Clang!
A crisp, solid clang rang out! Tomioka, holding his Blade in a reverse grip with his left hand, precisely and powerfully blocked Luffy's furious attack with its dark, hard scabbard!
A huge impact force came from the scabbard, causing Tomioka to do a backflip in the air, dissipating some of the force before he landed steadily on the deck.
Feeling the power of Luffy's wild move from the scabbard to his left arm, Tomioka couldn't help but sigh internally:
'Is this the power of rubber elasticity? Although his body isn't fully refined yet, he already possesses immense strength.'
"Tomioka! What are you doing?!" Luffy stomped his feet in anger, his body slightly reddening from his fury. "It damaged our Merry!"
Tomioka slowly returned his blade to his waist, his gaze turning to the text beside the giant whale. He spoke calmly, "It seems... sad."
["Interpersonal Communication Manual (Trial Version)"]
["Subject: Island Whale"]
["Status: Sad"]
["Preference: Waiting"]
["Suggestion:...Comfort (Method Unknown)"]
"Sad?" Luffy was stunned for a moment, his fist still in an attacking posture, but the anger on his face was instantly replaced by a curiosity that went straight to the core.
He tilted his head, his rubbery neck stretching, and leaned in to carefully examine the giant whale's eyes.
..."It's true! Okay. I also feel something inexplicable!"
"Tomioka, since when could you observe animal emotions?" Usopp asked, looking at Tomioka in confusion. "And Luffy, you can feel it too?"
"It's just a feeling!"
Tomioka didn't speak, he just gently stroked the body of the giant whale in front of the ship's bow, but there seemed to be no reaction.
Nami let out a long sigh, almost collapsing to her knees from exhaustion: "We're... we're saved... I was so scared just now."
She forced herself to calm down and looked around. "There's a lighthouse and a shore base here at Twin Cape! Let's get closer, and then we can talk after we're away from this whale!"
Everyone scrambled to steer the damaged Going Merry towards the small harbor with two lighthouses nearby.
As the ship settled, the low, seemingly ceaseless hum of sadness began again.
"Oooohhhhhh—"
Then—
Boom!!!!!!
A crashing sound, far louder than all previous noises and terrifying enough to stop a heart, suddenly erupted! The entire sea surface violently trembled, and even on shore, they felt the ground shake beneath their feet!
Everyone turned back in horror, seeing a scene they would never forget:
The giant whale was repeatedly slamming its head, covered in countless old and new scars, against the indestructible rock wall of the Red Line! Each impact shook the earth, and muffled thunder-like roars echoed through the canyon.
Nami exclaimed in shock, watching the giant whale's actions, "What... what is it doing?!"
"Why is it hitting the wall? This is suicide!" Sanji's cigarette-holding fingers trembled slightly.
"This whale... what on earth..." Zoro's brow furrowed; the scene before him also exceeded his comprehension.
Tomioka also watched the giant whale, looking at the crisscrossing scars on its head, and said, "These scars... it must have been doing this for a very long time..."
The waiting became long and oppressive. Time passed in the intervals between each impact, but there was no sign of the tragic act stopping.
Just as everyone's nerves were stretched taut by the continuous booming, its impacts seemed to reach a peak, and its enormous body began to shake violently like never before, as if something inside it was about to burst out!
The sea surface instantly churned like it was boiling!
"It... it seems something is wrong!" Nami pointed at the giant whale.
Its huge mouth suddenly opened, as if opening a gateway to another world!
Whoosh—!
First, a massive amount of seawater gushed out like a river pouring from the sky, and then, a sight beyond all common sense and imagination appeared:
A small, complete island with dirt, houses, and green trees, along with three clearly visible human figures, was spewed out from its deep throat, carried by a current of seawater.
It arced in a very high parabola, carried by the water, and crashed heavily onto the sea surface not far away, sending up enormous splashes!
"..."
All members of the Straw Hat, including Tomioka, were utterly stunned at this moment, their minds seemingly washed blank by the huge splash.
