"Rooo—!"
At the tranquil harbor of Twin Cape, a thunderous roar suddenly rang out—deep and resounding, like a dragon's cry.
The sea instantly rippled outward. Under the impact of the sound waves, towering swells rose and fell.
Laboon's enormous eyeball swivelled abruptly, locking straight onto Luffy.
Though he was still just an animal and lacked the nimble intellect of a human, Laboon had been intelligent since childhood—and by now, he could already understand human speech.
More importantly, he had just heard a familiar name from Luffy's mouth—
Brook!
In an instant!
The entire sea seemed to boil like scalding water, erupting into violent turbulence.
Laboon shifted his massive body, slowly pulling back as his gaze fixed entirely on Luffy, before letting out another earth-shaking cry:
"Rooo—!!?"
At the same time—
Inside Laboon's body, within a vast internal chamber.
Crocus, the caretaker of the Twin Cape lighthouse, suddenly sprang to his feet in alarm.
"That's strange… did the sedative wear off?!"
For the sake of someday reuniting with the Rumbar Pirates, Laboon had spent decades ramming his head against the indestructible Red Line, leaving his body battered and scarred.
To protect him, Crocus had moved his home inside Laboon and—using his exceptional medical skills—had transformed Laboon's interior into a massive hidden base.
Whenever Laboon tried to crash into the Red Line again, Crocus would inject him with a specially prepared sedative from a designated room, forcibly calming him down.
Day after day. Year after year.
It had long become part of Crocus's daily life.
But today, Laboon seemed unusually resistant to the sedative.
Crocus hurried down the corridors—yet when he reached the injection chamber, the violent shaking he expected never came.
"…That's odd."
Scratching his already-balding head in confusion, he followed the corridor outward.
For Laboon's care, Crocus had constructed dozens of interconnecting tunnels inside—so intricate that only he knew where each led.
A true nemesis for Zoro.
Creeeak—
With the sound of metal grinding, Crocus slowly pushed open the sealed hatch on Laboon's back and peeked outside.
The very next second, his eyes went wide.
Sitting smack in the center of the scar on Laboon's forehead was a straw-hatted boy, laughing and chatting cheerfully with Laboon.
Crocus's gaze instantly locked onto that straw hat. His pupils shrank.
"That hat… I remember it wasn't—"
A flash of nostalgia flickered through his eyes.
The next moment, he stepped fully out of the hatch and roared at Luffy:
"Hey! Brat—what are you doing up there?!"
"Huh?"
Hearing Crocus's voice, Luffy turned around in confusion, his face full of puzzlement.
"Huh? Old man!? Who are you?"
Crocus frowned.
"Before asking someone else's name, the least basic courtesy is to state your own."
"Ah—right! I'm Monkey D.—"
Luffy froze for a moment, but before he could finish, Crocus suddenly cut in, as if answering a quiz question at lightning speed:
"I'm Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Cape!"
"..."
Silence immediately fell.
A moment later—
Luffy suddenly burst out laughing.
"Old man, you're really funny!"
"…Heh."
Crocus raised an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"It's been a long time since I've met a youngster as interesting as you."
Then his expression turned serious again.
"So… why exactly are you here?"
"Ah…"
Luffy grinned boldly.
"I was inviting this whale to become our partner!"
"And from the looks of it—seems like I succeeded!"
"Right, Laboon!?"
Luffy happily patted Laboon's head.
Laboon immediately answered with a resounding roar.
But amidst that deafening sound, Crocus's expression changed—from calm, to stunned, and finally to utter disbelief, his mouth hanging open.
...
...
Half an hour later, on the deck of the Going Merry.
Crocus lifted the cup in front of him, staring at the reflection of his aged face in the liquid for a long while.
"So that's how it is…"
He sighed.
"I thought… the Rumbar Pirates had fled from the Grand Line."
"Looks like I wronged them after all."
As his words fell, he slowly turned toward the massive Laboon floating beside the ship, his eyes shimmering with tears.
"This is wonderful… truly wonderful, Laboon."
"You were right."
"They never forgot about you—and now, you finally have the chance to meet them again!!!"
