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Chapter 81: Sanji's Unexpected Discovery
Zoro and Ganyu exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised.
This dinosaur looked exceptionally familiar, especially the clean cut across its neck. It was clearly the same one they had discarded not long ago. They hadn't expected this giant to pick it up.
"Giant, do you have any booze?"
Zoro, naturally, wasn't one to stand on ceremony. Communicating with a giant was a novel experience for him.
"Of course! Though I'm running low on stock, with your puny bodies, you probably won't drink much anyway! Drink as much as you want, I've got plenty for you!"
Brogy patted his chest heartily, making a dull thud-thud sound.
Then, he turned and walked toward the cave, quickly returning with several massive jugs of wine.
Zoro and Ganyu began to help process the dinosaur meat.
Ganyu set the little girl she had been carrying down on a patch of empty ground. Surprisingly, the girl neither cried nor tried to run; she just stood there quietly. She looked a bit dazed.
Ganyu looked at the simple ingredients Brogy had brought out—almost nothing but salt—and thought for a moment. She said to Zoro:
"The giant doesn't seem to have any decent seasoning here. If we just roast it like this, the flavor will probably be very monotonous. I'll go back to the Merry and bring over the spices and seasonings we have on board. I'll call Nami and Usopp over, too."
"Mhm." Zoro nodded, having no objections.
He knew that when it came to roasting meat, Ganyu was an expert. Even that Curly Brows might not be able to compare.
"Watch over this little one," Ganyu said before leaving. Passing by the quietly standing Marianne, she couldn't resist reaching out and ruffling her soft hair again, instructing, "Don't let her get snatched up as a snack by some passing dinosaur."
With that, she tapped her toe lightly, her body floating up like a weightless feather, and quickly vanished into the sky.
Leaving only Zoro and Marianne staring at each other.
One of them spoke little; the other was very spaced out.
The giant, Brogy, having learned Ganyu went back for seasonings, had also laid down on the ground and fallen asleep.
At this moment, no one spoke. The air seemed to solidify, sinking into silence.
After a long while.
"Do you... want some tea?" Marianne's eyes darted around. Who knows what she was thinking, but she produced a teapot from behind her back like a magic trick.
"Sure..." Zoro's eyes showed surprise. Having some tea in the wild was naturally a nice experience.
But.
"Where did you pull that out from?!"
...
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest.
Sanji was searching for prey alone.
Earlier, seeing the two giants fighting had been quite shocking, so he had stopped to watch for a while. However, he had no intention of actively seeking conversation with them because he had more important things to do.
"Damn it, that Mosshead must be incredibly happy right now!"
Sanji scanned the environment vigilantly, looking for worthy prey. But another image uncontrollably surfaced in his mind: Zoro and Ganyu walking side-by-side in the mysterious, quiet primeval forest, the scene floating with a romantic pink aura.
Just imagining that scene made him jealous enough to grind his teeth to dust!
That guy must be relying on those broken swords to act cool and show off his manliness in front of Miss Ganyu right now!
Damn it! The thought made Sanji furious.
He held his breath and sprinted deep into the forest as if venting his frustration, running until his lungs burned slightly before he was forced to stop, leaning against a tree trunk to pant.
Just as he was adjusting his breathing and re-evaluating his surroundings, his gaze was drawn to an extremely out-of-place structure not far away.
It was a pure white hut, standing quietly surrounded by several giant trees. Its material looked very strange—smooth and reflective, with an unnatural texture...
"Is that... white wax?" Sanji narrowed his eyes, his guard going up.
Why would there be a hut made of white wax deep in a primeval forest?
With suspicion, Sanji instinctively quieted his footsteps, sneaking carefully to the wall of the hut. Just as he pressed his ear against the white wax wall to listen for movement inside, two distinct voices drifted clearly from within.
"Mr. 3, is your mission completed so soon?"
It was a voice coming through a Den Den Mushi. Deep, raspy, carrying an unquestionable authority and a cold texture. Like someone who had sat in a high position for a long time.
"No... apologies, Boss. During the mission... I encountered some... unexpected special circumstances."
The responding voice was full of tension and fear, even carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.
"You aren't trying to tell me... the mission failed, are you?" The voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi suddenly became even colder, emitting a killing intent that even Sanji could feel.
"No! Absolutely not!"
The voice inside the hut rose sharply, arguing desperately.
"It's just, Boss, there are two giants on this island! Their presence interfered with my plan!"
Hearing this, the voice on the Den Den Mushi fell silent for a long time.
A few seconds later, the cold voice spoke again, with a commanding tone that allowed no refusal:
"Don't provoke those two. However, use any means necessary to eliminate that pirate crew and Princess Vivi. If you fail... you don't need to come back."
Kacha.
The busy signal of the Den Den Mushi hanging up rang out.
Immediately after, a panicked, tearful monologue came from inside the hut:
"I'm done for! I'm completely done for this time! If I don't finish the mission quickly, the boss will definitely kill me!"
"No... I have to act immediately! I need a plan..."
Inside the white wax hut he had temporarily created with his ability, Galdino paced anxiously back and forth, his hands clutching the "3" shaped hairstyle on his head.
"Those two tricky guys are hanging out with the giant right now, I can't find an opening..."
Suddenly, he stopped, a glint flashing across his glasses.
"That's right! Their ship! Their ship must be docked at the coast!"
"Just like dealing with the giants, I can set an ambush on their ship first. I'll wait for them to explore the island all day, and when they return to the ship exhausted and at their most relaxed, I'll launch a surprise attack and catch them all in one go!"
This plan gave Galdino hope. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and a sinister grin of successful plotting appeared on his face.
"Hehehe... that's what I'll do!"
Without hesitation, he rush out of the hut immediately. After determining the direction, he ran quickly toward where he remembered the coastline to be.
However.
He was completely unaware that in the dense bushes not far behind him, a blonde figure was silently following him like a shadow.
"Mr. 3... so this is the assassin sent by Baroque Works."
Sanji stared at the figure ahead, his eyes flickering.
"From what he said, he plans to set an ambush on our ship?"
Sanji thought for a moment and came up with a counter-strategy.
"If he wants to ambush us on the ship, then I'll call everyone... and we'll block him right on the Going Merry."
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