"Secret!"
Hearing that, Crocus gave Xia Chen a long look, but ultimately did not pursue the subject any further. Instead, he said, "Since you mean no harm, if you want to leave, you can go through that iron door!"
Crocus pointed at an iron door nearby as he spoke.
"Huh! There's actually a door inside a whale's stomach?" Luffy's eyes widened.
"By the way, did you paint all these pictures, old man?" Usopp asked as well.
"Yes! It's just a little hobby I indulge in during my spare time as a doctor!"
"A doctor?"
Luffy's eyes instantly lit up at the word. He said happily, "Then come aboard my ship and be our doctor, Old Man Chrysanthemum!"
"Idiot, what are you talking about? Do you think this seventy-one-year-old body of mine can still go gallivanting around with you? I might drop dead halfway through!"
"Ah, I see! That's too bad!"
"All right, enough talk. The door's over there. I'll take you out!"
Just as Crocus stood up, the entire sea of stomach acid began to shake.
At the sight, his gaze sharpened, and he immediately jumped into the sea of stomach acid.
"Old Man Chrysanthemum!" Luffy shouted.
"Won't the stomach acid eat away at him?" Cold sweat appeared on Sanji's face.
"No," Xia Chen said. "As a doctor, he knows his own constitution very well. There's no need to worry about that!"
Next, everyone saw Crocus emerge from somewhere, then climb onto the platform he had built and give Laboon a shot of sedative.
Not long after he administered the sedative, everyone noticed that the constantly shaking sea of stomach acid slowly began to settle. Eventually, it returned to its previous still, rippleless state.
"Wh-what's going on?" Nami asked in terror.
"Laboon is ramming the Red Line!"
"Hm?" Hearing Xia Chen's words, Crocus, who had swum back, immediately turned and stared fixedly at him. Once again, he asked the same question.
"How do you know about that?"
"Old man, I already told you, it's a secret! I'm really just an ordinary person who happens to know a little too much!"
"For example, I also know... a few things about you!"
"The doctor aboard Pirate King Roger's ship-Mr. Crocus!"
!!!
Xia Chen's words not only shocked Crocus, but also left every one of his companions behind him frozen in place. Then they all shouted together:
"The... Pirate King's... ship's doctor?"
Crocus gave Xia Chen another long look, as though he wanted to see right through him.
Xia Chen simply returned his gaze with a faint smile.
After a long while, Crocus slowly said, "Young man, you certainly do know a little too much! But I can see no malice in your eyes. In that case, I won't ask any more questions!"
"Because you know that even if you ask, I won't tell you, so you might as well not ask," Xia Chen replied calmly.
Crocus: ...
Young man, could you leave this old man a little more dignity?
By then, everyone had finally recovered from the revelation that Crocus had been the Pirate King's doctor. Luffy immediately asked excitedly, "Old Man Chrysanthemum, does that mean you found the One Piece?"
"Yes! That's right!" Crocus nodded.
"Want me to tell you what's there?" Crocus teased.
"No!" Luffy firmly refused.
"I'm going to become the Pirate King and find the One Piece through my own abilities!"
Seeing the determination on Luffy's face, Crocus was momentarily swept up in it, as though he had seen a man many years ago say those same words with boundless spirit.
When he came back to his senses, a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Kid, becoming the Pirate King isn't that easy. Even if there's a very good chance you'll pay for it with your life, you won't regret it?"
"I don't care! I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
Crocus gazed steadily at Luffy. A long while passed...
"Hahaha... Then I wish you luck!"
Crocus wanted to say more, but suddenly, the voices of a man and a woman came from above.
"Old man, die!"
Crocus had barely turned his head when he saw a cannonball flying toward him, and a few drops of cold sweat broke out.
Xia Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. With a slight movement of his fingers, several tiny slashes shot out.
Boom!
The cannonball exploded in midair, and Xia Chen turned his gaze toward the two people above.
One was a girl with blue hair in a ponytail, and the other was a man wearing a crown, with a 9 painted on each cheek.
"Mr. 9, Miss Wednesday, what are you doing here?"
"Huh???"
The two had just been about to fire a second cannonball, but froze at Xia Chen's words.
How... did this man know them?
They were utterly shocked, unaware that the people behind him were even more shocked.
Although they had always known Xia Chen knew a lot, why had it recently seemed that he knew even more? Whatever they asked, he knew the answer!
More importantly, he even knew these two people who had appeared out of nowhere. That was a little ridiculous!
Not even Morgans had as much intelligence as you, did he?
"Who are you? Why do you know our names?"
"Me? You don't even recognize me? What are you two good for?" Xia Chen put on an angry expression.
That familiar tone, that familiar manner, that familiar expression. Everyone behind him instantly understood what Xia Chen had in mind.
Barring any surprises, he was about to put on a show!
Huh???
Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday grew even more bewildered, while an inexplicable anger welled up inside them.
"No, who are you? Why should we know you?"
"Heh! You two haven't been reading the organization's messages while out on missions lately, have you?" Xia Chen said with a cold laugh.
At those words, both their hearts jolted. Indeed, they had spent all this time trying to figure out how to kill this whale, so they had not received any notices from the organization at all.
Could... this man be a new officer in the organization?
While they were still thinking, Xia Chen's voice reached them again.
"Listen carefully, you two. I'm the boss's newly appointed Mr. 1. Do you understand now?"
!!!
"Mr. 1? Who knew how many ranks above them that was! The strongest person beneath the boss!"
Instantly, a trace of fear rose in both their hearts.
"We're sorry, Mr. 1, sir. We really haven't received any messages, so we didn't recognize you. Please forgive us!" Mr. 9 hurriedly said with a bow.
Miss Wednesday beside him, on the other hand, did not react immediately. Instead, she seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, she gave a slight smile.
"Look, if you're going to pretend, at least make it convincing, okay? There's no way you're Mr. 1!"
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Xia Chen asked with a smile.
A confident smile appeared on Miss Wednesday's face.
"Because..."