Seeing the cliff split cleanly in two by Arashi's single slash—and collapse straight down—Robin, who had been completely unprepared, instantly widened her beautiful eyes in shock, as if her eyeballs were about to pop out.
This… has to be an illusion, right?!
He split a mountain with a fruit knife?!
Fake. Absolutely fake!
Completely overwhelmed, Robin took a deep breath and shut her eyes, trying to calm herself down.
This can't possibly be real!
Even though she had never left the West Blue, she still had a solid understanding of many of the world's strongest individuals.
There weren't many great swordsmen in the West Blue—but every single one that could be named was a world-renowned figure.
After all, one of the Four Emperors who ruled the New World—Shanks—was born in the West Blue. Not only did he possess supreme Conqueror's Haki, he was also an absolute powerhouse with the sword!
And then there was Dracule Mihawk—the world's greatest swordsman.
Whether it was Shanks or Mihawk, both stood at the very peak of the world. Their strength was unquestionable.
But what about this young traveler in front of her?!
It was already absurd enough that he was completely immune to her Devil Fruit ability—but now his swordsmanship was this terrifying too?!
That slash just now… it could already rival Mihawk's level!
And that—
seemed to be just a casual strike!!!
Robin's mind was in complete chaos. She had to force herself to calm down and slowly process this terrifying reality that had just shattered her worldview.
Arashi, meanwhile, was extremely satisfied with that slash.
Ever since his swordsmanship reached LV9 and entered the realm of Sword Domain, he had been constantly cultivating and comprehending within it whenever he had free time.
Once inside the Sword Domain, he could only rely on himself to improve—Travel Points were only useful for numerical upgrades.
That strike just now was something he had only recently grasped and hadn't yet used in practice. Now that a cliff had blocked his path, it was the perfect opportunity to test it.
Splitting mountains. Severing seas.
Destroying cities. Opening the heavens.
Clearly—
he had successfully taken the first step: splitting a mountain!
Very good.
An absolutely perfect strike!
"Hm?"
Just as Arashi was about to hand the fruit knife back to Robin, he noticed she was still standing there like a statue. Blinking in confusion, he shook his head and laughed.
"Well… I admit that strike was a bit domineering. But you're a Devil Fruit user—can't you stay a little composed?"
"How am I supposed to stay composed?!" Robin said, caught between laughter and disbelief.
"And could you at least give a warning before making a move?! Suddenly attacking—and with a fruit knife no less—and splitting a cliff in half like that… you'll scare people to death!"
Arashi nodded thoughtfully.
"So… something like: 'Hey, watch out, I'm about to use my ultimate move'?"
"Hahaha—don't mess with me, Robin. That would just look ridiculous!"
Before he even finished speaking, Arashi burst into laughter.
"Alright, let's go. If the people behind us catch up, it won't be fun anymore."
Before Robin could react, Arashi suddenly wrapped an arm around her and lifted her into a princess carry. In a flash, he leapt onto the severed cliff and casually walked across the fallen rock as if strolling through a garden, reaching the other side with ease.
After setting her down, he glanced at Robin—whose face was flushed and whose mind was still in disarray—and said with a grin,
"No need to thank me. After you win the championship, just give me a proper shoulder massage… maybe knead my legs too."
Robin didn't even have the mental capacity to thank him.
First, she had been stunned by his unbelievable slash.
Then, before she could recover, she was suddenly carried across the cliff by him.
Her mind was now a complete blur. She simply stood there blankly, staring at Arashi's departing figure in a daze.
That feeling just now…
was really nice.
Especially when he carried her across the cliff—
for the first time in years, she felt something she had never experienced before:
a sense of safety.
And that sense of safety…
was something she had always lacked.
It wasn't that she chose betrayal to survive—
it was that she had never found a place that could give her that feeling.
"Even if you're alone now, one day you'll find companions. The sea is vast—one day, people will appear who will protect you. Being born into this world doesn't mean you'll always be alone. Robin… live on, and find your companions…"
As she stood there staring blankly, those long-forgotten words suddenly echoed in her ears once again.
Had she found someone who could protect her?
Robin didn't know.
But she knew one thing—
in that moment when Arashi held her…
she truly felt warmth.
She felt safe.
For a brief instant, she even wished time would stop—
so she wouldn't have to keep running and hiding from the Marines and World Government agents across the West Blue.
"Hey, Robin!"
Seeing that she was still standing there, Arashi frowned slightly before a mischievous grin spread across his face.
"What are you spacing out for? You're not being a very competent maid. I've decided—tonight, you're getting punished! One hundred full-body massages before you're allowed to rest. Devil Fruit ability fully activated—no blind spots!"
…Alright.
Seeing Arashi's devilish smile, Robin lowered her head helplessly, feeling a faint, inexplicable disappointment.
As expected…
her imagination had been too beautiful.
Right now, their relationship was only that of master and servant—
nothing more.
Thinking this, Robin lifted her head and forced herself to smile naturally.
"Understood, Mr. Kairo D. Arashi."
Just as Arashi and Robin disappeared into the distance, the other contestants finally caught up.
Because the crocodile at the first obstacle had already been cleared by Arashi, thousands of participants still made it to the second obstacle.
But now—
every single one of them was completely stunned.
Because the scene before them…
was simply too shocking.
The cliff that once blocked their path had been cleanly sliced in half.
The fallen portion had even formed a natural bridge—connecting directly to the other side!
"What… what the hell happened here?!"
"This cliff… looks like it was cut apart by someone!"
"Are you kidding me?! That clean cut—do you think a human could do that?! This is a cliff—a freaking mountain! Not a watermelon, not a pumpkin, and definitely not tofu! Go try cutting it yourself before you talk nonsense!"
"Alright, alright, I was just saying…"
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