Crocus leaped over to Laboon's side. Then, to Ryuuto's astonishment, Crocus opened a door that seemed to appear out of thin air on Laboon's flank. Crocus stepped through the doorway and into Laboon's body.
"Wait for me!" Ryuuto shouted, hurrying after him.
"Me too!" Nami cried, wanting to follow, but the distance between the shore and Laboon was too great for her to jump.
How unfair! Seeing the two disappear inside the whale, Nami stomped her foot in frustration.
"Ryuuto, boy, don't get in my way later," Crocus said, not objecting to Ryuuto following him, but offering a curt warning.
"Can you tell me Laboon's story?" Ryuuto asked.
"Laboon is waiting here for his crew..." Crocus began to explain as they walked.
Ryuuto fell silent for a moment, thinking. "Crocus, let's make a bet! If I can cure Laboon's internal injuries, you'll agree to be our ship's doctor!" Ryuuto had finally revealed his true intention.
"A bold proposal, boy. While Laboon's condition is mainly caused by his obsession, the internal wounds he's accumulated over the years are something even an old village doctor like me can't fix. You think you can?" Crocus looked at Ryuuto with suspicion.
"So, old man, is it a bet or not?" Ryuuto goaded.
"Interesting. Hahahaha, fine! I'll take that bet!" Crocus laughed heartily. "But if you fail, you'll stay here at Twin Capes and keep this old man company!" He laid out Ryuuto's side of the wager.
"Deal!" Ryuuto agreed in a serious tone.
With the bet made, they fell silent again. Crocus led Ryuuto through Laboon's insides until they reached a treatment room. Inside was a gigantic syringe and several wooden barrels. Crocus explained that the barrels contained a sedative to help keep Laboon calm and alleviate the pain from his injuries.
Whaooooo~!
A mournful cry echoed from outside. It was followed by a violent tremor and the sound of a massive impact.
"Laboon's started ramming the Red Line again!" Crocus muttered, his expression grim. He moved quickly, beginning to load a barrel of sedative into the giant syringe.
"Wait, let me handle this!" Ryuuto said, stepping in front of Crocus. He silently commanded, "Retrieve!"
A yellow light flickered, and a yellow paper talisman appeared in Ryuuto's hand. It was from the Newbie Gift Pack the system had given him.
"What in the world is that, boy?" Crocus asked, leaning in curiously to examine the talisman, which was covered in intricate cinnabar markings.
"It's a talisman. It can cure any illness!" Ryuuto declared, moving to place it into the sedative.
"Don't you go trying to fool an old man like me, boy!" Crocus said, clearly skeptical, but he didn't stop Ryuuto.
"There!" After dissolving the talisman in the sedative, Ryuuto turned to Crocus. "Do I just inject this into him now?" He didn't wait for an answer, putting his weight behind the plunger and pushing the entire dose of medicine into Laboon's system. The white sedative, now infused with the talisman, seemed to shimmer with a faint golden light, giving it a mysterious, otherworldly quality.
Crocus watched from the side with his arms crossed, waiting to see what would happen.
Ssshhh—
The sedative flowed into Laboon's body.
Two seconds passed.
A violent lurch threw them off balance. Ryuuto felt a sudden sense of weightlessness as he was lifted into the air.
Whaooooo~!
Outside, Laboon had breached the surface of the water, letting out a long, comfortable groan.
CRASH!
A massive impact shook everything as Laboon slammed back down onto the ocean, the force of it sending Ryuuto and Crocus sprawling.
Whaoo!
Another cry came from Laboon, but this one was light and steady. Anyone could hear the immense relief in his voice.
Crocus felt it too. After so many years with Laboon, he understood the whale better than anyone. From his movements and his calls, Crocus could tell that the usual sorrow and weight had vanished. Laboon sounded completely at ease.
"Ryuuto, boy... it looks like your talisman actually worked!" Crocus said, a note of genuine joy in his voice.
"See, old man? I told you it could cure anything," Ryuuto said with a grin. "So, our bet still stands, right?"
"Ryuuto..." Crocus hesitated. "Let's go outside first. It looks like this treatment room won't be needed for a while," he said, deflecting the question. He turned his back and started walking toward the exit.
"Old man, you're not going to back out of our deal, are you?" Ryuuto called after him, pressing the issue.
Click!
The door opened, and Crocus and Ryuuto stepped back out onto Laboon's head.
"Captain, you're out! The big guy seems a lot happier," Nami shouted, waving enthusiastically from the shore.
Crocus leaped from Laboon's head to the lighthouse platform, while Ryuuto had one more thing to do.
"Moonwalk!"
Kicking off the air, Ryuuto hovered in front of Laboon's giant eye.
"Hey, big guy, listen to me! You stay right here! I'm going to sail around the world, and then I'll come back to see you!" Though tiny in front of the massive whale, Ryuuto's voice boomed with conviction.
Whaoo...
Laboon let out a soft cry. The man before him reminded him of a scene from long ago. That other man had said the same thing, but he never came back.
Whaooooo~!
A wave of sorrow began to wash over Laboon again.
"Laboon, look at me!" Ryuuto shouted, his voice ringing with sincerity. "I don't break my promises! I will come back! I've left a little bit of wind inside you. As long as you can feel it, it means I'm out there, thinking of you. When the wind stops, that's when I'm about to return!"
Ryuuto looked the great whale in the eye as he made his vow. Just before leaving, he had turned back in the treatment room and created a small vortex of wind. It was a tiny current, left swirling gently near the giant syringe. Ryuuto had named it the Eternal Wind. He had poured all his energy into it. Under normal circumstances, the wind would spin for about ten days. But inside Laboon's body, protected from outside interference, it might just spin forever.
Laboon could feel it. In a small corner of his body, a tiny wisp of wind was slowly, steadily turning.
This man wasn't lying!
Whaooooo~!
Laboon let out a long, joyous cry.
"Live well, Laboon!" Ryuuto said, reaching out to pat the whale's massive head.
Whaoo!
Laboon responded with a mighty slap of his tail, sending a colossal wave crashing over the shore and drenching both Nami and Crocus.