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Amid the laughter and chatter of the girls, the island cloud carrying the Going Merry finally soared over the Red Line and descended into the legendary graveyard of pirates—the Grand Line.
"I can't wait to see what kind of adventures we'll run into here," one of the girls said excitedly.
"Huh?! Logan, what are you doing?!"
Nami had just stretched lazily when she realized the Merry was dropping fast.
It was obvious—Logan was the one steering.
The girls all stared at him in confusion.
Logan explained patiently, "The Grand Line isn't like the East Blue. Once you enter, the magnetic fields go haywire. To navigate here, you need a Log Pose or a permanent pointer that locks onto an island's magnetic field."
"Ohh, so that's how it works."The girls nodded in realization, but Nami quickly frowned. "Hold on, it makes sense you'd know about the East Blue, but how do you know so much about the Grand Line too?!"
Logan just chuckled. Nami was sharp—too sharp, maybe.
This is only the beginning, he thought. You girls will have plenty more to be surprised about later.
Once the Merry touched down on the sea, Logan brought her to a stop near the shore and led everyone ashore.
Beside one of the lighthouses stood an old man reading a newspaper.
He had a strange saffron-flower–shaped tuft of hair on the back of his head and wore a bright, breezy outfit. Sitting cross-legged, he read his paper calmly, looking utterly at ease.
When he noticed Logan and the others approaching, he raised his brow.
"Who are you people?" he asked flatly.
Even faced with the odd sight of one man and six women, he didn't so much as blink.
After all the storms he'd weathered, there wasn't much left in the world that could surprise him.
The gentle Kaya stepped forward politely."Hello, sir. We're from the East—"
"The name's Crocus."
Kaya blinked, slightly embarrassed at being cut off, but still gave a polite nod.
"Mr. Crocus, may I ask—where are we exactly?" she asked.
Crocus' voice suddenly grew sharper. "Before asking questions, shouldn't you introduce yourselves first? The youngsters these days have no manners!"
Nami's temper flared instantly. She stepped forward. "We're the Logan Pirates from the East Blue! I—"
"This place is called Twin Cape," Crocus interrupted again, calm as ever. "I'm the lighthouse keeper here."
That was the last straw. Nami bared her teeth, sparks of silver electricity crackling around her body. "Old man, you're one to talk about manners! Can't you let people finish a sentence for once?!"
Seeing the arcs of lightning flash around her, Crocus finally went silent.
Logan, who had been watching the scene with an amused smile, decided to step in.
"I'm Logan, captain of the Logan Pirates," he said. "And I've heard of you, Crocus."
"…Oh?"
Crocus finally turned his full attention to Logan.
Logan walked closer, grinning. "If I remember right, there was a doctor named Crocus aboard the Pirate King Roger's ship back in the day. Funny thing—you two even have the same hairstyle."
"Wait—WHAT?!"
"The Pirate King, Roger?!"
"Ship doctor Crocus?!"
The girls froze in disbelief.
This cranky old man—was actually the doctor from the Pirate King's crew?!
Crocus' serious face slowly broke into a laugh.
"Hah! Didn't expect any of you brats to recognize me. Looks like you didn't just wander here by accident. Come on—let's talk inside."
But before they could move, a deep rumble echoed across the sea.
Roooooaaaar!
"What was that?!" the girls shouted, startled.
The easygoing Crocus suddenly stiffened and shot to his feet.
"That's Laboon," Logan said casually.
"Laboon?!"
The girls turned toward the sound—and froze.
A gigantic whale, easily over four hundred meters long, was ramming its head against the Red Line over and over. Even with only part of its body above water, it was as huge as a mountain.
"What the—look at all those scars on its head! Don't tell me they're all from hitting the wall?!"
Crocus nodded grimly.
Without another word, he rushed back into his hut, grabbed a syringe of tranquilizer, and hurried into the whale's massive body through a maintenance tunnel.
Whenever Laboon's emotions ran wild, this was the only way Crocus could calm him down. It wasn't a real solution, but at least it kept Laboon from hurting himself too badly.
Moments later, the enormous whale finally stopped thrashing.
But even as it quieted, low, mournful cries rumbled from its mouth, full of sadness and longing.
"What happened to him?"
Makino asked softly, eyes full of pity as Crocus returned, looking weary.
What could drive a creature to keep smashing its head against solid rock, again and again, ignoring the pain?
Crocus sat down heavily and began to tell them Laboon's story.
When he finished, everyone was silent for a moment before sighing deeply.
"So that's what happened…"
None of them had expected the whale to be so loyal—or his story to be so heartbreaking.
"It's been over fifty years," Nami murmured quietly. "The Rumbar Pirates he was waiting for… they're probably already…" She didn't finish, but everyone understood what she meant.
If they were still alive, they would've come back long ago.
Crocus sighed, his face full of helpless sadness.
"Yeah… I know that better than anyone," he said. "That's why every time Laboon tries to ram the Red Line, I give him a sedative. It's the only way to keep him from destroying himself. But even that's just delaying the inevitable."
Everyone turned again toward the massive whale, whose scarred head was now still beneath the waves. The sight made their hearts ache.
"Actually…" Logan suddenly said quietly, looking toward Crocus. "There are still members of the Rumbar Pirates alive."
"....."