Amid the girls' laughter and chatter, the island cloud carried the Going Merry over the Red Line, arriving at the legendary pirate graveyard—the Grand Line.
"I'm so excited! I wonder what we'll encounter here," Nami said, stretching lazily. "Huh?! Reno, what are you doing?!"
She noticed the Going Merry rapidly descending. Clearly, Reno was controlling it. The other girls looked equally puzzled.
Reno explained patiently, "The Grand Line is different from the East Blue. Once you enter, the magnetic fields get extremely erratic. To navigate here, you need a Log Pose and Eternal Poses based on island magnetism."
"I see," the girls nodded, enlightened. But Nami quickly caught on, eyeing Reno. "You knowing about the East Blue is one thing, but how do you know so much about the Grand Line?!"
Reno smirked. Nami was too sharp. This is just the start. You'll be shocked later.
The Going Merry landed on the sea, and Reno docked it at the shore. He led the girls off the ship.
Near a lighthouse, they spotted an old man reading a newspaper. His hair was styled like saffron petals, and he wore vibrant, breezy clothes. He lounged with his legs crossed, engrossed in his paper.
As Reno and the group approached, the old man raised an eyebrow. "Who are you people?" he asked, his face expressionless.
Even the odd combination of one man and six women didn't faze him. Having seen countless storms, nothing surprised him anymore.
Kaya stepped forward gently. "Hello, sir, we're from the East—"
"I'm Crocus," he interrupted.
Kaya smiled awkwardly but nodded politely. She continued, "Grandpa Crocus, what is this place?"
Crocus's voice rose sharply. "Shouldn't you introduce yourselves before asking questions?! Young people these days have no manners."
Nami's temper flared, and she stepped forward. "We're the Reno Pirates from the East Blue, and I—"
"This is Twin Cape, and I'm the lighthouse keeper," Crocus cut in again.
Nami bared her teeth, sparks of silver lightning crackling around her. "Old man, you're the rude one! Can you let someone finish a sentence?!"
Crocus fell silent, eyeing the electricity.
Reno, who'd been watching with amusement, finally stepped in. "I'm Reno, captain of the Reno Pirates." He smiled at Crocus. "I've heard of you, Crocus."
Crocus's eyes shifted to him.
"If I'm not mistaken," Reno continued, "the Pirate King Roger's ship had a doctor named Crocus." He glanced at Crocus's head. "And your hairstyles are identical."
Nani?!The Pirate King Roger?!Crocus, the ship's doctor?!
The girls froze, stunned. This infuriating old man was the doctor from Roger's crew?!
Hearing Reno pinpoint his identity, Crocus's stoic face broke into a grin. "A young one recognizing me? Looks like you came prepared." "Come, let's talk in my cabin."
Roar… Roar…
A low, rumbling cry interrupted them.
"What's that sound?!" The girls' faces paled.
Crocus, calm moments ago, tensed and stood abruptly.
"It's the Island Whale, Laboon," Reno said casually.
"That big?!"
The girls turned toward the sound and saw a massive whale, over 400 meters long, its head alone like a small mountain. Then they watched in shock as it repeatedly slammed into the Red Line.
This bizarre behavior piqued everyone's curiosity.
"Look at all those scars on its head—are they from this?!"
Crocus nodded grimly. "Exactly."
He returned to his cabin, grabbed a powerful sedative, and swiftly injected it into Laboon. Whenever Laboon grew unstable, he used this to calm it down. It wasn't a cure, but it minimized the whale's self-harm.
After the injection, Laboon quieted, though mournful cries still echoed from its mouth.
"What's wrong with Laboon?!" Makino asked, her heart aching for the creature. What could drive it to crash into the Red Line, heedless of the pain?
Crocus sat back down and shared Laboon's story with the group.
"I see…" The girls sighed, moved by Laboon's loyalty but saddened by the outcome.
Nami's words trailed off. "It's been over fifty years. The Rumbar Pirates are probably…" She didn't finish, but everyone understood. If they were alive, they'd have returned by now.
Crocus sighed helplessly. He knew the truth too. "As you saw, I inject Laboon with sedatives whenever it tries to ram the Red Line. But it's only a temporary fix."
The group looked at Laboon's scarred head, the crisscrossing wounds tugging at their hearts.
"Actually, some of the Rumbar Pirates are still alive," Reno said.
…