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As the old Groot was thinking that, the dungeon started to wake up. It seemed her guess was right. Somehow, for some reason, the dungeon was revived. Not that could be killed anyway, as it was an artificial life form after all. So, somehow, the outsiders were able to restart the dungeon.
As the dungeon revived, more and more artificial life-forms started to come out of the nests. Stone Walkers, Steel Bugs, dungeon guards that were artificial like the dungeon itself. They came en mass in numbers.
She was hesitant to act. As the main targets were the people that came here, the outsiders. Most of the time, the dungeon guards didn't usually harm their prisoners, unless they acted against it. So she was reluctant to act.
Even though she wanted nothing more to pummel the artificial beings, she had to hold herself back for her child.
But then she saw something that made her worldview change. The outsiders were not only fighting the dungeon guards off, they were also winning against it.
One blond man in particular was dealing the most damage. Wielding fire on his legs, he moved and danced around his enemy in a way, that made it look easy. The power, the speed, it was unmatched unlike any she had ever seen. And that wasn't all.
There was something off about him… the power. It's…
He was one of the fruit users wasn't he? That… that changed things.
She had seen some prisoners, the diverse powers the fruit granted… A fruit user might have the power to get out of the dungeon.
But then again, it could be a lie. A false hope that she was clinging on to.
But as time passed on, she was getting impressed by the wild abilities the group possessed. At least four of them had fruit abilities. And even those that didn't had enough strength to stand up against the dungeon.
This… this might be the only way.
Even then, she was reluctant. She knew she would depart from the world of the living soon, but her child… could she trust the strangers? She had to know.
And right as she was thinking that, the blond-haired fire user was sent her way. The man's small form getting entangled in her branches, and she tried to cushion his fall. It seemed for some reason that the man had become weak, unable to completely utilize his powers.
But it didn't matter… this was an opportunity. Her branches wrapped around the man's head, trying to do something that she was a bit hesitant to do. For the intelligence the Groot population had, their vocabulary was limited.
So this was an easy way to communicate. Luckily whatever was making the man weak, made it easy for her to link up. And after some time, she started asking him a series of questions.
The man was reluctant to answer, but when she showed her what had happened to her. And what might happen to them, he became much more open. The process of communicating like this was a process of trust.
So she had to trust him, showing him what she knew about the dungeon. And how it couldn't be beaten alone. And in return, the outsider trusted her.
She couldn't just read into his memories, that's not how her powers worked. She could just ask questions and know the answers. And after some time, she had all the answers she needed.
Sanji was a nobleman. A man who had friends, and comrades who he was willing to give his life for. A man with good morals and strength to fight for what was right.
So she trusted him with her child with the promise that she would take care of the dungeon guards, and the little one would show him the correct way to navigate through the labyrinth.
Sanji was reluctant at first, not wanting to leave a woman behind. But it made her even more determined to help the man. She woke up her child from his slumber, and shared what was about to happen.
The small Groot cried, not wanting to see her part. But some things were not meant to be. Even the blond young man was conflicted, but he did take the young Groot in. At least she could trust him.
Before long, the dungeon guards, the Stone Walkers, broke free from her vines. The Steel Bugs came out destroying through her roots, but by then, she made sure to lock the tunnel. With nothing else to do, she fought against the lifeless creatures that had imprisoned her kind. This was the least she could do for the years she had been locked up here.
.
As Sanji and the group ran through the tunnel, they didn't face any more distractions. With the little Groot showing him the correct way to navigate, they didn't need to worry about going into the wrong direction.
Sanji ran, on his hands was Robin. If this was any other moment, he would have take the time to enjoy it. But now… now he didn't have anything of that sort in mind. Robin was barely able to move, mainly because of the sea-stone weakness, or whatever it was, that mimicked sea-stone weakness.
The only reason why he could move about was because of his practice with seastone cuffs. The same was for Usopp. Law couldn't move either. Who knew having a training junkie for a captain would turn out this well?
"I am Groot!" the small creature on his shoulder said softly, pointing at another turn as they followed his lead.
