Bang!
Blood splattered across the ground like spilled ink as Sanji slammed down hard.
His clothes were soaked with blood. He was gravely injured, and his face had been kicked so badly by light that it was even harder to recognize than Wuli's.
"Cho... pper... Ro... bin..." Sanji struggled to open his swollen eyes, managing only the thinnest slit.
His vision was blurred, but he could just make out the worried looks on Chopper's and Robin's faces.
Then Sanji's head slumped to one side, and he passed out. A light breeze swept past, carrying the faint smell of blood.
The battlefield seemed to fall silent. Dust stirred by the wind drifted slowly up and down.
Luffy and the others wore grim expressions, their hearts heavy. The air felt unbearably oppressive.
"Well, well. You two took my attack and are still standing without a scratch. So I wasn't imagining it when I sensed a two-second delay before you suddenly escaped." Kizaru looked at Chopper and Robin as he spoke, his presence growing steadily more imposing.
At his words, Robin and Chopper pulled their attention away from Sanji's injuries. Both glanced at the person beside them.
If not for him, they would have been badly hurt by Kizaru's Laser too.
Luffy, Brook, and the others also came to their senses and turned toward Chopper and Robin.
Only then did they remember that they had assumed the two had fallen in that massive explosion. Yet here they stood, completely unharmed.
Luffy opened his mouth and stared at them in shock. "Chopper, Robin, you're okay! I thought you both..." Tears suddenly streamed down his face as relief filled his eyes.
Brook said, "So what happened wasn't what Sanji and I thought. But Chopper, Robin, how did you avoid that attack? Even Sanji couldn't keep