Chapter 6.3

- Hooray! Real heaven! Finally! - exclaimed Luffy.

However, our joy was somewhat dampened by the fact that Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 groaned and stirred, waking up from Luffy's sleeping pills.

"So what should we do with these clowns?" Zoro asked gloomily.

"If you ask me?" said Crocus, returning on board. -I am in favor of throwing them overboard.

"Related or not?" I asked sarcastically.

"Oh, don't be an idiot." Nami rolled her eyes, untying the bonds on the couple's legs. -Zoro, would you be so kind?

The warrior quickly obeyed, grabbed them both by the collars and threw them into the sea.

After a few moments of waving their arms, swearing and frantically screaming for revenge, the pair swam away and out of sight.

"Ah...Miss Wednesday?" Sanji fell into another lovestruck frenzy when he somehow released puffs of smoke in the shape of hearts. -There is nothing more romantic than a mystery woman.

"You do understand that this "mystery woman" was carrying a large-caliber gun in her hands and, most likely, would not have thought twice about breaking you like a twig, right?" I said calmly.

- Ahh, but what kind of death would that be...

"Suicide," Soundbite said in an even voice.

- Don't say... - I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, hey, what's this?" Luffy asked, looking at a very specific item they had dropped.

-Hop- I snatched Log Pose from my captain's hands.

"Hey!" Luffy complained.

"He looks fragile," I shrugged. -You don't want to break it, do you?

"Mmm..." Luffy pouted, but fortunately dropped the topic.

"Should we really let them go, what if they try again?" Nami asked worriedly.

Crokus grinned as he watched them leave. -No matter what we do, there will always be more whalers. Besides, I have more than enough practice, and Laboon is a tough nut to crack. We'll be fine.

When Laboon rose and began howling at the Red Line, we moved to the Red Line cliffs, at the base of one of the lighthouses.

"So..." Luffy said thoughtfully, relaxing at the ledge of the rock. -He has been waiting for his team for fifty years and still thinks that they will come back for him. Damn, these guys made him wait so long... I hope they come back soon.

I shook my head with a tsk. -Sorry to tell you this, Cap, but I've already read similar stories dozens of times. This story is not one that has a happy ending.

"Definitely," Sanji agreed, taking a drag from his cigarette. -They said it would take several years. Fifty years have passed. Think for yourself." He winced before continuing. -They're dead. He will wait until the end of time.

"How can you be so cynical!?" Usopp asked annoyed. -You can't know this, they may still come back! This is already a heartbreaking enough story! Of course, something delayed them...!

"I'm afraid..." Crokus said seriously. - that the truth is even harsher than your idea, and if I had a chance, I would make your version a reality. But the fact is that these pirates fled the Grand Line. I have information from a reliable source.

"They abandoned the poor whale?" Nami asked incredulously. -But to do this they would have to go through the Kalm Belt!

- Exactly. That's why no one knows their fate." Crokus sighed heavily, looking even older than his years. -Even today, no matter how well the world has been explored, there are still secrets on the Grand Line that defy human understanding. It may very well be that they are still alive, but even then I doubt that they will be able to return. There is nothing "normal" about these seas. Those with weak hearts too often succumb to the Grand Line.

"So those with a weak heart care more about their own lives than about the promise given to their nakama," Sanji snorted darkly through another cloud of smoke.

"So... so they abandoned this poor whale!?" Usopp asked sharply.

"Not at all necessary!" I hastily began to defend myself. -I mean, come on: the Grand Line is known for its craziness, but the rest of the time it's just a death trap. Crocus, did these guys seem like oathbreakers or weak-willed people to you?

Crokus exhaled briefly. - No, damn it, they were strong, kind people who never stopped smiling and laughing the entire time they were with me, and when they left, they cried their eyes out at the thought of leaving Laboon behind.

"Then their departure could not have been even close to voluntary!" I defended myself. -They might be desperate, they might have no choice. But... in the end... - I shrugged helplessly. -If they're dead... let's not talk bad about them without knowing all the facts, okay?

