Pirate: I have a Hollow living inside me

"There are some people on the sea who yearn for freedom, but the freest person is the one on the sea."

"Did Roger tell you that?"

Rocks turned his head and said, "You've been brainwashed by Roger too?"

"You know quite a lot, kid..."

Hearing this, Crocus realized that Rocks knew he had been a crew member on Roger's merchant ship...

His eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "At your age, you shouldn't know these things. I suppose many of these things were told to you by your elders?"

Whether it was the maritime tyrant Rocks or his past as a crew member of Roger's F-class cargo ship, these were things that ordinary people could not know.

Only old guys like him know some of the buried things.

He might even know the person behind this kid...

"almost."

Rocks nodded, using old Duke as a scapegoat: "An elder in the family used to be a member of Rocks's Expeditions, and I heard he had a good relationship with Whitebeard..."

Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure.

It's perfectly reasonable for the old man to know some things; there's nothing wrong with that at all.

Don't ask! The answer is always the same: I'm a veteran!

Chapter 66 Crocus: It all fits together, everything fits together!

"A member of the Locusts F? That shouldn't be someone I know."

After listening, Crocus nodded, then hesitated and said, "But how did he know I was Roger's ship's doctor?"

'Because I am a time traveler.'

Lockes muttered to himself.

He shrugged and said, "Perhaps because the Rocks Pirates F was destroyed by Roger and Garp working together, he's paying more attention to Roger Pirates F."

"..."

Crocus suddenly realized something, and a smirk appeared on his lips: "Your elders... don't hold any grudges against the members of Roger's Freight Forward, do they?"

"Let me make this clear first, back when the 'Battle of God Valley' took place, I wasn't a member of Roger's Foreign Trade F, so if there's any grudge, it doesn't apply to me..."

Naming a younger generation member "Lox" speaks volumes.

This kid's elders haven't forgotten about Lox's Merchandise F, and they're also paying close attention to Roger's Merchandise F. That reveals quite a bit...

Could it be that he's planning to retaliate against the members of Roger's Travel F?

"No, that's not the case..."

Lox was speechless.

This old guy actually came up with this kind of idea; he certainly has a wild imagination.

Lox casually remarked, "That old man is only focused on having me inherit Lox's will; he doesn't have much interest in you Rogers people."

Old Duke truly only had the idea of ​​having him inherit Rocks' will and to make the name Rocks famous once again.

They didn't care about the person who brought down Rocks Harbour F.

"That's good……"

Crocus breathed a sigh of relief.

I'm afraid this kid came here to cause trouble.

Let alone now that I'm old and frail, even when I was young, I might not be a match for this kid.

He was, after all, just a doctor...

"Ah, I almost forgot. We are guests, and I have been somewhat inadequate in our hospitality."

Crocus then remembered that he was the host and had somewhat neglected his guest.

He then smiled at the three of them and said, "Before the recording pointer is full of magnetic force, come in and have a few cups of tea."

Lox nodded: "Then I'll gladly accept your offer. I also have some questions I'd like to ask you."

Nami and Kuina had no objections.

From their conversation, they also learned about the old man's identity.

Who would have thought that this seemingly unreliable person was actually Roger's ship doctor?

This identity surprised them!

While drinking tea and eating snacks, Nami's curiosity was piqued, and she asked about Laboon.

If it weren't for Rocks' intervention, this whale would have crashed headfirst into the Red Line, which is clearly not normal behavior...

"Labu, it..."

When Laboon was mentioned, Crocus looked somewhat disappointed and sad, and then recounted what had happened to Laboon...

"Oh, I see."

Nami, a kind and sensitive person, was moved to tears by the touching story: "What a poor little...big guy..."

"For your comrades?"

Looking out the window at Laboon, which floated on the sea like a mountain, Kuina pursed her lips and said, "Nearly fifty years of waiting, that's a really long time. Even humans would find it hard to endure fifty years..."

Crocus sighed, "So they've forgotten the promise, broken their vow, and forgotten that a companion has been waiting for them here for nearly fifty years..."

The main reason he became Roger's ship's doctor was...

He wanted to find Rumba Haig F and find companions for Rab.

Having spent many years with Laboon, he watched Laboon grow from a tiny baby to its current size.

He has come to regard Raab as family.

Seeing his family so grief-stricken, he naturally felt heartbroken.

During his time at Roger's, he also gathered reliable intelligence.

Upon learning that Lombard Merchant F had retreated due to the dangers of the Grand Line, breaking its promise to Raab...

