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Fifty years ago, a pirate ship from the West Blue plummeted down the steep rapids of Reverse Mountain and arrived at the very first threshold of the Grand Line: Twin Capes. Unlike the lawless crews that usually passed through, they were accompanied by a small island whale named Laboon, their loyal companion.
"Laboon! How did you follow us here? Didn't we agree for you to stay in the West Blue?"
Upon discovering that Laboon had followed their scent all the way to the Grand Line, the pirates were caught between frustration and helplessness. They knew that this sea was a graveyard for the unprepared, and Laboon was still just a calf. If he traveled with them, they couldn't guarantee his safety against the monstrous sea kings and treacherous weather.
"Since that's the case, Laboon, please wait for us here. The Grand Line is no place for a calf. We've made a pact: in three years, after we've circumnavigated the entire world, we will definitely come back for you. By then, you'll be an adult, and we can continue our journey together!"
The pirates shared a melancholic smile. To convince Laboon to stay, they brought out their instruments and sang his favorite song—a melody that filled Twin Capes with joy for hours.
"Woo!!!" Laboon's eyes welled with tears. Though he hated to see them go, he finally agreed, vowing to grow big and strong over the next three years while he waited.
"We're leaving, Laboon! Crocus, we're counting on you! Please, take good care of the little fellow!"
After spending months repairing their ship at Twin Capes, the pirates bid a final farewell to Laboon and Crocus, the lighthouse keeper, and officially entered the Grand Line.
"So, Laboon and I lived together after that, waiting for his companions to fulfill their promise," Crocus said, his gaze distant, as if he were peering through a portal back to fifty years ago.
"But three years passed, and those guys didn't arrive. They broke their word. At first, we thought something had happened to delay them. We still believed. But then, another three years passed. And then another."
Crocus's voice was heavy with the weight of decades. "Laboon grew. He was no longer a small calf twice the size of a human; he became a mountain of a whale, larger than any pirate ship. Yet, he still believed. Twenty years ago, I even joined a pirate crew as a doctor just to search for news of them, but I found nothing."
Crocus sighed deeply. "I concluded they had likely fled the Grand Line, leaving Laboon behind forever. When I told him, he couldn't accept it. He believed they were waiting for him on the other side of the Red Line. Since his adult body is too massive for the canal, he began to ram the Red Line, trying to smash a path back to the West Blue."
Wukong and the others were completely engrossed in the tale. Nami's face was filled with indignation. "Hmph! Pirates are untrustworthy scoundrels. Laboon was so unlucky to meet people like that!" Having recently escaped Arlong's deception, Nami felt a sharp kinship with the whale's plight.
"You must have been accidentally sucked in by Laboon's suction, right?" Crocus said, standing up. "Come on, I'll take you out."
"Ahahaha, actually, it's because—" Wukong started to scratch his head, about to explain that he had tried to take a bite out of the whale.
Ow!
"Is that so! Then thank you very much, Mr. Crocus!" Nami interrupted with a forced, brilliant smile, while her hand behind her back gave Wukong a vicious pinch. Sanji was just as fast, clamping a hand over Wukong's mouth to prevent him from mentioning his "taste test." They both knew that if Crocus found out Wukong viewed his best friend as a snack, they'd never see the light of day again.
Crocus looked at them suspiciously but didn't pry. He operated a massive mechanism that moved the artificial island toward the iron gates. Within minutes, the Dream Chaser followed him out of Laboon's body and back into the open air.
"Finally! Real sunlight!" Nami cheered, embracing the warmth. She had been disturbed to learn that the "paradise" inside the whale was just a giant diorama painted by Crocus.
Sanji, ever the host, moved several steaming dishes onto the deck. "Hey, old man, have a meal with us before we go."
Crocus sniffed the air, a rare smile appearing. "I can tell by the aroma you're quite the chef, young man."
"Of course! Sanji is the best in the East Blue!" Nami added supportively. Sanji immediately spiraled into a state of ecstasy, certain that Nami was finally falling for him.
While the others ate and laughed, Wukong sat quietly, gnawing on a roasted fish. His eyes were fixed on the scarred head of Laboon visible in the water. He was unusually pensive, his mind working through the whale's sorrow.
Suddenly, a wave crashed against the shore as another pirate ship sped down the Reverse Mountain waterway. It screeched to a halt in front of Twin Capes.
"Wahahahaha! The Grand Line! We've finally made it!"
"Boss, look! There are people over there!"