believe that they need to be saved by the Straw Hats. I don't get it. I will say that obviously threats like Snack need to be dealt with somehow, but Sanji isn't going to suddenly trivialize all the effort put into helping them escape by going to go help Judge or anything. Oda will definitely do something else here.
While I don't feel that they need to go back for them, I do feel that the fact that we went through all of this trouble for them straight up gives them plot armor for this arc, so I don't see them being captured, much less dying. Right now they're technically linked to the Sun Pirates, as they are both groups that aided the Straw Hats escape. So I actually wouldn't be all that surprised if Oda left it ambiguous for them as well regarding how they escape. That said, I do expect Snack to be dealt with next chapter somehow.
As for Big Mom stealing Luffy's soul, no point, not that it would happen anyways. Because, well, we already did that with Jinbe. She tries to steal his soul, didn't work because he doesn't fear her, etc. etc. No point in repeating that with the even more fearless Luffy. Neither do I necessarily agree with a final confrontation being "inevitable". On one hand, yes, Big Mom is speeding towards them, and that has many spooked, taking it as a given that she'll show up in time. But on the other hand, Chiffon did go to Puffs Island for the sole purpose of ensuring Big Mom will not make it in time once she recovered from the cake, so I dunno, honestly either option could happen IMO.