"For all I know, humming Brook might still be alive," I remarked with a shrug of my shoulder, smiling. "He could be at the bottom of the ocean or stranded in the Florian Triangle, where the Rumbar pirates perished," I added as I alternated my gaze between Crocus and Byron.
"But he is most likely alive thanks to the Yumi-Yumi fruit," I concluded, pausing and waiting for Byron and Crocus to process my words.
"Doesn't mean that Brook would have been all alone for the past 40 something years?" Crocus asked, immediately understanding the implications of my words.
I looked at Crocus and nodded my head without saying a word, causing the old doctor's frown to become more pronounced as he went quiet, seemingly thinking about something.
"Captain!" Byron remarked in an urgent tone, turning to look at me. "If my grandfather's friend is still alive, and stranded somewhere out there, then I would like to help him," he added with a resolute expression, looking me in the eye.
"Please let me leave so I can help him as soon as possible!" Byron remarked in a firm tone, bowing his head in front of me.
I merely looked at Byron with a neutral expression as Laffite moved immediately after the musician finished speaking, kicking him in the abdomen and sending him crashing into the lighthouse.
"What do you think is a pirate crew is?" Laffite asked calmly in an icy tone that differed notably from his usual cheery, polite manner of speech.
"Do you think we're playing pretend or something?" the navigator asked after using soru to reach Byron as he turned to look down on the blonde musician who was still on the ground.
"Calm down, Laffite," I sighed as I too made my way towards byron with a quick soru step, looking at the musician with the same neutral expression, waiting for him to explain his words.
"You and the rest of our crewmates have already done much for me, captain," Byron said as he slowly got up, bowing his head in front of me again.
"I'm already in more debt to you than I can pay for the rest of my life!" he added, and I still said nothing, knowing that he still had more to say.
"But I..., I must save my grandfather's companion," Byron said with a complicated expression. "And I've heard about the Florian triangle and how dangerous it can be," he remarked, gathering his resolve again.
"I can't ask you or the rest of the crew to venture there for my sake, so please allow me to leave until I can rescue him, at least!" Byron concluded, bowing his head even deeper this time.
I looked at Byron with the same neutral expression I had on my face for the past couple of minutes and raised my hand, causing Byron to close his eyes and clench his fists, preparing for the pain.
I lowered my hand and placed it on Byron's shoulders, smirking, causing the musician to open his and raise his head to look at me with a confused expression.
"I appreciate your concern for the crew and me, Byron," I said with a smile while patting the musician's shoulder. "But you should learn to have some trust in your crewmates and captain," I added with a smile as I raised my hand again, clenching it into a fist and punching him in the face.
"The Florian triangle? A dangerous area that swallows pirate ships whole?" I remarked with a smirk as I picked Byron, helping him to his feet.
"What about it? You're following Johnny fucking silver hand, the man who will become the strongest!" I stated with a toothy grin, stretching my mouth from ear to ear.
"A mere Florian triangle is nothing but a vacation spot for me," I added while dismissively waving my hand to the side. "So, take a minute to think about your request again, and tell me, do you still want to leave, or maybe you want to ask something else from me?" I asked as I took a step back, waiting for the musician to process my words.
Byron looked at me for an entire minute, with his eyes opened wide in shock and expression full of awe. "Please help me save my grandfather's friend, captain!" Byron stated after sending me a grateful glance, bowing his head again.
"That's more like it," I remarked with a smirk, patting the musician's shoulder and helping him get rid of the dust and dirt on his shit, causing Byron to rub his neck awkwardly in embarrassment.
Laffite looked at this scene, and he too nodded in satisfaction as his expression reverted to his usual cheerful one.
"Shame. Beating some sense into this blonde idiot would have been a fun distraction," Wilson commented from the side, causing Laffite and me to chuckle while Byron began sweating.
"Hmm, so you're aiming to become the strongest, eh?" Crocus commented from beside me, causing me to look at him in astonishment as I had seen him still standing far away from the corner of my vision merely a second earlier.
My astonishment immediately disappeared as I remembered I was dealing with a former crew member of roger's crew, and I nodded my head with a smirk while looking at the old doctor.
"You've chosen a hard dream to make into a reality, young man," Crocus remarked with a smile, staring into the distance with a wistful expression on his face.
"Even roger, for all of his strength and fame, wasn't the strongest," he added as he turned to look at me in a provoking tone. "And even old Whitebear himself became the strongest after roger's death as the two of them we equal in strength," he added while giving me a once over, seemingly evaluating me.
"Do you think you can achieve what even the pirate king couldn't do?" he asked with a smirk, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
"I know I can," I shortly answered with a confident smirk, and Crocus didn't reply, merely looking at me with the same evaluating expression on his face.
"It sure is good to be young," Crocus chuckled with a nod of his head. "Then I will look forward to hearing about how you will accomplish your dream," he added with a smile, chasing me a shrug with a smile of my own.
"But in any case, Brook is also my friend, and I would like to help him too, but I'm old and already retired," he stated with a sigh, shaking his head. "So if you need anything of me, then don't hesitate to ask," he added as he turned to look me in the eye.
"I will do my best to help you as repayment for saving mine and Laboon's friend," he concluded while gesturing towards the giant while, who had finally calmed down and stopped attacking the red line.
"I was hoping you would say that," I replied with a chuckle. "I have two people who need some medical attention, and who better to do that than the pirate king's ship doctor himself?" I added with a smile.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, young man," Crocus replied with a snort, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "However, depending on how much medical attention your friends need, I might not be of much help," he added with a sigh.
"I had sold most of my medical equipment to commission and purchase specialized tools that would help me in maintaining Laboon's health," he concluded with a shake of his head.
"I know a place where we find advanced medical equipment," I replied with a nod of my head. "But it's in another island, the drum Kingdom to be more precise," I added, pausing and giving Crocus time to think.