" Hey, Sanji. "
Seeing the blond, sitting on the beach and staring at the ocean, Luffy approached him, while the boy looked preoccupied.
"Why are you behaving like this?" Luffy questioned him. "It is not by arguing that we will be able to escape this monster."
Sanji remained silent.
"Are you really mad at your companions?"
"No." The blonde retorted. "I'm really pissed off...but at myself."
" Huh ? "
"Luffy...I want to protect them! I don't want to see someone else die and feel helpless in the face of danger! I...I..."
Gritting his teeth, he declared.
"Law told me that you found Kaya-chan's corpse."
Clenching his fist, he punched the sand, while declaring.
"I was useless! When I was on the plane, I was separated from the others, during the fight! And then, when the plane started shaking and everyone was leaving. was running away, I...I decided to leave the plane! To survive, I abandoned others and thought only of my own survival! Nami-swan... Vivvi-san ...Kaya-chan...everyone...I left without them.
At that moment, a tear rolled down his cheek as he felt guilty.
"I should have been there to protect them! And I'm sure Mosshead protected everyone who was with him! I was only able to help three people."
Listening without saying anything, Luffy ends up sitting next to Sanji, while declaring.
"Me, I was only able to protect Weakhoshi, while Tra-o pretty much managed on his own! You did better than me."
" What ? "
"Sanji, you did what you could! Especially since I saw you on a video, protecting Vivi! Without you, she might not have been able to get on the plane."
" Yes, but ... "
" We are not supermen. " Luffy retorted. "That's what Law tried to make me understand! Actually, Sanji, I'm glad I found you! Because with you, I'd have a much better chance of finding everyone on on this island ! With you, our group can save all our friends."
Then, he extended his hand towards Sanji, while declaring.
"Sanji…you and your companions are part of our group and I'm sure each of us will work together and we can all go home with our friends."
Looking at him, Sanji felt new tears rolling down his cheeks as he whispered.
" Luffy ... "
More than an hour after the dispute, the six companions in charge of finishing the raft, were gathering the branches they had been able to gather. Forming bundles, they then attached them to the raft, using lianas, to create floats.
"In the end, our territory shrunk." Pudding observed, giving one of her bundles to Nami, who was in charge with Koza of tying them to the raft. " But how to avoid crossing paths with this monster? "
"Humans first encountered bears in caves and it was by observing them for a while that they found a way to dislodge them so that they could in turn occupy that space." Law told her. "We know nothing about the behavior of the animals on this island! The fact that Apoo's hypothesis turned out to be wrong is proof of that."
The boy, his face covered with several bandages, continued his task while trying not to show his frustration to the rest of the group. instead, he had placed his headphones over his ears, and preferred to remain silent.
"Maybe, but that doesn't tell us what to do if that thing comes this way." Pudding said.
"Yes, what are we going to do to survive it?" Koza questioned. "Even the eight of us, we have no chance of defeating him! Our only option is to flee!
But if you want my opinion, it will have no trouble devouring several of us, if we decide to turn our backs on it and run away. "
This remark frightened several people in the group. The hope of being able to leave this island slowly began to fade, while the construction of the raft had become a time trial. If the Andrewsarchus came to the beach, it could kill them all.
Returning to this moment, Luffy was accompanied by Sanji, who was kind enough to follow him.
"We're back." Luffy affirmed. "Sorry for the delay! It took longer than expected to convince him.
" Shut up. " Said Sanji.
Then, walking towards Apoo, he finally said.
" I am sorry. "
A little surprised, Apoo looked at him for a few seconds, before nodding, a sign that he accepted his apology. Noting this, Sanji then headed for the raft, which finally looked like an object ready to play its role.
"Wow! You did a really good job." Luffy noted, looking at the raft. "That's what I wanted! That everyone works together and on an equal footing!"
Then, rolling up his sleeves, he declared.
" I will help you. "
" NO WAY !" Retorted the others, afraid that he would destroy all of their work.
Growling, Luffy was drawing a line in the sand with a stick.
" I am bored. "
" We'll be done soon. " Nami affirmed. "Tell yourself that we will soon be able to explore the other island."
"Explored? GREAT."
"Hey, by the way what did you talk about with Sanji?" Nami asked him. "You took a long time to come back."
