Meanwhile.
Stepping out of the corridor of the Ordeal of Iron, Sanji and Robin arrived at a clearing.
Surrounded by giant trees, the clearing was littered with collapsed, moss-covered ruins, and the ground was a tangled mess of twisting tree roots.
"This looks like some kind of ruin. It seems to have been abandoned for many years," Sanji remarked casually after glancing around.
Robin walked over to a collapsed wall, crouched down, and gently brushed the dust off the stones. After observing for a moment, she stood up and said, "These ruins have been in this state for hundreds of years. Judging by the architectural style, this should be the remnants of the Shandians who lived on this land four hundred years ago."
"Furthermore, it doesn't look like the result of a natural disaster. It looks more like it was destroyed in a war. A battle must have broken out here after the island was blasted into the sky four hundred years ago," Robin concluded after surveying the vicinity.
Hearing this, Sanji couldn't help but be amazed. "You can figure out all that information just by looking at these stones?"
"This is a basic skill for an archaeologist. Stones can speak too; they just need to be interpreted with knowledge," Robin said with a smile.
Sanji was taken aback for a moment before sighing in admiration. "So Miss Robin is an archaeologist... Interpreting the voices of stones, huh? That's truly amazing."
Robin simply offered a gentle smile in response to his praise, then turned her gaze into the distance.
A Giant Jack pierced straight into the clouds, and faint sounds of a struggle echoed from the ruins beneath it.
"According to what that Divine Militia member said, there should be a Priest here. It seems someone beat us to it."
Sanji stared into the distance and said, "If there's anyone on this island who would be fighting a Priest right now, it has to be them."
With that, the two set off toward the commotion.
...
Passing through the ancient, crumbling walls, Sanji and Robin arrived near the Giant Jack and finally caught sight of the figures engaged in a fierce battle below.
"Roronoa, the princess of Alabasta, and..."
Having recognized the two, Robin looked toward their opponents.
It was a bald man wearing thin sunglasses, constantly brandishing a cloud sword that could stretch and change shape. Beside him was a massive dog, two stories tall, walking upright like a human.
'That must be the so-called Priest,' Robin deduced inwardly.
Sanji, on the other hand, immediately grew excited the moment he saw Vivi. But when his eyes landed on Zoro, his smile instantly vanished, replaced by a look of utter disgust.
"Tch, why is it this guy again? What rotten luck, running into him here of all places."
With that, Sanji leaped down toward the battlefield. Despite his verbal complaints, he was still ready to lend a hand.
Of course, he wasn't going to help Zoro.
The Priest was locked in a heated battle with Zoro, while the bizarrely postured giant dog relentlessly pursued and attacked Vivi under the Priest's command.
Such a cute girl! To be treated like this right in front of him—how could he, as a knight, tolerate such a thing?!
"Today I'll teach you the proper etiquette for dealing with humans! Face my wrath, you beast!"
Sanji's eyes blazed with fury. His legs pumped in a blur as he sprinted at top speed toward Vivi's location.
Noticing the commotion, Zoro instinctively turned his head mid-battle. The moment he saw Sanji, his face darkened.
"Tch! Why is it this curly-browed bastard again!"
Zoro couldn't help but curse under his breath, his disdain completely undisguised. However, he didn't say anything more; he truly couldn't break away to help Vivi right now.
That giant dog was not only agile but also possessed absurd, monstrous strength and martial arts skills that it had somehow been trained to use. Facing it, Vivi could only fight while fleeing to stall for time.
However, Zoro was already struggling just to deal with the Priest and had no way to extricate himself in the short term.
Although he was a bit reluctant, he had no choice but to owe that curly-brow a favor this time. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be able to focus on his own fight.
Turning back, Zoro stared grimly at the Priest, Ohm, and the cloud sword in his hand.
"What the hell is up with that weird sword? It's bad enough that it can stretch and change shape, but it's also as hard as iron," Zoro muttered darkly around the Wado Ichimonji clenched in his teeth.
If it were just the sword, it would be manageable. The real problem was that his opponent could perfectly predict his defenses, dodges, and even his attacks every single time. That ability was far more troublesome than the bizarre sword.
'I think it's called Mantra...?'
'Regardless, it's a very tricky ability,' Zoro thought grimly. He eyed his opponent warily, tightened his grip on his swords, and quickly dashed forward to launch another attack.
Meanwhile.
The bipedal giant dog assumed a fighting stance and threw a ferocious straight punch. Vivi's pupils shrank in shock, and she hastily dove to the side to dodge the attack.
