A drop of cold sweat trickled down Sherlock's forehead. He first cast a sympathetic glance at the Straw Hat kid's crew, then spoke:
"My name is Sarsalian Sherlock." Sherlock performed an elegant greeting bow toward Luffy.
"Please take care of me."
Luffy pressed down on the straw hat atop his head upon hearing this. "I'm Luffy, the man who's gonna become the Pirate King!" He flashed a confident grin.
The self-introduction was simple and direct, perfectly in line with Luffy's style.
With that, the two were officially acquainted.
"Sarsalian? That surname sounds so familiar." Nami stroked her smooth chin, thinking hard for a moment before exclaiming, "You're that former president of the Goldglint Trading Company—that Sherlock?!"
Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp tilted their heads, looking like they'd never heard of the guy and wondering if he was supposed to be famous.
"The Goldglint Trading Company?" Sanji's hand froze mid-drag on his cigarette, his expression shifting. "Isn't that Miss Anna's company?!" In the next instant, he shot forward like a black whirlwind, grabbing Sherlock by the shoulders and demanding:
"Hey, hey, hey—so you're close with Miss Anna? You…"
Well, the pervert cook's priorities were always beautiful women.
Nami gave Zoro and the others a quick rundown of the Goldglint Trading Company, then slapped her forehead as if remembering something crucial. She turned to Sherlock and said, "Oh, right, almost forgot."
"Taking you to the Grand Line isn't a free service, you know. Hmm, let's say ten million berries." Nami stuck out her tongue playfully at Sherlock, her smile as sly as a cat that had snatched a meal.
Zoro raised an eyebrow. The upright green-haired swordsman was utterly speechless at his navigator's money-grubbing antics and turned his head away, refusing to watch.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Usopp's forehead. He stared at Sherlock's face and backed up a few steps, terrified the man might snap and lash out.
Luffy, still squatting off to the side, was counting on his fingers, trying to figure out how many pounds of meat the Goldglint Trading Company's wealth could buy.
"Ahh~ Nami-san is so cute when she's scamming people." Sanji's lovestruck mode activated full throttle.
(I can't believe there's a day when I'm the one getting extorted!)
Sherlock gave Nami a strange look, utterly amazed at the shameless greed of this orange-haired girl. Just how thick-skinned did someone have to be to say something like that?
"How many outfits did you swipe from my company back then? Fine, let's just say those were gifts from that idiot." Sherlock calmly adjusted his glasses, then smiled at Nami.
"Well, the process wasn't exactly ideal, but you did help me escape the Marines' pursuit and even brought me to the Grand Line. I owe you for that…"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Nami's eyes instantly turned into berry symbols, brimming with excitement. Internally, she kicked herself for asking for too little.
One good turn deserves another. If someone helps you—even unintentionally—you repay the favor.
And if someone wrongs you, you take it back a hundredfold!
That was Sherlock's philosophy in business…and in life.
With that, Sherlock gave a light wave of his hand. Ripples spread through the space beside him. Under the stunned gazes of the five, he reached in and pulled out a massive ruby (swiped from Duncan).
"Consider this my fare, beautiful miss." Sherlock placed the ruby into Nami's hand.
Boom! The Nami was sunk.
At that moment, Zoro asked Sherlock with some confusion, "If you're the president of a huge company, why were the Marines after you?"
"Mhm." Usopp nodded, his gaze toward Sherlock now filled with scrutiny.
"Oh, that? I committed a few 'minor' offenses, so the Marines put a bounty on me." Sherlock casually adjusted his glasses, then pulled a wanted poster from his Mirror Space and handed it to Usopp…
The group crowded around curiously. Then, like pouring water into a sizzling oil pan, they exploded!
"S-Seventy… seventy million berries!" The most timid Usopp stumbled back in panic.
Zoro grew wary again, his eyes gleaming with battle lust toward Sherlock.
"So you're that sorcerer." Sanji looked at Sherlock as if seeing him anew.
