"Hey, hey... Isn't this way too terrifying...?"
Crocodile nearly suspected that his captain wanted to perish together with him. Throwing themselves into the center of such a massive whirlpool looked like nothing less than a death wish.
"Relax. You'll soon find out what real excitement is."
Gato laughed. This was even more thrilling than crossing Reverse Mountain. Last time, he had crossed Reverse Mountain with nothing but escape on his mind, without the chance to properly savor the experience. This time, he finally had the opportunity.
"Why did the whirlpool disappear? Did we fail?"
After finally reaching the center of the whirlpool, they discovered that the enormous vortex had vanished. Everything they had gone through before seemed like an illusion.
"Gahahaha! This is called the calm before the storm. Get ready, Old Sand."
Kurik could naturally see the massive Emperor Cloud as well. Just as he silently offered Gato his blessings, a burst of clamorous noise came from behind him, prompting him to turn around.
"Yes, sir, this is the place."
A Marine unit had arrived. A pirate followed alongside them with a fawning smile, dutifully serving as their guide.
The Marine leading them wore a dog-head cap. It was that old man Garp again.
After his adjutant whispered something into his ear, Garp nodded and walked toward Kurik.
"I'm with the Marines. I have some questions for you. Do you know this man?"
Garp took out Gato's wanted poster and questioned him sternly.
Jaya Island was practically filled with pirates, and he had no reason to put on a pleasant face for them.
Kurik carefully examined the wanted poster. His pupils contracted, then he suddenly smiled with relief.
"Ha ha, so that's how it is. Is this why he had to head out to sea first? If it's