Chapter 106 - Crocus-San.

[Chapter Size: 2720 Words.]

Third Person POV

Beginning of the grandline.

...

The silence enveloped the scene, interrupted only by the gentle sway of the waves and the distant murmur of the wind. Laboon, knocked out, floated on the water's surface with an "X" in his eyes.

Suddenly, an unexpected sound pierced the tranquil atmosphere: the creaking of a door opening echoed like a dissonant note, capturing the attention of onlookers. Nojiko, the first to notice the disturbance, pointed towards the sound, his eyes focused on a peculiar opening on the side of the colossal whale.

"Hey, Luffy! There's a door opening on the side of the whale! How is that possible?" exclaimed Nojiko, drawing the others' attention to the unusual scene. The crew's gaze turned in the indicated direction, revealing not just a door but a true surprise emerging from the depths of the whale, starting with a strange shadow taking on colors.

A floating island, or rather, a peculiar ship, revealed itself, sliding out of his body as if emerging from a secret passage. The scene took on a surreal aura, linked to the presence of an elderly man aboard and two human figures tied to the ship's feet observing the unfolding spectacle. The Black Pearl was near the lighthouse at this moment, after the battle between the pirate captain and the whale, while the island with the elders and the bound duo approached. Old Crocus, navigating his peculiar mobile island, slowly approached the crew. On the deck, all the Straw Hats observed with curiosity, pondering how someone could emerge from inside a whale, a clearly living being.

As the mobile island approached, details became clearer. Crocus, the man with intense eyes and a face marked by traces of blood, stared at them firmly. The two figures tied to the ship's feet, one crowned and the other with blue hair, showed signs of injury as they lay unconscious. The distance between the vessels diminished, and Crocus stopped about 30 meters from the Straw Hats' ship, examining the entire crew, with his gaze particularly fixed on Luffy at this moment, displaying a look of surprise, recognizing the straw hat he hadn't seen in a long time. His gaze conveyed a mix of recognition and confusion in understanding what was happening.

A few moments earlier, Crocus was immersed in his peaceful activity of squid fishing inside him, in the scenario he had created to relax while caring for the whale. But his moment of relaxation was abruptly interrupted when he noticed the colossal whale being struck by a tremendous blow, causing him to shake. Although he could initially attribute the impact to Laboon's usual folly in insisting on hitting the Red Line, he knew this time was different. His cries of pain and surprise directly confirmed this intuition.

"What's happening?! Who's doing this?" Crocus shouted, but his only answer was the sounds and cries of anger and sorrow from Laboon. As chaos unfolded outside, Crocus could sense the intensity of a struggle with him. After all, he had been on the ship of the king of the pirates; even as a doctor, he could recognize a fierce battle merely by the sounds produced outside Laboon and his laments. He initially believed it could be those two fools who had been bothering him for weeks, but he also knew they didn't have the capability to cause what he was feeling.

The continuous bursts and Laboon's agitation shook his small boat violently with each exchange of blows outside, causing him various injuries as he was tossed from side to side. In the midst of this chaos, those two fools he initially suspected appeared, falling from one of Laboon's entrances near his boat. They were visibly injured and pitiful, with their heads bleeding, as they fell unconscious when they finally appeared before the old doctor.

"Laboon is unconscious?" He quickly stood up once things calmed down, a line of blood streaming down his forehead. The first thing he did was retrieve the fallen agents from the water to prevent them from drowning and tied them up.

After opening the doors within Laboon, Crocus finally stepped out to see what was happening. He noticed the pirate ship with a Jolly Roger bearing a straw hat, one he recognized quite well. The last time he had heard news about its current owner, Monkey D. Luffy had killed a king in the East Blue.

After checking on Laboon, he sighed in relief and began heading towards the ship. As Crocus continuously stared at the approaching ship, a palpable tension filled the air. Despite being an elderly gentleman, his figure exuded an intimidating aura, and all the Straw Hats began preparing for a possible confrontation, feeling the gaze of the old, injured man. The imminent fight loomed, revealing that, despite the doctor's calm appearance, he was someone who wouldn't hesitate to face challenges to protect Laboon.

Then, the old man broke the silence for the first time, maintaining the same intensity in his gaze. "Who did this?" His voice resonated calmly yet threatening, traveling across the entire sea area. His eyes narrowed as they fixed on Luffy, intensifying his gaze on the individual in front of the crew, and he spoke again before anyone could respond. "Was it you? Did you do this to Laboon?"

