World

"That's right."

"Your senses weren't wrong. Though I couldn't gauge your strength, the Armament Haki you wrapped around yourself when you used your ability on the ship was enough to tell me I couldn't possibly be your match. For a newcomer like you to appear in the Four Seas... that level of Armament Haki strength and mastery would make you a powerhouse even in the latter half of the Grand Line. At the end of the day, I'm just an old doctor, not a fighter."

"Besides, the reason I don't want to fight you is because the killing intent around you is too heavy. Fighting you means being prepared to die. An old man like me doesn't have the drive you young people do, so the one who dies would definitely be me," Crocus said calmly.

"Heh... hehe. You can't beat him, yet you're still acting all calm and confident. Are you trying to die, you stinking old man?!" Nami shouted in angry embarrassment.

"This old guy really is..."

Rody wordlessly dispersed the slash he had gathered in his hand. "This world really is full of weird people everywhere."

"Captain, who is this old man? It looked like you were about to fight just now." Windfire Wheel jogged over to Rody's side.

"Yeah, yeah! Does this old man have a death wish? Or does he not know who the captain is?!" Leo and Jose hurried over to Rody as well.

"I've heard of this gentleman," Mike explained. "I've heard that the keeper of Twin Gorge is an old man nearly seventy years old who sells Log Poses to merchant ships and pirates entering the Grand Line."

"Oh, Butler Mike, how do you know so much?"

"Yeah, yeah! You've never been to the Grand Line either." Windfire Wheel and Leo looked at Mike in surprise.

"Even when I was still the butler of the Bruce Family, I enjoyed reading all kinds of seafaring accounts. In order to serve Lord Rody better and fulfill my duties as a butler, I wrote down and recorded all the information about the Grand Line that I remembered," Mike said calmly.

"Butler Mike, you're amazing! ×2"

Windfire Wheel and Leo gave him thumbs-ups in admiration.

"Butler Mike, you're truly a dedicated butler. Keeping you was a wise decision," Nami praised as well.

"Thank you for your praise, Sir Windfire Wheel and Sir Leo. This is all simply what I should do."

"More importantly, thank you, Lady Nami, for taking me in. I will certainly work even harder to fulfill all my duties as a butler. I won't disappoint Lady Nami or Lord Rody." Mike humbly bowed to Rody and Nami.

"Uh... Butler Mike, you're already doing very well. You don't need to..." Nami wanted to persuade Mike further.

But Rody cut her off. "Alright, Mike. From now on, just call Windfire Wheel, Jose, and the others by name. No need to make things so complicated."

"But this old man isn't some ordinary keeper. He's the ship's doctor of the Pirate King, someone who followed Roger to Laugh Tale and witnessed the great treasure, One Piece."

"Understood, Lord Rody. But to think this man was the Pirate King's ship doctor, and that he reached Laugh Tale and saw One Piece... it's truly unbelievable." Even the normally composed Mike stared at Crocus in shock.

"C-Captain, is... is that true? This old man was the Pirate King's ship doctor, and he... he saw the legendary great treasure, One Piece?"

"Y-Yeah, Captain. This old man doesn't look like much, but he was actually the Pirate King's ship doctor?" Leo and the others were stunned.

"Um... I don't know what this great treasure is, but judging by how shocked all of you are, it must be something incredible. So... should I be shocked too?" Windfire Wheel scratched his head in confusion.

"Simply put, One Piece can be understood as the greatest treasure in the world—the ultimate goal pursued by countless pirates," Mike explained to Windfire Wheel.

"Oh, then I get it! Isn't it like the energy amethyst mines that everyone in our world fights over?" Windfire Wheel said in realization, tapping his fist into his palm.

"I don't know what these energy amethyst mines you speak of are, but if everyone fights over them, then I imagine they're treasures similar to One Piece." Mike nodded.

"Rody, since this old man named Crocus knows where Laugh Tale is, why not just make him tell us? Then we can have Roger's treasure, hahaha..." Nami laughed excitedly, money symbols shining in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, Captain! Can't we just make this old man tell us?"

"Yeah, Captain!"

"That's the Pirate King's treasure!" Leo and the others stared at Crocus with gleaming eyes.

"You little brats, don't even think about it. I won't tell you anything whatsoever about the final island, Laugh Tale," Crocus said sternly as he watched them stare greedily.

"Enough, old man. I'm not interested in that final island, Laugh Tale, and I've lost interest in an old man like you who's lost his fighting spirit. Just give me a Log Pose and an Eternal Pose that can lead to Alabasta. We'll pay you."

"Captain, that's the great treasure! Are we really giving up just like that?"

"Rody, that's the greatest treasure in the world! Who knows how much gold and how many Beli it has? And this old man can't even beat you. Are we really giving up such a good opportunity?" Nami said unwillingly.

Rody nodded indifferently.

"Fine, then you'd better compensate me properly, darling. I gave up a chance to possibly obtain the Pirate King's treasure for you." Nami sighed, then wrapped herself around Rody and acted coquettishly.

"Sure. Didn't I tell you about the Sky Island? There's endless gold up there. When the time comes, you can take as much as you want." Rody rubbed Nami's hair.

"Really? It's covered in gold? I thought you were lying to me."

"Why would I lie to you? You dare not believe me? Looks like I should punish you properly tonight." Rody gently pinched Nami's cheek.

"You're awful."

Nami's cheeks reddened slightly as she retorted softly, "We'd only just met back then. How could I possibly have believed you? Besides, who would believe the things you said back then?"

"Ten thousand meters in the sky."

"A Knock Up Stream."

"No one would believe something like that!"

"Hey, young people, you really don't care at all about this old man's feelings. But Sky Island does exist, and it truly has an enormous amount of gold." As he spoke, Crocus tossed two Log Poses toward Rody.

"R-Really? Then thank you, old man."

"Rody, let's set off quickly. I can't wait to reach that Sky Island you mentioned, the one filled with gold," Nami said excitedly.

Catching the two Log Poses Crocus had thrown him and handing them to Nami, Rody said, "In the Florian Triangle, there's a skeleton who ate the Revive-Revive Fruit. Though he's a skeleton now, he's still alive, and he's continued to honor his promise to that island whale. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

"Alright, let's go!"

Rody and his group turned and left.

Hearing that, Crocus sighed. "Is that so... I really didn't expect this..."

Watching Rody and the others walk away, Crocus shouted, "Hey! Don't you have even the slightest interest in the Pirate King's treasure?"

"What was the purpose of someone as powerful as you setting out to sea?"

"Haha... My purpose—or rather, the only thing worth obtaining—is..."

"The world."