Mr. 9 shouted coldly as he twirled two wooden sticks and charged at Moonlight, leaping into the air. This was a secret mission, and now that someone had overheard them, there was no choice but to kill them!
"Unfortunate for you, but you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time!" Miss Wednesday hesitated for a moment, but then rushed at Moonlight as well. With a flick of her pinky, a white thread shot out from her sleeve, spinning quickly in her hand until it formed a rotating saw.
"Peacock Slasher!"
"You want to fight?" Moonlight said with a faint smile. He casually walked toward Mr. 9, who was charging at him with wooden sticks.
"Die!" Mr. 9 roared, his sticks swinging down with tremendous force.
"Bang!"
Before he could get close, Moonlight lashed out with a single kick. Mr. 9 was sent flying backward like a cannonball.
"No!" Miss Wednesday quickly retracted her Peacock Slasher and rushed forward, trying to catch Mr. 9. But as soon as she touched him, an overwhelming force exploded, sending both of them crashing backward together.
"Crash!"
A door burst open, revealing the open sea outside. Both of them fell straight into the ocean.
"What? You're saying we're inside a whale?" Luffy and the others stared at Crocus in disbelief.
After being tossed around by the sea current, they had completely lost their bearings. When they landed here, they had no idea where they were. But now, it turned out they were inside a whale's stomach. This whale, named Laboon, had been under the care of an old man named Crocus, who was once the doctor for the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. He had been living inside Laboon, treating him, for fifty years.
Laboon had grown from a small whale into a giant one during this time. He stayed here, endlessly waiting for the crew he had promised to meet again—a crew that had sailed to the other side of the Red Line. Every day, Laboon rammed his head against the Red Line, hoping to break through and reunite with them.
Hearing this, everyone fell silent. Fifty years was a long time. The Grand Line was perilous, and if they hadn't returned in all this time, the crew was surely dead. But no one had the heart to say that to Laboon.
"Ahhh!" Suddenly, a man and a woman fell from a pipe, screaming as they plunged into the sea. Immediately after, a black-clad boy descended from the sky. Just before hitting the water, he let out a loud yell, then blurred forward, crossing the distance in an instant and landing on the island.
"What…?" Crocus's eyes widened in shock. With his experience, he instantly recognized the terrifying power behind the young man's movements.
"Moonlight, you're here!" Luffy and the others shouted, bursting into laughter when they saw him.
They had been worried after losing track of Moonlight and were preparing to search for him. But here he was, descending from the sky—what a relief!
"Good, everyone's here!" Moonlight smiled, greeting them one by one before turning his gaze to the old man in sandals.
"Who would've thought there'd be someone living here in such a place?"
"I didn't expect there to be someone like you in your crew. The Pirate King's legacy may not be that far off," Crocus said, casting a deep look at Moonlight before turning to Luffy and the others.
"Hey, hey, Moonlight, don't get too full of yourself now! You realize the one complimenting you is the Pirate King's former ship doctor!" Usopp nudged Moonlight with his elbow.
"Yeah, it's quite something that Crocus, the former doctor of the Pirate King, is impressed by you. That's really amazing!" Nami added, her eyes full of admiration. After all, Crocus was a man who had sailed with Gol D. Roger.
Sanji and Zoro remained silent, though they both had to admit that Crocus's praise was well deserved considering Moonlight's terrifying strength.
"Of course! How could the Pirate King's crew be anything less?" Luffy grinned confidently.
Crocus: "…"
"By the way, Moonlight, who are those two?" Nami asked, glancing at the man and woman who had fallen into the sea and were now climbing onto the opposite shore, looking disheveled.
"I'm not sure," Moonlight replied calmly. "But I overheard them saying they planned to kill the whale, so I brought them here. We've just arrived in the Grand Line, and there's no harm in asking a few questions."
"What? They're here to kill Laboon?" Nami and the others were instantly enraged.
Crocus, however, remained indifferent, as if he had already known about it.
The pair remained silent, refusing to answer any questions.
"There's no need to ask. If they don't want to speak, you won't get any useful answers out of them. And even if they did talk, with you all being newcomers to the Grand Line, you probably wouldn't understand anything they said anyway. If you want answers, don't ask others—find them yourself," Crocus advised, turning to Luffy.
"Your name is Luffy, right? And you aim to be the Pirate King?"
"That's right! I'll find the One Piece and become the Pirate King!" Luffy declared firmly.
"Well then, Pirate King, you'd better prepare for your journey. But before that, you should get yourself a Log Pose. Without one, you'll lose your way," Crocus pointed to the device on his wrist.
"A Log Pose?" Luffy and the others echoed, confused.
"Haha, you really are rookies. The Grand Line isn't as simple as you think. It's a special sea, and navigating it requires more than just sailing skills and experience. The magnetic fields, weather patterns, sea currents, and winds here are chaotic. Without a Log Pose, you'll have trouble even figuring out where you are, let alone finding the One Piece. You'd be lucky just to make it out of here alive," Mr. 9 mocked, laughing at their ignorance.
"What did you say?!" Luffy and the others snapped, glaring at him.
"He's right," Crocus said calmly. "The Grand Line is a chaotic sea. Experience and skill alone won't help you navigate it. Otherwise, someone would have found the One Piece by now. But with a Log Pose, it's a different story."
"The Log Pose records the magnetic fields between islands in the Grand Line. As long as you follow its direction, you'll be able to find your way to the next island."