Chapter 74: Really Bitten Off by a Sea King?
Crocus's expression was serious, his gaze sweeping coldly over everyone, taking in each of their features. However, his expression soon underwent a subtle change. He first froze on the spot, then subconsciously took off his glasses and wiped them. When he put them back on and looked at Louis, Yelena, and Uta, the seriousness on his face had completely vanished, replaced by the loving look of an old man seeing his juniors.
"???"
Crocus's change left Yelena, Uta, and the others completely bewildered.
A flash of understanding crossed Louis's eyes. He guessed that Shanks must have told Crocus about them when he entered the Grand Line.
Then, Crocus said to Louis and the others with a grin, "Come with me."
"Pardon the intrusion," Louis said softly. Behind him, the other three watched the interaction between Louis and Crocus, growing even more confused.
...
In the open area in front of the lighthouse, the group looked at the sumptuous food and fruits that Crocus had brought out, staring at each other. It wasn't until he placed a wooden treasure chest gently in front of Uta that she finally couldn't hold back anymore. "Are you this enthusiastic with everyone?" she asked.
Crocus gave Uta a loving smile. "You're Shanks's daughter, Uta, aren't you?"
"How did you know..." Uta was instantly stunned.
"Shanks told me! When I heard he had a cute daughter, I was quite surprised!" Crocus said, the smile on his face growing wider as he looked at Uta.
Yelena's eyes narrowed. She gradually realized something. "Are you one of them?"
Uta's whole body jolted, the butterfly-shaped bow on the back of her head instantly perking up. "You were a crewmate of Shanks's former captain?!" she exclaimed.
Crocus heard this, scratched his head, and grinned. "That's right. That brat Shanks was indeed an apprentice on our ship." Then, he looked at Louis, a hint of memory in his eyes. "Back then, I was invited onto the ship by Roger as the ship's doctor, and I also went to Baal."
Yelena and Uta were stunned again, trying to process the meaning of his words.
On the other side, Daz Bonez was no longer calm after hearing the name "Roger." "Roger... do you mean the Pirate King?"
Crocus turned to look at him, then nodded. "Yes, that's right."
Daz Bonez, however, fell silent, lost in thought.
After a moment, Uta was the first to react. She pointed at the wooden chest and asked, "Then this couldn't be..."
"Three years ago, when Shanks passed through here, he gave this to me. He told me to give it to you when you arrived."
Crocus recalled that day five years ago and said with a smile, "He said that he had to part with you in a hurry and forgot to give this to you."
Uta heard this and remembered what it was, but she no longer needed it. She grabbed Crocus's arm and asked urgently, "What happened to Shanks's arm?" On a newspaper once, she had seen that Shanks seemed to have lost an arm. When she had frantically called to ask, she had gotten the absurd answer that it was bitten off by an eel. Therefore, she wanted to learn the truth from Crocus.
Nearby, Yelena quietly perked up her ears.
Crocus heard her, and his expression became a little strange. "From what he said, he was saving a kid and a Sea King ate his arm."
Yelena: "..."
Uta: "..."
When Uta gradually realized that the absurd answer from back then might actually be true, she fell silent. Yelena also didn't know what to say.
After a long time, Uta clenched her fists, her fair, perfect face becoming incredibly grim. "Don't let me meet that little brat on the sea!" She felt that it was all that kid's fault.
Crocus was taken aback. In the end, he decided not to mention the fact that Shanks had also entrusted his straw hat to that little boy. He felt it was best not to add fuel to the fire.
"You all want a Log Pose, right?" Crocus began to change the subject.
Louis nodded. "That's right. It's a necessity for sailing the Grand Line."
Crocus turned and took out a Log Pose, placing it in front of Louis. "The Grand Line is different from the Four Seas," he explained seriously. "The magnetic fields here are chaotic. You must use a Log Pose and an Eternal Pose. The time it takes to record the magnetic field of each island varies. If you don't follow the direction of the needle to the next island, the magnetism inside the needle will be replaced."
With that, Crocus looked around at everyone and asked, "Who among you is the navigator?"
"..."
The air became silent.
Finally, Louis answered in a deep voice, "We don't have a navigator."
"???"
Crocus's eyes widened. "If you can't predict bad weather, then what do you do when you encounter a storm?" he asked subconsciously.
To this, Louis gave a concise reply, "We tank it. If we can't tank it, we control it."
As he spoke, Louis reached out and infused a faint amount of life force into the air beside him, bringing it to life. Soon, the life force was depleted, and the pitiful Fantasy Species died on the spot right before their eyes.
"..."
Crocus screamed internally, This is not how normal pirates sail!!
He then thought of the Golden Lion, who had been defeated in his decisive battle with them because of a storm, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say. In the end, he silently handed the Log Pose to Louis.
Having gotten the Log Pose, Louis expressed his intention to leave. He didn't plan to stay here for long. "Since we have the Log Pose, we should set sail!"
Crocus nodded, then pointed to the food and fruits in front of him. "Little Louis, Uta, take these with you. You might not run into a place to resupply on the Grand Line."
To this, Uta waved her hand. "No need. We have a very large ice storage. It's enough for us to drift at sea for several years without going ashore!"
"Is that so..." Crocus didn't insist.
Then, Uta tossed the wooden box in her hand and said with a smile, "I'll take this with me!"
...
Afterward, Louis and his group boarded the warship again and slowly sailed away under Crocus's watch.
Not far away, the massive Island Whale broke through the surface of the sea again, letting out a mournful cry toward the sky.
Louis heard the sound and turned his head to look at the Island Whale, which was crying mournfully toward the other side of the Red Line. The next moment, Louis raised his hand and threw a pale golden ball of light, the size of a normal person's fist, in the whale's direction.
The golden stream of light streaked across the sea and entered the giant whale's body. Immediately, its body was gradually enveloped in a golden light, and the pain from its wounds began to ease.
In the direction of the lighthouse, Crocus looked at Laboon, whose condition had improved considerably after the light dissipated, and was momentarily lost in a daze.
At the entrance of Reverse Mountain, Laboon, as if sensing something, turned its head to look at the gradually departing warship and let out a low roar.
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