Laboon was still in a daze, but the moment it heard Brook's voice, its eyes flew wide open.
It jerked its massive head around to look toward Brook, who was now running in its direction.
Although Brook's appearance was completely different from before, Laboon still recognized him—by that unmistakable afro and that familiar voice.
As a whale, Laboon didn't have the complicated thoughts of a human. All it knew was that no matter how much Brook's appearance had changed, he was still the same Brook from before.
"Woooo!"
Laboon let out a cry and swiftly swam toward Brook.
From atop the lighthouse, Kaito and Crocus stood silently, watching as man and whale rushed toward each other. Crocus already had tears streaming down his aged face.
Kaito, on the other hand, didn't cry. There was a faint smile on his lips, and his gaze stayed fixed on the running Brook as he softly murmured,
Brook turned in surprise to look at Kaito on the lighthouse. Kaito smiled and said,
"Go ahead. You're allowed to enter the sea now."
With that, Kaito didn't wait for thanks. He activated Door Fruit, sending Brook directly into the ocean.
When Brook, encased in Door space, arrived before Laboon, for a moment, both man and whale simply stared at each other in silence.
Brook stood quietly, then slowly spread his arms wide and pressed himself against Laboon's face.
Laboon rubbed its head against Brook affectionately. Those simple gestures contained a thousand unspoken words.
Brook raised a hand and gently stroked the scars crisscrossing Laboon's head. Though he no longer had a heart, he could feel the ache deep in his soul.
Back in the Door-Door Space, he had already seen how Laboon had rammed its head into the Red Line—recklessly, almost suicidally. That sight had made him want to dash out immediately to stop it.
He regretted it immensely.
He regretted holding so tightly to that promise. If he'd accepted Kaito's offer earlier, Laboon wouldn't have suffered like this for so long—even if it would've shortened the pain by only a few minutes.
Whoosh!
Kaito appeared beside Brook, locking eyes with Laboon's massive gaze. He activated Konohanasakuya-hime.
The moment Laboon met Kaito's Rinnegan, it instinctively felt fear. But before it could look away, Konohanasakuya-hime had already taken effect.
A cool, soothing energy flowed through Laboon's enormous body. Under the nourishment of this power, the scarred areas on its head began to itch. Laboon let out two contented grunts.
Then, to Brook's utter astonishment, it happened.
The ghastly scars on Laboon's head began to heal—visibly and rapidly—until nothing remained but smooth, unblemished skin.
Staring at the miracle before him, Brook's jaw nearly fell off his skull. He muttered with a slack mouth,
"This… this is actually possible?"
Kaito finished his work and vanished without a word, leaving Brook and Laboon alone.
He was never one to linger after a deed—content to keep his name buried in silence.
After Kaito left, Brook gently stroked Laboon's now-smooth forehead and began telling him what had happened to the Rumbar Pirates.
Laboon might be a whale, but he could understand human speech.
When he heard that Brook was the only one left from the Rumbar Pirates, tears welled up in Laboon's huge eyes, mixing into the surrounding seawater.
The entire area echoed with Laboon's mournful cries.
Brook stood in silence. He didn't try to comfort Laboon—he knew the whale needed to let it all out.
Compared to himself, Laboon had endured far more misery over the years, suffering both mentally and physically without reprieve.
It wasn't Brook's fault, but guilt still gnawed at him. He didn't even feel worthy of offering comfort.
Everything happening was transmitted to Kaito's mind. He looked out toward Laboon and sighed softly.
...
He could have tried using the Revive-Revive Fruit to summon the souls of the Rumbar Pirates, but he wasn't some benevolent saint. Reviving Brook was merely to fulfill his own regrets from watching One Piece.
To forcibly use the power of the Revive-Revive Fruit to defy life and death for people unrelated to him? That wasn't worth it. This was already the limit of what he was willing to do.
At least for Brook and Laboon, this was the best possible ending.
Kaito withdrew his gaze and turned to Crocus.
Crocus suddenly stiffened, wondering if this "Shikiryū" had changed his mind and was now going to attack him.
But Kaito had no intention of breaking his promise. He was just curious about this ship doctor from the Roger Pirates.
Because Crocus had actually reached the legendary Raftel with Gol D. Roger.
Just now, Kaito had taken Brook on a full circle around the Grand Line, but never saw anything like Raftel. That made him curious—where exactly was this mysterious island?
He looked at Crocus and asked,
"You were part of the Roger Pirates. You must have been to Raftel. Tell me, where is it?"
"Raftel!?"
The moment he heard that name, shock and fear washed over Crocus's face—so intense that it made Kaito blink in surprise.
He could understand the shock. But the fear?
Crocus trembled as he asked,
"You're a Marine Admiral—why would you be interested in that place? Don't tell me… you're after the One Piece too?"
To him, anyone curious about Raftel must be after the legendary treasure—the One Piece.
But Kaito's reaction completely upended his expectations.
Kaito let out a disdainful snort.
One Piece?
The legendary treasure?
What kind of treasure could compare to his Rinnegan?
With the Rinnegan, he could take anything in this world by force.
Unless Raftel had the Chakra Fruit of the Divine Tree, One Piece was nothing but hype to him.
Crocus was left stunned, unable to understand how anyone could be so dismissive of One Piece.
After all, wasn't it One Piece that had ignited the entire Great Pirate Era?
While Crocus was spiraling into existential crisis, Kaito raised a hand toward the sea, fingers suddenly clenching into a fist.
BOOM!
A deafening roar erupted from the ocean, startling Crocus and the nearby Brook and Laboon.
As they snapped back to awareness, the scene before them left them completely speechless.
The endless ocean waters had suddenly surged upward—as if pulled by some invisible force. The sea level dropped in an instant, isolating the area where Brook and Laboon floated.
The entire space had transformed into a sandwich-like bubble held between massive walls of seawater, surreal like a dreamscape.
Kaito turned to the dumbstruck Crocus—who now had snot dripping from his nose—and asked,
"One Piece? How many pairs of Rinnegan does it have?"