Clang!
A crisp, solid clashing sound rang out! Giyu, gripping his Nichirin Blade in a reverse grip with his left hand, used the pitch-black, sturdy sheath to precisely block Luffy's furious strike!
The tremendous impact transmitted through the sheath forced Giyu into a backflip mid-air to dissipate some of the force before he landed steadily on the deck.
Feeling the power of Luffy's savage technique transmitted from the sheath to his left arm, Giyu couldn't help but inwardly marvel:
'Is this the power of rubber elasticity? Though his body hasn't been fully tempered yet, he already possesses considerable strength.'
"Giyu! What are you doing!" Luffy stomped in anger, his body slightly reddening with rage. "It damaged our Merry!"
Giyu slowly sheathed his blade at his waist, his gaze shifting to the words beside the giant whale. He spoke calmly, "It... seems to be grieving."
[Interpersonal Interaction Manual (Trial Version)]
[Target: Island Whale]
[Status: Grieving]
[Preferences: Waiting]
[Suggestion: ...Comfort (method unknown)]
"Grieving?" Luffy froze for a moment, his fist still held in a striking pose, the anger on his face instantly replaced by a direct, essential curiosity.
He tilted his head, his rubber neck stretching as he leaned closer to carefully examine the giant whale's eyes.
"...Really now. I somehow feel it too!"
"Since when could you observe animals' emotions, Giyu?" Usopp looked at Giyu questioningly. "And Luffy, you can sense it too?"
"I just have this feeling!"
Giyu didn't speak, merely gently stroked the giant whale's body from the bow, but there seemed to be no response.
Nami let out a long sigh of relief, nearly collapsing to her knees: "We're... saved... That was really terrifying."
Forcing herself to calm down, she observed their surroundings. "There's a lighthouse and shore facilities at Twin Capes! Let's head over there first and get away from this whale!"
Everyone began scrambling to steer the damaged Merry toward the small harbor with two lighthouses nearby.
After securing the ship, the low, seemingly endless mournful hum sounded again.
"Ooooooh—"
Then—
BOOM!!!!!!!!!
An impact far louder than any previous sound, heart-stoppingly massive, suddenly erupted! The entire sea surface shook violently, and even those on shore felt the ground tremble beneath their feet!
Everyone turned in terror to witness a scene they would never forget:
The giant whale was using its head, covered with countless overlapping old and new scars, to repeatedly crash against the indestructible rocky wall of the Red Line! Each impact shook the earth, with thunderous roars echoing through the canyon.
Nami watched the whale's actions and exclaimed, "What... what is it doing?!"
"Why is it crashing into the wall? This is suicide!" Sanji's hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly.
"This whale... just what..." Zoro's brow furrowed deeply, the scene before him beyond his comprehension.
Giyu also watched the giant whale, observing the crisscrossing scars on its head, and said, "These scars... it must have been doing this for a long time..."
The wait grew long and oppressive. Time slipped away in the intervals between each impact, yet the tragic act showed no signs of ceasing.
Just as the crew's nerves were stretched taut by the relentless pounding, the collisions seemed to reach a climax. The colossal body began trembling with unprecedented violence, as if something inside was struggling to break free!
The sea instantly churned like boiling water!
"It... it doesn't seem right!" Nami pointed at the giant whale.
Suddenly, its massive jaws swung wide open, as if unveiling a gateway to another world!
Whoooosh—!
First, an immense torrent of seawater gushed forth like a falling celestial river. Then, a sight beyond all common sense and imagination emerged:
A complete miniature island—complete with soil, houses, and green trees—along with three clearly visible human figures, was ejected from the depths of its throat atop a powerful current.
Soaring in a high arc, they were carried by the flow and hurled outward, crashing heavily into the sea not far away and sending towering plumes of spray skyward.
"..."
Every member of the Straw Hat crew, including Giyu, fell into complete stupefaction. Their minds seemed wiped blank by the colossal splash.
From the whale's mouth... came...
An island???
