The sea roared beneath them as the Going Merry raced down the chute of Reverse Mountain. Foam exploded in all directions, wind whipped against the crew's faces, and Luffy yelled in glee.
"WE'RE FLYING!" he howled.
"No, we're dying!" Usopp screamed, clinging to the mast.
Vihaan had one hand braced on the railing, his other arm wrapped protectively around Nami, who was steering with clenched teeth.
"I'm going to kill Luffy if we survive this," she muttered.
But as the Merry dipped, the mountain suddenly vanished beneath them, and a dense mist wrapped around the ship. The Grand Line opened its arms.
"Welcome to hell," Zoro muttered.
Just as the fog cleared, a looming wall of flesh appeared in front of them. A whale—a whale the size of a small island—sat directly in their path.
"WHALEEEE!" Luffy screamed, pointing.
"WE'RE GONNA CRASH!" Nami cried.
"Vihaan, DO SOMETHING!"
With a quick snap of his fingers, Vihaan created a mirror wall beneath the ship to slightly tilt its direction, but the impact was still inevitable. With a thunderous splash, the Going Merry bounced off the whale's head and tumbled into the water.
When they surfaced, coughing and stunned, Laboon was still there—massive, majestic, and now angrily slamming his head against the Red Line wall.
"Why is he doing that?" Luffy asked.
"We need to find out before he hurts himself," Vihaan said.
After knocking on the whale's steel-like skin, they noticed a hatch door open up near its stomach.
"Did the whale… invite us in?" Usopp blinked.
Inside, they discovered a massive chamber of metal and light. To their surprise, it was dry, warm, and decorated like a small clinic. Crocus, a tall old man with a thick white mustache and a harpoon rifle, greeted them.
"Welcome to Laboon," he said simply, sipping tea. "Yes, this is the inside of a whale."
As the crew stared in disbelief, Crocus calmly explained the story—how Laboon had once followed a pirate crew into the Grand Line, and how they had left him here, promising to return. That promise had gone unfulfilled for fifty years.
"So every time he hits the wall, it's because he thinks they're on the other side," Nami whispered.
"He's lonely," Luffy said quietly.
"I'll be his friend," he declared with a fist pump.
Vihaan gave the whale a small smile. "We won't forget you, big guy. We're not like those pirates."
Suddenly, the door burst open again. Two strangers stumbled in wearing strange outfits.
"I am Mr. 9!" the man yelled.
"And I'm Ms. Wednesday!" added the blue-haired girl beside him.
"You're… here to kill the whale?" Sanji asked in disbelief.
"It's… complicated," the girl muttered as they tried to escape Laboon's belly with makeshift bombs.
Luffy and Zoro intercepted them easily, with Vihaan creating a mirror maze around them, confusing Mr. 9 until he smacked into a wall. Nami kicked one of the bombs into the water.
Once they were restrained, the girl sighed.
After the short scuffle inside Laboon's belly, Mr. 9 groaned on the ground while the blue-haired girl dusted herself off, visibly annoyed.
"Great. Mission failed. Again," she mumbled.
Nami crossed her arms. "You two came here to kill a whale. You seriously thought that would go unnoticed?"
"I'm not with him," the girl said quickly, pulling off her hat and bow. "I mean—I was, but it's not what you think."
Sanji had hearts in his eyes. "You're an angel. You can be anything you want."
Zoro muttered, "She's hiding something."
Vihaan raised a brow and observed her carefully. She avoided eye contact, fingers twitching at her side.
Luffy, as usual, just grinned. "You're strong. Wanna sail with us?"
The girl blinked. "You… don't even know my name."
"Don't need to," Luffy replied cheerfully. "Just say yes."
Vihaan stepped closer, his gaze sharp. "You're running from something—or someone."
The girl stayed silent.
Vihaan gave her a crooked smile. "Fine. You don't want to talk about it? Then you've got to earn your stay."
She frowned. "Earn it how?"
He dramatically summoned a small mirror tray, balancing it on one hand like a butler.
"Congratulations. You're our new maid."
"WHAT?" she yelped.
"Yep," Vihaan continued with mock seriousness. "Morning tea for Nami, fruit snacks for Luffy, help Usopp clean the deck, and polish my mirrors every two days."
Usopp cracked up laughing. "That's a cruel punishment!"
The girl's jaw dropped. "This is humiliating—!"
Vihaan leaned in. "Better than being caught by Baroque Works, no?"
She huffed, crossed her arms, and finally gave a name: "Call me… Miss Wednesday."
Vihaan gave her a nod, already knowing she was lying—but respecting her secrecy. "Welcome to the crew, Miss Wednesday."
Nami rolled her eyes. "If she spills tea on me even once, she's walking the plank."
"I heard that!" the girl snapped.
Luffy was already trying to get her to race him up the mast.
As Vivi adjusted to the crew's pace, Usopp presented Nami with a collapsible steel staff, perfect for combat. Vihaan added a mirror core orb that absorbed ambient static and let her discharge lightning strikes with a twist.
"This'll zap anyone dumb enough to touch you," he teased.
"And I like how that sounds," Nami grinned, testing it out with a crackle.