At that moment, an iron cover suddenly lifted from the back of the whale, and an old man wearing a flower ornament emerged.
"Flowers?"
Everyone stared in confusion at the old man.
His outfit really did look like flowers were adorning his head, making him look quite amusing.
Zoro, curious, asked, "Uncle, who are you? How did you come out of the whale's belly?"
The old man stared for a while before replying, "Before asking others, isn't it polite to introduce yourself first?"
"Uh, right. My name is Roronoa..."
"My name is Crocus, the caretaker of the Twin Gorges Lighthouse. I'm 71 years old, Gemini, and my blood type is AB."
Zoro was interrupted mid-introduction. His face twitched, veins visible. He raised his hand and was about to draw his sword, "Can I chop him up?!"
But unexpectedly, the old man Crocus stared at him again and said after another long pause, "Don't do it, you'll die."
Sanji, curious, asked, "Oh? And who exactly is going to die?"
"The old man!"
"So it's you!"
Everyone was too stunned to respond. Suddenly, such a bizarre old man appeared, leaving them unsure how to handle the situation.
Luffy, on the other hand, burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Uncle Hua is really funny!"
Crocus gave Luffy a long look, then jumped off the back of the whale. He found a spot to sit in front of the small house next to the lighthouse and, as if casually, said, "Just now, I felt the presence of a strong man. Was it you?"
Luffy, adjusting his straw hat, introduced himself, "My name's Monkey D. Luffy. Uncle Hua, I hope to learn from you."
Crocus, who often reads the newspaper, immediately recognized Luffy. "I know you. Straw Hat Boy. You're quite famous for a newcomer, already known all over the world before even entering the Grand Line!"
Luffy grinned, saying nothing in response.
Suddenly, a massive whale crashed into the Upside Down Mountain, causing both the sea and the ground to tremble. The impact was repeated, and it was an absolutely insane sight.
Crocus hurriedly shouted, "Laboon! Don't hurt yourself anymore!"
He rushed forward and used his body to try to block the whale, but was quickly knocked aside. It seemed that Laboon, out of fear of harming Crocus, finally stopped moving. The whale let out a deafening roar that echoed with deep sadness.
Crocus let out a sigh of relief as he watched Laboon finally come to a halt.
Luffy couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, what's wrong with this whale? Why does it have all those wounds on its head? And why does it sound so sad?"
The Straw Hats were just as curious, and even Tashigi leaned in, eager to hear more.
Carl, meanwhile, had found a bottle of wine in the kitchen, settled down in a spot, and began drinking by himself. He knew the story of the whale, but that didn't stop him from listening to it again. However, he was a bit disappointed there were no peanuts or melon seeds to go along with his drink.
Crocus, seeing they were all listening intently, began telling the tale of Laboon: The whale was called Laboon. Fifty years ago, it arrived at Twin Gorges with a pirate crew, and it was then that Crocus first encountered the whale.
The pirates had left Laboon at the Twin Gorges, promising they would return after sailing around the world. But they never came back. Crocus even went out to sea looking for them, but there was no sign of the pirates. After fifty years, Crocus had no choice but to tell Laboon the harsh truth—that the pirates were dead.
However, Laboon didn't believe him. The whale continued to head-butt the Red Line, trying to reach the mainland, convinced that the pirates would return to find him.
As Crocus finished the story, everyone was silent, moved by the whale's devotion. To wait fifty years for a promise that never came, to suffer such pain and disappointment—everyone felt a deep sympathy for Laboon.
Tashigi's eyes filled with tears. This was probably the first time she had heard such a heartbreaking story about pirates, and it left her deeply affected.
At that moment, Luffy suddenly punched Laboon in the face with a rubbery fist, knocking the whale to the ground. Everyone was taken aback, wondering what Luffy was thinking.
"Boy, what are you doing?!" Crocus cried out in alarm.
Luffy didn't answer. Instead, he stood his ground, pressing down his straw hat as he waited for Laboon to react. The whale, clearly irritated, slammed its massive head into Luffy, sending him flying through the air. But Luffy didn't dodge—he allowed himself to be sent sprawling across the ground.
Laboon seemed intent on attacking again, but Luffy simply grinned and said, "This time, it's a tie!"
Laboon's massive body froze mid-charge.
"This time, it's a tie! I'm strong! You want to fight me again, huh? I know your friends may not be coming back, but I'll always be your opponent. After I travel around for a week, I'll definitely come back and fight you again!"
Luffy's words, full of determination and sincerity, made everyone smile. It was clear that Luffy understood the whale's sadness, and in his own way, he was giving Laboon a reason to keep going, a new purpose—one that would keep the whale fighting, even if it was just for a rematch with him.
Crocus even wiped the corners of his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. "You kid..."
Laboon, moved by Luffy's words, let out a long, sorrowful cry, as if releasing years of pent-up emotion. It was like the whale had finally found some relief, and it cried out like a child, its voice full of grief but also a sense of release.
Luffy, ever the soul painter, decided to mark Laboon in a way only he could. He drew a crooked, playful straw hat skull pattern on Laboon's head, ensuring the whale wouldn't hit the Red Line with its head again.
Crocus, witnessing this, sighed in relief. One of his worries had been resolved.
Carl, however, stared at Laboon for a long time, furrowing his brow. Something felt off—something important was slipping his mind.
Tashigi, sensing his distraction, asked curiously, "Mr. Carl, what are you thinking?"
Carl hesitated, tapping his chin. "I feel like we've forgotten something, something really important... but for the life of me, I can't remember what it is."
"Well, since I can't remember it, maybe it's not that important," Carl shrugged.
Sanji interjected, "Okay, I'll cook right away. Let's have a good meal before we leave. But our captain's so hungry, and the food we got from Logue Town is almost gone. Moomoo, hurry up and—huh?"
Sanji stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening. The others seemed to have a similar realization, freezing in place.
Carl's eyes went wide. "Moo Moo! We forgot Moomoo!"
The realization hit them all at once, and the moment turned awkward. They had been so caught up in the excitement of climbing the mountain and the encounter with Laboon that they had forgotten about Moomoo, their trusty manatee and hunting tool. Carl felt embarrassed—he had such strong attachments to his companions, and yet, he had forgotten Moomoo. It was no surprise; after all, with all the excitement, how could anyone remember the manatee?
Just then, a tired Moomoo swam up the waterway, looking exhausted. It seemed the manatee had struggled to keep up with the boat, but it had managed to swim over on its own. Thankfully, Moomoo wasn't as massive as Laboon, or it might not have been able to make it through.
"Moo! Moomoo!" Moomoo whined, looking at the crew with a pitiful expression.
"Moomoo, we're sorry! We were wrong!" Everyone rushed over, bowing in apology to the manatee.
Crocus couldn't help but laugh at the sight. It had been a long time since he'd felt this light-hearted, and he was grateful for the warmth this strange crew brought.
Tashigi, laughing and wiping away a tear, thought to herself, The Straw Hat Crew really is a good bunch of people...