"If it's Lombard Express, they shouldn't have abandoned Labs."

At this point, Lockes spoke up, his tone very certain: "They've just run into an insurmountable problem; they're trapped in the Devil's Triangle."

"Ok?"

Crocus suddenly looked at Rocks, his voice rising considerably: "You're saying that Rumba is trapped in the Devil's Triangle?"

"How did you know that? Where did you get the information?"

“My old man sometimes tells me about his past adventures, like the Sky Island, Fishman Island, and the Devil's Triangle…”

Rocks started making up stories.

He spoke with such conviction and eloquence: "He described the adventures in the Devil's Triangle in exceptional detail."

"He once accidentally entered the Devil's Triangle, where he encountered a ghost ship. On the ghost ship was a moving, violin-playing, afro-haired skull that sang 'Binker's Wine'..."

"Although I don't really believe in such fantastical things as ghost ships or moving skeletons, and think he's just bragging..."

"However, encountering ghost ships and moving skeletons in the Devil's Triangle became a topic of conversation for him."

"My old man told me that in order to investigate the situation of that ghost ship, he identified it as the Rumba Seaship by examining the sea gulls it was hanging from."

Lockes feigned seriousness and said, "I only remembered this matter when you mentioned the name Lombard Merchant F, which is why I made that speculation..."

Being a time traveler has this advantage: you know a lot of things.

At the same time, having a senior figure with a high background can also be used as an excuse.

This story is quite believable...

Don't underestimate the story a time traveler creates by combining elements from the original novel!

"The flag of Lombardier, the afro-haired skull who can play the violin and sing 'Binks'..."

Crocus subconsciously extracts keywords.

Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, his pupils contracted sharply: "Afro skull... could it be..."

"I can't believe it! I can't believe it!?"

Crocus murmured, his expression shifting.

There was surprise, shock, and disbelief.

The description of the afro-headed skull in Rocks' "story" reminded him of someone from his memory.

Brook, the first mate of the Lombard Express F!

The other person had an afro and was also a user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit), a special Devil Fruit.

He'd heard Brook mention the Yomi Yomi no Mi's power—it could bring someone back to life once…

Brooks is also a violinist, his favorite song is "Binks' Wine," and he has a thick, frizzy hairstyle...

It matches up! Everything matches up!

The animated, afro-headed skull that Rocks mentioned should undoubtedly be Brook, the first mate of the Rumbar Cargo F.

These descriptions cannot be shared by anyone else, nor could they be such a coincidence.

The reason it's a skeleton is probably due to the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit)...

Upon realizing this, Crocus's emotions were quite complex.

He also considered some possibilities based on this information...

Things are probably not as he thought, believed, or investigated.

The Lombard Merchant did not retreat because of the dangers of the Great Sea Route, nor did it break its agreement with Raab.

Instead, some unforeseen event occurred, and they were ultimately trapped in the Devil's Triangle and unable to leave.

That's why they didn't return to fulfill their agreement with Raab...

Chapter 67 Lockes' Proposal

"They didn't flee the Grand Line, they didn't forget their promise, it's just that something unexpected happened. What... what have I been doing all this time..."

Crocus was lost in thought and grief.

He mistakenly believed that the Lombard Merchant F had escaped the Great Sea Route and told Raab about it.

This made Raab feel abandoned, which led him to repeatedly ram the red earth continent...

All of this happened because of me.

Thinking of this, Crocus wanted to slap himself.

What stupid things have I done?

"The great sea route is inherently dangerous, and no one dares to say that they can cross it."

Locus knew the whole story and, seeing Crocus's expression, knew what he was thinking.

So he began to comfort her: "You have already done more than enough by searching for the Rumbar Sea Freighter on the Great Sea Route for the sake of Rabbu. Some things are unpredictable."

Crocus smiled bitterly, his heart filled with self-reproach: "Because of what I said, Laboon has been ramming into the Red Earth day after day. I'm guilty..."

"There's still a chance to salvage the situation," Lockes said.

Nami chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, now that we've found that Rumba Express, as long as..."

"Wait a minute!"

Nami was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized a crucial point. She said softly, "Although I know the Rumbar Pirates didn't abandon Laboon, they've been trapped in the Devil's Triangle for nearly fifty years... doesn't that mean..."

She didn't say the rest.

But the meaning is already quite clear.

Having been trapped for nearly fifty years, were the people on that ship already dead?