After everyone came out, Crocus told Luffy and the others the story of the whale Laboon and a crew of pirates. It was a story of friendship and promises that moved them all.
After learning Laboon's story, Luffy could no longer contain his excitement. He walked up to Laboon and gazed into its huge, deep eyes, as though he could see the loneliness and longing deep inside it. Luffy said earnestly, "Laboon, let's make a promise. What do you say?"
Laboon seemed to understand Luffy's words and let out a low cry. "Awoo~ Awooo~~" The sound echoed across the quiet sea, carrying a hint of anticipation and unease.
Luffy suddenly laughed happily, his laughter as warm as sunshine, spreading to everyone around him. He said loudly, "All right, it's a promise! No more ramming the Red Line, okay? That's too dangerous! I'll help you look for your friends. If I find them, you'll definitely be able to read about them in the papers, and then I'll bring them back to see you!"
Laboon seemed moved by Luffy's enthusiasm and let out another cry. "Awooo~~" Its voice was filled with trust in Luffy and hope for the future.
The sight left Crocus immensely reassured. Smiling, he slowly took a Log Pose from inside his clothes and carefully handed it to Nami, the navigator.
Nami accepted the Log Pose with delight and closely examined the small, delicate object.
Watching Nami take the Log Pose, Crocus cleared his throat and told everyone, "You've only just entered the Grand Line, so you probably don't know much about conditions here. In these mysterious, vast waters, ordinary sea charts and compasses are completely useless."
Everyone looked surprised at his words.
Crocus continued explaining, "The Grand Line's magnetic fields are extraordinarily complicated. The interference makes ordinary compasses lose their bearings. To reach the next island, you can only rely on this Log Pose. It can accurately point you in the right direction. Without it, you'd probably get lost on the open sea and never find your way out."
Understanding dawned on Nami. She slapped her forehead and said, "So that's it! I'd been wondering why the ship's compass went crazy and kept spinning as soon as we entered the Grand Line. It's because the magnetic fields here are so strange that ordinary compasses don't work at all."
She turned to Crocus, her face full of gratitude. "Thank you, old man Crocus. You've really helped us out! Without your warning and this Log Pose, we wouldn't have known what to do."
Crocus waved a hand and said with a smile, "You're welcome. It was hardly any trouble."
He then shared many more precautions about the Grand Line, including how to deal with severe weather.
When Luffy learned that Crocus was not only a doctor but also highly skilled, his eyes lit up. Without hesitation, he invited him. "Old man, you're a doctor! That's amazing! See, we're missing a doctor like you. Come out to sea and adventure with me!"
However, Crocus slowly shook his head and politely declined. "I'm afraid I can't go to sea with you. Aside from being over seventy and not as fit as I used to be, I couldn't leave this child Laboon without worrying. It's covered in wounds right now. I need to stay here and take care of it."
Seeing this, Liu Qing, who stood nearby, said, "Let it go, Luffy. He's already so old. Don't make things difficult for him." Then he said to Crocus, "I have the ability to heal injuries. I'll help Laboon recover in a moment."
Liu Qing's words immediately kindled a spark of hope in Crocus's heart. He said gratefully, "Really? That's wonderful! If you can heal Laboon's wounds, I'd be endlessly grateful!"
Without another word, Liu Qing used the Body Flicker Technique to appear on top of Laboon's head. "Don't move, Laboon. I'll heal you."
With that, he activated Hand Seal-less Healing and quickly healed the injuries Laboon had suffered from ramming the Red Line.
Just as Liu Qing finished the treatment.
Two figures slowly emerged on the shore of the Red Line. One was Baroque Works' Miss Wednesday, a tall, elegant woman with blue hair; the other was Mr. 9, who was small and thin and looked rather comical.
Sanji noticed the two of them from a distance. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a charming smile. Then, with an exceptionally suave turn, he appeared before Wednesday as fast as lightning.
Sanji dropped to one knee, placed his right hand over his chest, and said in a rich, resonant voice, "Beautiful lady, I am Sanji, at your service. Please allow me to escort you aboard our ship and let you experience a romantic voyage at sea."
