"Wh—Whale?!"
"STOP THE SHIP!!! WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!!!"
Usopp gripped the railing, tears and snot flying everywhere as he let out a shriek like a dying pig.
The Going Merry was plummeting down the rapids of Reverse Mountain at breakneck speed. Directly at the only exit stood a black "mountain"—an island-sized whale named Laboon, its abyss-like mouth wide open as it let out a deafening roar.
"UUUUUUUU————!!!"
The current was too fast; stopping was impossible!
"Dammit! We'll be pulverized!!" Luffy lay flat against the bow, watching the whale's massive teeth loom closer. In a fit of desperation, he lunged toward the main cannon on the deck. "No choice! We have to use that!"
Luffy lit the fuse. In that split second, the barrel was pointed directly at the whale's teeth. "FIRE!! STOP THE SHIP!!"
BOOM—!!
A solid cannonball shot out with immense recoil. Using that powerful counter-force, the Merry—which had been racing like a runaway horse—instantly decelerated. The hull shook violently. While they avoided a fatal, high-speed collision...
CRACK!
The sound of snapping wood rang out. The expression on Luffy's face froze. The Merry's most precious "Special Seat"—the adorable sheep-headed figurehead—had snapped off and gone flying, unable to withstand the sudden braking and the impact.
"AAAAHH!! MY SPECIAL SEAT!!" Luffy wailed, clutching his head.
However, a greater crisis arrived. That cannonball had struck one of the whale's massive teeth dead-on. While it was nothing more than a tickle to such a behemoth, it was an undeniable provocation.
"UUUUU!!!"
Laboon was enraged. It snapped its island-swallowing mouth shut, devouring the surrounding seawater and the Going Merry in a single gulp!
"Aaaaah! We're going to die!" Nami couldn't help but turn and throw her arms around Viktor's neck. Seeing that he was still wearing his usual smirk, she screamed, "What are you smiling at?!"
"Dammit! Is it over before it even began?!" Zoro gripped his swords, his face full of unwilling frustration.
Darkness. Endless darkness.
Just as everyone thought they were dead...
"Eh? Is that... the sky?" Nami rubbed her eyes, staring at the scene before her in disbelief.
The Merry was currently floating on a calm sea. Above them were blue skies and white clouds—there were even seagulls flying about. Not far away, a small island with a retro-style building stood quietly in the middle of the water.
"We're... alive? Where are we?" Usopp was dazed. "Weren't we eaten?"
"No... that's painted." Viktor stood on the deck, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan active. He pointed toward the "sky." "Those clouds, those birds—they're all painted on the stomach walls. This... is the inside of the whale."
"THE STOMACH?!" Everyone shouted in shock.
The Merry slowly approached the "Island in the Belly." On the island, beneath a parasol, sat a sturdy old man wearing a strange, petal-like headpiece.
He was holding a newspaper, his sharp eyes fixed on the intruding Straw Hat crew.
The atmosphere became incredibly tense. The old man said nothing, merely staring them down with a terrifying gaze.
Secret Technique: Long-Duration Stare! the old man thought to himself.
Zoro, feeling his skin crawl from the stare, rested his hand on his hilt, a vein popping on his forehead. "Hey, old man! What do you want? If you don't say something... I'll kill you."
The old man put down his newspaper, his face remaining expressionless. He spoke in a flat, calm tone: "Then someone will die."
Zoro blinked, his gaze turning even fiercer. "Are you talking about me? You're pretty arrogant!"
The old man calmly pointed at himself. "No. Me."
"..."
"THEN JUST SAY SO CLEARLY!!!" Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp instantly transformed into sharp-toothed rages, roasting the old man in unison.
Amidst this dark humor...
RUMBLE—!!!
The entire space began to vibrate violently. The previously calm sea of stomach acid instantly surged with tidal waves, tossing the Merry around like a toy. The island shook as if a magnitude-12 earthquake had struck.
"What's happening?! An earthquake?!" Nami screamed, clutching the mast.