His tone was laced with sadness, and Sanji's heart squeezed at that, "Hey, don't worry little guy… we won't leave her behind." He said.
The young Groot turned his head at him with hopeful eyes, and nodded. Call it a lie, but he had to say something.
This… this hit home in ways that Sanji didn't want to remember. It was like in his place was old man Zeff and the young Groot was the little him, running away from his father and siblings, leaving his mother's cold body behind. This… this feeling of helplessness… he couldn't bear it.
Was this how Chef Zeff felt when he ran away with him? This… this wasn't supposed to happen. If only he was stronger… if… Sanji bit his lips as he quickened his pace.
Even with his sea stone weakness draining his powers, his will burned with flames fueling his speed. Behind him, Chopper had opted to take everyone on his back and ran along with the fastest speed his Sulong form could muster.
The tunnels wound through the dungeon-like ancient veins, their rough-hewn stone walls adorned with flickering torches that cast eerie shadows. Electric circuit-like patterns ran alongside, emanating a reddish glow and a humming energy that pulsed through the stone. The runners' urgent footsteps created a rhythmic cadence, echoing through the labyrinthian passages that seemed to challenge the laws of time and space.
Before long, the group of pirate came in front of a large door. A towering stone door adorned with mesmerizing carvings. The door was large, at least half the size of a giant, and looked old, dusty, vines and cobwebs surrounded the door, making them realize that unlike the rest of the place, this room hadn't been opened for a long, long time.
Sanji stepped forward and touched something invisible in the air, with his touch a red barrier appeared before him. Before receding, giving the group access to the final room.
"So, this is it, huh." Sanji said, while leaning against the wall. He was a bit out of breath, still, he had to go on.
"You know you can put me down, right?" Robin said, who was still being held by Sanji.
"I am Groot!" the young Groot on his shoulder nodded.
Sanji clicked his tongue, as he looked over his shoulder, looking at the rest of the pirates. "Be ready. We might need to go all out for this one."
The group behind him nodded. While Bepo, Law, and Cricket were new to the group, the others had never seen Sanji this serious, adding urgency to the situation. Other than Chopper, who was a bit winded, the others were mostly in good health.
Sanji put Robin down, before coming up with a quick plan. Robin and Law would stand behind, while the others would fight. Even Bepo volunteered to fight, asking Chopper for something specific that Sanji didn't pay that much attention to.
Usopp would be the sniper and would mainly be guarded by Cricket and Anchor, while the others would be on the front lines. Of course, Sanji would be taking charge of the situation. But even then they had to be careful, who knows what kind of danger layed behind the door?
So with this in mind, Sanji came forward and kicked the giant door open. With one kick the large door was smashed open, revealing the final challenge behind the door.
— — —
A/N: First of all, I know Groot in Marvel are usually genderless.
But writing 'it' so many times, was kind of not making sense. Also, this is Sanji's arc.
So in a way, him helping a mother was like an event dedicated to him. Mirroring what happened with Jeff in this story.
[Just a Re-cap: In this story, Sanji and his mother escaped from his father, Jude and other siblings.
They got found, and Sanji's mother was killed. Zeff came in, and saved Sanji from getting killed, almost losing his leg in the process. They get out of island somehow, before getting stranded on a rock.
And like canon, Zeff eats his own leg to survive, while giving Sanji all of the food.
This is also the reason why Sanji is more dedicated to training and revenge]
Anyway, in this story, Groots are from the moon, if it wasn't obvious. And they have both genders (here), unlike Marvel where they are genderless.
Also, about the point, that if the dungeon is underground, why didn't Sanji's observation haki pick up anything.
Well, this is an old theory. But in Impel Down, Ivankov and his group were hiding for years. But no one was able to find them. I'm sure at least a few marines with Observation haki came there to search for them.
But they weren't able to find them. So the theory goes, like how sea-kings aren't able to detect a ship with sea stone bottom. Observation Haki users can't detect people if it's made out of materials that's similar to sea-stone.
This should be kind of reasonable, as like I previously stated being invisible negates normal observation haki. Expert or talented users could of course detect them, but normal users' can't. Hope this clears things up.
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