Laboon and Crocus

The continuous high-intensity exertion caused a trickle of blood to spill from Daddy's nose.

The other crew members watched Daddy with concern; Dezaya and Nami wanted to step forward to tend to him, but the ferocious expression on Daddy's face and his bulging, vein-strained muscles made them afraid to disturb him.

El Drago had already sprinted to the bow to begin charging his attack, and the newcomer, Eric, also rushed to the front, desperate to avoid death.

"Captain! Open a gap! I'm going to blast this mountain blocking our path to pieces!"

Sonic El Drago shouted anxiously at Daddy, light glowing in his mouth, while the wind blades on Cyclone Eric's fingers were already primed for release.

Right now, they were the only two with strong long-range capabilities; most of the other crew members were melee fighters.

Amidst his intense exertion, Daddy forcibly diverted a sliver of his focus to open a small gap in his barrier shield, and a violent gale immediately rushed in, nearly knocking over weaklings like Nami.

"Sonic Cannon!!"

"Scythe Great Wind Blade!"

A sonic laser beam and a massive, transparent wind blade roared toward the black mountain ahead.

"BOOM!" "WHOOSH!"

"Woooo~~!!"

A massive, mournful cry echoed out as the black mountain began to roll and rise, revealing a giant eye and a mouth.

Only then did the Big Daddy Pirates realize that the black mountain was actually a living, giant island whale.

Daddy was nearing exhaustion, finally managing to slow the pirate ship down, but the current remained incredibly fast, forcing him to maintain his forced deceleration state with no energy left to spare for dealing with the island whale.

"Awoooo!!"

Laboon the island whale shifted from pained wailing to an angry roar, intent on crushing the pirate ship that had dared to hurt it. It opened its massive maw, revealing giant, razor-sharp teeth that glinted with a cold, lethal light, proving it was not to be trifled with.

Just as Daddy prepared to give up on decelerating and simply ram into it, the furiously thrashing Laboon suddenly went quiet and, in the blink of an eye, dove into the depths of the sea.

The Dreadnaught Sabre finally surged out of the Reverse Mountain's high-speed descent channel and entered the Grand Line.

"We survived!!"

The crew of the Big Daddy Pirates cheered excitedly, while Daddy, exhausted, sat down on the deck and began to pant heavily.

Today was the most tiring day since he had set sail.

It was a hundred times more exhausting than clashing with the East Blue Overlord Krieg Pirates!

"Captain! We've successfully entered the Grand Line!!"

The crew shouted in excitement, venting the high emotions of their narrow escape.

But the next moment, a massive black shadow surged beneath the sea surface again, and the giant island whale surfaced once more; its eye alone was as large as the Dreadnaught Sabre.

"Watch out!!"

Everyone immediately entered combat mode. The island whale's size was simply too immense; in front of it, they appeared utterly insignificant. This was a giant island whale measuring four hundred meters in length.

Daddy stood up again, though his muscles still trembled slightly, and he stared at the island whale without a hint of fear.

At this moment, Laboon the island whale appeared very calm, its eyes clear and devoid of the previous rage.

It must have been injected with a sedative by Crocus!

Daddy made the judgment with a single glance. The former ship doctor of the Pirate King should be inside Laboon's belly right now, shouldn't he?

Crocus was not only a powerful doctor, but it seemed he had also modified Laboon's stomach to be habitable for humans.

"Laboon! I know you can understand me! I know where Brook is! Call Crocus out to see me!!"

Daddy shouted at the giant island whale, a smile playing on his lips. He wondered if he could coax the Pirate King's former doctor onto his ship.

If he could get this veteran, Crocus, on board—even if only until they reached the Florian Triangle—the safety of the Big Daddy Pirates during their journey through the Grand Line would undoubtedly increase a thousandfold.

Crocus was not only a master of medicine but also possessed immense navigational experience and combat prowess; he had even traveled the entire Grand Line and New World with the Roger Pirates and had been to Laugh Tale!

A treasure of a talent like this truly made Daddy's mouth water!

"Awoooo!!"

Upon hearing the name Brook, the calm Laboon became agitated again, its excitement so great that even the sedative in its system couldn't suppress it!

The massive waves caused the Dreadnaught Sabre to rock violently, and the crew on board watched the rampaging whale with growing tension!

"Quiet! Laboon! Don't you want to see Brook!!!"

Daddy shouted in an angry tone. Sure enough, upon hearing those words, Laboon immediately calmed down, its large eyes looking at Daddy with a pitiful and expectant gaze.

At that moment, as if sensing Laboon's call and its fluctuating emotions, an old man appeared on top of the whale's head. He was bald with a flower on his scalp, wore glasses, and was dressed in a pink shirt with yellow and green patterns.

He carried harpoon weapons on his back, and the moment he appeared, his expressionless, cold gaze caused the very atmosphere to stagnate.

The powerful aura he exuded made crew members like Kuro of a Hundred Plans and Zoro break into a cold sweat, feeling a sense of suffocation!

So powerful!!

He was absolutely a super-tier expert!!

"Hey, hey! Crocus! Pull back your aura! Don't scare the newcomers of this era!"

Daddy stepped to the very front, facing Crocus's cold gaze head-on, as an invisible aura naturally surged from his own body to clash with that of Crocus!

Daddy did not consider the old man Crocus easy to deal with; having traveled the entire Grand Line with the Roger Pirates and reached the final island, his strength was beyond doubt.

Back when the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates fought for three days and three nights, Crocus had participated in the battle, fought until the very end, and finished without suffering any serious injuries or exhaustion.

After returning to Twin Cape, he hunted giant squids, swam in Laboon's stomach acid, and tanked gunpowder cannonballs from Baroque Works with his bare body, all without a single scratch.

Furthermore, having remained safe and sound at Twin Cape, the entrance to the Grand Line, for so many years, these various feats made it clear just what level Crocus's combat power had reached.

"Kid! You actually know my name? Have you been to the Grand Line before? Or do you have elders in your family who have?"

After Crocus dissipated his cold gaze and aura, he immediately transformed back into a fickle-natured little old man.

"This is my first time! I don't just know your name; I also know the history between you and Laboon!"

Daddy said indifferently, then activated his Observation Haki to sense this Pirate King's ship doctor and gauge his strength.

"Using Observation Haki so casually is quite rude, you know!"

Crocus revealed a smile; he never expected to encounter a rookie pirate who had already mastered Haki at Twin Cape, the starting point of the Grand Line—it was truly an unprecedented occurrence.

However, he quickly realized something: this kid knew about his past with Laboon?

How old was this brat, anyway?

He had retired from the Roger Pirates over twenty years ago to return to Twin Cape, resume his duties as a lighthouse keeper, and look after Laboon; this kid probably hadn't even been born yet!