"…This is really great…"
Murmuring to himself, Crocus downed the drink in one gulp and stood up.
Facing the Straw Hat crew, he spoke with solemn resolve:
"Since Laboon has agreed to travel with you, I have no reason to stop him."
"But Laboon isn't just some ordinary sea beast!"
"If I ever find out you've treated him badly, I swear—even if I have to chase you to the ends of the seas, I'll hunt you down!"
At that moment, Crocus looked like an old father sending his daughter off with some delinquent punk, his eyes inexplicably wet.
And the 'punk' himself—Luffy—grinned with a sunshine-bright smile, placing a hand on his straw hat like he was taking an oath.
"Hehehe—don't worry, old man!"
"We'll take great care of Laboon!"
As the vice-captain, Red stood up as well, smiling as he poured Crocus another drink.
"Senior Crocus, you can rest assured about Laboon."
"And besides…" he said thoughtfully, "…I don't think you'll be apart for very long."
"Because it won't be long before our captain leads us to find ONE PIECE, just like you did back then—"
"—and we'll become the freest ones sailing this era's seas!!!"
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Crocus's eyes. He looked at Red with astonishment.
"You know who I am?"
"Of course."
Red smiled softly and raised his cup.
"Crocus—the exclusive ship doctor of the Pirate King Roger Pirates. The wheel of history hasn't rolled so far yet that it's erased all of you."
"What—!?"
"Pffft—!!!"
Luffy suddenly sprayed out a mouthful of milk.
He stared at Crocus alongside everyone else aboard the Merry in total shock.
"Old man!? You were on the Pirate King's crew!?"
"Hahaha—just old stories from the past!"
Crocus waved it off with a laugh.
Perhaps thanks to the 'legendary filter,' every move he made now looked strangely cool in the Straw Hats' eyes.
While Luffy gazed at him with starry-eyed admiration, Zoro and Sanji both felt a surge of battle intent ignite within them.
A crewmate of the Pirate King had to be strong—right!?
If they could fight him, wouldn't it sharpen their own strength even further!?
The desire to grow stronger stirred within them.
But Red noticed it immediately and stopped them with a look.
In the Grand Line, powerhouses were everywhere.
There was no need to trouble this old man right now.
For fifty years, Crocus and Laboon had guarded Twin Cape together—their bond deeper than words.
Now, with Laboon about to leave, parting sorrow was inevitable.
The time they had left should belong to them.
At Red's suggestion, the Straw Hats didn't immediately set sail on their first day in the Grand Line.
Instead, they stayed along the shores of Twin Cape, holding a grand welcoming celebration for their new companion, Laboon.
Watching all of this unfold from beginning to end, Smoker and the Vivi duo were left utterly speechless.
Their minds felt heavy—as if filled with molten lead—completely unable to process what they had just witnessed.
Vivi looked thoughtful.
Mr. 9 was simply stunned.
As for Smoker… he was caught up in one burning question—
Just how terrifying was the Straw Hats' information network!?
Or rather…
How did this completely unknown vice-captain know so much!?
The Rumbar Pirates, gone for fifty years.
The truth behind the ghost ship of the Florian Triangle.
And even exposing Crocus's identity as a Roger Pirates crewmate with a single sentence.
Though he hadn't known them long, Smoker was increasingly convinced—
That boy wearing a baseball cap and looking so harmless…
Might actually be the most dangerous person in the entire crew!!!
"…Why have I never heard any intel about Red at all?"
By the flickering bonfire, Smoker glanced toward Red laughing and celebrating with his companions, muttering under his breath.
Just then—
Someone suddenly sat down beside him.
It was Miss Wednesday—the assassin deemed too weak to pose any threat, vouched for by Sanji, disarmed, and even given a change of clothes.
Princess Vivi.
Her expression was hesitant, eyes flickering as if she was wrestling with something inside.
But in the end, she pinched her throat slightly and asked Smoker in a soft whisper:
"Your pirate crew… are you really going to challenge one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—Crocodile?"
"..."
Smoker: I'M TOTALLY NOT ON THE SAME SIDE AS THEM, DAMN IT!!!
(End of Chapter)