Red Line

After waiting a while, a table full of delicious food was finally served. Just looking at it whetted his appetite.

The giant lobster, steak, and other dishes were signature offerings of the Baratie. Werther did not eat with his usual lack of manners. Instead, he slowly savored every bite.

After finishing the feast and drinking a bottle of the Baratie's finest wine, Werther felt thoroughly satisfied.

He had originally wanted to fight Zeff, but now it seemed the old man truly had aged. From beginning to end, Zeff never appeared before Werther, even with Werther provoking him so much. This was a ruthless man who had once smashed off his own leg with a rock and eaten it to survive when there was no food. His legs had been the foundation of all his strength. Sadly, he was truly old now.

Werther tossed more than a dozen diamonds onto the table, then turned and left.

Looking at the diamonds Werther had thrown onto the table, Sanji was not particularly pleased. He merely smiled and muttered softly:

"What a troublesome yet generous customer." Every chef was happy when a customer respected his cooking. Besides, the chef being respected was also Sanji's teacher, savior, and adoptive father.

After leaving the Baratie, Werther sailed directly in one direction. He did not interact much with Sanji, because Sanji had his own journey, while Werther had his own adventure.

Werther had already decided on his next destination. He was going to enter the Grand Line.

Half a month later, a red mountain that seemed to reach the heavens appeared before Werther.

No matter how vast and towering the Red Line had been described as in the anime he had watched before, it could not compare to seeing it with his own eyes. Werther was deeply shaken.

How had that fish-man called Fisher Tiger climbed such a mountain? How much hatred and determination to save slaves had he carried in his heart?

With great effort, he controlled the ship as the raging current slammed it toward the Red Line. If not for its electric propulsion, Werther would have already been reduced to Bone Shattering. Even so, he was still so insignificant before the power of nature.

Werther sailed for a long time before finally spotting the entrance in the distance. The heavy consumption along the way had already forced him to recharge the ship twice.

After calibrating his position, he shut off the ship's propulsion. Everything that followed would depend on fate. In such violent currents, even electric power could not alter his direction.

Werther felt his ship accelerate rapidly, then surge straight toward the towering Red Line.

Standing on the ship, Werther had to grip the rail tightly to avoid being blown away by the wind. Watching the ship continuously charge upward, he was exhilarated. This is the adventure I want.

When the ship finally rushed to the highest point, inertia sent it flying high into the air before it splashed back down and hurtled downward even faster.

"Laboon, don't you dare block my ship. If you damage my beloved ship, then even if I can't beat you, I'll still go beat up Brook." Werther clung to the railing and began muttering.

After spending some time at sea, Werther was still cruel, but he was no longer someone who would casually slaughter an entire family. This was the change the vast sea had brought him. But do not think he had turned from evil to good. If he encountered anyone who provoked him, Werther would Absolute-ly show them what hell was.

He passed through the Red Line without a hitch. Laboon was nowhere to be seen and did not block Werther's course, so Brook was fortunate enough not to get dragged into it for no reason.

After stopping the ship, Werther began searching. He was looking for Doctor Crocus, the former ship's doctor of the One Piece. Werther was not seeking him because he had an incurable illness; he wanted a Log Pose from him.

Because on the Grand Line, traveling without a Log Pose was practically asking for death.

After searching for half a day, he failed to find Doctor Crocus, but he found Laboon. The fellow was sunbathing by the shore.

Drawing in a deep breath, Werther shouted:

"Doctor Crocus, come out for a moment! I have something to discuss with you!" After shouting, Werther was exhausted and began coughing dryly. Afraid Crocus would not hear him, he had used every ounce of strength he had.

Werther was not the only one stunned; Laboon was also shaken badly and let out a roar no weaker than Werther's.

Then Laboon stared curiously at the little fellow before him. How could someone so small make such a loud sound? The more Laboon looked, the more curious he became, like a child seeing a toy.

