Vash first found drinking water for the supply, and loaded it on coffin shape indent on Mihawk's boat.
"So you keep the stash in coffin!! pretty neat." Vash said.
Vash could only store a barrel in there; he left five of it laying around the small deck.
Just then, a news coo flew toward them. It wore a small hat and had a bag over its shoulder. Mihawk gave it some coins in exchange for the newspaper.
Two bounty posters slipped out of newspaper. Vash was gobsmacked seeing his photo in the bounty whereas Mihawk took the other poster and looked at it in thoughtful manner.
"hey, hey... why am I wanted now!!! and when did someone take my picture?" Vash said carefully analyzing the paper. It showed his full body view like this photo was taken from the distance. He looked like devil escaped from the hell; red eyes, unkept hair and ferocious face. 'This photo is clearly edited, whoever did this has done a great job. I look fiendishly handsome.' thought Vash amused.
"Hmm..., I don't know how they got your picture but the Marines don't know your name. It's my first time seeing unnamed bounty poster." Said Mihawk beside him.
"You are not affiliated with any major powers. So they would think that you are a wild card. They must have known your strength, that's why they issued you a bounty. It's better for them if you are chased for your bounty rather than letting you roam freely." further added Mihawk and snatched the poster from Vash.
"Ho... You got five hundred million berries for the first bounty. Not bad." said Mihawk.
"Is that a lot?" He doesn't have any clue regarding the monetary worth of berry so Vash asked.
"It's lot of money, with that much money you could buy a devil fruit with good ability." explained Mihawk and got ready for the journey.
After week or so of sailing, they finally reached the starting point of grand line ocean. Vash was all healed up, and at this time he stared at the wall like cliff, horizontally stretched to unknown locations. The top of this gigantic rock couldn't be seen with naked eyes due to obstructing fog and clouds. It was like mighty gods have raised this structure to divide the world, making it natural barrier for anyone who wants to sail in these seas freely. Vash felt as if he was watching a gigantic beast of unreal proportion quietly sleeping. This was Red Line! It divided the planet in two parts.
"What the heck! Hearing about it and seeing in person is completely different feeling. It's incredible. In fact, how did this rock formation come about naturally?" Vash asked in bafflement.
" I don't know it, maybe the person we are meeting could explain it to us." replied Mihawk staring the sea carefully.
Vash saw Mihawk waiting for something so he extended his observation haki. He felt an enormous life force swiftly ascending from below them.
Vash flew up from the boat and concentrated his gaze below him. He saw a massive jaw wide opened; it had rows of sharp teeth the size of a large ship. Much of its head was crisscrossed with scar marks. It was a whale as large as a mountain. Vash almost got swallowed by its surprise reveal.
On the other hand, Mihawk coolly floated holding the boat by the mast. Seemingly predicted the arrival of creature.
" My god!! It startled me. You didn't informed me intentionally, didn't you?" Vash asked accusing Mihawk.
"Where's the fun in that? Look, we are here." said Mihawk pointing at the back of the whale.
Vash turned his gaze toward the direction Mihawk was pointing. He saw a cellar door like contraption on the whale's black skin.
"What in the name of seven wonders is that!!! Is this whale a robot ? Hmm, it clearly is living thing going by it's aura. Or someone... hmm" Vash exclaimed loudly and before he could say anymore he heard the creaking sound.
The door like contraption opened and came out a head adorned with large flower petals. After the head, the person himself came up. He was old in his year, wearing pink shirt; a blueish grey shorts with sandals.
"Flowering old man, who are you?" Vash inquired in joking manner, although he himself wasn't getting any younger, he didn't miss to remind others of their age.
All Vash got was intense stare from the man.
"What happened old man? did the cat got..." Vash was interrupted when he tried asking further.
"You should introduce yourself first before asking others their names. " The 'flowering' old man replied taking his time.
"uh-huh, I'm Vash and the person beside...." Vash was cut in again in the middle of the speech.
