[On the Ship]
"Too fast! Too fast!" As Breaking Sky descended the peak of Upside Down Mountain, it surged down the waterway at a breathtaking speed.
Lina and Nami clung to each other, tears brimming in their eyes.
Emerging from the clouds, Rolan saw no looming obstacles. Breaking Sky touched down smoothly on the sea surface near Twin Cape.
Just as the crew prepared to celebrate, a voice called out over the splashing waves:
"Hey, hey, didn't you see an Old Man sunbathing here?"
The waves receded, revealing a frail-looking man sitting on a lounge chair at the shore. His clothes were soaked from the ship's passage, leaving him in disarray.
Rolan raised an eyebrow, muttering, Crazy encounter.
This Old Man was none other than Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Cape.
"I… I'm sorry!" Lina quickly bowed to Crocus.
"You brats think an apology will fix this?" Crocus glanced at Rolan and the crew aboard Breaking Sky.
"What do you want then?" Rolan asked, appearing beside him in an instant via Instant Transmission.
Crocus's pupils constricted in surprise. Teleportation… so fast! Yet, after years as the ship doctor for Pirate King Roger, he had seen enough extraordinary events to remain composed.
"Hey, hey, don't get too close—someone might die," Crocus said calmly.
Zoro's hand moved to the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. "Oh? Who will die?"
Lina and Nami took fighting stances as well.
Crocus's gaze landed on Zoro. "I will!"
"Oh, so you'll die… Ah… Kuro, hold me back! Or I'm going to slice him!" Zoro struggled, restrained by Kuro.
The Old Man's eyes scanned the crew, then he quietly removed his dripping clothes.
"Hey! Perverted Old Man! Don't take them off in front of the women!" Lina and Nami covered their eyes and ran below deck.
Crocus wrung out his clothes and dressed again. "So, you are Rolan the Pirate, stirring up trouble lately?"
Rolan nodded without evasion. "I didn't expect my reputation to reach here already."
Crocus studied him intently, making Rolan's skin crawl. Does this Old Man have some strange fetish?
"Haha, Rolan, few dare attack Celestial Dragons' ships directly. That alone makes you notable. And you don't seem as wicked as reports suggest."
Rolan maintained distance. "Marine reports are always exaggerated."
Crocus smoothed his wet clothes. "True enough."
Kuro, Zoro, Lina, and Nami came ashore.
Clap! Lina snapped her fingers, flames drying everyone's drenched clothing instantly.
Crocus inspected the crew carefully. "Rolan, your companions are remarkable."
Roar~
A massive cry echoed.
"Laboon! Has it started again?" Crocus leaped into the sea.
"What is that?" Nami pointed to the enormous creature approaching the shore.
"Is that a whale?" Kuro asked in disbelief. Scars marred its enormous head.
Rolan nodded. "This is an island whale. When fully grown, it can be as large as an island."
Lina's eyes widened. "That huge? And Crocus just jumped in—won't he be in danger?"
Before she could finish, Nami pointed, voice trembling. "Look, he's on the whale's head!"
Rolan reassured them. "Don't worry. Crocus is capable of calming it."
Suddenly, Laboon rammed the Red Line with its head. Bang! Water splashed violently, and the ground trembled.
"What is he doing?" everyone wondered.
Rolan knew immediately, and as expected, Laboon calmed after a short while. Crocus returned to shore safely.
"Old Man, why ram the Red Line?" Lina asked, concerned.
Crocus explained calmly, "Laboon believes the Red Line is keeping it from reuniting with the Rumbar Pirates....."
---
Lina's tears flowed as she processed the tale. "What a pitiful whale…"
Nami asked, "Did you look for the Rumbar Pirates?"
Crocus shook his head. "I tried, but there's not a single trace."
Kuro adjusted his glasses. "Fifty years have passed. If they were still in these waters, there should be news. They must have either been captured by the Marines or sunk."
Zoro sipped sake. "Or maybe they left the Grand Line and returned to the Four Seas."
Crocus tore a piece of fish meat. "Either scenario is possible."
Nami, looking at Rolan with teary eyes, said, "Rolan, Laboon is so pitiful… please help him."
Rolan smiled and gently stroked her head. "Okay."
He flew atop Laboon's head, sending a pre-edited electromagnetic wave into its mind, and tossed a senzu bean into its mouth.
The crew returned to the all-fish feast prepared by Lina. Crocus, observing Laboon's calm, looked at Rolan in amazement.
A massive water droplet then shattered their dining table. Everyone looked up to see Laboon's tears. The whale cried profusely, but Rolan's presence brought it comfort.
He smiled and spoke to Laboon, "Don't hurt yourself. Your friends will return in at most five years."
Laboon responded with a nod of its enormous head, the scars on its head fading.
Rolan waved to Kuro and the others. "Let's go, comrades. Onward to the next destination."
He reappeared on Breaking Sky. Crocus, wanting to thank him, hurriedly handed a spherical compass to Nami.
Rolan flicked his fingers, taking out three senzu beans and landing them in Crocus's hands.
"These are senzu beans. No matter the injury, they heal completely. As long as there's a breath left, one won't die."
Watching the ship sail away, Crocus murmured, "Rolan… are you the one Roger was waiting for?"
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The code will be active from that day until the end of the month.
Stay tuned