"Luffy! Brook! We're almost there!"
Robin's sweet voice echoed through the ship's intercom, waking the still-sleeping Luffy and Brook.
Tap tap tap tap…
A flurry of quick, crisp footsteps rang out as the two of them scrambled up to the deck in a rush.
Still groggy, their eyes widened when they spotted a massive, distant silhouette, the unmistakable red earth continent gradually coming into view on the horizon.
The ship continued sailing steadily across the sea, the outline of the Red Line becoming sharper with every passing second.
"Brook, look over there!"
Luffy suddenly shouted, pointing far off toward the horizon, where a massive, dark shape stood upright, its size so large it seemed to bend the very curvature of the sea.
Brook squinted in the direction Luffy indicated, though his skeletal eyes couldn't see that far. Still, something stirred within him. His jaw trembled ever so slightly, and in a barely audible voice, he asked:
"Could… could that be… Laboon, Luffy-san?"
Meanwhile, near the exit of Reverse Mountain, an enormous island whale floated motionless atop the water.
The whale's massive forehead bore the scars of time, bullet wounds, slash marks, cannon impacts, and above all, countless signs of head-on collisions.
"BOOOOOOOOH!!"
With a haunting, melodic cry that pierced through the clouds into the heavens, Laboon let out a long, powerful wail. It was filled with joy and just a hint of sorrow, as if he sensed something, or someone, and couldn't contain the feelings within.
Suddenly, a circular iron hatch atop the whale's back opened with a mechanical hiss. From inside, a strange old man stepped out, wearing a pink plaid shirt and sporting hair like saffron threads.
He gently stroked Laboon's skin, speaking softly, "What's got you so happy today, Laboon?"
Though clearly aged, the man's muscular arms and sharp eyes told a different story, he was no ordinary elderly man.
"BOOOH!"
Laboon squinted joyfully, his massive mouth, wider than the Reverse Mountain canal itself, letting out another roar of delight.
"Oh? You sensed something, did you?"
Charmed by Laboon's joy, Crocus smiled faintly. Even if it was just the whale's imagination, he played along.
After all, they'd been together nearly 50 years. The bond between Crocus and Laboon ran deep.
Watching Laboon smash into the immovable Red Line day after day tore Crocus apart inside. Seeing the whale so happy today? He hoped the feeling would last, if only a little longer.
"Looks like we can skip the sedative today…" Crocus mused quietly.
"Captain! We're flying!!!"
"Aaaaahhh!"
"What do we do, Captain?!"
Suddenly, shrill voices erupted from the other side of Reverse Mountain.
"SHUT UP!!! I see it, damn it!"
A shrieking voice responded just as a medium-sized pirate ship launched skyward from the raging current of Reverse Mountain.
At its peak height, the ship lost momentum and began descending, accelerating rapidly in a deadly arc straight toward Laboon's massive head.
"AAAHHHHH!!"
Pirates clung desperately to anything they could grab, screaming with all their might.
"Captain! We're going to crash into the mountain wall!!"
One crewman yelled to the captain, their last hope.
The man in question, their captain, gritted his teeth as he stared down the rocky surface. In a sharp voice, he roared:
"I am Krel, the Overlord of the West Blue! The man destined to become the Pirate King! I will not fall here, at the gateway to the Grand Line!"
A dense yellow fog erupted from Captain Krel's body.
Under his command, the fog billowed beneath the ship, thickening rapidly to form a soft cloud layer.
The ship's speed began to slow slightly as the cloud cushioned its fall, but not enough. They were still plummeting toward certain death, straight into Laboon's forehead.
"Captain!" another crew member shouted.
"You don't need to remind me!"
Wearing a denim outfit, Captain Krel roared again. His body blurred and transformed into a mass of white, airy vapor, soft and flowing like real clouds.
The cloud-form Krel rushed beneath the ship, spreading outward like a giant sheet, wrapping around the vessel and significantly easing its descent.
Reappearing within the cloud, Krel supported the ship with all his strength, sweat dripping uncontrollably from his face. He was holding up the full weight of the ship alone.