"Anyways, I'm Crocus, the overseer of twin capes lighthouse, and this whale is called Laboon. I was treating him before you came." said the now identified Crocus and stoically stared at the duo.
Vash's forehead creased in annoyance while Mihawk beside him laughed and said,
"Wahahaha... Vash, no need to be grumpy. Crocus is alwa..."
"So what do you guys want?" Crocus asked breaking off conversation in a nonsensical way. This time, world's strongest swordsman had his eyebrows twitching when he was the next victim of the interrupting old man.
"iiyahahaha..." Vash guffawed loudly seeing karma biting back Mihawk.
After the short episode of introductions, Crocus and Mihawk went to lighthouse for the discussion, while Vash decided to explore the whale's interior.
Twin Cape Lighthouse.
"Hawk eyes Mihawk, can you repeat what you said cause I must have heard it wrong. I'm old and losing my sense of hearings." Crocus said with inexplicably.
"You heard it right. Tell me what you and your crew found on that island?" Mihawk asked this third time now.
"Sigh... Laugh Tale eh." Crocus said and went silent in his musing. "hmm, I can't tell you that. Our crew had agreed to maintain secrecy regarding this. And unless it's a matter of great importance, we can't disclose it. I know your asking about the true history of the world" said Crocus paused for long time.
Mihawk tried convincing Crocus, "Yes, at the very least you can tel..."
"not the treasures. So I'll tell you a bit about it." said Crocus exploiting his talent of interruption as well completing his previous dialogue.
Mihawk's hand twitched and almost reached for the sword. He felt like murdering Crocus then and there, but put up with it anyway remembering the old man had treated him number of times in the past.
Mihawk learned his lesson, and used color of observation so he could predict in advance when he would get interrupted in their conversation. In the past, he trained his observation haki this way; chat with old man and predict his interruption attacks. Crocus was also his mentor in training this type of haki.
Crocus had sailed grandline as a doctor, serving as a part of Pirate King's crew. His observation haki was good to the point of seeing into the future. The ability helped him tremoundously in his career as a doctor; he had saved his crewman countless times from jaws of death.
"When you trained here previous time, you weren't interested in the stuff of past. So I didn't tell you any of it. What has changed now?" Crocus asked clearly amused.
"Let's just say I changed my mind." Mihawk gave a short reply.
"Very well, I'll tell you the general story, because even I don't know all the details of it. Only my captain and Kozuki Oden knew that. Other crew members weren't that interested except Rayleigh." Crocus talked explaining.
"Let me start from the beginning. Four thousand years ago..." Continued Crocus.
When the duo of Crocus and Mihawk were having discussion, Vash, at this time was exploring the whale.
Inside Laboon
When Vash got inside, he found complex network of tunnels and metal Chambers. He almost got himself lost. Inside it was like maze, and couldn't be sensed using color of observation; tunnels radiated whale's life force making it difficult in navigation.
Using his eyesight and other senses, Vash reached largest chamber which was in whale's stomach.
The chamber was properly lit with unknown source of light. There was water(gastric juices) all around him. He even saw a piece of landmass floating in water. Overall, It looked like a miniature world in itself with a painted sky.
He heard two people talking when he arrived there.
"Mr Nine, shoot quickly before that old man comes back." said a blue haired woman.
"Let me load the shells first, Miss Wednesday." said the other person who wore a golden crown, and overall get up of a king in medieval time. He held a bazooka cannon ready to shoot the wall of the chamber. "With this we'll complete the mission." he added further. The duo of troublemakers were standing on the entrance ladder of the chamber.
Vash looked down the entrance, and knocked them out with small burst of haki. Both man and woman fell into the sea of corrosive liquid.
Vash flew down, he picked them up by their collar, and threw them on the mini island like structure. In the end he also landed there to check up on the uninvited intruders.
Just as Vash was about to interrogate them, he saw the sea getting turbulent like a result of undersea earthquake. He thought that the whale was probably swallowing its meal. His conjecture turned out to be correct as he saw a ship coming into view from far end of the chamber.