Usopp thought for a moment and then nodded slowly. -Yes, yes, fine. I can agree with this.

"But still..." Nami looked questioningly at Crocus. -Why didn't you tell Laboon the truth? I mean, he can understand human speech, so...?

"Oh, I told him everything..." Crokus sighed gloomily. -But Laboon... he just doesn't listen.

- What do you...?

"The day I told Laboon about this, he went mad with grief." The old man looked miserably at the howling whale. -He started crying on Reverse Mountain and banging his head on the Red Line, over and over again.

"This makes sense..." I thought sadly. -He places all the blame on the closest target he has other than you. He doesn't want to believe that they abandoned him, so he explains that they are waiting for him on the other side of the mountain. Blame the mountain or... accept reality.

"Mmm..." Crokus chuckled and nodded in agreement. -I tried to explain this to him over and over again, but he refuses to accept the truth.

- Damn... this whale is just something... - Sanji sighed.

"But... but he's waiting in vain!" Nami objected, albeit weakly.

Crokus shrugged helplessly. -It doesn't matter, he refuses to listen to my words. Either he's half crazy with grief or it's just teenage rebellion. In the end, it really doesn't matter: he's too scared. Afraid of losing a reason to wait, afraid of losing the hope he's held on to for so long. His home is in West Blue and he has no easy way back home. These pirates... they were his home.

"Damn... I can't help but feel sorry for the poor guy..." Sanji took a thoughtful drag on his cigarette before looking at Crocus. -But still... After all these years, why do you continue to worry about him?

Crocus was silent for a while, looking up thoughtfully. It was at this moment of silence that I noticed that our captain had suspiciously disappeared from the rock on which he had been sitting a second before. I shuddered slightly when I realized what exactly my boss was planning. Praying that I was wrong, I tapped Soundbite's shell to get his attention and discreetly placed the headphones on my ears.

"Connect me to Luffy," I whispered.

Soundbite blinked in confusion before shrugging as best he could. A second later, an electronic noise rang in my ears, quickly followed by Luffy's voice. -Mmm, hmm, this will be perfect!

"Um, Cap?" I whispered. -Could you let me in on your plans?

- Hm? Hello Cross! Nothing special, I'll just slam Merry's mast into Laboon to get his attention.

I jerked even harder, meeting Soundbite's frightened gaze. Yes, I was right. "I don't think I can do anything to talk you out of this monumentally stupid act, do I?" For example, suggest you use something else as a weapon? Like... the lighthouse itself?

- Umm... nope, that won't work. It's okay, Usopp can fix the mast. Besides, Merry is strong! She can handle it!

I barely managed to keep from hitting my head on a nearby boulder. Yes, I should have seen it coming. -Okay then... Can I at least convince you to use the mizzen mast instead of the main mast?

- Mm...?

- The smaller one. It's not as big as the main mast, but it should get the job done, and more importantly, with luck, it will hurt Merry a lot less.

- Yes... good idea! Thank you! Well, it's time for me to hit the whale in the head! See you!

Before I could respond, Crokus finally broke the silence. "Look at the scars on Laboon's forehead." He waved his hand upward, pointing to the patches of unhealthy color that adorned his body. -I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that Laboon's wounds run deep. Our relationship is strange, but I've been watching him for the last fifty years. I am a doctor, and Laboon is not only my patient, but also my friend. I can't just stand by and watch him die.

- RAAAAAA!

We were pulled out of our rather gloomy contemplation by a familiar voice roaring at the top of our lungs.

We each blinked in silent surprise as Luffy ran towards Laboon, holding a very large and very familiar wooden pole over his shoulder.

"What is this idiot doing?" Sanji groaned.

"You just have to take your eyes off him..." Zoro shook his head with a sigh.

"In my defense," I said tiredly. -I tried to stop him. Things could have been much worse.

