In One Piece, as Hashirama Senju

[156] Hell Hole of a Maze

Chapter 156: Hell Hole of a Maze

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"This is so boring and endless," Mikita let out a growl as she munched on an apple.

"Real," I yawned back.

It's been a few days since we've entered the Emerald City. Well, not exactly the real thing. As it happens, we have to get past this hallway-turned-maze to really get inside.

Spiraling walls rose to the ceiling to block us from flying up and finding a way out, forcing us to walk on our feet and navigate through the multiple paths we found ahead of us.

Everyone was eating apples, I grew them on my palms and tossed them at the girls. I am our only food source since we couldn't bring any rations inside.

Things would have been seriously bad if I wasn't who I am. Still, I hope we'll find the exit soon; I wasn't self-sustainable for that long without the sun.

"Would you make me a bowl of ramen?" Vivi slipped beside and asked with a cute flutter of her eyelids.

"Buddy I am not a restaurant," I said even as I created a wooden bowl out of my palm and poured Ramen into it. I handed it over to her and she accepted with a happy grin.

The journey to the Boin Archipelago was a real lifesaver. The amount of food I could make from the DNA of the trees I've copied from there is insane.

"Shira," Tsunade approached my side and ruffled my head. "It's alright to do it in moderation. It'll be bad if your chakra runs out. How much do you have left?"

"About 54%," I told her. "It's a lot. don't worry, we'll surely find the exit before it reaches 50."

My chakra was running really low after I regenerated my hands, and I had only a few days to regenerate my reserves with the help of the sun. That's why from the time we were in here, my reserves were already running low.

"Hopefully," our Navigator, Nami, sounded less than enthusiastic. The others looked at her with slight worry, and amongst them, Robin looked the most worried. Perhaps she had an ominous feeling about this, as someone who was well-versed in this field of exploration of historical places.

"Haah," Tsunade sighed, looking at the walls around us. "At this point, can't I just try breaking them?"

"It's not a good idea. What if we shake its foundation and it crashes down on us?" said Marianne, trying to stop my impulsive sister.

"Plus, I doubt you can," I mocked her with a shrug. "You couldn't even break the glass dome of this place, how can you break solid stone walls? They look tough."

She gave me a deep, pissed frown but didn't say anything. She turned around and walked ahead of us, while I choked on air with a laugh. We continued wandering.

Later, as much as I'd have loved to say all the worries were for naught and we found the exit in no time, that wasn't the case.

...We didn't find any exit whatsoever for two months straight.

* * *

"H-hold on, this much is enough," Robin insisted, her voice laced with concern as I handed her an avocado and banana. I gave her a look, how can that be enough? But she didn't allow me to argue. The weight of her gaze told me it wasn't just about the food. She, like the others, was worried about the constant drain on my chakra.

My reserves were vast, but even the mightiest river could run dry. Especially when I had to make tasty, sustainable food for a crew of seven people and one duck, all of whose meal quota is many times that of an average person.