And... three people???
"Cough! Cough! Pah!"
An old man in a flamboyant pink shirt, his hair styled like blooming saffron crocuses, was the first to struggle upright in the shallow water. Shaking the droplets from his head, his face showed no panic but instead immediately twisted into an irritable expression.
His sharp gaze locked onto the young man and woman who were also scrambling to their feet nearby. Rolling up his sleeves, he made to charge at them: "You two damned whale-hunting scoundrels! Just wait till I teach you a—"
His threat was cut short as his peripheral vision caught the Merry docked along the shore, and the group of strangers on land—each with distinct appearances—staring dumbfounded in their direction.
His eyes lingered for a moment on the boy wearing a straw hat and red waistcoat, as if the hat had stirred some distant memory.
Instantly, the rage vanished from his face, replaced by an exaggerated display of frailty.
His charge toward the pair halted abruptly, transforming into a pained clutch at his lower back accompanied by mournful groans: "Aiyo... aiyoyo... my poor old bones..."
Trembling as if mustering every ounce of his strength, he turned toward the Straw Hat crew, his voice now feebly weak: "I am Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Capes... As you can see, I've just been unfortunately... ejected from my home by Laboon..."
Crocus pointed a shaky finger at the young man and woman who had just risen, speaking with labored effort: "And those two! They're cruel whale hunters! They want to harm poor Laboon! Could you... could you help this pitiful old man?"
With that, as if expending his last bit of energy, he fell backward with a theatrical "thump" into the shallow water of the beach, splashing a small spray, even secretly cracking one eye open to observe their reactions.
On the other side, a green-clad man with orange hair and a crown shook his dizzy head, looking bewildered at his blue-haired female companion: "Ms. Wednesday, have we... gotten out?"
The drenched blue-haired woman referred to as Ms. Wednesday somewhat awkwardly ruffled her long hair, calmly observing their surroundings before confirming: "Yes, Mr. 9. That meddling old man got sprayed out along with us by that damned whale."
After confirming their situation, the two quickly exchanged a glance.
Mr. 9 and Ms. Wednesday pulled out peculiarly shaped miniature cannons from behind their waists, hoisting them onto their shoulders. Mr. 9 aimed the cannon muzzle at the Straw Hat crew on the shore, shouting arrogantly:
"Hey! You guys over there! We don't know who you are, but stay right where you are!!" He smugly waved the cannon on his shoulder.
"Otherwise, my precious cannonballs won't just be aimed at the whale—they'll be aimed at your heads! If you behave, maybe we'll share some whale meat with you after we hunt it down! Hahahaha!"
The clumsy threat and arrogant attitude instantly drew amused expressions from the two combatants on shore.
"Hey, Curly Brow," Zoro crossed his arms, a mocking smile curling at his lips, "seems like... we're being looked down upon by two guys who just got coughed up from a fish's belly, probably with seawater in their brains?"
Sanji slowly took a drag from his cigarette, then elegantly exhaled a smoke ring: "Yeah, heard 'em, Moss Head. Damn noisy, buzzing around like flies. Disturbing a lady's rest is a serious crime."
The two exchanged a glance, not even needing verbal communication.
The next instant!
Zoro dashed forward in a flash, not even needing to draw his three swords—he simply used the hilts to deliver sharp strikes to Ms. Wednesday's wrist and neck!
Ms. Wednesday saw a blur before her eyes, felt a sharp pain in her wrist, and the small cannon immediately fell from her grasp. Then a force struck the side of her neck, and she collapsed without even a grunt.
Almost simultaneously, Sanji instantly appeared beside Mr. 9, delivering what seemed like a casual low sweep that precisely kicked Mr. 9's ankle, making him lose balance and tumble forward. Then Sanji produced a rope from who-knows-where and tied them both up.
Meanwhile, Crocus, "playing dead" in the shallow water, secretly cracked open an eye slit, taking in the entire scene.
The corner of his mouth beneath his saffron-like hair lifted in an almost imperceptible smile.