"What the hell is he..." Usopp began to choke as he peered closer and recognized the pole that Luffy was carrying. "Is this Merry's mizzen mast?" he squeaked weakly.

- Be glad that I managed to dissuade him from using the main one.

"GOMU-GOMU!" Luffy roared as he reached the top of Laboon and raised the mast high above his head before slamming it into the whale's body. -IKEBANA!

We all stared in numb horror at the monumentally stupid act our captain had just committed.

"Damn it, Luffy," Nami summarized briefly.

In the next moment, Laboon froze very, very quietly, his whole body trembled for a moment, until finally...

"BWOOOOOO!" the whale roared, twitching wildly.

- WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THIS!? - Nami, Sanji, Zoro and Crokus roared furiously.

- ARE YOU TRYING TO SINK OUR SHIP!? - Usopp yelled.

- RIDE HIM, COWBOY! IHA! - Soundbite laughed.

"IF YOU FLY, DO A Flip!" I shouted to him. Then he raised an eyebrow at the venomous glare from my teammates. -What? He is my captain and I try to support him. Is it really that bad?

Before anyone could respond, Laboon's roar moved to another level as he stared strangely at the Red Line. I did not like it.

"Guys?" I squeaked. -I don't know about you, but for me it's worth...

Laboon suddenly shifted again, charging towards us head first.

"Run!" I quickly turned around and ran as far from the shore as possible.

When Laboon landed, it felt like an earthquake hit the Red Line, knocking us off our feet.

I groaned in pain as I crashed into the rock, and at that very second I realized that I was not in danger of dying from the whale... I doubled over laughing. -Pfft hahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, then, I started laughing madly. -God, that was close!

- Rude dude - Soundbite agreed.

However, as the laughter turned into giggles, I found myself being flipped onto my back and Nami grabbing me by the collar of my jacket and yanking me to face her. The crazy look in her eyes was not good.

"What the hell did you mean when you said you were an adrenaline junkie??" Nami hissed, her voice bordering on madness.

I chuckled nervously and plastered a shaky smile on my face. -Ah... you see, what's the matter: at home, in Florida. Every now and then my friends and family would convince me to do something really crazy. Sometimes it was jumping off a high ledge into a lake, sometimes it was trains on stupidly wild coasters and stuff like that.

Ehhh, as I remember now, Super Fast Dragster. Nothing gets your heart pumping than going from a dead stop to 110 mph in just four seconds.

A particularly irritated growl snapped me out of my nostalgia. -Anyway, the thing is, before I was about to do these crazy things, I was grunting and trembling in horror, but the second I actually did it, I fucking loved it and did it again and again. again! Those death-defying experiences I've had in the last twenty-four hours? Horrible, yes, but they gave me a thrill I never thought possible. Sooo... yeah, adrenaline junkie: the crazier and more dangerous the situation, the more I'll laugh out of pure excitement." I smiled uncertainly. -To each his own, right?

Obviously, Nami was not very happy with my answer. At least judging by the way her face twitched, as if she was mere milliseconds away from an aneurysm or a nervous breakdown. "You want to tell me..." she hissed in a voice that would not be out of place in The Exorcist. -That one of the few normal people on this team... is literally addicted to flirting with death itself!?

I flinched slightly in the face of Nami's Wrath (and I swear to Gandhi, it deserved to be referred to in capital letters) before plastering a desperate grin on my face. -I guess now is not a good time to quote the Cheshire Cat, who said, "We're all crazy here," right?

Nami's body jerked violently as she raised her fist instead of responding. I closed my eyes tightly so as not to flinch...

- DRAW!

And he opened one eye slightly, after Luffy's unexpected cry.

We turned our attention to our captain, who was grinning like a sleepwalker at a very dumbfounded and slightly bruised Laboon.

"Saved by the ringing of the gong," I muttered quietly under my breath.

*HIT*!

My last thoughts were that my whisper had been heard, if the fact that Nami suddenly punched me in the face meant anything.

After this there was darkness.