A dense rain of cannonballs was blocked by a wall of wood, and the terrifying explosions and powerful shockwaves caused the entire Jackson to shake violently. Seeing Leo make his move, Rayleigh—who had originally intended to act—halted his steps.
After all, rookies needed opportunities to prove themselves in battle.
And truth be told, both Roger and Rayleigh—along with the rest of the crew—wanted to see Leo's true power.
After all, rookies need opportunities for real combat.
Besides, both Roger and Rayleigh were eager to witness Leo's true strength.
And who could be a better test subject than Garp?
"A Devil Fruit user, huh?!"
From afar, Garp murmured to himself as he saw the Jackson suddenly sprout a wooden wall that blocked all the cannonballs. Only the power cursed by the sea—Devil Fruit abilities—could pull off such a superhuman feat.
"Blocked! He actually blocked it!"
Buggy stared wide-eyed at the undamaged wooden wall in front of him, waving his arms in excitement. Those were cannonballs, yet they hadn't left a single scratch! Was this really wood?
In that instant, Buggy was filled with longing for a Devil Fruit of his own.
DUANG!
A crisp metallic clang rang out as Buggy tapped the wall with his blade. At that moment, many onlookers were left shocked and curious about Leo's powers.
"So hard!" Buggy said, shaking his numb arm from the impact.
[+10 Anime Points from Jabba]
[+10 Anime Points from Garp]
[+6 Anime Points from Bogard]
[+2 Anime Points from Barrett]
...
[+5 Anime Points from Shanks]
[+10 Anime Points from Buggy]
[+3 Anime Points from Crew Member 007]
[+1 Anime Point from a Random Marine] ×50
A flood of notifications rolled through Leo's mind—he had just gained 212 Anime Points, enough for two more lottery draws.
Hearing Barrett's name mentioned in the system alerts, Leo glanced to the rear. At the moment, Barrett was lazily leaning against the deck, clearly bored. A world without battles was meaningless to him.
"Hmph, boring."
Noticing Leo's gaze, Barrett curled his lip and plopped down on the deck, closing his eyes to nap.
To Barrett, Leo was just a small fry with a little bit of strength—not worth his attention.
Roger was the one he had his eyes on.
"Mmm… Leo, that's quite the power you've got there—to be able to block cannonball attacks from that guy Garp."
Roger walked over, patted Leo on the head, and grinned as he spoke loudly with delight.
After all, having fought Garp before, he was well aware of the terrifying strength behind his blows. In this vast ocean, Devil Fruits might be the fastest and easiest way to grow stronger—but that didn't make them invincible.
With Garp's attack failing to even slow down the Jackson, Roger, not wanting to drag things out, decisively chose to retreat. After all, their real purpose for coming to the East Blue this time was to find a doctor—Crocus.
"Waaah waaah~"
The Jackson was sailing swiftly toward the Twin Cape Lighthouse. Just one nautical mile away, a sound like a crying baby echoed across the sea. Looking up, a massive whale burst out of the deep ocean, slamming heavily against the towering mountain that marked the entrance to the Grand Line—Reverse Mountain.
Again and again.
As an island whale, its body could reach up to 400 meters long, but even such a massive creature couldn't shake the sky-piercing Reverse Mountain.
With each violent collision, the wound on the whale Laboon's head worsened. The injury that hadn't yet healed began bleeding again, staining the nearby seawater a deep crimson. Yet, even this couldn't stop Laboon's self-destructive attacks.
"A wha—whale?! It's huge!"
Buggy, standing at the front of the group, widened his eyes and opened his mouth in awe, clearly someone who had never seen such a spectacle.
Leo, too, was stunned by the scene before him. Watching it through a small electronic screen was nothing compared to experiencing it with his own eyes. The sheer scale of this colossal being, blotting out the sun, was something he had only imagined in fantasy or read about in novels.
"This world… just keeps getting more interesting!"
"Hey, Laboon, stop it! Your previous injuries still haven't healed!"
A loud voice came from atop the giant whale. Under the watchful gaze of the Roger Pirates, a man with saffron-colored hair appeared. He was none other than Crocus, the highly skilled doctor—and the very person Roger had come to find.
"Waaah waaah~"
"Alright, alright, I get it. They'll definitely come back one day. Stop ramming into Reverse Mountain like this, Laboon. You won't be able to take it…"
Crocus sighed, his tone tinged with sadness. He knew full well just how perilous the Grand Line ahead was. Not a single word had been heard from the Rumbar Pirates in nearly thirty years. Most likely, they had met with tragedy—perhaps even perished at sea.
But those were words Crocus could never bring himself to say. Deep down, he still hoped the Rumbar Pirates hadn't forgotten Laboon, that maybe one day they'd return to Twin Cape to see him again.
As Crocus continued treating Laboon, Jackson slowly approached. Watching this compassionate doctor so devoted to life, Roger's face lit up with joy.
This was the doctor he had been searching for.
"Doctor, hello. My name is Roger. I'm a pirate, and I'd like to invite you to join my crew—to help me complete my final voyage."
Roger strode forward confidently, appearing beside Crocus, and spoke seriously and sincerely.
"A pirate? Pirates aren't welcome here. Leave, now."
Crocus frowned deeply. Whether it was resentment toward the Rumbar Pirates for breaking their promise, or a reluctance to leave Twin Cape, his tone was cold and dismissive as he tried to send them away.
"Doctor, please!"
Despite Crocus' rejection, Roger didn't give up. On the contrary, he pleaded even more earnestly. Though he had no medical expertise himself, Roger could clearly feel his body deteriorating—slowly being consumed. He knew: maybe two years, maybe two and a half… that's all he had left.
"Sigh…"
Crocus furrowed his brow, letting out a long sigh as he looked at Roger's sincere expression. Then, his gaze shifted to Laboon in the distance. After a long pause, it seemed he'd made a critical decision:
He would go to sea.
Since the Rumbar Pirates hadn't kept their promise, he would go find them himself—aboard a pirate ship—sailing the Grand Line, to give Laboon the closure he deserved.
"I'll go with you—but on one condition."
"Name it!"
"While we sail, I want you to search for any news about the Rumbar Pirates."
Crocus looked toward Laboon with a compassionate gaze and spoke slowly, one word at a time.