*Cut to the next scene*

"Scary!" Shirahoshi, Bepo, Usopp, Hachi, and Megalo jumped at the exclamation of fear. Chouchou bared his teeth, while the rest of the crew prepared for a fight. Only Luffy remained calm, arms crossed. "Yes, it was me," Luffy replied after this strange scene change that the old man could create.

*Cut to the next scene*

"The whale is my friend. Do you want to fight me too? Someone might die." The old man replied with a somber tone but showed no fear. "And who would that be, old man?" Reiju appeared on the side and asked curiously with her cigarette, wanting to know why this old man seemed so confident in killing Luffy after seeing his captain destroy a whale with just punches.

*Cut to the next scene*

"I, of course."

"YOU? WHAT WAS ALL THIS ATMOSPHERE THEN, OLD MAN!?" Reiju roared incredulously at the unexpectedly bold answer from the old man. "Hey, calm down, let me try talking to him." Lami spoke, putting her hand on the cook's shoulder and went to the ship's edge. "Hey, old man, who are you?"

*Cut to the next scene*

"It's not polite to ask someone's name before introducing yourself first," the old man said. "Oh, sorry. My name is Trafalgar D..."

"I am Crocus, seventy-one years old, Gemini sign, blood type AB."

"..."

"WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS GUY!?" Lami wanted to advance to hit that old man right now, trying to draw her sword with a comical face, while Reiju held her back. "Hey, calm down!" exclaimed Luffy, trying to bring some order to the situation.

Now Luffy took his first steps to talk to the old man, seeing this, the old man sighed and asked his question. "May I know why you hit Laboon?" Crocus asked, his voice calmer with an intrigued look without all that tension.

"So that's the whale's name," Nojiko commented. Luffy smiled at this. "Because I plan to recruit him and wanted to see his strength!" Luffy announced shamelessly, maintaining his characteristic smile. "Hm?"

"?!"

"Did I hear that right?"

"Luffy plans to recruit a 400-meter whale..."

"Imagine how Black Pearl would look with him..."

"WHAAAAAAT??????????????!!!!!!!!!!" A collective scream echoed from the ship; even the old man fell to the ground at that moment.

"HEY, BRAT, YOU CAN'T JUST SAY YOU'RE GONNA RECRUIT HIM!" Crocus exclaimed, incredulous.

"Don't worry, old man, I can handle him. I've got a plan!" Luffy spoke confidently.

"I don't understand this madness, but it's better to wait for Laboon to wake up. After all, you just knocked him out." Crocus commented, still stunned by the situation, while all the crew exchanged perplexed and confused looks at their captain's revelation.

The old man approached the side of the ship and went to the port, making sure to take the two captives with them, still unconscious.

Black Pearl went along, and they ended up disembarking as well. Luffy joined the old man without further hostility.

"You've got quite a different group here..." The old man looked at the members of this crew with intriguing eyes.

'I saw the mermaid in the newspaper... But a Mink, a fish-man among them, a woman with horns, and even a dog and a shark, what a peculiar group...' Crocus grumbled internally.

"Mr. Crocus, my name is Monkey D. Luffy, and this is my crew." Luffy introduced himself.

"Hohoho. I already know you; you've been quite famous lately, even killed a king in the East Blue." He spoke calmly.

"True, but you're outdated staying inside this whale. I've got my face plastered in the newspapers again, but anyway..." Luffy said but quickly changed the subject, looking towards the whale.

"Tell me about the whale and tell me his story, why does he have so many scars?" Luffy asked calmly; he already knew the background story of that animal, but still asked. As a potential future crewmate, his nakamas should know too, and it's better if they hear it from someone else.

The 16-member crew quickly had an attentive look at the old man; everyone could see the whale with its injured forehead, leading to various questions to themselves.

Crocus looked at Luffy and sighed deeply before starting, his eyes filled with old memories as he looked at the knocked-out whale in the sea. "Over 50 years ago, a pirate group called the Rumbar Pirates appeared here. They brought with them a small whale named Laboon."

"50 years?!" Kuina frowned at that.

"Yes, 50 years." Crocus repeated, with a melancholic expression, looking at Laboon floating on the water's surface. "Laboon... She has grown so much since those days. When the Rumbar Pirates left him here, she was just a little whale. A charming and playful baby. And now, look at him."

He paused while still observing the colossal knocked-out whale. "Laboon belongs to the sperm whale species, a unique race that inhabits the waters of the West Blue. Its most distinctive feature is the distinct shape of its head and the enormous fins that make it unmistakable; it is the largest whale species in the world."

