"Huh? Is this an acquaintance of Sakura-nee's?"
Kuina asked in surprise.
She hadn't expected her captain's circle of friends to be so vast, encompassing everything from humans to non-humans.
At this rate, perhaps one day if Sakura told her she knew aliens, Kuina wouldn't even be surprised.
"We met by chance."
Sakura stood at the bow, waving at Laboon, "Laboon, is he here?"
"Ooo--!"
A whale song echoed. The giant whale with many scars on its forehead nodded at Sakura.
"Good!"
Waving goodbye to Laboon, Sakura turned and patted the petite ship spirit. "Leviathan, dock the ship by that lighthouse over there!"
"Understood!"
Leviathan nodded, made a diving motion, and jumped down through the deck, merging with the ship and controlling it to slow down gradually.
Soon, the Leviathan came to a stop, right in front of the lighthouse.
"This is Twin Cape."
Fisher Tiger asked, puzzled, "Why are we stopping here?"
"Of course, it's for this old man!"
The lighthouse door opened, and an old man with a petal-like decoration on the back of his head walked out.
"Crocus-sensei!"
Sakura flipped over the bulwark, rushed forward, and gave him a hug.
On the deck, Kuina quietly leaned close to the ship spirit and whispered, "Hey, Leviathan, who's that old guy who looks like a chrysanthemum?"
"That's the doctor of the Roger Pirates, and also Sakura's medical teacher."
Leviathan nudged Kuina with her elbow, a look of pity on her face, and directed her gaze towards Sakura in the distance, who had a kind look in her eyes.
"Oh no!"
Kuina's whole body trembled, the light in her eyes instantly vanishing.
"The doctor of the Pirate King chose to work as a lighthouse keeper here?"
Fisher Tiger, who had also disembarked at Twin Cape, looked at Crocus with some surprise.
"This was originally my job. Being a pirate was just a side gig."
Crocus said dismissively, "If it weren't for that bastard Roger asking me, I wouldn't have been his ship's doctor!"
"You were the most energetic one on the ship back then,"
Sakura narrowed her eyes, her tone teasing. "You always charged to the front in every fight, and no one could hold you back."
"Hmph, you brat! Is that any way to talk to your teacher?!"
Crocus instinctively reached out to ruffle the girl's hair, but his raised hand froze mid-air.
'The little brat from the ship back then had grown so remarkably that I could barely recognize her, even having to strain to reach her head now.'
'Forget it, let's save her some dignity.'
"Come on in!"
Crocus moved aside and walked into the lighthouse.
This lighthouse, designed for humans, was a bit too cramped for Tiger.
He sat awkwardly on the floor, his head touching the ceiling, and could see the swaying oil lamp beside him just by tilting his gaze.
"Crocus-sensei, I want your homemade flower tea, not black tea."
Sakura, entering the lighthouse, acted as if she was at home, deftly curling up on the sofa.
Crocus gave her a look of disdain but silently went to the top of the lighthouse to fetch his newly dried flower tea.
A moment later, a refreshing aroma filled the lighthouse's living room. Sakura's eyes lit up as she picked up a cup and took a sip. "Wait, can I have some of this tea to take with me when I leave?"
"Ungrateful disciple!"
The girl's behavior of eating and taking made Crocus sigh.
After putting down the tea tray, he sat on the sofa, spread out a newspaper, and crossed his legs.
"Speaking of which, what you did on Foolshout Island caused quite a stir. Invitations from many kingdoms have been sent to me."
"Forget it. Being someone else's war weapon is worse than being a free pirate."
Sakura waved her hand at Crocus, her face full of disdain.
"Oh, right, Sensei! There's something I'd like you to take a look at!"
She unrolled a storage scroll on the table, infused it with Chakra, causing smoke to burst forth. When the dust settled, four or five sealed test tubes containing a blue liquid lay on the scroll.
"This is?"
Crocus casually picked up a test tube and briefly analyzed its contents.
Sakura propped her chin on her hand, a proud smile appearing. "This is a universal plasma I developed. It can temporarily replace blood function when a patient has lost too much blood. Most importantly, it doesn't cause rejection!"
The plasma in Crocus's hand was synthesized by her using local medicinal herbs and Wood Release creations.
After acquiring Wood Release, and lacking corresponding Ninjutsu to complement this Kekkei Genkai, Sakura could only try to create her own techniques.
By chance, she discovered her Wood Release could fuse with Yang Release to produce a tree sap with extremely strong healing properties. Sakura used this to develop many types of medicine, with plasma being one of them.
Perhaps Kekkei Genkai themselves could be developed into different effects based on the user's personality and knowledge.
This was worth a few research papers. After finishing here with Crocus, she could go back to the Ninja World and bother Tsunade.
After all, as the saying goes, you never know how many hidden treasures these old masters have unless you push them.
"Can your ability be involved in the production process?"
After hearing about the plasma's efficacy, Crocus's expression turned grave, and he even held his breath slightly.
On these seas filled with violence and slaughter, the appearance of something like this could truly be an earth-shattering event.
"Sort of. But reverse-engineering it based on the finished product and finding substitute materials shouldn't be difficult for you."
Sakura clasped her hands behind her head, sinking into the sofa, looking like she was washing her hands of the matter.
"Hmm, this medicinal property..."
Crocus, who had already started analyzing the components with his portable tools, suddenly looked up, staring straight at Sakura. "Have you... found another master outside?"
"How could that be!"
Sakura covered the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, exuding an aura of fragility. "My heart belongs only to you, Sensei! In this world, you are the only sun in my heart!"
"Alright, alright."
Crocus wouldn't be fooled by this scheming girl, but he didn't press for details either. He simply glossed over the troubles and secrets Sakura was hiding. "I'll help you decline the invitations from those kingdoms. Leave the stuff here with me. I'll contact you via Den Den Mushi when I have a finished product."
"Great! Thank you, Sensei!"
The girl immediately perked up, her eyes shining.
Her companions, having watched Sakura's grand display of filial piety, all cast disdainful looks her way.
But having nurtured a face thicker than a city wall, she paid them no mind.
"Will you be staying the night? Your room is still usable."
Crocus, fiddling with the experimental equipment, packed and temporarily sealed the items.
"No, we need to set off for the Grand Line immediately. This was just a detour to visit you."
Sakura put down her teacup and pocketed the flower tea Crocus had brought earlier.
Crocus didn't stop her, just curled his lip and asked, "Which of the seven routes are you planning to take?"
Sakura glanced at the vast, blue sea outside the window and smiled. "The one Captain Roger took. It's convenient to use Uncle Gaban's charts to be lazy."
"Well then, have a smooth journey!"
"Eh, that doesn't sound like something you'd say!"
"Brat! Get lost already!"
"Hahahaha!"