The ship surged over Reverse Mountain, riding the violent, roaring currents that merged from all Four Seas.
One wrong move, and the entire vessel would be crushed beneath the converging torrents.
Fortunately, this ship — once used by archaeologists to search the world for the Poneglyphs and lost ruins — was built to withstand the chaos of any ocean.
At the prow stood Sharn, staring ahead into a sea that looked calm on the surface but hid an unnatural, almost divine, stillness — the sea of the Grand Line.
And there it was.
A massive whale, head raised to the sky, waiting faithfully for the return of its long-lost companions.
The Grand Line — not a road of adventure, but a graveyard for the unworthy.
Countless who set sail here didn't live half a life — they ended it.
"Wow! What a huge whale! So cute!"
Olvia, who had spent her life on Ohara, had never left the Four Seas before.
Kaido, standing beside her, groaned.
"So we're meeting that crazy guy again."
After all, Kaido had been famous even in the New World — how could he not know Crocus, the lighthouse keeper who had lived by Twin Capes for decades?
Back now, however, Crocus was still in his thirties — already strong, already wise.
He had waited twelve years for Laboon's companions to return, and would wait another ten before being invited to join Roger's crew.
When Roger first crossed Reverse Mountain, he had already tried to recruit him.
"Laboon, huh? Not those party-loving musicians…
They must be a bunch of rookie kids this time."
Even from afar, Crocus had sensed the great battle behind the mountain through his Observation Haki.
This man — even decades later, when the Marines discovered he was once Roger's ship doctor — was so skilled that no one dared to arrest him.
Laboon blinked his huge, teary eyes.
"The Grand Line really is amazing!"
Kuzan slumped against a wall, feeling like he might die at any moment.
Though Sharn had repelled his pain and fatigue with the Paw-Paw Fruit, the wounds themselves were still there.
As an ordinary human, the injuries dealt by CP9 would take weeks to heal.
If not for Sharn and Kaido's overwhelming power, the young crew wouldn't have survived long enough to even reach the Grand Line.
The battle at the entrance alone had been enough to wipe out hundreds of rookies like them.
"Kuzan, you've caught a disease that makes you heal faster!"
Ginny pressed her hands against his head.
Suddenly, warm light — her newly awakened power — surged through him.
The pain disappeared, and the wounds began knitting themselves together.
"This… is your new ability?" Kuzan blinked.
Indeed. The Disease-Disease Fruit, when used with compassion instead of malice, could alter biological states, even accelerate regeneration.
Combined with Sharn's Paw-Paw powers, they could one day cure both body and soul.
"Congratulations, Ginny."
Sharn grinned. "You're now our apprentice ship doctor.
Once you master the Six Powers and Haki, you'll be a full-fledged crewmate."
"Yay!" Ginny cheered.
The ship surged forward.
Waves climbed higher than mountains, splashing skyward — but for Laboon, they reached only to his neck.
Moria grabbed the wheel with both hands, turning it hard.
Strength wasn't something he lacked.
He wasn't a helmsman — but he had enough muscle to play one.
Urki, their apprentice shipwright, checked the hull for damage.
Olvia, now a Weapon-Weapon Fruit user, took aim with her rifle, steering them around the giant whale safely.
Since eating the Weapon-Weapon Fruit, her body could manifest any armament: blades, spears, guns, cannons, armor — even mechanical extensions.
She had heard rumors of Vegapunk, Queen, Judge, Caesar, and Buckin, who once formed a secret group called MADS, the "Peace Research Institute."
Each of them, it was said, possessed intelligence far beyond their era.
Olvia dreamed of finding them — and perfecting her weapon forms with science.
Right now, she could transform into nearly any known weapon — making her a walking arsenal, immune to most non-Haki attacks.
"Captain! There's someone there! A man with a harpoon!"
Moria pointed.
Before he could react — bonk! — a sharp blow landed on his head.
"You brat, are you looking to die?!"
The man stood on the port dock — gray hair, glasses, and an aura like a roaring current.
Crocus.
Moria yelped and rubbed his head.
But then he realized who it was — the same man whose name was whispered in every paper.
This was the doctor said to have once escaped alive from Sengoku and Garp — a feat that alone made him a legend.
"You bunch of kids better learn some manners before sailing further," Crocus scolded, swinging his harpoon and diving into the sea.
The raging current didn't budge him even a little as he swam toward Laboon.
The whale waited quietly, letting Crocus examine it.
"What a strange man," Ginny giggled. "But his hair and beard are cute, right, Molly?"
Molly blushed scarlet.
Crocus nearly died of embarrassment right there.
By the time he climbed back aboard, Laboon was calm again, humming softly.
"You're still here?" Crocus said to Sharn.
"I'm not sailing with kids. Don't even think about it."
Over the years, many had invited him on their voyages — but Crocus always refused.
He had a promise to keep.
"Don't flatter yourself, old man!"
Sharn laughed heartily. "I already have a shipwright and a doctor. What do I need you for?"
Crocus raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
He knew many pirates could wield Haki, but few had both Haki and Devil Fruit synergy.
A crew like Sharn's was rare — and dangerous.
Still, he noticed something unusual about Sharn.
As he placed a hand on his chest and used Observation Haki alongside his instruments, Crocus froze.
His eyes went wide.
"You… what are you?" he gasped.
"Your body isn't human. Your density is… unnatural. It's like… you're dancing with demons instead of resisting them!"
He stepped back, stunned.
"I can sense tissue from Minks, Fishmen, and something else entirely—something unknown! You kid… are you even human?!"
Crocus was speechless.
For a doctor, this was a once-in-a-lifetime discovery — a living miracle.
If any scientist from MADS saw Sharn, they'd call him a god — and dissect him immediately.
"I only want to know one thing," Sharn said quietly.
"How many Devil Fruits can a human body truly withstand?"
"Is it possible," he asked, eyes burning, "to wield multiple powers without self-destruction?"
Crocus frowned deeply.
"Exceptions exist… You've heard of Rocks, haven't you?"
He tapped Sharn's chest, then his head.
"Your physiology is beyond anything I've seen. If you can carry multiple consciousnesses, and reinforce your brain to handle them…"
He paused.
"…then yes. It might be possible. But you'd stop being human. You'd become the second person in history to do so — after Rocks himself."
Their conversation was private — unheard by the others.
Hours later, as the ship prepared to leave, Crocus watched them go, his face grave.
Was Rocks truly dead?
Or had fate produced another monster like him?
He almost wanted to follow — but he had already refused.
Maybe next time, he thought. Maybe next time, he'd go see the world again.
"Set sail!"
Sharn raised his arm. The sails unfurled, catching the sunset wind.
From the distance, Laboon's cry echoed across the sea — long, deep, and lonely.
Still waiting.
Still hoping his friends would return for one last song.
Perhaps… it would have been kinder to take him along.
At least then, they could die together — without regret.
"The seas just got more interesting," Crocus murmured, folding his arms.
In his mind, the faces of Rocks, Roger, and Whitebeard drifted by — giants of a dying age.
"Maybe it's time," he whispered, "to set sail again…
for Laboon's sake — and for the next generation of monsters."
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