One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

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Out on the vast sea, a whale as large as a small island swam forward, letting out pained cries.

"Wooo!"

Laboon wailed in agony, repeatedly slamming his head into the Red Line. The pain kept him conscious, but the force of the Conqueror's Haki only made his suffering worse.

Meanwhile, deep in Laboon's stomach...

"What in the world is happening?!"

Crocus, the former ship doctor of Pirate King Gol D. Roger, had turned Laboon's insides into a resort, but right now, chaos had erupted inside. The water in Laboon's stomach surged violently, completely flooding the once-peaceful resort.

After struggling for a while, Crocus managed to climb back to the surface of his now-submerged island.

"Wooo!!!"

Laboon's anguished cry echoed throughout his body.

"This… is Laboon ramming the Red Line? No, he is being attacked?!"

Crocus could hardly believe what was happening.

Could the force of this attack have caused Laboon to flip over? How could that be possible?! Laboon is an island whale, massive enough to rival a small island!

This is just the entrance to the Grand Line. Even in the New World, very few could pull off something like this...

Could it be some kind of advanced weapon from the World Government?

Determined, Crocus gritted his teeth, dove into the turbulent waters within Laboon, and swam toward the exit. No matter what, he couldn't let anything happen to Laboon.

After a long and difficult swim, Crocus finally emerged from Laboon's mouth. He was ready for the worst, even to fight to the death, but what he saw left him frozen in shock.

"Yossha, good boy," said a handsome young man with short black hair, standing on a pirate ship. His eyes shimmered with a deep purple glow as he gently comforted the massive whale.

Incredibly, Laboon's expression had softened. He even looked… a little sad?

"Is that... Conqueror's Haki?!"

Crocus swallowed hard, staring at the young man in disbelief.

Could this really be happening? Conqueror's Haki, mastered to such a degree, right here at the entrance to the Grand Line? This wasn't the New World! Since when did newcomers wield such power?

Wait, Crocus thought, his expression suddenly serious. Could this young man be the one who caused the attack that made Laboon flip over?!

Swallowing his disbelief, Crocus smiled awkwardly.

"Uh, hello."

The young man turned toward him with a bright, friendly smile.

"!!!"

Crocus flinched, then relaxed.

Of course, a man with this level of Conqueror's Haki would also possess Observation Haki. He must have sensed Crocus watching from the start.

"Welcome to the Grand Line, young man," Crocus said, trying to sound calm. The shock had taken away his usual humor, and he spoke more kindly than usual.

"Gramps! Why did you come out of the whale's belly?!" Kaya called out, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Crocus didn't respond right away. Instead, he leaped from Laboon's side, heading toward their pirate ship Merry.

Under Ace's curious gaze, and with Nami, Kaya, and Nojiko looking on with mixed expressions of amusement and exasperation...

"Splash!"

Crocus missed his mark and plunged headfirst into the sea.

"Ow! That hurt!"

Falling from such a height made the water feel like solid rock. Crocus surfaced, clutching his aching back.

"Let me help you up, old man," Ace said with a smile, tossing down a rope.

"Thank you, young man. Very polite," Crocus replied, climbing aboard the ship.

But as soon as he stepped on deck, Nami grabbed him by the collar.

"Hey, why were you in that whale's belly? Isn't Laboon your whale? Do you know that if Ace hadn't stopped him, Laboon could've destroyed our ship?"

"Hey, watch the beard! Let go!" Crocus yelped, clutching his back in pain.

"Let me help you," Kaya said, seeing his discomfort. Her hands glowed with a soft yellow light.

"Bzzz—"

Her Healing Fruit powers activated, and under the warmth of the light, Crocus felt his back instantly recover.

"Devil Fruit?" Crocus murmured in awe.

"Thank you, little girl. That's a powerful fruit you've got there."

Kaya beamed with happiness. Being praised for her healing ability delighted her more than any compliment for herself. After all, the Devil Fruit had been a gift from Ace, and she glanced at him with a smile.

"Wait a second!" Crocus exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Did you just say that this boy… fought Laboon off?"

"Yes," Nojiko said proudly, pointing at Ace. "Our captain drove Laboon away."

"H-how is that possible?!" Crocus stammered. "Laboon is the world's largest whale! Knocking him back would be like toppling a small island!"

He looked at Ace, still reeling from the shock.

"Well, putting that aside for a moment… You look familiar to me, old man," Ace said with a slight grin. "You remind me of the ship doctor who sailed with the Pirate King."

"!!!"

Crocus's pupils shrank, but he quickly composed himself.

"What?!"

Nami, Kaya, and Nojiko all gasped in unison. Could this man really have been the ship doctor of the Pirate King?!

"Haha, you must be mistaken," Crocus laughed nervously. "There's no way I could be that doctor! That was a long time ago…"

But inside, Crocus was worried. His appearance had surely changed over the decades. Could Ace really recognize him?

"Oh? Maybe I was wrong," Ace chuckled, before formally introducing himself.

"I'm Portgas D. Ace, captain of this crew."

"!!!"

The moment Ace finished speaking, Crocus's eyes widened once more.