Chapter 13

11. Laboon's Story! Sima Di's Devil Fruit!

Now that the decision to bring Laboon along has been made, the next step is figuring out how to convince the others.

However, Sima Di believed,

once they learned Laboon's story, they would surely not refuse.

The problem was......

Crocus was probably still "vacationing" inside Laboon's belly — how was he supposed to let everyone know this story?

While thinking,

Luffy's expression suddenly hardened, his gaze fixed straight down at the sea floor.

"It's ramming into the Red Line? Its cries are so sad, like...... it's been abandoned by its companions," Luffy said.

He'd forgotten this guy had the ability to "hear the voice of all things"!

If that's the case, things would be easy.

Sima Di immediately said with interest: "An island whale intercepted at the entrance of Reverse Mountain? The sorrow of being abandoned by its companions? There seems to be quite a story there — let's go find the answer!"

During the launch ceremony,

Sima Di had set out to sea for the sake of novel adventures and legendary stories, so this proposal wasn't all that abrupt.

However......

"Hey hey, let's just go. That whale didn't look easy to mess with," Usopp backed out.

"Mm-hmm!" Nami nodded frantically.

However......

Sima Di and Luffy were both beaming at this moment, and as the two highest combatants on the ship, the matter seemed already decided.

"Let's head over there," Sanji pointed at the lighthouse beside Reverse Mountain and said: "There's a house there, probably where the person guarding the entrance lives. Maybe they know something about the situation."

"Yo-sh! Let's go!" Luffy gave the word.

What could Nami and the other person do?

They could only steer the Going Merry over, and after landing, politely knock on the door — but no one answered.

"Strange, is no one here?" Zoro said, puzzled.

"Could it be that some passing pirates......" Usopp's face went pale with horror.

"Boom——"

The ground beneath their feet trembled again; Laboon was still ramming the Red Line.

But then it suddenly went quiet.

Presumably Crocus had given it a sedative.

Not long after,

Laboon surfaced from the sea, and a giant column of water spurted from the nostril on its back, with two faint figures carried within it.

"Look!"

"That whale just spat out a little house!"

"Idiot, that's just a specially made ship — but there seems to be someone inside the house?"

"It's coming this way!"

Under everyone's gaze,

the house-ship docked at the shore, and Crocus, his head full of white hair, stepped onto land and sized up the group.

"Pirates who just crossed Reverse Mountain?" he said without courtesy: "I'm Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Cape. You may temporarily dock here, but you're not allowed to damage my things or attack that island whale."

His tone left no room for negotiation, and he didn't seem to fear pirates at all.

Then again,

as the former ship doctor of the Pirate King, Crocus was a man who had seen the world.

His combat strength couldn't be that bad either, could it?

"Hey there! Uncle Bai Huzi!" Luffy said with a grin: "That island whale's cries are so sad — was it abandoned by its companions?"

"Hm? How do you know that?" Crocus was quite surprised.

"I heard it say so itself!" Luffy said matter-of-factly.

This startled Crocus!

He recalled that his former captain, Luo Jie, had once possessed some kind of ability to hear the voice of all things......

"Are you a Whisper-Whisper Fruit user? Or is it an innate ability?" Crocus pressed.

"Whisper-Whisper Fruit? Isn't that Apis's power?" Luffy scratched his head: "Is understanding animals really that hard? I thought everyone could do it."

Usopp and the others behind him were covered in black lines.

Just how oblivious are you, to think everyone can understand animals?

Wouldn't the existence of the "Whisper-Whisper Devil Fruit" be just as superfluous as a Devil Fruit power that turns people into people?

Crocus looked Luffy over again, then his gaze froze on his straw hat.

That straw hat......

Looked awfully familiar!

"That straw hat of yours......"

"Uncle, you've got a good eye! It was given to me by Shanks — he said it's the straw hat the Pirate King once wore!" Luffy said proudly.

Hearing the name "Shanks," Crocus took a long, deep look at Luffy.

That red-haired trainee, was it?

No, wait,

He is now one of the Four Emperors of the New World.

So this kid before us,

is the one Shanks spoke of, who gambled his arm in the East Blue?

After a moment of silence,

Kurokasi did not speak of his deep ties to Luffy, but turned to gaze at the still-floating Laboon on the sea.

"Listen well, the story of Laboon..."

"It is a whale possessing human emotions. I still remember it was fifty years ago..."

Island Whales are herd animals of the West Blue. Little Laboon, drawn by the music of the Roger Pirates, followed them as a companion into the Grand Line, but the dangers of the Grand Line proved too great for the young whale to continue.

The Roger Pirates could only leave Laboon here, and made a promise—

"When we sail around the world and return, we'll meet again!"

Little Laboon waited for fifty years.

Kurokasi ventured deep into the Grand Line, but the news he brought back was this—the Roger Pirates broke their promise and fled the Grand Line, returning to the West Blue.

From then on, Laboon went mad, striking the Red Line day and night, desperate to return to the West Blue and find the Roger Pirates.

After hearing Laboon's story, everyone was deeply moved.

"What a touching story."

"A promise kept for fifty years? That's truly long."

Sima Di was also deeply moved, and turned to see Luffy quietly approaching the main mast, as if he had some idea.

"Stop!" Sima Di barked. "What are you doing?"

Everyone immediately noticed Luffy's strange behavior.

Luffy, now caught, declared outright: "I want to take down the main mast. If I plant it into Laboon, we can make a new promise—I'll Yidinghui Gang help him find that crew, and sail around the Grand Line to return here!"

Though your words are full of dreams, still...

"Why are you trying to harm the Merry!" Usopp shouted.

"This isn't just your ship, you idiot!" Nami delivered a knock on the head.

"Idiot! Don't always come up with weird ideas!" Zoro also roared.

Sima Di saw the moment was ripe,

and immediately said: "By the way, I once obtained an interesting Devil Fruit—it grants the user the ability to transform into other animals... If Laboon could turn into a puppy or something, wouldn't it be fine to keep it aboard the ship?"

"Oh!"