Submarine Whale

"Are we hallucinating as our last moments?" Luffy asked his crew.

"You're not the only one, Luffy." Usopp replied while crossing his arms.

Their surroundings were 'painted' with an unknown material that not only resembles the daytime sky (complete with clouds) but apparently produces its own light.

"So what about that island and the house?" Sanji asked out loud while looking at the artificial island with a cabin.

"An illusion maybe? " Zoro guessed.

" A Whale who is a Devil Fruit user?" Kaya guessed.

Suddenly, a giant squid emerged from the water and towered over the Merry. Usopp really wanted to fire a cannonball right now.

*SHIK!! SHIK!! SHIK!!!*

Suddenly, three sharp harpoons were shot out of nowhere and stuck into the giant squid. The squid fell unconscious and then sank back into the water.

"There's someone here." Zoro muttered and put his hand on Wado Ichimonji's grip. Usopp pointed at the house.

"There's someone coming out of the house." He pointed out. Someone exited the house.

" A flower! " Kaya shouted.

"Nah, he's just a human who looks like one." Nojiko giggled. He has an appearance based on the flower called Crocus, as seen with the petals around his head.

He has a rather stocky and muscular body, is bald on the top of his head, but with white hair with yellow flower petal-like things, that have purple near the bottom of them, and a white beard that splits in two parts. His lower lip is noticeably larger than his upper.

He wears a pink shirt with a yellow and green stripe with purple circles in the yellow along with blueish-grey shorts with sandals. He also wears glasses, a seaweed necklace, three gold bracelets, and a green-gem bracelet on his left wrist. He also has a scar on his left arm.

This is Crocus and he is a doctor and the caretaker of the whale Laboon as well as the overseer of the Twin Cape Lighthouse that guides ships coming down from Reverse Mountain into the Grand Line.

Crocus stared at the Straw Hat Pirates who stared back at him. The silence was tense and awkward at the same time.

He sat on the chair and started reading the book in his hand. "Hey! Say something!!" Sanji shouted, getting irritated with the silence.

"You wanna fight or something?! I'm not playing games here flower man! I will fire this cannon!!" Usopp shouted.

"Don't even think about it or someone will die. " Crocus replied.

" Whose going to die, old man?" Sanji asked while lighting up a cigarette.

"Me." Crocus answered the obvious question, pissing Sanji off. Luffy patted his shoulder.

"Calm down, Sanji. Alright, old man. Who are you? And can you please tell us where we are?" Luffy asked him politely. Crocus looked at Luffy.

" Shouldn't you introduce yourself first? " He asked him.

" Ah, sorry." Luffy chuckled.

"My name is Crocus. I'm 71 years old, Pisces sign, XF blood type. I'm the overseer of the Twin Cape Lighthouse and the caretaker of Laboon the Island Whale." Crocus introduced himself. Luffy had a tick mark on his forehead and clenched his fists tightly.

'I'm gonna kill this nig—

"You were swallowed by Laboon and brought to my one man resort!" Crocus revealed.

" Being swallowed by a whale is not on my bucket list, but oh well, I'll cross that out. " Nami sighed and smiled a little.

" You got an exit too? " Usopp muttered, looking at a gate that leads to Laboon's blowhole.

"I gotta ask, mister. What are you doing here in a Whale?" Nojiko asked him.

" I already answered that question, young lady. I'm Laboon's caretaker—

*BOOOM!!!!!*

Suddenly, their surroundings started shaking violently. Everyone grabbed onto something to stop themselves from falling down.

"So it begins!" Crocus huffed and stood up.

" What do you mean 'it begins'?!" Nami shouted at him.

"This whale is using its head to hit the Red Line! " Crocus revealed, surprising them.

" So that's why he has a bunch of scars." Zoro grumbled. Crocus suddenly dove into the water.

" Oi! What's that old man thinking, jumping in gastric juice?! He could be digested!" Usopp shouted in shock.

"Maybe he's heading to the exit. We better head for the exit too!! Usopp, Nojiko! Lookout for anyone else that's somehow in here! " Luffy ordered them seriously.

" Aye! Captain! "

"Unfurl the sail and let's go!" Luffy shouted. Nami nodded and did exactly that. They started sailing towards the exit.

Usopp and Nojiko were on the lookout. Usopp was about to turn around but then he widened his eyes as his gut suddenly told him that something was wrong.

He looked at the giant gate and saw two people running out of the small gate beside it. The two were holding bazookas in their hands. The two man group consisted of a man and a woman.

"Captain! We have trouble!" Usopp shouted while pointing at them. Nojiko raised her hands and pointed her Wrist-Mounted Guns at them.

"Wait! Nojiko! Instead of just straight up killing them, we could find out why they're doing this. " Luffy stopped her. Nojiko nodded and lowered her hands but she was still cautious.

Sanji used Soru and appeared behind them. He grabbed them by their shirt collars and used Soru again to appear back on the Merry.

He threw them on the ground. Luffy cracked his knuckles and looked at them. He looked at the man first.

He is a young man who wears a golden crown on top of his red hair and has his agent number written on his cheeks.

He wears a green suit with white lace along with a ruffled red scarf. His attire makes him look like a prince or a king, but he isn't.

He is Mr. Nine. His real name is unknown.

Luffy looked at the girl and he was immediately drawn to her beauty. She is a young woman with long wavy light blue hair. She has a slender body and wears her hair pulled back into a ponytail in a very high position, and has brown eyes.

She wears a shirt with dark blue and white circles, shorts fastened with a belt, and a white coat. She is Miss Wednesday, her real name is currently unknown.

"Huh, that's interesting. That whale has stopped what it's doing." Nami commented as the waves that were shaking them and their ship had stopped.

"So who are you?" Zoro asked Mr. Nine and Miss Wednesday.

"As long as I'm still alive!! I won't let anyone touch this whale!! " Crocus declared while walking out of the small gate.

Miss Wednesday laughed and picked up her bazooka. Mr Nine did the same.

"But we're inside of the whale now!! That means we can destroy the stomach and get out of here!! " They shouted and fired rockets from their bazooka.

Suddenly, Crocus' pupils turned bright red. He suddenly jumped in front of the rockets and used himself as a shield to protect Laboon's stomach.

*BOOOM!!!*

The rockets exploded when it came in contact with Crocus. Crocus landed in the sea and his head popped out.

"Holy shit, he's not injured at all. How is that possible?" Usopp muttered.

" There's only one possible answer, Armament Haki. And did you see his eyes flash bright red before he jumped in front of the rockets?" Nojiko asked them. Her eyes were like scanners, noticing every little detail.

"Mhm." Zoro nodded. Luffy appeared behind Mr Nine and Miss Wednesday and punched them softly in the back of the head.

"Oi! Why'd you punch the girl?!" Sanji shouted as that soft punch knocked them out.

Luffy looked at Sanji. "Cuz she was about to attack us, duh. Grab some rope and tie them up together. This old man has some questions to answer. " Luffy ordered. Sanji palmed his face and odded.

"Aye aye, Captain. "

.

.

"Yes, I can use Observation Haki and Armament Haki. What of it? " Crocus asked Luffy.

" It's just your name, Crocus sounds so familiar. Just asking, were you a part of the Roger Pirates as their doctor? " Luffy asked. All eyes were on Crocus now. Crocus palmed his face and sighed.

" I thought the younger generation didn't know this. Yes, kid. I was a part of the Roger Pirates. Where are you going with this? "

" Nowhere, though if you wanna join our crew—

"No, I'm old."

"Alright then, Shishishishi!!!"

To be continued...