After listening, Toniel said with a sigh of emotion, “That really is a touching story.”
Carina and Kuro nodded along.
For a whale to stay dedicated like that for decades was genuinely moving.
Moge fell silent for a moment, but ultimately decided to share what he knew with Crocus.
He spoke slowly, “Old man, I’ve actually heard a bit about the Rumbar Pirates.
Word is they passed away a long time ago, but there’s a crew member named Brook who ate the Revive-Revive Fruit.
He came back to life after death and is currently a skeleton, drifting near the Florian Triangle.”
Upon hearing this, Crocus stood up abruptly, asking urgently, “Young man, is your information accurate?
Brook…
is he really still alive?”
Moge nodded gently.
“Well, I only heard it from others by chance.
As for whether Brook is still in the Florian Triangle right now, I can’t say for sure.
I only know the general situation.”
He only knew the scenario from when the Straw Hats eventually met Brook, so he didn’t want to make any absolute promises.
How to handle it from here was up to Crocus.
Crocus let go of his hands and let out a heavy sigh, his expression incredibly complex.
“Is that so…
Regardless, I still have to thank you for telling me.”
“It’s nothing,” Moge said, waving his hand.
“Old man, do you have a Log Pose on you?
We’d like to buy one.”
The magnetic fields of the Grand Line are extremely chaotic, making ordinary sea charts and compasses completely useless.
A navigator has to rely entirely on a Log Pose.
Every island requires the Log Pose to lock onto and fully charge with its magnetism before a ship can head to the next destination.
Of course, if someone has an Eternal Pose pre-charged to a specific island, they can head straight there without getting lost.
Carina had only learned navigation from books and lacked practical experience, so she hadn’t fully realized how chaotic the Grand Line would be.
They hadn’t managed to get one back in Loguetown, and she only realized their dilemma when Moge brought it up.
They had originally planned to look for one at Whiskey Peak, but since they ran into Crocus, they might as well ask directly.
Crocus looked at Moge and the others in surprise.
“You lot are pretty bold.
You actually rushed into the Grand Line without a Log Pose?”
He reached into his robe, pulled out a Log Pose with three needles, and handed it to Carina.
“I happen to have one right here.
Take it as a reward for the information about Brook.”
Carina took the Log Pose, a bright smile instantly breaking across her face as she said cheekily, “Wow, thanks a lot, old man!
Looks like you’re not so bad after all.”
Moge smiled.
“Since you’re being so generous, old man, we’ll give you some fine wine from the East Blue.
Toniel, go back to the ship and bring over a few bottles of our good stuff.”
“On it!” Toniel responded immediately.
He jogged back to the ship and returned a moment later with several bottles of fine wine, handing them over to Crocus.
Crocus accepted the bottles.
“You’re a very thoughtful young man.
If you ever pass through the Florian Triangle and happen to run into Brook, please tell him that Laboon is still right here, waiting for him.”
Crocus was just an old lighthouse keeper now and could no longer sail out to search for Brook himself, so he could only entrust the message to Moge.
“Alright, will do.
Well, old man, we’re heading out.
Goodbye!” Moge waved as he led his crew back onto the ship.
Crocus uncorked a bottle and took a slow sip of the East Blue wine.
He watched the Stellar Voyager pull away from the shore, his eyes growing misty with emotion.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted wine from the East Blue…
Roger, it really has been a long time.”
“I truly hope Brook is still alive,” he murmured softly.
Two lines of tears silently traced down his weathered cheeks.
Memories of the Roger Pirates and the golden years long past flooded his mind, leaving him deeply nostalgic.
The Stellar Voyager left Twin Capes behind, sailing deeper into the open sea.
Carina unrolled a sea chart and leaned in close to Moge, asking, “Hey, Moge, which route are we taking now?
There are seven starting routes in the first half of the Grand Line.
No matter which one you choose, they all eventually converge at the Sabaody Archipelago.”
Her finger traced the converging lines on the paper as she waited for his decision.
Moge glanced down at the chart.
“There’s no need to stick to a fixed route right now.
Let’s head straight to the Alabasta Kingdom.”
“Alabasta?” Carina asked, surprised.
“You mean that massive desert superpower?
What are we going all the way there for?”
Moge nodded.
“I plan to find someone there—the Devil Child, Nico Robin.
Don’t we have that ancient treasure map?
It’s written in archaic characters, and I figure she’s the only survivor of Ohara left in the world who can actually decipher them.”
He paused, a confident smirk appearing on his face.
“And while we’re at it, let’s go have a chat with the Warlord, Crocodile.”
Kuro, who was standing nearby, pushed up his glasses.
His expression turned serious as he cautioned, “Captain, Nico Robin?
Are you planning to recruit her into our crew?
She’s been wanted by the World Government since she was eight years old and carries some incredibly dangerous secrets.
Plus, with the Warlord Crocodile operating there, won’t we risk starting a direct war with a Warlord?”
“The World Government doesn’t actually go out of its way to hunt her down anymore; the original arrest warrant was just pushed by a certain high-ranking official.
It’s not as severe as it looks,” Moge said, waving off his concerns.
“As for Crocodile, there’s even less to worry about.
With me here, even if we can’t come to an agreement, it’ll be fine.
He doesn’t have much power left to be proud of nowadays.”
As long as Nico Robin didn’t cross the World Government’s absolute red line by deciphering the Void Century, it wasn’t a death sentence.
Otherwise, with the Cipher Pol intelligence network, she would have been wiped out years ago.
And Crocodile?
He used to be powerful back when he challenged Whitebeard, but after hiding out in a desert for so long, his Haki had completely rusted away.
Driven by his obsession with the ancient weapon Pluton, he relied entirely on his Logia fruit ability now.
“Understood, Captain,” Kuro said, relaxing his posture.
“Then we’ll follow your plan and set our course for Alabasta.”
Toniel pumped his fist firmly.
“I’ll go wherever the Captain says.
I’m ready to fight whenever you need me!”
With their destination set, the Stellar Pirates officially prepared to head toward the desert kingdom.
Carina adjusted the helm, aligning their course with the guidance of the Log Pose.
Just then, a snow-white News Coo with a small satchel slung across its chest flapped its wings, slowly circling down toward the deck of the Stellar Voyager.
“A News Coo!” Carina called out, waving her hand.
“Over here, over here!”
Hearing her shout, the delivery bird descended gracefully and perched on the ship’s wooden railing.