Sanji stood up, stylishly flipping his golden bangs.
He walked to the side, gave a light kick, and forcefully shattered the earthen oven that had just been specially built to braise the wild ox!
"Bang!!!"
As the heavy earth chunks broke, a rich aroma of roast meat instantly wafted over!
The meaty scent in the air intensified severalfold.
The golden-roasted wild ox slowly revealed a crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside sheen.
"Gulp..."
Everyone couldn't help but swallow their saliva.
Sanji looked at their gleaming, hungry eyes with satisfaction, a slight curve to his lips.
He slightly raised his chin and said handsomely:
"Dig in!"
The moment his words fell—
"Wah ah ah ah ah!!!"
Everyone pounced like tigers descending a mountain!
The aroma of meat filled the air, laughter echoed, and the food was quickly cleared.
After the meal, Nami frowned as she looked around.
Her gaze swept over the completely eaten food scraps, and she couldn't help but sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead:
"If this keeps up, we won't be able to store any ingredients at all!
Luffy, Lin Ning, Sanji..., let's quickly go find some storable ingredients!"
"Understood, Miss Nami!"
Sanji immediately straightened his back, his eyes gleaming with pink hearts, and responded without hesitation.
Everyone tidied up their gear and then stepped into the depths of the forest.
Within the jungle, shadows intertwined, and strange bird calls echoed in their ears.
As they cautiously advanced, Usopp scratched his head and asked Chopper:
"Chopper, have you found any herbs?"
Chopper looked down at the herbs in his hand and nodded seriously:
"Hmm, I've basically found some common medicinal materials.
But the ecology on this island is very peculiar, maybe we can find even rarer herbs..."
Before he finished speaking, Chopper's gaze was drawn to a strange gully ahead, and he pointed at the ground, frowning:
"Wait a minute! What's this? It looks like... wheel tracks?!"
"Wheel tracks?"
Everyone paused slightly, their eyes falling on the mark.
Lin Ning leaned down to observe carefully, his palm lightly brushing the ground, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, saying:
"From the marks, it indeed looks like tire tracks left by a bicycle... and they're not very old, they should have appeared today."
"Are you kidding me!" Sanji immediately frowned, looking around:
"This is a deserted island, how could there be a bicycle?"
Usopp grabbed his hair, swallowed, and tried to calm himself down:
"No, no! This clearly doesn't make sense!
Even if there were people, they wouldn't be riding a bicycle aimlessly around the island, would they?!"
However, Robin, who was standing to the side, changed her expression.
Her hand, holding the herb bag, clenched slightly, and a trace of extreme unease flashed in her eyes.
These familiar wheel tracks... made her recall a terrifying figure buried deep in her memory!
"It can't be..."
Just as everyone was wondering, the end of the forest gradually revealed an open area.
"We finally made it out of the dense forest!"
Luffy stretched, about to take a deep breath of fresh air, however—
At that very moment!
"...! ! !"
Luffy suddenly shivered, his pupils contracting sharply.
The laziness on his face vanished instantly, his brows furrowed, and his voice was low and serious:
—"Someone!!!"
Lin Ning slowly raised his head, his gaze cold, his tone calm yet carrying a sense of oppression:
"Yes, I know."
—And, an extremely dangerous fellow!
Zoro's hand was already on the hilt of his sword, his body tensed, his eyes sharp as blades:
"At such a close distance, we only just noticed... this guy's Observation Haki is definitely superior to ours!"
Sanji's face also darkened, and he raised one foot, ready to fight at any moment:
"Extremely high danger Rank... Who exactly is this?"
The air instantly became tense and oppressive.
Ahead, behind a giant rock.
That mysterious figure was slowly emerging—
Light filtered through the leaves, scattering onto the clearing in the forest, a gentle breeze rustling the leaves.
The Straw Hat cautiously approached the huge rock that blocked their view, every nerve taut to the extreme.
When they rounded the rock, what met their eyes was a lazy, tall figure—
The person was wearing a white suit and a black eye mask.
Just leaning against the rock, leisurely... asleep?!
"Zzz—"
As the footsteps drew closer, the person seemed to finally notice the movement.
He yawned lazily, slowly stretched, and then raised a hand to remove his eye mask.
A lazy and deep gaze, through the pupils beneath the sunglasses, looked directly at the Straw Hat.
"Hmm?... Who are you..."
He spoke in an extremely lazy tone, as if he had just woken up and wasn't fully conscious yet.
"Hey, who are you?" Luffy frowned, looking at this mysterious man who suddenly appeared, without any fear.
Zoro, Sanji, and Lin Ning also stared at the other party with sharp, wary eyes.
Usopp wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice trembling slightly:
"Hey, hey, this guy... who is he? He looks like a very troublesome character!"
Nami crossed her arms, frowning: "Who is he? He doesn't look like an ordinary person..."
However, the next moment—
"!!!"
"Bang!"
Robin, who was walking at the back, suddenly turned pale.
She collapsed onto the ground as if she had suffered a great shock.
Her body trembled, and cold sweat streamed down!
Her breathing was rapid, her pupils constricted, and she seemed to be plunged into extreme terror.
—She knew this man!
She knew how terrifying he was!
"Robin?!"
Luffy was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned his head.
Seeing the terrified Robin, the smile on his face completely vanished, and his tone became serious:
"Robin, what's wrong?!"
"Young Miss Robin?!" Sanji's face also changed instantly, his voice tense and worried.
Seeing this, Nami also quickly stepped forward to support Robin, her tone concerned:
"Robin, are you alright? Who exactly is this person?!"
Usopp's heart raced from Robin's reaction, and he stammered:
"Hey, hey, hey, you... why are you so scared?!"
This was the calm and intelligent Robin, yet she showed such a terrified expression?
Zoro's gaze instantly became sharp, his hand already on the wado ichimonji at his waist, ready to draw his sword at any moment.
Sanji's right foot lightly stomped on the ground, his eyes cold.
Lin Ning's gaze was as steady as water, calmly scanning the mysterious person in front of him, his tone calm but with a hint of pressure:
"It seems we've encountered someone extraordinary."
"Hey, hey, don't be so fierce, little guys."
The mysterious man lazily waved his hand.
His tone was so lazy, like he had just woken up, even with a hint of casual teasing.
"I, well, didn't come here under any specific orders.
I just came out for a stroll, to enjoy the sea breeze and the scenery."
"A stroll?" Zoro snorted coldly, his eyes icy:
"Stop lying! You just mentioned 'orders', which organization are you from?!"
As these words fell, Zoro's thumb had already slowly pushed the wado ichimonji out of its sheath, ready to draw and strike at any moment!
"Arara..."
The man still maintained his lazy demeanor, completely ignoring Zoro's Killing Intent.
Just then—
Robin took a deep breath, finally regaining a sliver of rationality.
But her face was still pale, and her voice trembled as she said:
"He... he is an Admiral..."
"Known as—one of the World Government's highest combat powers!"
"Admiral Aokiji of Marine Headquarters!"