Sherwin and the Felynes covered their ears with practiced ease, their expressions calm and steady.
After all, compared to Klee Meow sonic bombs, Laboon roar wasn't much to fuss over.
On the side, Crocus panicked. "Damn! We got so caught up chatting, I forgot to give Laboon his sedative!"
As he spoke, he was about to dive into the sea—only to be yanked back by Sherwin.
"Hua Mei, try to see if you can calm this big guy down first."
After some training, Hua Mei Meow Conqueror Haki had become something she could control freely, and she handled it well. She had even begun attempting to practice Ryuo.
Considering she was the Crimson Tiger, one of the Seven Sea Overlords, Sherwin wasn't surprised in the least… at most, just a little frustrated.
Hua Mei Meow turned her head toward Laboon, her pupils shrinking to needle points, the fur on her body bristling slightly.
In the next moment, Laboon, who had been roaring non-stop, suddenly went quiet. Though he didn't faint, the massive eyes above the surface showed a trace of fear, and his gigantic body trembled, sending waves rippling across the surrounding sea.
"Conqueror Haki?"
Crocus, having once sailed with the Pirate King, couldn't sense Hua Mei Meow Haki directly, but judging from Laboon reaction, he could guess what had happened.
After a brief moment of surprise, he rushed toward Laboon again. This time, Sherwin didn't stop him—after all, Hua Mei Meow couldn't be expected to keep Laboon restrained with Haki forever.
As Crocus slipped inside Laboon body, Sherwin pulled out the Hunter Manual…
As expected, the Monster Index fragments from the general pool were much easier to collect—any time a well-known large creature appeared in the story, one piece would be granted.
Those smaller animals that just flashed by in the manga didn't count for now, but along Luffy route there were plenty of large named beasts—like the giant serpent Lord of the Sky on Skypiea, the Kraken on Fishman Island, and even Zunesha, the largest known living creature.
Hmm… Sherwin wondered if Chopper would be included in the Small Monster Index. If he was, then surely he'd at least be worth one summon ticket fragment, right?
While Sherwin was recalling all the various animals, large and small, that had appeared in the manga, Crocus had already returned to shore after administering the sedative to Laboon.
With its effects taking hold, Laboon was no longer thrashing Mountain. Instead, it floated quietly on the surface, gazing sorrowfully toward the other side of Reverse Mountain.
"Thank you," Crocus bowed gratefully to Hua Mei Meow. "Thanks to your help, Laboon didn't end up hurting himself this time."
"Grandpa Crocus, what wrong with this big whale, meow? Klee can feel that it really sad, meow." The little plush Felyne perched on Sherwin shoulder asked curiously.
(=ω=)
Since he had already seen Hua Mei Meow Conqueror Haki earlier, Crocus wasn't all that surprised at Klee Meow displaying Observation Haki.
He only raised his brows slightly before beginning to recount Laboon story… a tale that was no different from what Sherwin already knew.
Then, Klee Meow voiced the very same question Sherwin had been wondering about…
"Then why doesn't it just go look for the Rumbar Pirates, meow? Weren't they headed in that direction? What the point of this big whale yelling the other way, meow?"
"…Because they promised to meet here!" Crocus was caught off guard for a moment, but then answered matter-of-factly:
"Laboon is worried that if the Rumbar Pirates returned here as promised, but couldn't find him, it would break their bond. That why he has stayed here, waiting faithfully for decades."
"Emmmm…"
Sherwin and the Felynes all wore expressions of utter confusion.
Crocus let out a long sigh and continued, "Actually, Laboon knows the chances of the Rumbar Pirates returning are very slim. It just forcing itself to believe they'll come back. Waiting here… it the last shred of hope it has left."
Mm, that explanation was more reasonable, and it fit well with the stubborn streak so common in this world.
Although Sherwin admired Laboon persistence, he couldn't persuade it the way Luffy had. He didn't have that "Joy Boy" kind of presence that naturally won people trust.