Boom!
A ruined wall at her previous position was instantly pulverized, sending rubble flying everywhere.
Sprawled on the ground, Vivi cast a panicked glance over her shoulder while scrambling back to her feet, not daring to pause for even a second.
The giant dog turned its head, glaring angrily at the fleeing Vivi. It took a step forward, clenched its paw into a fist, raised it high, and slammed it down!
"Knight Rescuing the Princess Flying Kick!"
Bang!
In the nick of time, Sanji bolted in front of the giant dog like a bolt of yellow lightning, furiously kicking its paw away with a flying strike!
"Sanji...?!"
Seeing his figure, Vivi's face registered absolute astonishment, while her eyes simultaneously revealed the relief and excitement of being saved.
In mid-air, Sanji's flowing blond hair covered half his face. The corner of his mouth, gripping a cigarette, curled up slightly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Your Highness."
At this moment, Sanji felt he must look incredibly cool.
Vivi certainly thought so too, but her eyes also held a trace of panic, because the giant dog's other fist was already crashing down.
"Watch out, Sanji!"
Bang!
The giant dog's fist slammed down swiftly, only to be kicked away once more by an explosive volley. Using the momentum, Sanji landed back on the ground, offering a cool, aloof smile as he stared it down.
"Too bad, stupid dog. In fairy tales, the knight rescuing the princess is never defeated by the monster."
With that, he bent his knees slightly and pushed off the ground with explosive force, launching himself upward!
"Poitrine Shoot!"
Bang!
With a furious roar, Sanji drove a vicious kick right into the dog's chest! Twisting his waist, he spun several times like a top before delivering a brutal whip kick to its neck and shoulder!
"Collier Shoot!"
Bang!
"Arooo—!!"
The giant dog let out an agonized howl. The kick struck it so hard its eyes rolled back, nearly knocking it unconscious.
But he wasn't done yet.
Flames of anger erupted in Sanji's eyes! He hooked his toes around its neck, pulled hard, and delivered a devastating heavy strike straight to its face!
"Collier Strike!"
Bang!
The immensely powerful kick violently smashed into the giant dog's face! Its massive body was sent flying backward, crashing through several ruined stone walls before slamming heavily into the Giant Jack!
Crash! Crash!—Bang!!
Against the vine, the giant dog's eyes rolled completely back as it lost consciousness, its body sliding down like a pile of soft mud.
Landing back on his feet, Sanji shoved one hand into his pocket and used the other to take the cigarette from his mouth. He slowly exhaled a stream of smoke and said flatly,
"Whether it's an evil dragon or an evil hound, there is only one fate for those who dare lay a hand on a princess. Remember that for next time, stupid dog."
"Thank goodness, I'm finally saved."
Behind him, seeing the enemy defeated, a disheveled Vivi breathed a sigh of relief, her heart still pounding. She had almost thought she was going to die here.
Her blue-and-white dress was now filthy. Vivi patted off the dust and walked up to Sanji with a soft smile.
"I'm so glad you guys showed up. I didn't expect to be saved by you again. Thank you so much."
"Yoohoo! No need to be so polite with me, Miss Vivi!"
Sanji's demeanor instantly shifted back to his usual lovestruck self. With hearts in his eyes, he hovered around Vivi with an eager, fawning expression.
"As expected of God's Ordeals! Even the heavens arranged for us to meet here. This must be a trial of love!"
"Is... is that so... Ahaha... Actually, we just got lost," Vivi laughed awkwardly, waving her hands dismissively.
After arriving at the Upper Yard, Luffy had charged headlong into the forest with Usopp and Chopper. She and Zoro had chased after them to find them—which should have been a very ordinary occurrence.
But!
The moment they entered the forest, it was as if Zoro had been blindfolded! Let alone north, south, east, or west, he couldn't even tell front, back, left, or right!
Even when he was following right behind her, Vivi would turn around less than a minute later only to find that Zoro had already wandered off course.
She couldn't understand how a person could be so directionally challenged. Because of this, they quickly lost all trace of Luffy's group and were forced to wander aimlessly through the forest.
Then, in this massive forest, Zoro somehow managed to lead her straight to this incredibly bizarre-looking place.
Considering Luffy's personality, there was a high probability he would have barged right in if he stumbled upon it. Thus, she had braced herself and entered God's Ordeals, which led to her current predicament.
Thinking of this, Vivi couldn't help but sigh in sheer exhaustion.
Living on a pirate ship where "the smartest member is a reindeer" was absolute torture.
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