Even after countless battles in the West Blue, he had never pushed himself this hard.
Thankfully, his stamina held up. The ship's descent slowed more and more until, with a soft splash, it settled onto the sea.
"Phew…"
A puff of mist floated up from below deck, gradually condensing into Krel's form on the ship's deck.
"Captain!" a pirate called out.
Krel flashed a cocky grin, turned stylishly, and said, "Hahaha! No need to say it, I know you're all in awe of me, "
"No! Captain! Above you!"
A crewmate rudely cut him off, pointing urgently to the sky behind him.
"What?"
Krel blinked, confused. A huge shadow suddenly loomed over him, casting the entire deck into darkness.
Seeing the terrified stares of his crew, Krel slowly turned his head.
"Uhhh?!"
Laboon had leapt from the water in a mighty arc, his island-sized body briefly suspended in mid-air before crashing down.
"THE MOUNTAIN'S FALLING!!!"
The Krel Pirates screamed in unison, only to be silenced as Laboon's massive body slammed down, submerging them beneath the sea.
"Laboon… looks like you caused another accident," Crocus muttered as he rushed into the iron hatch and disappeared into Laboon's body before the seawater surged in.
But Laboon? He hardly noticed.
To him, Krel's pirate ship was smaller than an ant to a human. Who worries about stepping on ants when traveling?
Over the years, thousands of pirates had perished trying to pass Laboon.
He had become the first gatekeeper for anyone daring to enter the Grand Line.
The sea burst with waves as Laboon plunged into the water, creating a massive crater in the ocean's surface. Huge waves rippled outward, churning the calm sea, an awe-inspiring sight, like a real-life scene from the epic phrase: "Soaring high, waves shatter three thousand kilometers."
"Cough! Cough!"
Krel's vice-captain dragged his barely-conscious body onto a floating plank.
Krel vomited up seawater, coughing until he finally cleared his lungs. He staggered to his feet, scanned the wreckage, and sighed in relief.
"Is everyone okay!?"
The Krel Pirates, known across the West Blue this year, were a small but elite crew of twenty hardened sailors.
And their captain, Krel, possessed the power of the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
Thanks to that, despite the devastating crash, none of the crew had perished.
They swam to shore and collapsed onto the rocks, utterly spent. The trauma was still fresh; some were still staring dazedly at the blue sky, gulping down the fresh air.
Krel looked at his exhausted crew, then at the shattered remains of their dream-laden ship, floating in the sea. Rage boiled within him, and he slammed his fist into the ground.
"DAMN IT!!!"
Rising to his feet, dark clouds began to billow from his body, drifting into the sky. His eyes burned with fury as he glared at Laboon, whose massive frame still lingered above the water.
Dark storm clouds gathered quickly, shrouding the sky in oppressive gloom. Lightning crackled ominously within.
"BOOOOH?"
Sensing the disturbance, Laboon resurfaced, staring up at the darkened sky with innocent curiosity, like a child playing in the street, blissfully unaware of the danger ahead.
The clouds swirled violently under Krel's control, lightning building at their core.
Thinking of his beloved ship now in ruins, Krel's eyes filled with wrath. Pointing at Laboon, he roared:
"DIE, MONSTER! THUNDERCLOUD STORM!!"
BOOM!
As Krel's hands dropped, the storm clouds thickened and swirled above Laboon, crackling with electricity.
A vortex of lightning gathered at the center, channeling godlike energy. A blinding bolt shot down toward Laboon's head,
"Nocturne Slash – Darkness Absorb!"
Before it could strike, a figure faster than lightning appeared above Laboon, intercepting the deadly bolt.
A flash of black energy collided with the lightning, absorbing its destructive power. Waves of sword energy slashed through the sky, dispersing the storm clouds in an instant.
Sunlight poured back over the sea, restoring light to the world.
A thin figure descended slowly, black skeletal hands, a white cane sword, a grinning skull for a head.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please, grant me a moment of peace. Yohohoho~!"
"If you still want to fight...then your opponent... will be me!"
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