PapaSukuna: Hey readers, I got news for you all. My second semester exam's tentative date sheet has been issued. It is from 27 August, and my last sessional paper is going to start from 19 August. So, I am going to be super busy till 10th of September. I hope you all can understand. Wish me luck.
BTW, I am going to release two more chapters tomorrow. After that, the story will be on pause till my exams are over.
Please support and leave reviews behind.
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After re-entering the Grand Line via Reverse Mountain, the Roger Pirates' first stop was Twin Cape — home to the lighthouse keeper, Crocus. The man stood at the base of the Red Line, tending both the light and an enormous island whale named Laboon.
When Roger extended the invitation to join the crew, Crocus initially refused. His reason was simple: he had a duty. The lighthouse was his responsibility, and more importantly, so was Laboon — still young, still waiting. He had promised the Rumbar Pirates that he would look after their dear friend until they returned.
Robert, however, chose not to sugarcoat the truth. Before both Crocus and the whale, he spoke plainly of the Rumbar Pirates' fate. The words shocked the keeper… and even the Roger Pirates themselves. Crocus tried to deny it, claiming Robert was speaking nonsense. But the steady, unwavering look in the boy's eyes stripped away any chance of disbelief.
Laboon's grief was immediate and all-consuming. With a pained bellow, he rammed his head into the Red Line, over and over, each strike leaving cracks in the rock and tearing a deep gash into his own flesh. Blood streamed down his head, yet he continued, driven by a hopeless will to join his fallen friends.
Crocus and the crew shouted for him to stop, but the whale's mind was lost to despair. Just as Roger stepped forward, intent on knocking Laboon unconscious with his Conqueror's Haki, Robert intervened. Slowly, he floated forward, placing himself directly in the whale's path. He stopped the great beast's charge with nothing but presence and will.
Through his Empathic Perception, Robert reached into Laboon's storm of emotions, easing the rage and sorrow. His hands glowed faintly as he knit torn flesh and sealed the wounds, leaving behind only smooth, unbroken skin.
Crocus watched, wide-eyed, as if witnessing a miracle. Such power, used so casually — and yet, to the crew, it was nothing unusual. They simply told him to trust the boy.
When Laboon's breathing finally steadied, Robert rested his hand upon the whale's head once more. This time, he showed him a vision — one member of the Rumbar Pirates still lived. Brook, no longer flesh and blood, but a living skeleton, trapped within the Florian Triangle, enduring endless solitude while waiting to reunite with his last friend.
The image brought tears to the whale's massive eyes. His voice — young, innocent, and trembling — rang out not through the air, but directly inside the minds of all present.
"Take me. I wanna see him."
The sudden intrusion of the voice stunned them. But when they turned their eyes to Robert and Laboon, understanding dawned. This was Laboon's voice, carried into their thoughts by Robert's will.
Crocus stared at Robert as though beholding an alien. "Just what did you do?!" he demanded.
Robert only shrugged, his tone matter of fact. "I showed him the truth."
After more explanation, Crocus finally relented, agreeing to join the Roger Pirates as their official doctor. But he wasn't the only new recruit. Laboon, too, would be coming along. Roger, delighted beyond measure, embraced the idea… until reality set in. How, exactly, did one transport an island whale?
Once again, Robert provided the answer. With a flicker of power, he shrank Laboon to a size that could fit neatly into an ordinary aquarium.
And so, with their new companions aboard, the Roger Pirates set sail once more.
A week passed in ceaseless travel. They bypassed Whiskey Peak entirely, heading straight for their next destination — Little Garden. The island was a prehistoric relic, a land of towering trees, colossal plants, and creatures long extinct elsewhere. Dinosaurs roamed the jungles, and venomous flora thrived in the shadows. No sane sailor came near its shores.
Which, of course, made it perfect for the Roger Pirates.
"Man, it's been so long. Ain't that right, Ray?!" Roger called as he leapt down from the ship and stretched his arms wide.
Rayleigh hummed, his gaze sweeping over the wild, untamed landscape. "It sure is."
The crew disembarked one by one, setting up a temporary camp on the beach. Gaban, Robert, and Crocus approached Roger and Rayleigh, all five men gazing into the massive, vine-choked jungle.
"Hmph. If it weren't for me, you lot would've been stuck here for a whole year with those giants," Gaban said, slinging an arm around Robert's shoulders. "Let me tell you something, Bob — these idiots entered the Grand Line without a navigator, thinking they could just wing it—"
Robert blinked, glancing toward Roger and Rayleigh, who were suddenly very interested in whistling at the sky.
"—And if it weren't for Crocus, they never would've made it to Little Garden," Gaban finished.
Crocus sighed. "Yeah. Twenty years ago, when I met them at Twin Cape, they were just entering the Grand Line for the first time. Only Roger and Rayleigh back then." He shook his head. "They dove right in without preparation. I had to give them a spare Log Pose just so they wouldn't die."
"Which was lost," Rayleigh added dryly, "because of this idiot." He pointed at Roger, who grinned sheepishly.
"Hey now, it's not my fault I got tricked by that girl."
Rayleigh rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah… you were a young, horny bastard who got fooled by a sixteen-year-old."
The crew burst into laughter. Young Roger had indeed been a menace to every woman within sight.
"Speaking of horny bastards—" Roger's eyes gleamed as he looked at Gaban, who began to sweat, "—this guy was stuck on this island for a whole year. And why? Because his girlfriend drugged him, dumped him in a rowboat, and ran off with some no-name Marine."
Gaban groaned. "Not my fault I gave my heart to a gold digger. Thought she was the one. Turns out she'd scammed plenty before me. Once she realized I had nothing, she ditched me. Lucky for me, I knew enough navigation to reach here. Then I met Dorry and Brogy, who told me the Log Pose would take a whole year to reset. So, I was stuck with two giants who couldn't end their hundred-year duel."
"Man, those days…" Roger muttered, and nostalgia seemed to pass through the group like a shared memory.
"That's something…" Robert murmured, eyes narrowing toward the jungle. He could feel two immense presences deep within.
"So, you gonna meet them or not?" he asked.
"Wahahaha… yes. Yes, let's go see our giant friends again," Roger laughed.
And with that, the crew followed their captain, eager to reunite with old comrades after twenty long years.