From the whale's mouth... an island... was spewed out???
And... three people???
"Cough! Cough! Ptui!"
An old man in a flashy pink shirt with hair like a blooming Crocus was the first to struggle up from the shallow water. He shook the water droplets from his head, and instead of panic, an irritable emotion immediately appeared on his face.
His gaze sharply locked onto a young man and woman who were also getting up from their fall nearby. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to charge over: "You two damned whaling bastards! Just wait until I teach you a good lesson..."
He had only half-finished his threats when his peripheral vision caught sight of the Going Merry docked by the shore, and the several unfamiliar faces on land, each with a different appearance, staring dumbfounded in their direction.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the young man wearing a Mugiwara and a red vest; that Mugiwara seemed to stir some distant memories in him.
In an instant, the fury on his face immediately receded, replaced by a feigned weakness.
His charge towards the man and woman abruptly stopped, turning into him clutching his old back with one hand, groaning in pain: "Oh dear... oh dear... my old bones..."
He tremblingly, as if using all his strength, turned towards the Straw Hat, his voice becoming incredibly weak: "I am Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of this Twin Cape... As you can see, I was unfortunately just spewed out of Laboon's home..."
Crocus pointed at the man and woman who had just gotten up, and said with difficulty, "And these two! They are cruel whalers! They want to harm poor Laboon! Can... can you help this poor old man?"
After speaking, he seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength, and with a "bang," he dramatically fell backward into the shallow water on the beach, splashing a small amount of water. He even secretly squinted one eye to observe the reaction of the others.
On the other side, a man in green clothes with orange hair and a crown shook his dazed head, looking blankly at his blue-haired female companion: "Ms. Wednesday, have we... come out?"
The blue-haired woman, Ms. Wednesday, who was drenched, messily rubbed her long hair, calmly observed her surroundings, and confirmed: "Yes, Mr.9. We, along with that meddling old man, were spewed out by that damned whale."
After confirming their situation, the two quickly exchanged a look.
Mr.9 and Ms. Wednesday both suddenly drew peculiar small cannons from behind their waists and shouldered them. Mr.9 aimed his cannon at the Straw Hat on the shore and shouted arrogantly:
"Hey! You guys over there! I don't know who you are, but just stay put!" He proudly shook the cannon on his shoulder.
"Otherwise, my precious cannonballs won't just be aimed at the whale, but at your heads! If you behave, after we hunt this whale, maybe we'll even share some whale meat for you to taste! Hahahaha!"
This clumsy threat and arrogant attitude instantly brought playful expressions to the faces of the two fighters on shore.
"Hey, Curly Brows." Zoro crossed his arms, a mocking curve on his lips. "It seems... we're being looked down upon by two guys who just came out of a fish's belly and probably have water in their brains, aren't we?"
Sanji slowly took a drag from his cigarette, then elegantly exhaled a smoke ring: "Ah, I heard that, Mosshead. So noisy, buzzing like two flies, disturbing a lady's rest is a serious crime."
The two looked at each other, not even needing any verbal communication.
The next moment!
Zoro lunged forward, his three swords not even needing to be drawn, using only the bottom of their scabbards to precisely and swiftly strike Ms. Wednesday's wrist and neck!
Ms. Wednesday saw a blur, felt a sharp pain in her wrist, and the small cannon immediately slipped from her grasp. Immediately after, a force struck the side of her neck, and she collapsed to the ground without a whimper.
Almost simultaneously, Sanji's figure appeared beside Mr.9. He delivered a seemingly casual low sweep, precisely kicking Mr.9's ankle, causing him to instantly lose balance and fall forward. Then Sanji pulled out a rope from who knows where and tied the two up.
Meanwhile, Crocus, who was "playing dead" in the shallow water, secretly opened his eyes a crack, taking in everything.
A barely perceptible smile slowly formed at the corner of his mouth, beneath his Crocus-like hair.