Before anyone in Oguro's group could speak, Crocus called out directly, "Laboon's about to ram into the Red Line again! Be careful, or you'll be swept away!"
After saying that, Crocus hurried back into the lighthouse and began preparing the tranquilizer device he had built.
Every time Laboon slammed into the Red Line, he had to use that machine to treat the whale's injuries afterward.
Oguro shouted, "Senior, I have a way to make Laboon stop crashing into the Red Line for good!"
Crocus froze, eyes wide with disbelief. "You're serious?"
He'd stayed in that lighthouse for decades. For just as long, Laboon had been ramming the Red Line—over and over again. The whale's forehead was now covered in old and new scars.
If this kept up, the Red Line would be fine, but Laboon wouldn't survive much longer.
Oguro smiled confidently, then with a single shunpo, flashed to a position above Laboon.
"Laboon! Stop! I know where the Rumbar Pirates are!" he shouted.
"BWOOOOOH!"
As expected, Laboon let out a deep cry and came to a sudden halt mid-charge, massive eyes fixed intently on Oguro—filled with surprise and hope.
Crocus froze again, suspicion flickering across his face.
The Rumbar Pirates were from fifty years ago. This young man couldn't be more than his late teens—how could he possibly know anything about them?
Oguro didn't bother explaining. "First, I have to tell you something unfortunate," he said solemnly. "The Rumbar Pirates were destroyed decades ago."
Laboon's massive cry turned into a wail of grief that shook the sea.
Fifty years of waiting—only to be met with this kind of news.
Crocus fell silent as well. Deep down, he had long suspected that outcome.
After all, fifty years without a single message… what other explanation could there be?
But Oguro's next words reignited hope.
"However, you're in luck! There was one survivor—Brook, the musician! You remember him, don't you?"
Still immersed in sorrow, Laboon suddenly perked up. His huge body splashed wildly in the sea, waves rising high around him.
Crocus frowned slightly. "Even if someone survived back then, it's been fifty years. Brook must have died of old age by now."
Oguro nodded. "Normally, yes. But Brook ate the Revive-Revive Fruit."
"That fruit has no effect while you're alive—but when the user dies, it lets them come back to life once and grants them the power of their soul. From then on, they can live nearly forever."
"Unfortunately, when Brook's soul returned, it got lost on the way back to his body. By the time he found it, his body had already decayed to bones. That's why he's now living as a skeleton."
Crocus's eyes widened in awe.
Resurrection… immortality—those were things people could only dream of.
But poor Brook had gotten lost at the most crucial moment, forced to live as he was.
No wonder Oguro said it was hard to tell whether he was blessed or cursed.
Crocus asked, "If Brook's still alive, why hasn't he come back to see Laboon?"
Oguro replied, "He's trapped in the Florian Triangle—imprisoned by one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria."
The moment Laboon heard his friend was in danger, he panicked and lunged toward the Red Line again, trying to break through to reach Brook.
Oguro quickly soothed him. "Relax! He's not in any mortal danger. I'll go and rescue him myself when the time comes."
Originally, Oguro hadn't planned on getting involved.
But then he remembered that Moria's base—the Thriller Bark—was a treasure in itself.
A ship the size of an island, perfect for use as a secret base in the Grand Line.
Leaving something that valuable in the hands of that lazy slob Moria was a complete waste!
And Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit wasn't bad either; he'd just built his skills wrong.
If Oguro could take him down, it might even earn him a legendary lottery ticket.
With gains like that on the table, rescuing Brook was just a nice bonus.
"Haha! Laboon, you can rest easy now. Stop ramming into the Red Line, alright? If you get hurt and Brook sees you like that when he returns, he'll be heartbroken!"
Crocus laughed with joy.
Normally, anyone who said they were going to snatch someone from a Warlord was either insane or suicidal.
But Crocus, a master of Observation Haki, could sense the extraordinary pressure radiating from Rukia and Rangiku.
With power like that, rescuing one man truly wasn't a big deal.
He just didn't realize that Oguro's real goal was to eliminate Moria, not simply to rescue Brook.
After Crocus's calm persuasion, Laboon finally stopped.
He lowered his huge head and gently bumped Oguro with his forehead.
Oguro smiled and pressed his right fist against Laboon's brow.
"I promise—I'll bring Brook back."
A promise from the Soul King carried weight beyond measure.
Delighted, Laboon dove back beneath the waves, while Crocus warmly welcomed Oguro's group into the lighthouse.
"Thank you so much! Without you, Laboon would've kept ramming the Red Line until it killed him," Crocus said, raising his glass in gratitude.
Oguro returned the gesture with a smile. "No need to thank me. I just couldn't stand to see such loyalty end in tragedy."
"Besides, I actually have a favor to ask."
Crocus grinned and took a drink. "You helped Laboon. As long as it's within my power, I'll help however I can!"
Oguro said, "We're about to head into the Grand Line, but we don't have a Log Pose. I was hoping you could lend us one."
Then, with a determined look, he added, "And… I'd like to learn about Observation Haki from you."
Crocus paused mid-drink and chuckled helplessly.
"So, you do know who I am. I guess I shouldn't be surprised—someone who even knows about the Rumbar Pirates from fifty years ago would definitely know about me."
"Heh. The ship doctor of the Pirate King Roger isn't just some old man," Oguro said.
At that, Rukia and Rangiku didn't react much—but Nami nearly jumped in shock.
"Y-You're the Pirate King's doctor?!"
How could someone like him be living as a mere lighthouse keeper?
Crocus waved it off. "That was a long time ago. No need to bring it up."
Then, turning serious again, he said, "I can give you a Log Pose right now, but learning Observation Haki will take some time."
"That's fine," Oguro replied. "As long as you can teach me the basics, I can handle the rest myself."
He wasn't expecting Crocus to train him the way Rayleigh had trained Luffy for two full years.
After all, Luffy's real progress had come later—thanks to Teacher Kaido.
***
we're close to 50 stones
I'll post 1 bonus if we reach it
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