"Why are you here?"
Crocus looked at Kaoru Tsubasa with visible confusion when the young man appeared before him.
Hearing the question, Kaoru explained calmly, "I'm serving as the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates now."
Crocus blinked, then burst into laughter. "Vice-captain, huh? You monster—why didn't you join Roger's crew back in the day?"
"Wait, old man—" Nami cut in sharply. "The Roger you're talking about… You mean that Roger? The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger?"
"'Gol D. Roger,' is it? That's what they call him now," Crocus sighed, his expression turning nostalgic. "But very few remember his real name anymore… except for those who sailed with him."
Gol D. Roger.
Kaoru nodded. "This man—Crocus—was once the ship's doctor on the Pirate King's crew."
"What?!" Luffy's eyes lit up like stars. He immediately rushed up to Crocus, practically vibrating with excitement. "You were Roger's doctor?! Tell me! What was he like? What kind of man was he?"
Nami and the others stared in disbelief. The old man standing quietly before them was once a member of the Pirate King's legendary crew.
Just then, Usopp shouted, "Uh, Kaoru! The two people you captured earlier—they're gone!"
Kaoru waved a hand casually. "It's fine. Let them go. We'll run into them again soon anyway."
He smiled to himself. Our paths will cross again—inevitably.
"By the way, old man," Nami said after the excitement settled down, "what's the deal with this whale?"
Crocus turned his eyes toward the massive creature beside them. "This whale's name is Laboon. He was once the companion of the Rumbar Pirates."
He began explaining, his tone gentle but sad. "When the Rumbar Pirates first entered the Grand Line, they left Laboon here, promising they'd return after three years. But the years went by… and they never came back. Laboon suspected the truth—that the Rumbar Pirates perished in the Grand Line—but he refused to accept it. So, over and over again, he rammed himself against the Red Line… That's how he got that terrible scar on his head."
Crocus paused, then added, "But not long ago, a huge red monster appeared near there. I had to convince Laboon to leave before that creature could harm him."
Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "That red monster… It was a soldier from the Demon Clan."
"Demon Clan?" Sanji repeated, frowning. "Never heard of them."
As a prince of the Vinsmoke family, Sanji was well-versed in most of the world's races, yet this was unfamiliar territory even for him.
"They're not of this world," Kaoru explained. "The Demon Clan comes from another realm entirely. Each demon possesses seven hearts. Unless all seven are destroyed, they cannot truly die."
He continued in a steady voice, "At the top of their hierarchy stands the Demon King. Below him are the Ten Commandments—each one terrifying in power. Beneath them are the ordinary soldiers, ranked by color: White, Blue, Green, Yellow, Red, Orange, Gray, Copper, and Silver. The one we encountered before was just a Red Demon."
Zoro's grip on his swords tightened. "That thing… was only a common soldier?"
The others fell silent, the weight of Kaoru's words sinking in. If even a low-ranked demon was that powerful, what kind of monsters were the ones above it?
A quiet determination filled the deck of the Merry. Without a word, everyone began training, their faces set with resolve.
Watching them, Kaoru folded his arms and thought, It's time to strengthen the crew… perhaps the system can help with that.
After chatting a while longer, Crocus showed them how to exit Laboon safely.
"Nami, this is for you." Kaoru tossed a small device to her.
She caught it with both hands. "What's this?"
"It's called an Eternal Log Pose," Kaoru explained. "You can't navigate the Grand Line with ordinary maps. Once we enter, this compass will be our only reliable guide."
Nami's eyes widened in shock. "You mean… nautical charts don't work there?"
Crocus chuckled heartily. "Hahaha! Every rookie says that their first time here."
"Hey, Luffy! What do you think you're doing?!" Sanji's voice echoed across the deck.
Kaoru and Nami turned around—just in time to see Luffy pulling down the Merry's main mast.
"What—Luffy, stop!"
Before they could stop him, Luffy had already started wrestling with Laboon, the giant whale. The two slammed into each other repeatedly, neither backing down.
When they finally stopped, both were sprawled out, panting.
"I'm strong, huh?" Luffy grinned from where he lay on the deck.
Laboon blinked at him in confusion. What's this idiot doing?
But soon, the whale seemed to understand.
Luffy smiled and said, "We'll travel all around the Grand Line—and when we're done, we'll come back and fight again!"
To seal their promise, he used paint to draw the Straw Hat Jolly Roger symbol right on Laboon's head.
Kaoru couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. That paint better be waterproof, he thought.
"Idiot!" Nami smacked Luffy hard on the head. "Why would you tear down the mast of the Merry just to fight a whale?!"
Kaoru smiled faintly and waved his hand. Using a touch of spiritual magic, he restored the Merry's mast to its original state.
"Goodbye, Laboon!" Luffy shouted, waving as their ship pulled away. "We'll come back! I promise!"
Laboon let out a deep, echoing call, watching the ship vanish into the horizon.
"They're the ones you told me to wait for, right, Roger?" Crocus murmured softly, watching the Merry disappear from sight.
Aboard the Going Merry
Later that evening, Kaoru sat in the lookout tower, gazing down at his crewmates as they laughed and trained below. His mind, however, was on something else entirely.
How can I help them grow stronger faster?
After some thought, Kaoru finally spoke aloud, "System, is there a way to draw items that directly boost strength?"
[Ding! The host can draw for a System Upgrade Ticket to enhance overall functionality.]
[One System Upgrade Ticket is guaranteed every 100,000 draws.]
Kaoru froze. "You're kidding me… Why didn't you tell me that earlier?!"
He couldn't believe it. The system's lottery feature had always seemed random—but now it turned out there were even greater rewards hidden inside it.