Even if he mimicked Luffy from the manga—fighting Laboon and then making a promise—that wouldn't be sincere for him, and Laboon might not take it to heart.
But… a transmigrator had his own ways.
"If it the Rumbar Pirates you're waiting for… I actually know a bit about them."
Sherwin words instantly caught Laboon attention. Even under the effects of the sedative, the stubborn whale grew excited, swimming close to shore, its massive tail slapping the sea and sending towering splashes into the air.
"Most of them died many years ago from illness," Sherwin said directly, not dragging it out.
"But that musician named Brook—because he ate the Revive-Revive Fruit—didn't stay dead. Right now, he drifting through the Grand Line in the form of a walking skeleton."
"Woooooooh—Gah!"
Laboon roared again in excitement, only to be silenced by a sharp glare from Hua Mei Meow.
Crocus, however, looked at Sherwin with suspicion. "What you're saying… is it true?"
After all, Sherwin looked no older than twenty. How could he possibly know anything about the Rumbar Pirates, who had disappeared nearly fifty years ago? But then Crocus remembered—this boy had known his identity too, which was already strange enough… so maybe, just maybe, it was true.
"I told you before, didn't I? I know just a little bit more than the average person." Sherwin shrugged.
"Why don't you give me a vivre card or a number for your Den Den Mushi? That way, if we ever run into Brook in the future, we'll have a way for him to contact you."
"Wait a moment!"
Hearing Sherwin speak so convincingly, Crocus finally believed him. He hurriedly turned back into the lighthouse, then came out with a piece of vivre card that had his Den Den Mushi number written on it and handed it to Sherwin.
After the matter with Laboon was settled, Sherwin chatted with Crocus for a while longer…
And that conversation left Crocus, who had been confident before, feeling more uncertain.
The reason was simple—Sherwin didn't seem to understand many of the basic things about the Grand Line, yet he knew some bits of information that weren't widely known at all.
By the end of the talk, Crocus truly didn't know whether he should believe Sherwin or not.
Of course, Sherwin wasn't deliberately toying with him. He needed to figure out exactly how to enter the same route Luffy had taken, so naturally, he had to clarify with Crocus what the seven initial islands were for each route, and how to reach them.
And though Crocus was left feeling somewhat confused, he still dutifully explained everything to Sherwin.
At Twin Cape, a Log Pose could simultaneously gather the magnetic signals of all seven initial islands.
But exactly which island it locked onto was completely random—according to past experience, it likely had something to do with the varying strength and shifts of each island magnetic field.
Regardless of the reason, every newcomer arriving at Twin Cape could only determine which route they had taken by consulting a chart of the seven islands and following the direction the Log Pose pointed to after it finished recording the magnetism.
If one didn't end up on the desired route, there were special ways to erase the magnetism already recorded on the Log Pose, allowing it to capture a new signal. So as long as someone stayed at Twin Cape long enough, they could eventually try all seven routes.
However, for Sherwin, things weren't going to be that troublesome. After all, when he had crossed the Grand Line before, he'd already snatched quite a few Log Poses from those pirates.
So…
All Sherwin needed to do was take out one of the Log Poses he had seized before and exchange it with the one in Crocus hand—the one that had already recorded the magnetic signal of Cactus Island.
And since Sherwin group had just helped soothe Laboon, Crocus cheerfully handed over the Log Pose without hesitation. He did, however, add one extra request—
"Ever since I read the News Bird article about the Felynes sea-going mobile restaurant, I've been looking forward to the day you'd show up here. So, you have to cook me a proper meal."
Crocus swallowed as he admitted his own cooking wasn't that great. "I can even pay you!"
A meal was hardly anything, so of course Sherwin had no reason to refuse, nor would he ever actually take money from Crocus for it.
But…
Just as Sanji Meow brought out the freshly prepared food, a small pirate ship happened to come crashing down from Reverse Mountain. At the same time, a hearty voice broke through the roar of the waves, carrying over from that ship—
"Deuce! I think I smell food!"