"UUUUUUUU————!!!"
From the outside came the whale's painful and tragic roar. The old man—Crocus—immediately turned solemn. He ignored the crew, picked up a massive syringe, and prepared to dive into the sea.
"Starting again... Laboon."
"He's hitting his head against the Red Line! I have to give him a sedative!"
Hearing this, Viktor's eyes flickered. He used chakra to stick to the wildly pitching deck, his body as steady as a mountain. "Hitting the Red Line? That kind of suicidal behavior..."
Viktor looked up, his crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning slowly. His vision seemed to pierce through the stomach walls, seeing the restless, agitated soul of the behemoth. Beneath those violent actions was a sorrow so thick it was suffocating.
"It's not just simple madness..." Viktor whispered to himself. "This big guy... is crying."
Seeing Crocus about to dive, Viktor suddenly spoke up. "Wait."
He walked to the edge of the ship, looking directly at the muscular walls of the stomach that were shivering from the impact. "I don't know if it will be fully effective, but this big guy's emotions are too unstable."
Viktor wove signs with his hands, channeling chakra into his eyes.
Hum—
An invisible wave of spiritual energy radiated from Viktor, accompanied by the eerie red glow of the Sharingan. This wasn't an offensive Genjutsu, but a spiritual suggestion conveying "calm" and "peace." It was like a pair of gentle hands, softly stroking the whale's frantic and pained nerves.
Laboon, who had been madly ramming the Red Line, suddenly faltered for a moment. In his clouded, massive eyes, he seemed to see a vision of a tranquil sea.
"Hm?!" Crocus stopped in his tracks, looking at the black-clad youth on the ship with immense surprise. "That red-eyed kid... what did he do? Laboon actually... hesitated?"
While this soothing effect could only last a short time for a creature as massive as an island whale, it was enough to shock the old doctor.
At that moment...
Flutter-flutter—
A black crow flew up from Nami's shoulder into the "sky." Klay spread his wings, utilizing his ability to communicate with all animals—granted by the Echo-Echo Fruit—and screamed at the vibrating stomach walls:
"CAW-CAW-GAH!! BIG GUY!! STOP HITTING!!"
"It hurts, doesn't it?! Everyone is watching you!! Quiet down!!"
The clear cry of the bird seemed to reach Laboon's ears. Crocus's mouth dropped open so wide his glasses nearly fell off. "A... A talking crow?!"
"These kids... just who are they?"
Under the dual influence of Viktor's Genjutsu and Klay's communication—plus a sedative shot delivered by Crocus shortly after—the massive whale finally began to settle down. The storm in the stomach ceased.
After the chaos, the crew gathered on the small island. Crocus sat in a chair, looked at this unique group of young people, and sighed. He slowly began to recount the story of this whale—Laboon.
"That is a whale that has waited for fifty long years..."
He spoke of the comrades from the Rumbar Pirates and the promise they made: "We'll come back for you once we've circled the Grand Line."
Fifty years had passed. There had been no news of his comrades. But the stubborn whale firmly believed they would return. He kept hitting his head against the Red Line, trying to smash through the wall to find his friends on the other side, even though he was battered and bloody.
"He's still waiting... even if hope is slim."
A heavy silence fell over the Merry.
"Waaaah... that's so sad..." Nami covered her mouth, tears flowing uncontrollably.
Usopp was crying even harder, his face a mess of tears and snot. "Fifty years... is this the promise of a man?! Laboon... you're a real man! No! A real man-whale!"
Even Sanji and Zoro fell silent, respect showing in their eyes.
Only Luffy remained quiet. He kept his head down, pulling his straw hat low to cover his eyes. No one could see his expression.
Only Viktor noticed that the corners of Luffy's mouth were twitching upward—the expression he made when he had reached a decision.
"What a stupid whale..." Luffy said softly.
Then, he suddenly looked up, grabbed the massive mast that had just snapped off, and charged toward Laboon's stomach wall.
"Since it's so painful... let me give you some new fun to think about! Shishishi!"
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