" Huh ? "
Getting ready to answer him, Luffy remembered that Sanji had asked him to keep quiet, regarding their conversation. The blond didn't want to scare the members of his group, admitting that he was as scared as they were because of the animals on this island. he wanted to show them that he would always be there to protect them.
"Huh...nothing." Luffy lied, averting his gaze to the side.
"Stop lying."
"I'm not lying." Luffy assured, while beads of sweat appeared on his face.
"You're lying again."
"The jaw." Koza suddenly shouted.
He had shouted those words, for no reason, to everyone's surprise.
"What are you talking about?" Law questioned him, as surprised as the others.
"I'm talking about the monster lurking around here! I think I have an idea of a weak point that we can exploit if it decides to come here."
"Are you thinking about its jaw?" Shirahoshi wondered.
"According to Law's computer, the andrewsarchus had the same head as a crocodile, didn't it?" Koza asked. "So it must have the same weak points as it, as far as that part of the body is concerned."
"Maybe, but crocodiles don't have a weak spot in the skull." Pudding asserted. "It's even the most fearsome part of their body."
"Indeed, the crocodile has a huge pressure force when it closes its jaws." Koza agreed. "It is even strong enough to leave its mark in steel! Nevertheless, to reopen them, it does not have this facility, since the muscles which actuate this movement are, as for them, definitely less powerful! Thus, if we manage to lock his jaws while attacking him from the side, there would be chances that we can manage to knock him down.''
Just by seeing the frightened faces of Pudding, Shirahoshi and Apoo, he knew immediately, that they had no desire to tempt the devil.
"And who's going to play superhero?" Sanji wanted to know, quite skeptical. "Without being sarcastic, I think your plan is very risky! Just like Apoo's, we don't know if your theory is right! Besides, I believe that none of us wants to be the lucky one to to be able to embrace the Andrewsarchus at its most dangerous part of the body."
"For once, I agree with the blond." Apoo agreed. "Locking its jaws tightly wrapping our arms around its snout? I'm pretty sure we won't last two seconds."
"Besides, that means we have to get closer to it." Pudding stated. "And honestly, I don't see how we can do that, without getting bitten or kicked by one of its paws."
"By the way, if this creature attacks us, why don't we just dive into the water?" Shirahoshi asked.
"OHHHHH!" Luffy said. "That's very smart."
"Not at all." Law retorted. "Firstly, no one knows whether this animal can swim or not! And secondly, there are surely other creatures that live underwater! What will we do if we are attacked by crocodiles or a shark?"
"Do you think there are any here?" Nami questioned.
"Anything is possible! Anything."
"Honestly, between diving into the water or trying to block the jaws of this monster, my choice is quick." Apoo affirmed.
"In the end, we just need to finish this raft quickly and get out of here before a creature decides to attack us." Sanji remarked.
"Then why can't I help?" Luffy asked.
"Because you destroy everything we manage to do."
Getting ready to resume her work, Nami suddenly stopped and stared at the sky. Seeing her remain motionless for a few moments, Shirahoshi questioned her.
"A problem, Nami-san?"
"Atmospheric pressure is dropping." Nami affirmed.
Widening her eyes, she affirmed.
"A storm is approaching."
" What ? "
"That's impossible." Apoo retorted. "There is not a cloud in the sky."
" We'll see some soon. " Nami affirmed. "We have to hurry! The storm will be here in less than an hour."
Hearing this, everyone finally gets down to business, while Shirahoshi was amazed at the high school students' confidence in Nami's prediction.
"How do you know a storm is going to come?"
"Nami is never wrong when she predicts the day's weather." Luffy asserted.
" What ? "
"No one knows how she does it, but she's often shown that talent of predicting the day's weather." Law asserted.
Staring, Nami, who continued to stare at the sky, he declared.
"If Nami says a storm is coming, you can be sure it will."
" Sugoi. "
"SHIHIHIHI!" Luffy sneered. "My friends are all like that! They're amazing."
While continuing their work, the high school students felt the wind begin to manifest itself, carrying in their direction large black clouds.
"The rain is coming." Law remarked.
"Is this a joke?" Sanji asked. " As luck would have it, the first rainy day we've experienced since we arrived on this island is the same day we want to set sail! This could seriously complicate our navigation! To believe that even Satan is doing his part to force us to stay here."
"Hopefully a storm would prevent the Andrewsarchus from coming our way." Koza remarked.
