Roooar—!
Laboon let out another deep, resonant cry.
It was subtle, but Reno noticed—the giant whale's eyes had shifted. It was looking at him.
As if… it had understood what he'd said.
"There are still survivors from the Rumbar Pirates?" Crocus' voice was shaken with disbelief. "Is that… true?!"
He had once used every connection he had to search for them.
But came up with nothing.
And now—this boy claimed otherwise?
"It's true," Reno replied, nodding without hesitation. "But before I tell that story—Nami, Kaya. I need you to heal Laboon."
Without delay, Nami conjured a compact island cloud. Together with Kaya, she flew up toward the massive whale's forehead.
From above, the scene was heartbreaking.
A latticework of crisscrossing scars spanned Laboon's immense head—some wounds old and faded, others still fresh and bleeding.
Kaya's eyes welled up. How much pain had he endured…?
As they drifted closer, Kaya reached out gently with both hands. Her voice was soft, coaxing. "There, there… you'll feel better soon."
A warm, glowing light bloomed from her palms, washing over one of the bleeding wounds.
Beneath her healing touch, the torn flesh began to mend—slowly at first, but visibly. The wound faded, the blood stopped, and a moment later, it was as if the injury had never existed at all.
The skin beneath her hands was smooth and unmarred.
"What in the world…?!" Crocus shot up from his chair, the newspaper falling to the ground forgotten.
His usually unreadable expression cracked.
He stared, eyes wide, as the impossible unfolded before him.
"She's an ability user," Reno explained calmly, as if that explained everything.
"She… has a Devil Fruit?" Crocus murmured.
He paused.
Then asked the question that had clearly been gnawing at him: "Can her ability… cure any illness?"
"Any illness. Any injury," Reno confirmed, already guessing what the old doctor was thinking.
Crocus fell silent.
His hands clenched at his sides.
"If I'd had that power back then… the Captain wouldn't have—"
He didn't finish the thought. He didn't need to.
(Author's Note: In canon, Roger surrendered because of a terminal illness—so this tracks.)
"Reno…" Crocus looked up, more serious than ever. "Could I ask you to stay here, at least until Laboon is healed?"
Reno blinked. "Obviously."
Crocus looked surprised. "But… it'll take days. With that girl's stamina, treating a whale that size—"
"You should take another look," Reno said, his tone amused.
Perplexed, Crocus turned back toward Kaya.
She was still working—focused, determined. Sweat poured down her face from the effort.
But then—
A faint white glow surrounded her.
And suddenly, she was revitalized. Her posture straightened, her breathing calmed.
As if her fatigue had been erased in an instant.
"Wha—?!" Crocus nearly choked. "What kind of Devil Fruit is that?!"
He stared in stunned silence, then chuckled bitterly.
"…I guess I've been out of the loop too long."
"Now then," Reno said, folding his arms. "Let's talk about the Rumbar Pirates."
Laboon, still groaning softly, seemed to pause—listening.
Reno told the story.
How over fifty years ago, the Rumbar Pirates had sailed into the Grand Line. But the dangers ahead forced them to leave Laboon at Twin Cape.
They'd promised to return in three years and take him with them around the world.
But fate had other plans.
Their captain had fallen ill. The crew met a tragic end in the Florian Triangle.
All except one—Brook, who had eaten the Yomi Yomi no Mi.
His soul returned… but his body had decayed. He'd become a skeleton—alive, but alone.
Now, Brook remained trapped in the misty, cursed seas of the Florian Triangle.
"Roooo…!"
Laboon let out a cry unlike any before.
It wasn't despair.
It was relief.
He had never been abandoned. They just… couldn't come back.
Crocus looked away, wiping his eyes discreetly. "So that's what happened…"
"I suppose nothing in life is ever certain," he muttered.
Then hesitated.
"Reno… there's one more thing—"
"You want me to tell Brook that Laboon's still waiting for him," Reno interrupted gently.
"I'll do better than that. I'll bring him back here myself."
"You… will?"
"I already left a marker here. When I find Brook, I'll bring him back with me. Instant travel."
Crocus was speechless.
"You'd really do that…?"
"I've got my ways," Reno said with a grin, not bothering to explain further.
"…Then let me thank you in advance," Crocus said, his voice heavy with sincerity.
"Oh, and by the way," Reno added, changing the subject, "our next destination is Whisky Peak. You wouldn't happen to have a Log Pose for it?"
Crocus chuckled, finally relaxing. "Of course. Give me a second."
He disappeared into the lighthouse, then returned a moment later with a glowing compass in hand.
"This is the Eternal Pose for Whisky Peak. Keep it safe—without it, you'll lose your way."
Reno took it without hesitation. "Thanks."
Then he turned to the others.
"I'm going to help Kaya finish healing Laboon. Once we're done, we'll set off."
The girls nodded in agreement. None of them were in a rush.
But just then—
"Hm?"
Reno frowned and glanced toward the dock.
Something felt… off.
"There's a thief on the Meili."