Sanji had been running for hours now and was getting really tired. Zoro told him to not stop running, and there was some kind of monster or whatever it is chasing him down. It has to be the same thing that was talking to Zoro in the crows nest a few days ago.
Right?
It wouldn't make sense if it weren't.
But…
How could he switch personalities in just two days? He sounded playful and positive while in the crows nest the first time, but all aggressive the next.
And now it's chasing him with the obvious intention of ripping him to shreds?
Sanji knows the definition of Mood Swings, but this?
More like a Mood Tornado.
Sanji slowed down, and leaned against a nearby black wall with questions running through his head.
What is that thing?
What IS Zoro?
What are those Classes?
And… What the FUCK am I doing here?
HOW did I get here?
They were raining upon him like a shroud.
He stood bolt upright as his stomach did a backflip and shivers raced down his spine.
"I'm coming…"
He shook his head. It has to be his imagination.
"Die…"
He shook if off, until he remembered one piece of advice.
'If you hear whispers or see a humanoid shape, run. Run in the opposite direction as fast as your legs can carry you.'
Sanji immediately ran in the opposite direction from the whispers, heart racing faster than ever.
Seconds later, he heard something sharp dig into the floors, firing enough adrenaline into his veins to make his legs look like a black blur. He felt like he was still being chased by Okamas. Just the thought of them made him run faster.
He turned around, and his heart dropped. He felt like freezing on the spot, but his intense desire to get the heck out of here prevented him from turning into a statue. The whispers were even louder and rapid now, screaming things like "I'll rip you to shreds" or "I'll tear your guts out"
It was a black humanoid covered in slime the color of night with a body the size of a boat, and was so terribly proportioned that it didn't resemble anything. Its claws were sharp as razors, and were covered in blood.
Zoro's blood.
The thing that stood out was the face. It was completely black and covered in slime, with the only facial feature being the mouth, which housed fangs as sharp as its claws.
HOW CAN IT SEE?
Sanji turned on his heel, and focused energy into his legs, dashing towards the monster with immense speed.
"DIABLE JAMBLE!" Sanji shouted as his leg turned red, and lashed a kick at the monsters face.
It fell slightly back at the impact, and looked up at the cook, mouth forming a scowl that screamed its hatred for the cook that just kicked him in the face.
Sanji could SMELL its desire to rip him to shreds.
It slashed at him, but Sanji was quick and dodged the attack, raising his leg to burn the flesh off the monster.
Its mouth rose into a smile, and immediately blocked the attack from the cook with its disfigured forearm, razor sharp bloodstained claws inches away from Sanji's face. It didn't even flinch upon impact, and Sanji's eyes widened in confusion and surprise.
It stepped back, and Sanji fell back onto the floor, pain searing through his chest like he was stabbed. He looked down, and saw ten large cuts intersecting in a cross pattern on his chest, blood leaking through.
He didn't even see the attack, and he's already cut into sashimis.
The monster charged again, claws ready to finish him for good. Sanji dodged, but the monster slashed at him immediately after he dodged, and stabbed his chest with the razor sharp claws that might be lined with haki.
Unimaginable pain echoed through Sanji's chest, and he fell to the floor, screaming in pain, and was too weak and in pain to even stand up. He lost hope and got ready for death.
The last thing he remembered was someone picking him up and running with him over that person's shoulder.
Unknown time later…
Sanji blinked. He was still in the labyrinth, and stared at the ceiling. He sat up, Blinking. There was a circle of salt surrounding him, and a note was at his foot, as well as a glass milk bottle filled with salt and a cork on it.
"You idiot, I thought you were smart enough to keep away from that thing.
You're no match for it. Just keep running, it always knows where you are. It's tracking you by your smell.
By the way, this'll come in handy. If you're cornered, surround yourself in this salt. They won't harm you. "
Zoro's handwriting.
Sanji stepped out of the salt circle, and stared at the note.
I was wondering why that thing didn't go after me when I was unconscious.
His wounds were tended as well, a new black suit and tie over his bandages.
Footsteps echoed through the eerie silence as he walked through the Labyrinth corridors, cautious at every corner, ears ready to pick up any suspicious noises and hand on the container, ready to sprinkle the salt.
When Sanji turned a corner a few minutes later, he caught sight of a Green door with a brass handle.
"Don't go through any doors, unless it's a white one with a gold handle." Zoro's piece of advice was echoing through his mind. Heck, at a time like this, even his annoying voice that Sanji loathes sounds peaceful.
He has to be familiar with this place.
Sanji went past the door, and looked around.
"Hide…"
"Run…"
Two whispers echoed in Sanji's ear at the same time, and he froze.
"I'm behind you…"
"I know where you are…"
The same whispers echoed again, and Sanji's heart was screaming.
A monstrous roar coming from behind him sent shivers down his spine as he raced around the corner as fast as he can, but only saw another monster chasing towards him.
There was another one behind him, and he was no match against them.
He's done for.
Without thinking, he raced towards a nearby corner three meters away, and sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. A crash only made Sanji run faster, and he looked behind him.
"THERE'RE TWO?" He screamed as he saw the two humanoids wrestle each other to get to fit in the little corridor that had the cook that they want to kill.
Sanji raced faster, and turned the corner so sharply that he got dizzy. His natural instinct told him to look behind him, and he did.
