One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 99

The three chicks were still hopping around in the same spot:

"Wait for us!"

"We too will become the king of beasts!"

The fox scooped them up and stayed where it was.

"Shut up, you're lucky to be alive..."

Chapter 118 Marathon

The herd of beasts galloped, raising clouds of dust.

Sabo and Kuina led the way, closely following the first wave of beasts.

Their speed even surprised cheetahs, which are known for their agility.

"What's wrong with these two humans?" the cheetah panted as it ran. "Don't they need to breathe?"

Sabo still had the energy to turn around and grin at it: "Time to accelerate!"

Kuina remained silent, her gaze fixed ahead, her steps light as a swallow, as if she were not running, but engaging in some kind of sword practice.

In stark contrast to their rapid pace was Robin.

As she passed through an ancient stone forest covered with vines, her pace slowed.

The boulders are carved with strange patterns, not words, but a series of abstract symbols and murals.

An archaeologist's instinct made her stop.

"You two go first," she said to the two people ahead, her gaze completely drawn to the stone forest.

Sabo waved to indicate that he understood, and Kuina nodded slightly as the two continued forward.

Robin approached the stone forest and gently brushed aside the tangled vines.

The first boulder is carved with a simple line drawing: a blurry human figure wearing a crown, with countless kneeling animals below.

On the second stone, the crown ripples with lines, and the animals begin to attack each other.

On the third stone, the crown shattered, the human figure fell to the ground, and the animals scattered and fled.

"The allure of power... the madness of the collective... ultimate destruction..." Robin whispered, interpreting these visual symbols.

She continued forward and discovered a stone slab half-buried in the ground deep within the stone forest.

The design above is more complex: a crown is placed on an altar, surrounded by the skeletons of various wild beasts. A bolt of lightning strikes the crown from the sky, and a strange eye symbol appears in the center of the crown.

“Sacrifice... divine punishment... surveillance…” Robin’s brows furrowed slightly.

She noticed an inconspicuous symbol in the lower right corner of the slate—three intersecting circles with an eye in the center.

The symbol felt strangely familiar to her.

Just as she was deep in thought, the ground suddenly trembled slightly.

The stone forest began to move slowly, and the boulders rearranged and combined to form a staircase leading underground.

A cold wind blew up from underground, carrying a musty smell.

Robin hesitated for a moment.

The game continues.

But the archaeologists' curiosity overwhelmed everything.

She walked down the steps.

At the end of the stairs was a spacious underground cave.

The walls are covered with more intricate murals, which are remarkably well-preserved.

First image: A group of primitive humans worship a crown that floats in the air.

The second image shows a crown placed on the head of a tribal chief, making him incredibly powerful and able to command wild beasts.

The third image shows the leader gradually going mad and beginning to offer live animals as sacrifices to the crown.

The fourth image: In the center of the crown, a strange eye opens, plunging the entire tribe into chaos and infighting.

The last image: The crown is sealed in a stone box, and the survivors scatter and flee, vowing never to touch this cursed object again.

Below the mural is an ancient inscription.

It wasn't any script Robin was familiar with, but she was able to decipher it, albeit with some difficulty, thanks to her understanding of ancient semiotics:

"When foreign travelers put on the crown, the true face of the island of deception will be revealed."

Robin's breathing hitched slightly.

She remembered the fox's words: "Whenever you put on that crown, something bad always happens."

I also recalled the tragic fates of those champions.

This is not an easy match.

This is an ancient trap.

She must inform Sabo and Guina as soon as possible.

But when she turned to leave, the steps she had come up with had disappeared.

The walls closed silently.

She was trapped.

A faint rustling sound came from deep within the cave.

It was as if something was awakening.

At the same time, the competition has entered its most dangerous phase.

Sabo and Kuina have left most of the beasts behind and formed a leading group with a few of the strongest beasts.

Cheetahs, antelopes, and that tiger with broken teeth.

They were wary of each other, yet forced to cooperate temporarily—the road ahead was becoming increasingly treacherous.

"Watch out for the ground!" The cheetah suddenly braked, its golden pupils contracting.

The road ahead was riddled with cleverly disguised traps, with sharpened wooden spikes standing upright at the bottom.

The tiger with broken teeth scoffed, "Such a petty trick..."

It leaped, attempting to jump directly over the trap zone.

Just as it took off, the trees on both sides suddenly fired a barrage of blowgun darts!

"Roar!" The tiger twisted its body with difficulty in the air, but was still grazed on the hind leg by several arrows.

The arrowheads were coated with a nerve-numbing toxin.

The tiger staggered to its ground, its speed noticeably slowing down.

“Looks like we can’t be too conspicuous.” Sabo observed the trap’s layout. “It’s very well designed; it’s aimed directly at the contestants.”

Kuina had already drawn her sword.

【One-Sword Style Secret Technique: Swallow Returns to Heaven】

Where the purple cloud blade swept past, all traps and mechanisms within a thirty-meter radius were destroyed.

The blowgun's launching mechanism, tripwire, and trap trigger mechanism... all failed.

"Let's go." She sheathed her sword and continued walking.

The cheetah and the antelope stared in disbelief.

"Just who are these humans?"

They dared not delay and quickly followed.

But the danger is far from over.

After passing through the trap zone, a swamp filled with pink mist appeared ahead.

A sweet, cloying fragrance wafted faintly from the mist, enough to make one dizzy.

"It's bewitching pollen!" The antelope retreated in terror. "Inhaling too much will cause hallucinations!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the cheetah's eyes began to glaze over.

It growled at the air, "So many...so many running antelopes...finally, the antelopes can be free! I'm going to eat..."

As it spoke, it lunged at the real antelope beside it.

"Wake up!" Sabo delivered a light chop to the back of the cheetah's neck.

With just the right amount of force, the cheetah went completely black out and passed out, thus eliminating it from the game.

Kuina had already held her breath and was moving forward when the pink mist around her was dispelled by invisible sword energy.

Sabo followed suit, using Armament Haki to form a thin protective layer on his body.

They continued onward, leaving the beasts, still struggling with illusions, behind.

But the most dangerous test is yet to come.

After crossing the swamp, a precarious suspension bridge spans a bottomless canyon.

The turning point—Despair Falls—is just across the bridge.

The suspension bridge looked dilapidated, with rotten planks and worn-out ropes.

Even more terrifying, countless flying creatures hovered above the bridge—not birds, but a strange monkey with fleshy wings and a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Winged monkeys!" cried the lagging antelope in terror. "They'll tear apart any living thing crossing the bridge!"

As if to prove its point, several winged monkeys swooped down toward the suspension bridge.

The claws gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Kuina's hand rested on the hilt of the knife.

Saab also gripped the steel pipe tightly.