Nami hurriedly stashed the massive ruby into her four-dimensional cleavage.
As for Luffy…
"Wow! That's awesome—are you doing magic?" Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement as he snatched the wanted poster and yelled, "Is that cloaked guy on here you? With a bounty this high, you must be super strong!"
"Be my nakama! Charlotte!!" Luffy said earnestly to Sherlock.
"Hey! Luffy!" Nami and the others sighed in exasperation. Their captain was being unrealistic again—and if you're gonna invite someone, at least get their name right!
Sherlock gave Luffy a puzzled glance. He'd known the kid was eccentric, but he hadn't expected the Straw Hat to extend an olive branch to him.
"Join the Straw Hats? Me?" Sherlock's mind raced.
Sherlock's habit was to plan before acting; he rarely did anything impulsively. Even his seemingly insane moves were backed by mountains of intel and careful deliberation.
The Straw Hat crew, on the other hand, was the polar opposite—led by an idiot, they charged headfirst into whatever popped into their heads, the very model of reckless hotheads.
A pirate crew like that had zero compatibility with Sherlock. By all logic, he should have politely turned them down without hesitation.
And yet…
Sherlock glanced oddly at Luffy, recalling the events in Loguetown—that earth-shattering roar, that fearless grin in the face of death.
How could a moron like this possess such presence and courage?
It was almost as if… he had the qualities of a king!
The sorcerer was intensely curious.
"I'll think about it." Sherlock adjusted his glasses, letting out a silent sigh.
"Oh, okay." Luffy beamed a radiant smile.
Under Crocus's guidance, the Going Merry sailed outward.
"This is incredible—these are all your handiwork, old man?" Usopp gaped at the steel-lined passages around them, struggling to believe this was inside a living whale.
"Yep." Crocus opened a valve as he spoke. "Laboon's body is just too massive; I could only treat him from the inside."
After using the medicine from the old florist, Sherlock felt much better. He glanced around, thinking to himself that this elder with the bizarre hairstyle was no ordinary man.
When the group finally saw the real sky again, they all felt reborn.
On Nami's suggestion, Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday were tossed overboard by Zoro the moment they surfaced. The pair spat a few threats, then swam off into the distance.
"Ahh, Miss Wednesday… what a beautiful name~" The lovestruck cook leaned against the railing, gazing wistfully at their retreating figures.
At the Twin Capes, Sherlock saw Laboon's full form for the first time.
Huge. Enormous. Absolutely colossal—like a moving island. No wonder they called them island whales. Its forehead was crisscrossed with vicious scars, and it was bellowing toward the Red Line, its roars heartbreakingly desolate, brimming with despair.
"You've been waiting here like an idiot for fifty years, huh." Sherlock murmured, the salty sea breeze ruffling his black hair. Behind his clear lenses, his eyes shone with pity. "What a fool."
Nearby, the Straw Hat crew was heatedly discussing the whale Laboon.
"Those pirates sure are slow, huh." Luffy sprawled on a chair, glaring at Laboon and grumbling unhappily.
"Idiot, the Grand Line isn't some kiddie game! Those pirates haven't come back in fifty years…" Zoro trailed off, staring out at the sea with a grave expression.
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke and sighed. "They're probably long dead. Waiting forever won't change anything."
"Don't say that! They might come back!" Usopp hurriedly cut in. "A whale keeping a promise to its companions for fifty years—doesn't that move you? I believe his friends will return!"
It had to be said, the long-nosed guy always saw the world through rose-colored glasses. But Crocus's next words shattered Usopp's dreams.
Learning that the pirates had all died of illness, everyone fell silent in the face of that cruel reality.
Then Sherlock's voice rang out from afar.
"Hey, quick—look at your captain." He pointed toward Laboon's massive body.
The group looked over and saw their captain clinging to the ship's main mast, climbing up along the whale's crisscrossing scars.
"What the hell is this guy planning?"
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