"WHY'RE THERE THREE OF THOSE?" He screamed as he ran faster and faster and the whispers in his head got louder and louder, so loud that he can't even hear himself breathe.
He turned the corner, and a purple door with a round copper handle greeted him at the end of the T shaped corridor.
Adrenaline was pumping through his veins faster than the speed of light, and he ran. He was about to turn right, when he saw another humanoid demon charge at him, and another one at the left, also about to rip his guts out.
And there was one behind him.
The only way to escape was to go through the purple door, but…
Sanji leaned against the door, yanked the cork off the bottle, and spilled it into a semi circle.
He made a choice, and opened the door, slamming it shut behind him with a blow filled with fear.
Sanji didn't expect this.
He expected traps and dead bodies, not…
A library?
It hit him like a brick.
If the place with the red string's his heart, then…
This has to be his intelligence.
It's larger than I thought, I expected it be a tiny bookshelf.
Twenty foot high bookshelves towered above him, with books neatly sorted on the shelves bringing color to the dull brown mahogany shelves with numbers carved onto them. On one of the shelves wrote some sort of guide on how to navigate through the library written in dirty flesh colored parchment.
Sanji was reading through it, when one caught his eye.
Shelves 50-60…Demons
Sanji stared at the word "Demons" before looking up at the numbers, trying to look for shelf number 50, while asking himself:
"They're demons? Zoro's a demon?"
Minutes passed, until Sanji finally found number 50. He picked up the nearest book, a Black hardcover titled "Demonology" and flipped through it, soothing sound of the pages flapping calming his racing heart and slowing down the adrenaline and fear that were surging all through his body.
While reading the book, he stopped once he saw a picture of the humanoids that had chased him earlier on.
Maze runners, subordinate weaker demons-
Weaker.
WEAKER.
SANJI COULDN'T EVEN HURT THEM, AND THEY'RE THE WEAKER DEMONS?
He kept on reading out of curiosity, and he eventually reached a page, which stated the strongest and most basic demon classes.
They're related to the seven deadly sins.
Class A: Wrath: Most powerful class of demons, If the contracted human loves another human, terrible misfortune will fall on them, and if they find out, they'll be sent to the Heart, where the most strongest of heartstrings will bind them in place for the rest of the humans life. The demon will provide power for the contractor if asked, and is usually destructive beyond measure. Color: Black
Class B: Envy: Second most powerful class of demons. The human is extremely easy to get jealous, and this class of demons is most likely to take over the bodies of the contractors, and when that'll happen, they'll stop at nothing to send the persons they are envious of to suffer, whether it's in death or in torture. The full extent of their power is very strong, but weak in comparison with class A. Color: Green
Class C: Greed: Third most powerful class of demons. Like the name suggests, they are exceptionally greedy, and nothing will stop them from getting what they want, including destroying anything that comes in their way. If they do, they'll fight at their full extent to get rid of them, and their desires is usually larger than any other class. While weak compared to class A, they still have enough power to deal strong damage. Color: Gold
Class D: Gluttony: Fourth most powerful class of demons, excessive eating and drinking are just examples, and taking too much power, money and authority may also be examples of Gluttony. When the demon is provoked, they'll ultimately eat everything in sight, taking hold of the contractor's body. The contractor may wake up to extreme stomachaches after the demon has stopped possessing their body. Color: Orange
Class E: Lust: Third weakest class of demons, This class is more brain over brawn, only reserving its full strength for a last resort, turning stronger compared to the average Marine admiral. Out of all the demons, Lust is most likely to fall in love, stopping at nothing to get who they want. Their full strength is strong enough to cut or kick through steel without using haki. Color: Red
Class F: Pride: Second weakest class of demons, filled with nothing but pride. They are easily offended, and most are narcissists. Since they're easily offended, they'll do anything to make the offender regret their decision, from sending them to the fear landscape to ripping their guts out. Their final form is terrifying, enough to send the strongest of warriors cowering for fear. Color: Purple
Class G: Sloth: Weakest class of demons, can't be bothered to do anything, but if they do, their range of damage is devastating. Color: Brown.
Sanji stared. He was right; Zoro was a demon. And Sanji knew what class.
He was an A.
The strongest of all classes.
Out of curiosity, Sanji picked up another book, and opened it to the middle. There were pictures of doors with a paragraph of writing next to it, and Sanji noticed that among them, was the door that he walked through minutes before.
This was a guide on the doors of the realm that he was trapped in.
Don't go through any doors, unless it's a white one with a gold handle.
He scanned his eyes through the pictures of doors, until he spotted what he was looking for.
Entrance and exit, the only way out. It is the only exit in the realm, and is located at the very end of the labyrinth, and is guarded by the strongest of Maze runners.
A smile stretched across his face. He was going to find a way out.
And this library contained all the information he needed.
An hour later…
Maze runners can duplicate themselves and their jobs are to make sure that the people who were trapped in the realm stay in the realm, all demons have a realm inside their bodies, and the stronger the demon, the larger the realm, that green door with the brass handle was for his desires, and the Maze runners take orders from no one but the contractor and the demon.
Sanji had memorized all the information he needed to bust out of there, and had taken the book on doors, and a spellbinding book that he thought would come in handy.
He was just about to leave the isle when he stopped dead in his tracks.
I'm coming…