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"Well, I'm Luffy. Join my crew!"
There was a collective groan from his crewmates. However, almost all of them had expected that.
"Luffy?! Did you find the others?" A call came out from the hole that was in the ceiling. It was Nami's voice.
"Only one way to find out!" Kuina's voice came, and a second later Luffy looked up, and sidestepped as Kuina dropped down gracefully. Sabo also came in a moment later after turning into lightning.
Seeing all of them come from the outside, Robin looked at the others, "It seems we're all free."
The others cheered, though Sanji had a thoughtful look on his face. He walked near one of the pillars and kicked it, and like he expected, it easy got demolished, unlike other times when he had to use haki or flames to damage it.
The others saw this and had a questioning look on their face.
"You guys get out on your own, I have something to do." He said, and with that, he started running. He stopped briefly near the closed off tunnel where they came from before destroying it with one kick, before continuing. Now that the dungeon was turned off, its walls and structure were easy to break through.
That's the reason why Luffy could easily break in from the outside, but this also meant one could get out from the inside. And whatever was blocking Sanji's Observation Haki from going outside the dungeon was also not there, meaning all the restrictions were turned off.
Seeing Sanji going in there, the others looked at each other, before one of them followed. It was the little Groot. Luffy was also curious, so a few others followed where Sanji was going, while the rest of them went outside of the dungeon.
Of course the little Groot wasn't fast enough, so Luffy carried the little one over his shoulder and followed behind Sanji.
Sanji went through the tunnel, breaking off anything and everything that blocked his way. Now that the dungeon was down, he could fully sense the outside of the dungeon with his Observation Haki, it also let him see the large Groot, and how weak she was getting.
Sanji kicked through the final wall, coming back to where the whole thing started.
The first room that they got teleported to. Though Sanji was bit surprised with what he saw, the whole room was now filled with vines and ivy, that captured and detained the mechanical golems and wasps.
Now they were unmoving, it seems with they had also shut off with the dungeon. But Sanji didn't pay that much attention to them, as he looked at the older Groot… she looked weak… with a heavy heart Sanji knew what was happening, she was dying.
Seeing Sanji the older Groot looked surprised. "I am Groot?"
Sanji smiled, "We are free now." He said as he walked forward. "I will get you out!"
"I am Groot?" Almost not believing those words.
"Yes, I will get you out." Sanji said, looking upwards at the ceiling of the dungeon, "Can you clear out the ceiling for me, I will dig a hole large enough so that you can escape…"
The older Groot looked surprised, but she nodded, clearing out some of the vines from the ceiling. Sanji didn't waste any time and used Geppo to reach the ceiling a moment later, his feet laced with flames, "Diable Jambe: Foret à flamme!"
Like a drill, Sanji's feet dug through the roof of the dungeon, going through it with the power of his haki and flames. He pushed through as dirt and debris fell, creating a large hole that started drilling upwards.
The older Groot looked on, as the hole Sanji gave his all in creating became a giant hole for her to exit her life long prison. She didn't have much time on her hand, and she had almost given up all hope for herself, but it seemed there was still a chance for her to see the open sky.
As Sanji finished drilling, sunlight peaked from the hole, falling on her body for the first time in centuries. She couldn't wait anymore, as Sanji called out to her to use the passageway, she was already moving.
She crawled, using her vines and ivy to latch onto the soil of the Upper Yard. It would have been hard for her to pass through due to her massive size, but she could reduce her size because of her unique physique.
Soon enough she was outside, and she finally was able to see what she had missed.
The larger Groot, who had been in the oppressive depths of the dungeon for countless centuries, had lost touch with the world above. Her existence had been a solitary, subterranean one, after her people perished.
But now, as she clawed her way out of the earth, her gnarled roots pushing through the soil and her form growing in size, she was greeted by a breathtaking spectacle. The world above was bathed in the soft, golden hues of a setting sun, casting long, dappled shadows across the land.
They were at the border of Shandora, the once City of Gold, and from there, the sky looked beautiful.
The smell of fresh air, the sounds of birds and animals all of it was breathtaking for her. In way, it felt surreal, her size which had been reducing due to her losing health started to feel invigorated, due to the nutrition rich soil the upper grounds had.
She gazed upwards, her eyes filled with wonder. The sky stretched out before her, a canvas painted with the fading colors of twilight. The sun, a fiery orb, cast its warm glow across the horizon, while the silvery moon, like a delicate jewel, began to emerge from its daytime slumber. It was a sight that stirred emotions long buried within Groot, a reminder of the world's enduring beauty.
'Was the sky always this big?' she wondered. She was so used to seeing the ceiling of her prison that she didn't remember. She couldn't remember.
Though Groot knew her time was limited, she couldn't help but savor these precious moments. The sky, with its shifting colors and celestial bodies, filled her core with a sense of serenity and awe.
She felt a cherished connection with nature, a connection that had been denied to her for far too long. As the sun and moon shared the sky, she reveled in the symphony of colors and light that danced across the heavens, a final testament to the enduring majesty of the world she had missed so dearly.
She didn't know how long she had been staring at the sky, but the other pirates had exited out of the dungeon with her child. The smaller Groot was also awed by the scene of the sky.
Unlike her, the small one had never experienced the majestic beauty of the sky.
She smiled, as she looked down, at Sanji and the others, "I am Groot." She said, thanking the man who made it all possible, and also his comrades for helping her.
Her time was limited, she stretched out her branch made arm towards the boy with the Straw Hat. On the boy's shoulder was the small Groot, the small one jumped up her arms.
And the large Groot held her child for the last time. She knew her time was coming, and she was ready to accept it.
"I am Groot!" the small one cried, not wanting her to leave him. But her time had passed.
"I am Groot!" she said, telling her son to live a life that is free. "I am Groot!" To create bonds with new found friends and stay true to his beliefs and live a life that's worth living. "I am Groot!" And lastly to forgive her to leave him alone.
"I am Groot!" the small one cried, "I am Groot!"
But she gave no response. In her last moments she smiled at the smaller one, as her form started to shift. She knew her time had come, and because of it, she carefully placed her child down near Sanji.
"I am Groot." She said weakly.
And the blond hair man nodded, holding the crying groot. With that she stood tall, her features growing shrivel, as new green leaves started sprouting, her face retracting in her bark as she grew in size.
Her branches stretched out towards the sky, covering a good portion of it with leaves and vines. And with that she accepted her end. Almost turning into an ordinary tree. Only this one stood the tallest in Upper Yard.