Sanji vigilantly surveyed his surroundings, his gaze instantly locking onto a faint hint of green in the distance.
He was immediately enraged, chasing after it in a huff, yelling, "Stop right there! I told you not to wander off!"
Franky helplessly extended his hand, watching Sanji's back quickly disappear, muttering, "You shouldn't wander off either."
It was then that Franky realized Kin'emon was also gone, leaving only himself beside Luffy.
Franky sighed with a touch of weariness, looking at Luffy.
"Let's go to the arena first. You're going to participate in the competition, right?"
Zoro, who had chased to the central plaza, frowned, activating his Observation Haki, and intently sensing the whereabouts of Shusui.
That sword was a hard-won trophy for him, and now it had been stolen; how could he tolerate that?
"What fairy? It's clearly a hateful thief! How dare they steal my sword! Where did they run off to?"
Zoro cursed under his breath, his pace quickening, a fierce glint in his eyes, vowing to reclaim his beloved sword.
Meanwhile, Sanji was constantly roaring from behind, "I told you! Don't wander off! It's just one or two swords! Give up!! Don't run around aimlessly! Stick to the plan! We're running out of time!"
Sanji finally caught up to Zoro in the central plaza during their chase.
But then, he was suddenly captivated by a stirring piece of music.
Sanji looked intently, seeing Violet with her red lips slightly parted, a delicate rose held between them, dancing gracefully amidst the waves of music.
Her slender and supple waist moved like a nimble snake, twisting freely with the rhythm, each movement seeming to carry endless allure.
Her footsteps were light, flowing as naturally as clouds and water, and every gesture exuded elegance and charm.
Her skirt seemed to have a life of its own, drawing graceful arcs in the air, soaring and descending, as if narrating a silent melody.
After the dance, Sanji was utterly mesmerized, his mouth agape, the cigarette butt in his mouth involuntarily falling to the ground.
"So there really are fairies!"
Violet's gaze swept over the stage, instantly catching sight of Sanji.
Her red lips slightly parted, she gently plucked the delicate, fragrant rose.
Then, with a light flick of her arm, the rose, like a butterfly imbued with a mission, arced gracefully through the air, floating precisely towards Sanji below the stage.
Sanji instinctively caught the rose in front of him, and by this point, Sanji was completely captivated by Violet.
He completely forgot about chasing the sword again, or Zoro, who had disappeared from his sight.
Heh (*¯△¯*;)... Mosshead or whatever... not important, ah... anyway, he already looked, it's his own fault for getting lost... his lady.
Watching Violet gracefully descend from the stage, Sanji felt a pang of loss and could only wander around aimlessly.
Unexpectedly, fate's arrangement led them to meet again.
After being forced to stage a hero-saving-the-beauty scene, Sanji was instantly drawn to her, unwittingly falling into the web of affection she had carefully woven.
Violet tearfully recounted her "tragic experience" of being cruelly betrayed by her lover, forced to retaliate and assassinate him, and now being hunted everywhere. Sanji listened, his heart filled with pity and sympathy.
Violet's eyes were brimming with tears as she gently took Sanji's arm with her delicate hand, her body trembling slightly, and she pleaded with a choked voice, "There's a man I want you to help me kill."
Sanji instantly succumbed.
In another part of the city, Luffy and Franky successfully arrived at the arena. Their appearance caused a small stir.
Especially a particular one-legged Toy Soldier with a peculiar build; when his gaze met Luffy's, his eyes immediately filled with shock.
It turned out that in the eyes of the Toy Soldier and others, Luffy's white beard and yellow straw hat made him look like an Old Man on his last legs.
And for such an "Old Man" to actually sign up for intense arena combat, this was truly too shocking.
Luffy paid no attention to any of this; he happily bounced to the registration desk, unhesitatingly signing up with his name, even clumsily registering as "Lucy."
If Orochimaru were here, he would surely beat him up in exasperation; do they really think Doflamingo is blind?!
As Luffy was about to step into the arena, Franky, separated by the iron gate, seriously admonished him, "Luffy, deal with your enemies cleanly, but don't be too exaggerated.
After all, although our positions are different, everyone's relationship is still good."
After all, friendships in the Pirate World often only last a meal.
Luffy grinned widely, giving Franky a thumbs-up.
٩(๑ᵒ̴̶̷͈᷄ᗨᵒ̴̶̷͈᷅)و
"Leave it to me! I'll definitely bring back the meat!! That's the best meat in the world!"
ε=(´ο｀*)))
Franky expressionlessly turned his head, his gaze falling on the Toy Soldier who had been staring intently at the arena.
The Toy Soldier's words were filled with worry and concern: "You really did enter, Rebecca."
Franky's eyes fixed on the Toy Soldier, and after a moment of silence, seemingly uninterested in any of it, he walked past the soldier, preparing to leave.
After walking a few steps, Franky stopped again, turned his head to carefully examine the Toy Soldier, and abruptly asked, "Hey... are you from this country?"
The Toy Soldier seemed startled by the sudden question, immediately flustered, waving his hands frantically, and quickly replied, "Of course, I am a native of Dressrosa."
Franky nodded slightly, then added, "Is that so... Then do you know where the factory or anything like that is?"
At these words, the Toy Soldier's pupils constricted, filled with shock.
Seeing this, Franky unhesitatingly extended his mechanical finger, directly poking it into the Toy Soldier's mouth, and lowered his voice: "Don't be so loud."
On the other side of the arena, Luffy had already entered the Players' preparation room (contestant waiting room).
The interior of this arena was a gathering of diverse individuals from all corners of the world.
Clearly, wherever there are people, friction and disputes are inevitable.
Sure enough, with Luffy's Old Man disguise, a few busybodies underestimated him, and relying on their strength, they proactively stepped forward to provoke him.
Luffy was not one to back down; he grinned and easily knocked down the provocateurs in a few moves.
This spectacular display of skill instantly made him the focus of everyone's attention. The gazes cast his way included surprise, apprehension, and meaningful looks, but more often, curiosity and anticipation for this mysterious newcomer.
And among the crowd, only one man with a green crested head stared intently at Luffy's back, his eyes like burning torches.
His eyes burned with a fervent flame, his body trembled slightly with excitement, and uncontrollable emotions caused tears to stream down his face, looking as if he had seen an idol he had dreamed of and admired for many years.
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