Sanji prepared a big meal, and everyone eagerly dug in, happily enjoying the food. Crocus was invited to join, and he accepted without hesitation. After taking a bite, he praised Sanji's cooking skills, which made Sanji beam with pride.
As Carl ate, he couldn't help but observe Crocus, considering the old man's background. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he decided to ask.
"Uncle, when you were inside Laboon's body earlier, were you treating him?" Carl asked casually.
"Yes, Laboon has been headbutting the Red Line for years, and his body is in terrible shape. If left untreated, he'll die soon," Crocus explained. "He needs medication and a sedative to calm him down."
"So, you're a doctor?" Luffy asked, looking curious.
"That's right. I am a doctor, and I even worked as a ship doctor for a pirate crew," Crocus replied.
"Really? Then you'll be our ship's doctor!" Luffy said excitedly.
Crocus chuckled. "Heh, I'm too old to travel with you young ones, and I need to stay here with Laboon, so I'm afraid I can't accept your invitation."
"Ah, well, that's fine," Luffy shrugged, returning to his meal without a hint of regret.
But Carl wasn't about to give up that easily. "Uncle, you must have medical books! As a ship doctor for the Pirate King's crew, your medical skills must be incredible. Would you mind selling me those books?"
"Eh? Eh?!!!" Crocus blinked in surprise.
The Straw Hats were just as stunned. "Wait, Uncle Crocus was a ship doctor for Roger's crew?!"
This revelation was huge—who could've imagined that the first person they met in the Grand Line was a former member of Gol D. Roger's crew? It was almost too good to be true.
Crocus laughed heartily, clearly amused by the reaction. "Hahaha, I didn't think anyone would know that about me. Yes, I was part of Roger's crew. I joined them to find a group of pirates, and I worked as the ship doctor for a time."
"And about the medical books, I do have some. Since you're helping Laboon, I'll gladly give them to you!"
"Thank you so much, Uncle!" Carl immediately agreed.
Although Crocus's medical skills might not be the best in the world, they were certainly impressive. After all, he had managed to keep Roger alive for a year or two despite his terminal illness.
The medical books were quickly handed over to Carl, who carefully stored them away. However, after some thought, he finally decided to speak up.
"Uncle, the pirate crew you were searching for—was it the Rumba Pirates?" Carl asked.
Crocus raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Oh? You know about them?"
"I've heard of the Rumba Pirates," Carl continued. "They were said to have been wiped out by a plague, but there was one member named Brook. He supposedly died from the plague, but after eating a Devil Fruit called the Revive-Revive Fruit, he came back to life... as a skeleton."
Crocus's eyes widened in shock. "Brook is still alive?! Where did you hear this from?!"
The revelation hit Crocus hard. After so many years, the news of the Rumba Pirates had resurfaced. It was one thing to know they had perished, but the fact that Brook had survived—it was hard to believe. And now, with Brook being a skeleton, it seemed impossible to imagine.
Carl nodded. "Brook's still alive. However, he's trapped in a dhow, and his shadow was stolen by the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria. He can't see the sun until he regains his shadow, so he's been stuck there, unable to leave."
The Straw Hats were, of course, taken aback by this. They had come to expect Carl to know a lot, but even so, the news about Brook was startling. They didn't question the accuracy of Carl's words, though. Whenever he spoke about something, it was always true.
The mention of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the shadow-stealing Devil Fruit didn't surprise the Straw Hats at all. Carl had previously explained the Shichibukai to them, so they were already familiar with the concept.
Crocus, on the other hand, was clearly excited and believed Carl's words without hesitation. He turned to Laboon, calling out enthusiastically, "Did you hear that, Laboon? Brook is still alive! He won't be coming back for now, but one day, he'll regain his shadow and return to see you!"
Hearing this, Laboon's eyes welled up with tears, and it let out a joyful, resounding whistle that echoed across the sea.
Carl smiled, satisfied that he had exchanged a valuable piece of information for the medical books, with no debts left to settle. It was a fair trade, and everyone benefited from it. However, Crocus seemed so grateful that it made Carl feel a bit embarrassed.
After finishing their meal, it was time to leave. Carl handed Nami a backup record pointer, keeping another for himself in case of an emergency. Nami had already purchased one, but it never hurt to have a spare.
She tried the compass, and as expected, it didn't work. She strapped the pointer to her wrist, keeping it ready, and asked Crocus, "So, we just need to follow the direction the pointer indicates?"
Crocus laughed. "So you've already got your own pointers! That's right—on the Grand Line, you can only trust the pointers here. All the sailing experience you have from the Four Seas won't help much here. Be careful, little girl."
Nami nodded, taking the advice seriously.
With the preparations complete, the rudder repaired, and everything set, it was time to set sail.
Luffy raised his hands in the air, grinning excitedly. "Alright, little ones! Let's set sail!"
They were finally on the Grand Line. The adventure that awaited them was just beginning. Luffy couldn't help but wonder where Shanks was now, and what kind of challenges and surprises lay ahead on their journey.
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