"Laboon, don't look at me like that. I won't play with you. If you crush me to death, that would be far too unjust." Werther looked at the whale before him and smiled as he joked with Laboon. He truly liked this fellow who had waited fifty years for a promise. How many could uphold such devotion? And Laboon was only a whale.

"Who is it? Interrupting my rest so early in the morning. What is it? Even if I can do it, I won't agree to it." Crocus looked somewhat displeased, having been disturbed in his sleep.

"Hehehe, hehehe. You old man, it's already noon. And my request is one you will Absolute-ly agree to. Definitely." Werther looked at Crocus confidently. If he told him that news, Doctor Crocus would surely agree to his request.

"Hm? Let's hear what you want. Why would I definitely agree?" Crocus had once been a crew member of the One Piece, so he calmly looked at Werther. It seemed he had little interest in him.

"I want your medical knowledge, notes, or journals—something like that. I want to study them a little. And give me a Log Pose. In return, I can tell you news about Laboon's companions. As far as I know, one of them is still alive." Werther made a request that put Crocus in a difficult position, while also offering him a temptation he could not refuse.

Before Doctor Crocus could say anything, Laboon was already beside himself with excitement.

Bwooo! Laboon let out a huge roar that sent waves rolling across the sea, stunning both Werther and Doctor Crocus. Then he thrashed about in the water, and a massive wave nearly slapped Werther onto the Red Line. Fortunately, Werther had parked his ship far away beforehand.

After a while, Laboon finally calmed down.

"You truly know news of the Rumbar Pirates? If your information is accurate, I can give you both the medical books and the Log Pose." Crocus was also visibly excited upon hearing Werther's words. He had searched the entire Grand Line for that crew and never found them. And now one of them was still alive. How important was such news to Laboon, the companion who had been by his side for decades? Compared to Laboon, medical books were not worth mentioning.

"Yes, I do know about the Rumbar Pirates. The Rumbar Pirates were wiped out by another pirate crew. Now only one man named Brook, with an afro, remains alive in another form." Werther stopped speaking after that and waited for Doctor Crocus's response.

"I see. What a pity that we cannot find all of them. You said one person is alive in another form. What does that mean?" Crocus was neither shocked nor suspicious, because Werther had described Brook's distinguishing feature: his afro.

After all, fifty years had passed. Anything could have happened. Crocus merely looked at Laboon.

Laboon's huge eyes were already filled with tears. It was as though he refused to accept the truth. He sank into the sea. Perhaps, with intelligence no less than a human's, he had long guessed it, but had simply refused to accept it.

"Brook ate the Revive-Revive Fruit, so he did not truly die. He revived after death, but became a skeleton." Werther explained the situation of the Rumbar Pirates to Crocus in detail.

After hearing this, Doctor Crocus said, "Wait a moment," then jumped into the water to look for Laboon.

Not long after, Doctor Crocus came ashore again. In his hand was a large handwritten volume wrapped in waterproof cloth, along with a Log Pose. Without saying another word to Werther, he jumped back into the water. It seemed he was going to find the grieving Laboon and comfort that child.

Werther held the handwritten volume and Log Pose in his hands. The Log Pose was what he had planned to obtain, while the handwritten medical book was an unexpected bonus.

Returning to his ship, he began sailing in the opposite direction of the pointer. After locking the ship's speed, he looked at the handwritten medical book.

At first, Werther was full of enthusiasm. After a while, however, his expression began to change. By the end, he was completely dumbfounded.

The medical book was probably genuine, but Werther had greatly overestimated both his learning ability and the depth of Crocus's medical skills, because he could not understand any of it. It was like reading a book: he recognized every word, but once they were put together, Werther could not understand them at all. There were also piles of formulas and herb names he had never heard of.

It had only been an extra anyway. If he could not understand it, then so be it. Without effort, how could there be any reward? Which doctor had not studied diligently before acquiring superb medical skills? It was just like his swordsmanship.

Sure enough, there was no such thing as gaining something for nothing in this world.