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Whoosh!!!
At the exit of Reverse Mountain, the massive whale that had swallowed the Dream Chaser thrashed its tail in a frenzy. It dove into the churning sea, and then, with a sound like a thunderclap, its head—covered in a spiderweb of hideous, thick scars—crashed violently against the jagged base of the Red Line.
Boom!!!
The impact was cataclysmic. Given the creature's mountainous size, such a strike would have leveled a fortress or shattered a small island into pebbles. But it was striking the Red Line, the colossal landmass that encircled the globe, a continent that had remained unmoving since time immemorial. The collision was like a blade of grass striking a towering oak, or an ant throwing itself against a ferocious beast. The Red Line didn't even shiver; it simply absorbed the blow, cold and indifferent.
Inside the whale's stomach, Crocus was sprinting through a metal-grated passage. Though he was advanced in age, his legs moved with the vigor of a man forty years younger. "Laboon! Stop it! Your wounds haven't healed yet!" he roared, his voice echoing through the organic corridors of the beast's body.
The ground beneath him shook with another bone-jarring impact, followed by a mournful, low-frequency cry. It was clear the whale was not listening.
"Damn it! I have no choice. I'll have to use the tranquilizer again!" Crocus gritted his teeth. He hated using such high doses of chemicals on his friend, but the alternative was watching Laboon batter himself to death against the continental wall.
"Hey! Old Man, wait up!"
A voice chirped behind him. Crocus nearly tripped in surprise. Before he could even turn his head, a orange blur flashed beside him. Satori was running at his side, looking completely relaxed despite the sprint. "Old Man, you look like you're in a hurry. Need a hand?"
A flash of astonishment crossed Crocus's eyes behind his reading glasses. He took a second to evaluate the boy's sincerity. "You want to help? Then keep up!"
Satori nodded, his expression turning serious. He stopped asking questions and matched the doctor's pace. Before long, Crocus slid to a halt in front of a heavy door. Satori skidded over two meters, his shoes making a sharp sizzle against the floor, before turning back with curious eyes.
Crocus shoved the door open and stepped into a room filled with sealed wooden jars and medical supplies. In the center sat a gargantuan syringe, nearly three meters high and five meters long. It was filled with a swirling, dark blue liquid.
"What is that?" Satori asked. He stood before the giant needle, examining it with the innocent curiosity of someone who hadn't yet learned to fear injections.
"This is the only thing that will calm Laboon and stop him from hurting himself," Crocus explained, checking the pressure gauges.
"Laboon?"
"The whale we are inside. He is my friend," Crocus added.
Satori's eyes widened. "Sugoi! So whales have names too!"
"Of course they do. Now, if you really want to help, give me a hand with this." Crocus placed his weathered hands on the plunger of the massive syringe. He was sweating now; his age was showing, and the sprint had sapped his breath. Injecting such a massive volume of fluid into Laboon's thick hide required immense physical force.
Satori felt a sudden pang of guilt. He had tried to eat the Old Man's friend earlier! To make amends, he stepped up to the syringe and placed his hands on the barrel. "I'm ready, Old Man!"
"Alright. On three. Two... One!"
Crocus braced his legs and prepared to throw his entire body weight into the push. But the moment he exerted force, the resistance vanished. He stumbled forward as his hands hit air.
"What?"
Crocus blinked. The plunger had already been slammed to the very bottom. The entire reservoir of blue liquid had been emptied into Laboon's system in the blink of an eye.
Satori looked up at him, tilting his head. "Is that all, Old Man?"
Crocus stood frozen for several seconds. Finally, a small, genuine smile broke across his stern face. "Ah... yes. That's more than enough."
Back on the internal island, Nami was trying to pass the time by reading a newspaper Crocus had left on his beach chair. Her eyes narrowed as she scanned a headline.
"The East Blue Hegemon, the Krieg Pirates, Wiped Out! 5,000 Perish at Sea!"
She felt no pity for the Krieg crew; they were scoundrels, no better than the Blood Demon Pirates. "I just wonder when the ones who did this will get what's coming to them," she muttered, looking at the photo of a cruel-looking pirate named Eustass Kid.
"Yo! Nami! Sanji! We're back!"
Satori's voice boomed from the iron gate. Nami looked up to see a terrifying sight: Satori was leaping from the high passage, hugging Crocus's legs and carrying the flustered doctor through the air like a piece of luggage.
Bang!!!
They landed on the island with a dull thud. Crocus clutched his chest, his face pale as he struggled to catch his breath. "Young man... are you trying to scare me to death?"
"Hehe, sorry about that!" Satori rubbed the back of his head with a silly grin.
"So, did you calm the big guy down?" Nami asked, pointing at the 'ceiling' of the cavern. She had noticed the crashing had stopped.
"Yes," Crocus sighed, reclaimed his beach chair, and gestured for them to sit. "Now that it's quiet, it's time you heard the story of Laboon."
Terminology Preservation: Reverse Mountain, Red Line, Laboon, East Blue, Krieg Pirates, Marine, Grand Line. Character Integrity: Goku (Satori) is curious and helpful; Nami is rational and sharp; Crocus is stern but warming up.