" Me, I would prefer that we could leave here before this storm prevents us from it. " Retorted Nami.
Looking at the girl, Koza was silent for a moment, before asking her.
"Nami…do you know if Vivi managed to get off the plane?"
"Huh ? "
"Sanji told me that during the attack, she managed to get on the plane with him. However, no one knows where she went next."
"I…I don't know either." Nami confessed. "I want to tell you she's fine but, I have no idea where she is or with whom."
Hearing this, Koza could only lower his gaze, still affirming.
"I should have been with her."
"Hey, Koza." Apoo shouted, waving at him. "Come with me! I'll need you to collect some wood."
"Huh?" the boy wondered, seeing him with Pudding. "Do you want to go to the forest?"
"Idiot! We'll stay next door." The high school student affirmed. "Anyway, we need to collect more wood to finish this boat quickly."
"Can I come?" Luffy asked.
"You stay here." Apoo ordered, leaving with the others. "We'll be back in two minutes."
"You don't want me to come with you?" Sanji asked.
"It's okay! We're not babies."
Then, the trio left to enter the forest. Already beginning to gather wood, Koza and Pudding showed that they wanted to finish this job quickly while not needing to sink any further between the trees.
However, they were surprised to see Apoo continue to sink into the forest, all while seeming not to be at all afraid of having a bad encounter.
"Hey, where are you going?" Koza questioned him.
"It's dangerous." Pudding asserted.
Finally stopping, Apoo looked around. Then he declared.
" There is nothing. "
" Huh ? "
"There is nothing in this forest."
Startled, the two other high school students looked at each other, before advancing cautiously towards Apoo. Then, even looking around several times, they saw no danger.
"Andrewsarchus is not here."
"That doesn't mean anything." Koza retorted. "It's probably in another part of the forest! Apoo, it's dangerous to stray from others."
"And what makes us believe that the Andrewsarchus really came this far?"
"Huh?" the other boy wondered.
"I think Sanji and the others lied to us."
"Lied?" Repeated Pudding. "Why would Sanji-kun lie to us?"
"I think Sanji and the two others who were with him lied to us about this so-called monster that is prowling near the beach! After all, I find it very strange that we, who have been there for a few days, didn't see it once! It's strange that Mugiwara's group noticed its presence, in less than half a day! You don't agree with me?"
"Not really." Pudding affirmed. "We are not in the head of this animal."
"However, I am convinced that my theory concerning the place of hunting of this monster is true! It is impossible that it comes to a place where its prey does not usually go! Besides, Sanji and the other fool have been talking to each other alone for a long time! I'm sure they're up to something."
"I think you're paranoid." Koza retorted. "Dude, nothing is logical on this island! This monster could start walking on water that I wouldn't be surprised at all! Honestly, you really think this monster thing ... the angry outburst of Sanji ... your beating and all, is just a fabric lie for us to hold our ground and obey them finger and eye without complaining? This is delirium."
"Maybe." Koza affirmed. "To tell you the truth, I didn't really feel safe, when we were under Sanji! But, besides, if now he's with his friends, maybe he'll listen to them and leave us behind. Law might act smart enough to manipulate him."
"Sanji-kun isn't like that." Pudding retorted. "They always protected us."
"I agree." Koza agreed. "Besides, I know Nami and Luffy well enough to know that they're not the kind of people who would give up on people. If we decide to merge our two groups, they'll see us as equals."
"It's Law, who I don't trust." Apoo retorted. "He doesn't look like that, but by applying all his knowledge, he can influence anyone! He's someone who can easily help Sanji control us skillfully! And then, a guy like he would have no trouble manipulating Mugiwara, if you ask me!
" We need Law. " Koza retorted. "It is precisely his intelligence that could help us! It is people like him or Robin who could allow us to avoid the dangers of this island."
"Right now, we have no need to complain about our situation." Pudding asserted.
"Excuse me?" Apoo shouted, showing her his face. "I was hit unfairly."
Suddenly, a noise from behind Apoo was suddenly heard. Turning around then, the three companions saw bushes begin to move before giving way to an imposing silhouette which pushed them away from its path with a kick of its paw. Just seeing the animal standing in front of them, Pudding and Koza fell backwards and began to feel tremors all over their bodies.
" THE MONSTER ! "