Holding a Whale Hostage to Command an Old Man

On the Dark Bird Ship, today's lookout, Jabra, sat leisurely on the tower.

I've already spotted the Red Line, and the direction of the Eternal Pose is very clear.

According to the estimated time, the Dark Bird Ship should be able to approach Twin Capes, also known as Reverse Mountain, in about an hour.

In particular, the weather along the flight path was very stable at this time, and it was an exceptionally bright and sunny day.

Therefore, the voyage would not encounter any accidents, and as a lookout, he could certainly slack off for a while.

So, about twenty minutes later, the lazy Jabra, looking nervous, reported to the deck crew.

"A ship is heading towards us along Twin Capes!"

"Okay, we saw it a long time ago. You were probably asleep..."

Lucci pursed his lips and shook his head. Jabra was the lookout today, so he wouldn't say much to Jabra.

Lucci hung up the Den Den Mushi, then went to Gawain and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

"My lord, my subordinates were negligent in their duties, and I bear full responsibility for this. I implore you to punish them according to the law!"

Upon hearing this, Gawain nodded slightly.

"Yes, go to the back hill and farm for two months. Make sure you get a good harvest, but don't neglect your duties."

"Yes, sir!"

Lucci nodded heavily.

After receiving the Lucci, Gawain looked toward the ship at sea.

It's clearly a pirate ship; as for its identity, Kalifa is investigating.

A moment later, Kalifa came to Gawain's side and introduced her to Gawain.

"Judging from the flag, the other side should be the Red Shirt Pirates from the West Blue. Their captain Ravindi, is famous for wearing red shirts and yellow pants."

Apart from Captain Ravindi, whose bounty is 24 million, no one else in the pirate crew has ever been on a wanted list.

"I see."

Gawain nodded, then snapped his fingers lightly.

In an instant, a spark of electricity bloomed beside Shiryu.

Upon seeing the sparks, Shiryu a excited bite of his cigar and then stood up.

"Sir, leave it to me, I'm already very skilled at it!"

The old crew members were killed outright; those who chose to become pirates even in their old age were practically beyond saving.

Uh, Mr. Rayleigh, please don't look at me like that, I'm a little flustered...

In short, young crew members were selectively recruited onto the ship and re-educated by Zephyr.

Those with bounties will be sent to Impel Down for further training, with the aim of selling them at a hundred times the price in the future.

The woman was temporarily placed on the boat to inquire about her plans. If she did not wish to stay, she could be dropped off on another island.

At this point, Shiryu a cold laugh, realizing that he was no longer the person he used to be!

I was so naive back then, only knowing how to enjoy the thrill of killing.

Now, he has turned killing into an art, and incidentally, he has also created a special system for it!

He has transcended!

Filled with excitement, Shiryu awaited Gawain's orders with utmost respect.

Gawain simply waved his hand.

"Do as you say."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shiryu his sword and left. Moments later, a series of screams echoed from the pirate ship.

But the people on the Dark Bird Ship paid no attention to the pirates' screams.

Jinbe in the pool and spoke seriously to Gawain.

"Sir, the seawater around here is vibrating rhythmically!"

It seems something collided on the seabed!

"Yes, Gawain, I heard the cry of a whale; it is longing for its family!"

Shirahoshi, standing to the side, couldn't help but wag her tail. Being particularly good at empathizing, she herself felt sad and couldn't stop her tears from flowing.

Upon hearing Shirahoshi's words, Rayleigh, who was lying on a beach chair behind Gawain, narrowed his eyes.

"A whale? That must be it, haha!"

Laughing, Rayleigh squatted down by the pool and spoke to Shirahoshi.

"Little girl, can't you talk to Sea King? That guy is an Island Whale, and he was already two or three kilometers long more than twenty years ago."

By now, that thing has probably grown to four or five kilometers in length.

"Use your abilities to talk to him and let him float to the surface of the sea. I have something to say to him!"

As he spoke, Rayleigh stood up and went to the bow of the ship, looking towards the clearly visible Red Line in the distance.

In the pool, after listening to Rayleigh's words, Shirahoshi nodded seriously.

"I will send him back to the surface; he is currently crashing into the Red Line."

If he keeps crashing like that, he'll get hurt!

As she spoke, Shirahoshi flapped her tail and jumped directly from the pool into the sea.

Immediately afterwards, she turned into a white shadow and disappeared into the deep sea.

At the same time, Jinbe cupped his hands in greeting to Gawain.

"Hehe, sir, we're going to sea too. We'll take care of Princess Shirahoshi's safety, so please don't worry!"

After saying that, Jinbe leaped into the water, plunging from the pool into the sea, and the two of them disappeared in the blink of an eye.

On the Dark Bird Ship, Gawain gazed at the distant Red Line.

"We've finally seen the Red Line. With that, we've covered half of this planet."

Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to stop the ship. If you want the railway to connect the East Blue and the Grand Line, Reverse Mountain is the most important link.

Franky, I hope your skills won't disappoint me.

