An awkward smile hung on Zoro's face. The corners of his mouth twitched twice, and he had no idea what to say.
Before he could speak, the old man in front of him started talking again.
"I'm in charge of looking after the lighthouse here. I'm seventy-one this year."
"You came all the way here, and now you're asking me what this place is?"
"This is my private vacation resort. You've certainly got some nerve."
"Don't tell me you really think you crawled into a rat's belly?"
Everyone's eyes went wide at his words, their faces full of shock.
Before they could say anything else, the old man calmly looked at everyone present.
"If you want to leave, the exit is over there."
He raised his right hand and slowly pointed toward the sea.
An enormous door slowly emerged above the surface of the water.
A lock hung on the enormous door, and the number 963 was carved beside it.
Nami's eyes widened even further. Utterly bewildered, she could hardly believe what she was seeing.
"What the hell?"
"How can there be an exit here?"
"Weren't we swallowed by a shark?"
"How can there even be a door?"
Thud...
One heavy boom after another came from the sea, growing louder and louder.
"What's going on now?"
The old man moved very slowly, gradually lifting his head to look up at the sky.
"Because this whale has started ramming its head into the Red Line."
Hearing that, Nami immediately pieced everything together in her head.
"No wonder its head is covered in scars."
"It's been charging around wildly up in the sky because the pain is unbearable."
"If I'm not mistaken, this old man is probably staying here to find a chance to kill the whale."
"What a heartless old bastard."