"Is that... an Island Whale?"
Drifting all the way downstream, a wooden plank swept smoothly through the incredibly turbulent currents of Reverse Mountain.
This hurdle, an impassable chasm to rookies, was little more than child's play in the eyes of true powerhouses.
"Yeah... Sail a little farther, and we should be reaching Alabasta soon."
With a curl of his finger, the two of them and their little wooden plank boat teleported into the whale's belly. An old man was leisurely vacationing there.
"Long time no see, Mr. Crocus!!!"
Hearing that voice, the old man in slippers, shorts, and a tank top, with hair shaped like an umbrella, slowly raised his head.
"Oh?!! Isn't that Austin?!"
"It really has been a long time!!!"
Clearly, Crocus had recognized Austin immediately.
"What are you doing here?"
Naturally, he was not asking why Austin had appeared inside Laboon's belly. He knew a little about Austin's abilities.
What he wanted to know was why Austin had appeared at the starting point of the Grand Line, the place where youths from the Four Seas set off.
Austin smiled and brought Mihawk over to the island, sitting down beside Crocus with practiced ease. After all, Crocus had been the doctor aboard Roger's ship, and they had known each other for many years.
A perfectly natural smile hung on his lips.
"Young pirates with dreams set out from the Four Seas and enter the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain. Isn't that perfectly normal?"
"This..."
Crocus blinked, suddenly unsure how to respond after hearing that.
That was indeed how it worked. Young rookie pirates from the Four Seas all began their journeys at Reverse Mountain...
But why were you joining in, Austin?
Since leaving the Roger Pirates and retiring at the Twin Cape Lighthouse, decades had passed. This was