Cute Laboon Wants a Head Pat

After dinner, Wude called the men over to him.

"Anyone miss their father? I'll teach you how to sing 'Father.'"

"!"

Dozens of men stared at him in horror. They shook their heads like rattles, kicking up clouds of dust as they rushed into their tents to sleep.

"I want to learn! Sir, I want to learn!" Number One shouted, raising his hand like a clown.

The evening wind rustled. Crocus, who had been watching the spectacle, folded up his deck chair and went back to sleep.

A few fallen leaves drifted onto Number One's face. The figure beside him had vanished without a sound.

"Huh? Where's the sir...?"

The next day.

As the morning sun climbed higher, the errand men rose early to the sound of the waves and followed closely behind Wude as they trained.

Although these men were trying to turn over a new leaf, they had never made a habit of exercising when they were pirates.

Once they began weighted training, they could no longer keep up. One by one, they panted heavily from exhaustion.

"We really are weak. I think I understand what the sir meant now," Number One said between gasps. The others all turned to look at him.

"We're so weak that even the Marines can't be bothered to put bounties on us. That's what he meant. Of course, we still have a chance to start over."

Number One gave a foolish grin.

The other errand men fell silent. It made perfect sense, but... they really wanted to punch Number One.

Wude continued training, sweating freely.

After that, he stayed at Twin Capes for several days. During the day, he sweated through high-intensity training. At night, he enjoyed a leisurely retirement with Crocus in the sea breeze, chatting casually.

Until one day, Laboon's head stopped hurting. Feeling like he was back in shape, he dove into the deep sea and charged at the Red Line once more.

Standing atop Twin Capes, Wude felt the ground tremble.

But this time, he never heard the sign-in notification from beginning to end. It seemed the same sign-in reward could only be claimed once.

It was a shame, but he still had to help Laboon. Otherwise, he felt his conscience would condemn him.

After waiting for Laboon to surface, he walked over to him.

"Laboon, do you want to know where Brook is?"

Wude called out.

"Hm?" Crocus was walking over to treat Laboon's wounds. He looked at Wude curiously.

Laboon's enormous eye shifted as well, fixing on the human.

Crocus had talked about the Rumbar Pirates with him over the past few days.

"I remember you said that Brook was someone who ate the Revive-Revive Fruit?" Wude asked, looking at Crocus.

"That's right. I remember him especially well because he ate the fruit but didn't gain any abilities." Crocus nodded. "But after all these years, those men either died on the Grand Line or ran away, right?"

"The Revive-Revive Fruit allows its user to revive once," Wude explained.

"What!?"

Both Crocus and Laboon stared at Wude in shock.

"What's so surprising? The sir is someone who can keep reviving," Number One said, puzzled.

Crocus should have been excited, but Number One's mouth was spouting nonsense. He was so shocked that he nearly joined the ranks of those gasping in disbelief.

"Y-You're lying, right? How could there be a monster that keeps reviving?" Crocus felt that his medical knowledge had been severely challenged. As a doctor, he couldn't possibly believe such absurd nonsense.

"Why would I lie to you?" Wude looked toward Laboon. It was enough as long as Laboon believed him.

A sorrowful whale cry echoed across the sky. Clearly, Laboon didn't believe him either...

It trembled excitedly, churning up the seawater and sending it surging onto the shore.

The waves crashed over everyone.

"Come on, it's the truth. Why don't you believe me?" Wude rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

After all, resurrection touched upon the mysteries of life and death. It was difficult for anyone to believe.

Pfft!

"..."

The errand men following Wude remained calm, but Crocus and Laboon were already dumbfounded.

A bloody gash had opened in Wude's neck. He lay on the shore, having slit his own throat and died, his pose strangely alluring.

Once death was merely a way for him to restore his condition, fear had long since vanished. All that remained was pain.

His previous life had risen and fallen, then fallen again and again...

A little pain was nothing.

Crocus noticed that Wude's followers were actually looking at the corpse with admiration. He realized that this was a serious matter.

But it wasn't a problem.

The next moment, the wound in Wude's neck healed, and he rose to his feet full of energy.

"Ah." Crocus rubbed his eyes. "When people get old, do they inevitably develop mental problems? I must have seen that wrong..."

Crocus closed and opened his eyes, then rubbed them again and again, looking as if he were questioning his entire life.

"Hey, old man, can you hear me? This isn't a dream." Wude stood in front of Crocus. Crocus stared fixedly at Wude's neck and sighed.

"So it's real." Crocus nodded helplessly. "If there's even an ability to revive at will, then Brook reviving once isn't so unbelievable after all."

Laboon quieted down as well, his enormous eye fixed on Wude.

Because he had seen an example, he was willing to believe whatever Wude said next.

Because there was hope.

"Laboon, since Brook hasn't returned for so long, there's a good chance he's trapped somewhere."

"There's a place on the Grand Line called the Florian Triangle. Thick darkness lingers there year-round without dispersing. Brook could very well be trapped there."

Laboon looked at the human in delight. His tormented heart instantly felt hope—the possibility that he was no longer alone.

"Laboon, you can go look for him, or you can wait here, because Brook will return someday. After all..."

"That was his promise. Decades can't defeat the bond between you two!"

Besides, neither of them fears waiting for decades. He didn't say that part aloud. It would have ruined the mood.

Laboon raised his head and cried out joyfully. His massive body turned, then he looked at Wude with eyes full of anticipation, as if asking, You're not lying to me, are you?

"Pfft, hahaha."

Laboon looked ready to charge toward the Florian Triangle at any moment, making everyone laugh.

"Go on, or you could be our guide and travel with us. We could help you look for Brook along the way?" Number One squatted by the shore and joked.

Laboon cried out happily twice and nodded.

"..."

"Did I say something wrong again?" Number One asked, frightened by everyone's glares.

"Go on. Three years, then another three years—how painful must the wait be? Give that bastard a surprise." Wude waved his hand.

Laboon nodded, then slowly and cautiously brought his enormous body closer.

Wude patted his head. This adorable giant had begun to see him as a friend.

Laboon slowly backed away, then turned around and swam impatiently toward the Florian Triangle.

"The sir really is a kind man. We have to learn from him!" Numbers Two, Three, and Four showered him with flattery.

"Not really. I'm not as good as you think." Wude shook his head, stood up, and walked toward the ship.

"A person's goodness or wickedness has nothing to do with their faction or outward behavior. It lies in what they do." Crocus watched Wude's back as he spoke.

"..." Wude nodded slightly. Believe whatever you want.