"Aowoo!" Ah Yin rolled his eyes.
You're the one who's stupid, aren't you?
I'm so big, I can just hop on a ship and go over, right?
"..." Shano was quietly thinking to himself. He had cried many years ago, so this time he was only slightly saddened, quickly snapping back to reality.
He rubbed his chin, pondering the details in Crocus' words.
Back in the day, when reading the manga I didn't notice, but now I'm suddenly aware of something.
"Uncle."
Shano couldn't help but say, "You mean, Laboon was just quietly staying at the foot of the Inverted Mountain until you told him the Lunba Pirates had abandoned him and left the Grand Line, which made him start crashing into the Red Earth Continent?"
"That's right."
Crocus sighed, "Even though the Grand Line is indeed a terrifying place, scaring away many pirates every year, humans are just such creatures, cowardly, deceitful, forgetting promises. Often not even as good as a whale..."
"But what if I told you that the Lunba Pirates didn't abandon him?"
Shano shrugged, "Then wouldn't Laboon crashing like this solely be because you misled him?"
"...?"
Crocus was startled, resolutely saying, "Impossible! I personally went to investigate the news back then and confirmed with many sources. Several people saw the Lunba Pirates' ship escaping from the Windless Zone."
"But after all, that's not something you saw with your own eyes, is it?"
Shano frowned, "And haven't you thought about it, if the Lunba Pirates really were too scared, couldn't continue adventuring the Grand Line, chose to break their promise and escape, why would they dare go through the Windless Zone?"
"That pirate gang composed of musicians dreamed of touring the world, making every crying child laugh. They didn't have any exceptionally powerful fighters, did they? Taking a ship full of people into the Windless Zone isn't that seeking their own death?"
"..."
Crocus was frozen, his pupils shrinking suddenly.
He suddenly realized he might have never considered this issue.
Before being invited aboard by Roger, he was already a strong expert with considerable medical skills.
Later traveling the world with Roger, he had seen countless peak fighters who left their names in history, witnessed countless great events that shook the seas.
With broadened horizons, sensitivity to many things grew numb.
Naturally, he never deemed crossing the Windless Zone a big deal.
But...
Just as Shano said.
The Lunba Pirates, who hadn't even reached the New World, if really fled Paradise out of cowardice, where did their strength and confidence come from to dare take on the more dangerous Windless Zone?
"What, what's going on, among those who saw the Lunba Pirates' direction, aside from the others, isn't there one old buddy whom I can trust..."
"The Lunba Pirates' ship did enter the Windless Zone."
Shano shook his head, speaking softly, "But that was because Captain Yueji and a small group were infected with plague, Yueji didn't want to burden his comrades, so he handed the command over to Deputy Captain Brook, letting them take the new ship, continue carrying their dreams forward, while he led the old ship, letting it drift into the Windless Zone, left to its fate."
"Then, then what about the people on the new ship?"
"They all died, attacked and wiped out in the Devil's Triangle, but Brook ate the Revive-Revive Fruit, you know, so he's still alive in skeletal form, but due to special circumstances, trapped in that sea area."
Everyone was listening intently.
Kuina finally couldn't help but poke Shano's waist, "Captain, how do you know so much about this?"
"Remember I mentioned to you, that newly crowned Four Emperor, Red-haired Shanks, I have some old ties with him."
Shano casually said, thinking he could use this as an excuse for any hard-to-explain matters in the future, "He mentioned it to me while drinking and chatting in the Goa Kingdom."
Ah, that's why the captain seemed to know Laboon's story beforehand, Kuina suddenly understood.
On the other side.
Pa.
After hearing Shano's words, the empty syringe in Crocus' hand fell to the ground.
He himself staggered a few steps back, his face instantly turning pale.
"It all makes sense, now it all makes sense..."
"So that's it, so that's it!"
Remembering the scene under the sunset that day, when those musicians solemnly entrusted Laboon to him.
Crocus' eyes reddened, tears suddenly rolled down, he fiercely slapped his own face—
"I wronged Yueji and Brook! I'm the fool! Idiot! Moron, I didn't think it through, didn't bother checking the condition of that ship myself, that's why it was... Wait, no, Laboon, Laboon..."
"Hey— Laboon!!!!"
The old man's expression suddenly changed dramatically, panic-stricken as he looked up, shouting with all his might:
"Did you hear what we said! Stop it, please stop now! I'm begging you, stop it!"
Wooo—
An elongated mournful sound echoed outside, the entire stomach space violently trembled along with it, and the fake blue sky on the dome began to crack layer by layer.
"What on earth is—" Nami had just exclaimed when she was tossed by the turbulent waves, crashing into the mast, holding on in panic to prevent falling into the stomach acid ocean.
"It's committing suicide!" Crocus was crying uncontrollably, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Laboon finally accepted reality, knowing its companions are dead! It's giving up the obsession with crossing the Red Earth Continent, trying to crash and kill itself against the Inverted Mountain!"
"But didn't my brother also say, Brook is still alive?"
Nami was upset, quickly putting her hands crossed by her mouth, forming a horn shape and shouting,
"Laboon! Can you hear me? Did you not catch the later words, that your most beloved and closest Brook is still in the Grand Line! We can take you to find him, don't do this, you big fool, did you hear me!!!"
She was already shouting with all her might, but the words seemed to sink like stones into the ocean, without any response.
Laboon continued its suicidal frenzied crashing against the Inverted Mountain.
In the stomach space, the shaking grew more intense.
The sky dome had completely shattered, exposing the realistic pink flesh wall, huge rocks falling heavily, a scene like the end of the world descending.
"Go!"
Crocus suddenly stood up, stumbling, running crazily toward the valve controlling the exit, using all his strength to open it as quickly as possible—
"Hurry up! The sedative was still active just now, and Laboon could hear us, but now the noise inside is too loud, the sound can't reach its ears, we need to get outside to stop it!"
"Is there still time!"
Nami immediately started to drive the Endgame towards the opening large iron gate, but at this speed... She bit her lip tightly, genuinely afraid, fearing that once they return to the sea, they would only see floating blood and an enormous island whale corpse.
But, just at this moment...
"Yo ho ho ho... Yo ho ho ho~♪"
"Yo ho ho ho... Yo ho ho ho~♪"
A cheerful and familiar melody suddenly rang out, causing everyone to pause.
"This is...?!" Crocus also suddenly turned his head, muddy tears still on his face.
The melody drifted from somewhere, still playing.
At first, it was at a normal volume, soon becoming louder and louder, soaring high into the sky, echoing beneath the entire dome, even causing the surging stomach acid sea to ripple finely—
"Yo ho ho ho... Yo ho ho ho~♪"
"Yo ho ho ho... Yo ho ho ho~♪"