Absolutely not!

Franky swaggered out, patting his chest as he walked toward Gawain.

"Giao!"

I now have access to so many technologies!

Especially the Island Cloud manufacturing technology from the Sky Island!

"Don't even mention building a railway on the Red Line, I could build a railway all the way to the sky, I have no problem with that!"

After saying that, Franky grinned, and his eyes turned into two large lights, flashing on and off, making Gawain roll his eyes in exasperation.

Since he was able to modify his body to his heart's content using the Munch-Munch Fruit, Franky embarked on a path of seeking the bizarre and unusual at a young age.

He is now almost the same age he will be five years from now.

Ignoring Franky's two flashing headlights, Gawain waved, signaling the Dark Bird Ship to begin its operation.

Although the ship had not yet docked, the Logistics Department was already prepared to disembark and land at any time.

As preparations progressed, the group drew ever closer to Twin Capes, and the sea around them began to churn considerably!

As the ocean current surged, the giant fish, which was over four kilometers long, finally surfaced near the Twin Capes!

Looking into the whale's eyes, which resembled small mountains.

Chopper, who was perched on Gawain's shoulder, immediately bristled and turned into a soft, fluffy ball of fur!

"Baka! Baka! Baka!"

How could there be such a huge whale?!

"Yes!"

Beside him, Ace's eyes practically burned with excitement.

Ace rubbed his fists together, eager to continue.

"A whale like that definitely can't fit in one pot, it's just too... uh!"

Bang!

Next to Ace, Isuka pursed her lips into the shape of a Kuma's mouth and punched Ace hard!

"Don't think about eating everything you see, you idiot!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Isuka gripped her knife tightly.

"Gawain, may I assist the cadre group in hunting this whale? I have recently made a breakthrough in my Armament Haki and need such a massive creature to hone Armament Haki!"

As soon as Isuka finished speaking, Gion came up to Isuka and gently ruffled Isuka hair.

"Don't think of killing everything you see, Isuka. The master really likes this whale."

As she spoke, Gion turned around and glanced at Gawain Wenying.

At the same time, Rayleigh stood at the bow of the ship and shouted.

"That old Crocus isn't on Twin Capes after all!"

It seems he's gone inside the whale's belly again!

Captain, I'll be right back, haha.

"Laboon's belly hasn't had a feast in ages!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Rayleigh stood up and came to Laboon's bewildered eyes. Rayleigh pointed at Laboon's mouth.

"Come on, open your mouth, Laboon."

I'm Rayleigh! Do you remember me? Haha!

Whether you remember or not, open your mouth and let me in for a bit, okay?

After saying that, Rayleigh didn't wait for Laboon's reply or not, and went straight to Laboon's mouth.

With both feet on Laboon's lower lip, he lifted Laboon's upper lip with both hands.

In just a moment, before Laboon could even open his mouth, the old man pried open a small gap and squeezed inside.

Gawain's brow twitched violently as he watched Rayleigh's retreating figure, which resembled that of a criminal suspect.

Mr. Rayleigh, this time you've truly met an old friend.

He had never felt so eager and excited before!

While thinking about it, Gawain spoke to everyone.

"Shirahoshi is still at the bottom of the sea. After she comes back, we'll go sit inside the whale's belly together."

The Island Whale, a specialty of the West Blue, now number only a few dozen left in the entire ocean.

"If we miss out on Laboon, we'll likely never have another opportunity like this."

As he spoke, Gawain lit a cigarette and leisurely exhaled a smoke ring.

Just then, the giant whale Laboon, which was anchored on the sea, suddenly opened its mouth!

In an instant, a gigantic maw, almost large enough to fit the bow of the Dark Bird Ship, was exposed to Gawain and his group.

Gawain and the others were relatively normal, but they were people who had recently boarded the ship from Whiskey Peak.

They either fell to the ground in fright or recalled, with dark lines on their faces, the past when they were brutally beaten by an old man at Twin Capes.

Twin Capes, the starting point of the Grand Line, is a nightmare for countless aspiring pirates...

While the tens of thousands of newlyweds on the ship were at a loss, Gawain and his group stared blankly at Laboon, who kept his mouth open.

What's wrong with this whale? Why is its mouth so open, and it looks like it's looking for something?

His eyes darted around, searching intently. What was he looking for?

Fortunately, Shirahoshi and Jinbe both surfaced from the sea at that moment. Jinbe went straight back to the ship, while Shirahoshi floated on the surface of the sea and shouted to Gawain.

"Lord Gawain ~~, where's Grandpa Rayleigh?"

Laboon was very puzzled; he had just seen Grandpa Rayleigh, whom he had met once many years ago, so he obediently opened his mouth.

But he didn't see Rayleigh go into his mouth!

"Well..."

Upon hearing this, Gawain rolled his eyes.

"Old man Rayleigh is too hasty, but since Laboon has opened his mouth, let's all set off and sit inside the whale's belly."

Don't forget to bring some meat, wine, and timber!

