"Let's go. Follow this current down, and we'll soon see Twin Cape."
Once back on the ship, Bellamy was eager to set off again. There was a very important person at Twin Cape whom he had long wanted to meet. Following the current straight down, after a relatively smooth journey, a tall lighthouse appeared ahead. All ships entering the Grand Line would be guided by this lighthouse to find the correct entrance to the sea route. This was a structure that was both very important and yet not particularly critical.
The Bellamy Pirates, guided by the lighthouse, smoothly arrived at Twin Cape. From here onwards, they would officially be entering the Grand Line. As far as Bellamy knew, the Pirate King's ship's doctor was here, constantly guarding the lighthouse. Although he didn't know why this old man insisted on staying in such a godforsaken place, both Crocus's identity and his medical skills made Bellamy extremely curious about him.
"Find a spot a bit further from the lighthouse. We'll prepare to anchor."
Bellamy's order puzzled everyone. Why stop in a place like this? And why choose a spot further away?
The reason for choosing a more distant spot was, naturally, because a giant whale that constantly rammed things roamed the seabed here. This whale, named Laboon, had to be at least several hundred meters long; if it rammed them from below, their ship would surely sink. In short, keeping the ship far from the lighthouse was always the right move.
"The Roger Pirates' ship's doctor lives in that lighthouse. Everyone, come with me for a look." There was no need to hide this secret; probably quite a few people knew about it already.
"What? The Pirate King's ship's doctor!" Muret was instantly stunned. This was the Pirate King's doctor! Good heavens!
"Captain, is this information accurate?" Hearing this, everyone was shocked. The Roger Pirates' doctor, appearing in such a remote place?
"Of course, it's accurate."
"Anchor the ship properly. Just come with me and see, and you'll know."
Crocus, ship's doctor of the Roger Pirates. He had once boarded Roger's ship at his invitation to treat Gol D. Roger's illness, ensuring he could complete his journey through the Grand Line. After Roger's death and the disbandment of the Roger Pirates, Crocus had remained at Twin Cape, guarding the lighthouse. Legend had it that Crocus had accompanied Roger to the final island.
Bellamy had always found it strange why the World Government would leave the remnants of the Roger Pirates alone. After all, they most likely knew the secret of the One Piece. There must have been some unknown deal involved, perhaps they had signed some terrifying contract that meant instant death if they revealed the secret. In any case, for someone of Crocus's status to still be alive and well was already highly abnormal. Not to mention he had been staying in this place; Twin Cape saw a constant flow of people, with countless ships passing by every year. If the World Government didn't know he was here, it would be an insult to their intelligence.
Bellamy and his crew made no effort to conceal their actions. The moment they disembarked, Crocus immediately sensed their intentions. "Are these youngsters short on supplies?" Every few years, some reckless greenhorns would rashly enter the Grand Line and then disappear forever on these seas. But contrary to his expectations, the target of these young people was actually him.
"Mr. Crocus, I've long admired your name." When Bellamy spoke Crocus's name directly, a flicker of astonishment crossed the old doctor's face.
"And you are?"
"My humble self is Bellamy, a pirate." Bellamy had some notoriety in the Four Blues, but in the Grand Line, he was currently just an unknown rookie. A bounty of less than a hundred million wasn't even worth people's attention.
"I've heard of your superb medical skills and have come specially to pay a visit."
The moment Bellamy mentioned this, even if Crocus were a fool, he would understand that Bellamy was here for him.
"Just a meager reputation." If it were merely to discuss medical arts, Crocus would actually be quite welcoming. But a group of pirates, no matter how one looked at them, didn't seem like good people. Would these individuals really be so well-behaved?
"Some welcoming gifts." Bellamy had his men present some alcohol and supplies. Since he was here to pay a visit, he naturally wouldn't skimp on the proper etiquette.
"My ship's doctor has long admired you, Senior, and hopes to learn some medical arts from you." Bellamy pulled Muret forward. A major purpose of this visit was, naturally, to upgrade his own ship's doctor. Since Muret had chosen to follow him into the Grand Line, he had to ensure she could keep up with his pace. Devil Fruits needed to be arranged, and medical skills certainly couldn't be lacking.
"If you're here to learn medical arts, I am very welcoming." Crocus spent his days at Twin Cape reading newspapers; though his life was quiet and leisurely, it was also very boring. If there was something to do, he naturally wouldn't refuse. Moreover, teaching medical arts to a junior was also in line with his own wishes.
The medical arts of this world were highly polarized. Some countries still used bloodletting for treatment, while other places were already researching gene repair technology. The level of disparity was on par with the technological levels of this world. If one factored in Devil Fruit abilities, the difference was like heaven and earth.
"Please, Senior." Ever since losing to Ross, Muret had constantly felt a sense of crisis. She was terrified of being abandoned by the Captain; now that an opportunity for growth had presented itself, how could she give it up?
"Little girl, come with me." Crocus beckoned to her and headed into the lighthouse.
Just then, Bellamy shot Mia a look, signaling that she could also go along and see. In any case, Mia was a half-baked witch doctor; learning a bit more would also be good. Mia nodded indifferently and followed Muret into the lighthouse.
"The rest of you, just rest here for a while." Bellamy's plan was to stay here for a week. This time, they had purchased a large amount of supplies, almost filling an entire large cargo ship. The most abundant among them was various kinds of alcohol. Eating sparingly, they would have no problem drifting at sea for three months. Of course, that was assuming they didn't encounter storms or battles. This type of cargo ship would have its hold damaged immediately if hit by a few cannonballs.
Actually, Bellamy himself also wanted to go in and learn something, but his medical skills were currently only at an apprentice level. He wouldn't learn much in a week and might easily disrupt the ship's doctor's learning progress. If that was the case, it was better to wait for Muret to learn something and then have her teach him in turn.
"This week, no one slack off."
"All of you, get to training." Their previous journey in the East Blue had been almost like a vacation. Now that they had rested enough, their training naturally had to intensify as well.