Crocus sighed, recalling the last 50 years. "Since then, Laboon has been growing constantly. She has become a majestic giant, but his journey has not been easy. She has the habit of banging his head against the structure in front of us, intending to break through it."

"What? Why does the whale do that?" Alvida asked somewhat intrigued by this behavior.

"Laboon has had a broken heart for a long time, a pain that she carries and is marked in his scars, not just physical ones..." The old man replied in a sad tone.

"Over 50 years ago, a pirate group crossed the Reverse Mountain with a small whale cub; their goal was to venture into the world's most chaotic waters, but they realized they couldn't take Laboon with them. So, they made a deal. They would leave Laboon at the lighthouse here until they returned, which should happen in three years."

"But they never came back, did they?" Nami intervened, already anticipating the answer.

Crocus nodded sadly. "Exactly. We never saw that group again or heard of them. I tried to warn Laboon, but the whale was stubborn. Laboon still denied reality and wanted to wait for them. And for over 50 years, Laboon has been banging his head constantly on the Red Line, trying to break it, seeking to reach the New World on the other side, hoping to reunite with the Rumbar Pirates, the lost friends..."

"Is this serious? How hasn't she died doing this madness? You treat the whale, are you a doctor?" Lami asked.

"Yes, I am a doctor, and I was also a pirate for some years. And about Laboon..."

Crocus's expression reflected compassion as he continued the narrative. "The pain Laboon endures runs deeper than words can express, and the visible scars are just the tip of the iceberg. They bear witness to an endless wait, a desperate search for companions who will never return. And now, here he is, fallen and lonely. It's ironic to note how, for a long time, I haven't seen him so serene, without shedding tears for the absence of his old comrades, while she remains unconscious after you hit him..."

Crocus shook his head sadly. "It's painful to see him like this, incessantly seeking something that may never happen. And now, she's here, knocked out by your actions. I hope you have a good reason for this, Monkey D. Luffy, because Laboon has suffered enough."

The Straw Hat crew listened in silence, respecting Laboon's sad saga. Even the winds seemed to wither in the face of this heavy narrative.

Yamato, with a serious look and a touch of empathy, added, "Laboon, I understand the loneliness you've felt for so long. The story we've heard is truly sad. I imagine the pain you must have felt."

Shirahoshi, with his shy and compassionate voice, murmured, "Oh, Laboon-sama, I'm so sorry you've gone through so much suffering. Bauaaaaaa," she began to cry.

Megalo, the shark, expressed his support with tears. "Shaky Sharky..."

Bepo, the polar bear Mink, with his affectionate and tearful manner, said, "Laboon's story is moving," with tears in his eyes.

"That's a sad story, Laboon. I can imagine your pain..." Usopp looked at Laboon with compassion as he shared the expression with Bepo.

"Woof..." Chouchou cried.

"This is really sad..." Nami commented empathetically.

"Your story is heart-wrenching." Nojiko also couldn't help but speak.

Some members of the Straw Hat crew expressed their empathy for the sad whale, while others remained calm and silent, understanding the whale's tragic journey.

Luffy, who stayed silent throughout Crocus's narration, had a serious look. He said, "We're recruiting him. We're going to help him achieve what he's been searching for so long."

Many crew members looked at Luffy with a gleam in their eyes.

"Captain, well done!"

"Thank you, Luffy-Sama!"

"Woof Woof!"

"Luffyyyy!!!"

Crocus looked at Luffy; his eyes showed some recognition. "I don't believe this is possible because I've never been able to convince him to stop hitting the wall for decades, but deep down, I hope you succeed, young man. I hope you can give Laboon a reason beyond banging his head against the Red Line every day since she will eventually die like this."

"Hahahaha. I have a plan; don't worry. We'll wait for him to wake up, and you'll be surprised." Luffy spoke with confidence.

"Speaking of waking up, these two captives have started to awaken." Luffy announced, now looking at the man and woman moving before opening their eyes.

The two captives, previously inert, began to move slowly, as if emerging from a deep sleep. First, it was the man, whose eyes blinked open to reality. His initial expression was confusion, but quickly turned into a mix of surprise and caution as he realized the environment around him.

Next, the woman, with blue hair tied behind her head, began to regain consciousness as well. Her eyelashes fluttered before opening her eyes, which seemed to contain a mixture of confusion and suspicion. Her gaze met Luffy's, who observed with curiosity and maintained a smile in the face of the newly awakened's reaction.

Luffy looked closely at the woman with a small smile, as she was the woman who would be part of some of his plans to start his ascent in the Grand Line.

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