As he spoke, Gawain waved his hand gently, and the cadres, who had been unable to contain themselves for some time, rushed out one after another.

Yixiao even brought a fishing rod, determined to try fishing inside a fish's belly!

Vivi sat on Falcon Pell, Uta sat on the Kuma's shoulder, and Chopper ran onto Uta's head.

Kuma and Pell are the two most popular guys among the kids.

For some reason, Kuma, this cold-faced man, is actually as gentle as an angel inside.

Meanwhile, Gion, Gion, Hancock, Kalifa remained motionless beside Gawain.

Hancock gently took Gawain's right hand.

"My lord, why don't you set off?"

"I need to have a serious talk with Laboon."

As Gawain answered, he casually patted Hancock's butt.

"You all should go and visit Laboon's belly. I have some things to discuss with everyone."

Go.

"I?!!"

Hancock's face flushed red from the sudden attack on her buttocks; normally, she would have just wanted to stay by Gawain's side.

But with her mind in turmoil, she nodded blankly, and then, together with Gion and Kalifa, who were no longer worried about Gawain's safety, rushed into the whale's belly.

Gawain has now mastered the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities, his physique has reached the level of Shichibukai, his Conqueror's Haki is extraordinary, his Observation Haki is extremely exaggerated, and he has also basically mastered Armament Haki.

With such strength, Gawain would hardly encounter any danger unless he was surrounded by many Emperor-level monsters.

Therefore, Gion has now gotten used to letting Gawain go out and have fun.

After all the cadres had left, Gawain snapped his fingers lightly, and lightning appeared beside everyone's ears on the ship.

"You shall stop the ship as planned and begin the Twin Capes development project!"

After giving his instructions, Gawain flashed directly in front of Laboon's eyes.

Laboon's eyes were over 190 meters in diameter; with such large eyes, of course he could clearly see Gawain's appearance.

However, because he had just encountered an old friend like Rayleigh, and also received orders from Poseidon.

Therefore, he did not feel any fear towards Gawain, whom he was not very familiar with.

Gawain, meeting Laboon's innocent gaze, followed Laboon's body and moved to the side of Laboon's auditory organs.

Leaning against Laboon, Gawain said softly.

"You've been waiting for your family, the Rumbar Pirates, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Laboon's enormous pupils shrank by more than eight meters in diameter!

A moment later, Laboon closed its mouth and then let out a long cry.

In the sea, Shirahoshi was constantly thrashing about towards Gawain's height.

Upon hearing Laboon's roar, Shirahoshi stopped struggling and began translating for Gawain.

"My lord," Laboon said, "How do you know about the Rumbar Pirates?"

He also asked you, "You must have met the Rumbar Pirates, right? They're all his family."

He wants you to tell him if his family is alright.

On the whale, Gawain's pupils contracted slightly as he listened to Shirahoshi's question.

At the same time, his heart clenched tightly!

Is this just an ordinary whale, a small Island Whale only a few kilometers long?

This is a child who has lingered at Twin Capes for fifty years, always waiting for his family to return!

In his quest to reunite with his family, he relentlessly rammed the Red Line, accumulating more injuries than any other Island Whale in the world!

But...

He can no longer see his family!

For a moment, Gawain sighed softly.

Even the kindest pirate, the moment he leaves home, is destined to embark on a path from which he may never return.

Therefore, even the kindest pirate cannot avoid hurting many people who are waiting for him...

As he spoke, Gawain patted Laboon's skin, and Laboon, upon hearing Gawain's words, had already become somewhat flustered!

Laboon's intelligence is no less than that of any human; in terms of brain size alone, these Sea Kings have long surpassed humans.

He understood the meaning behind Gawain's words.

Then, through teary eyes, Shirahoshi looked into Laboon's eyes.

Those enormous eyes are now streaming down a stream of tears the same color as the ocean.

Hearing Laboon's mournful cries, Gawain quickly patted Laboon's body again.

"The musician of the Rumbar Pirates is named Brook. He's a guy with an afro who likes to play the violin."

"Laboon, do you still remember him?"

"Waaaaaahh..."

The long, mournful cry of whales echoed through the heavens and earth, while Shirahoshi wept in the sea, a silent translation.

"Remember!"

"That's good. Laboon, Brook is still alive."

However, apart from Brook, the rest of the Rumbar Pirates... all perished on this man-eating sea!

At this point, Gawain patted Laboon's skin heavily.

At the same time, Laboon's powerful eyes suddenly stopped crying!

It seems that Laboon has now rediscovered his purpose in life!

Yes, knowing that most of your family members have died is indeed very sad.

But Laboon hadn't seen them for fifty years, and Laboon had actually guessed this ending long ago!

But now, when he knows for certain that one member of his family has survived...

Laboon completely rallied!

Looking at Laboon, who seemed to have perked up completely, Gawain pondered for a moment, then patted Laboon's skin hard.

"Brook misses you, Laboon, but he's stuck in a rather unusual place."

I want... no, I'll take you to find him myself!