Looking at the man fawning over her, Wednesday answered with a smile, "All right. Thank you."
Just then, Mr. 9 suddenly interrupted. "Please wait. There's something I'd like to ask you to help us with." With that, he dropped to his knees with a thud and looked pleadingly at Sanji.
Sanji glanced at Mr. 9 and said irritably, "You can come along too."
So the group boarded the Going Merry together. Aboard the ship, Sanji and the other crew members sat in a circle and listened carefully as Mr. 9 and Wednesday described what had happened to them.
With a miserable expression, Mr. 9 said, "Our ship was smashed by this enormous whale while we were sailing, and now we have nowhere to go. So please, could you take us to Whiskey Peak? Our companions are waiting for us there."
Luffy said, "What a weird name!"
Usopp said, "Never heard of it."
Nami said, "You're dreaming. You're not even offering us anything?"
"Kind brothers and sisters~ We're just two poor souls~ Please take us there. We're completely penniless. We can't even afford food." Mr. 9 knelt and pleaded.
Crocus said speechlessly, "Just ignore them. Neither of them looks like a good person. Who knows what they might be plotting against you?"
But Luffy wouldn't concern himself with any of that.
"Sure~ Come aboard! You want to go to Whiskey Peak? Then let's go there. Let's set sail, everyone!" Luffy agreed outright.
No one objected, and they all boarded the Going Merry, along with Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9.
But as they boarded, no one except Liu Qing noticed the brief smiles of a successful scheme that crossed the pair's lips the instant they stepped aboard.
Right after boarding, Zoro lay down on the deck with his three swords in his arms and fell asleep. The others began going about their own business.
Before long, the weather suddenly turned abnormal.
The Grand Line certainly lived up to its reputation. The weather here was truly unpredictable. One second the skies were clear, and the next, spring turned straight into winter.
As the Going Merry sailed across the sea, the weather shifted from heavy rain to snow to hail. Most outrageous of all were hailstones dozens of meters across. Then the weather went wild like a dance floor: spring, summer, autumn, winter, storms, heavy rain, torrential rain, hail, enormous hailstones, the sea suddenly splitting apart, the sea turning upside down, and all sorts of other conditions took turns assailing them. Luffy and the others were run ragged, while Zoro slept soundly.
Fortunately, thanks to Nami's advance predictions and guidance, those natural disasters that struck without warning did not affect them too badly.
After another half day of hardship, the weather finally returned to normal.
Luffy, Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Miss Wednesday, and Mr. 9 were all so exhausted that they collapsed on the deck. Only Liu Qing sat there at leisure. Oh~ And Zoro still hadn't woken up.
Luffy and the others had barely sat down to rest when Zoro sat up and stretched. Looking around at everyone lying there, he said with a look of disdain, "Are you all that lazy? You're just lying around resting in weather this nice. Don't you have anything to do?"
Bang, bang, bang~
Nami got up with a dark expression and slammed several punches into Zoro's head. Fixing him with a murderous stare, she said through gritted teeth, "You bastard! Do you have any idea what we went through? You slept until now, and you still have the nerve to say that?"
Zoro had just been about to argue back.
Then he saw Nami raise her fist and strike his head several more times. Immediately, he felt several large lumps swelling on his skull.
"No matter how much we shook you, hit you, or slapped you, you didn't react at all! You slept like a dead pig! How dare you call us lazy? Die!" Nami snarled, landing several more punches on Zoro.
"Pfft~ Hahahaha! You earned every bit of that beating, Zoro." Looking at Zoro's bruised, swollen face, Liu Qing couldn't stop laughing.
Nami interrupted Liu Qing and rolled her eyes at him. "Stop laughing. Don't think I won't dare hit you just because you're strong. You didn't lift a finger just now either, did you? Had a great time watching, didn't you? I'll let it slide this time. Remember to help next time."
Just then, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 spotted Whiskey Peak not far away. They quietly made their way to the stern, jumped straight into the water, and swam toward the other side of the mountain, planning to enter the island somewhere else.
Before you continue