"Secret!"
After hearing this, Crocus gave Kai a penetrating look but chose not to pry further. Instead, he said, "If you want to get out, there's an iron gate over there."
Crocus pointed to a nearby iron door.
"Hey! There's a door inside the whale?" Luffy's eyes widened in disbelief.
"By the way, did you paint all these pictures, old man?" Usopp asked, intrigued.
"Yes! It's just a little hobby of mine while I'm here as a doctor!"
"Doctor?"
Luffy's eyes lit up at the mention of the word. He exclaimed, "Old man, join my crew and be our ship's doctor!"
"Idiot, do you think my 71-year-old body can keep up with your adventures? I might drop dead halfway through!"
"Ah~ What a pity!"
"Alright, enough talk. The door is over there. I'll show you out!"
As soon as Crocus stood up, the sea of stomach acid began to shake.
Seeing this, he quickly jumped into the stomach acid.
"Old Flower !" Luffy shouted in concern.
"Won't he get dissolved by the stomach acid?" Sanji asked, sweat beading on his forehead.
Kai responded, "No, as a doctor, he's very familiar with his own condition. He'll be fine!"
Soon, Crocus emerged from the sea of stomach acid, climbed onto a platform he'd built, and gave Laboon a shot of tranquilizer.
Not long after, the chaotic sea of stomach acid began to calm down and eventually returned to its previous peaceful state.
"What... what's going on?" Nami asked, horrified.
"Laboon is hitting the Red Line!"
"Huh?" Crocus , who had just swum back, turned his head in shock. "How do you know this?"
"I told you, old man, it's a secret! I'm just an ordinary guy who knows a lot!"
"For instance, I also know... some things about you!"
"The ship's doctor on the Roger Pirates—Mr. Crocus !"
!!!
At Kai's revelation, Crocus was not only stunned, but his companions also froze in shock. They all exclaimed in unison:
"Ship's doctor of... the Roger Pirates...?"
Crocus studied Kai closely, seemingly trying to read him.
Kai responded with a faint smile and a steady gaze.
After a long pause, Kurokas said slowly, "Young man, you do know a lot! But I can see there's no ill will in your eyes. I won't press further."
"Because you know I won't tell you even if you ask, it's better not to ask," Kai replied casually.
Crocus : . . .
Could the young people have a bit more respect for me?
At this point, the crew recovered from the shock of Crocus being the Roger Pirates' ship doctor. Luffy eagerly asked, "Old man, did you find the One Piece?"
"Yes! That's right!" Crocus nodded.
"Do you want to tell me what's there?" Crocus teased.
"No!" Luffy firmly declined.
"I'll find the One Piece myself with my own abilities!"
Seeing the determination on Luffy's face, Crocus felt a twinge of nostalgia, as if he were reminded of someone from his past who spoke with such fervor.
Once he composed himself, a smile crept onto his lips.
"Kid, becoming the Pirate King isn't easy. It's likely to cost you your life. Are you sure you won't regret it?"
"I don't care! I will become the Pirate King!"
Crocus studied Luffy intently. After a long moment...
"Hahaha... Then I wish you luck!"
Crocus was about to say more when suddenly, voices from above interrupted.
"Old man, prepare to meet your end!"
As Crocus turned his head, he saw a cannonball flying towards him and broke into a cold sweat.
Kai narrowed his eyes slightly and, with a few flicks of his fingers, launched several tiny slashes.
"Bang!"
The cannonball exploded in mid-air, and Kai shifted his focus to the two figures above.
One was a girl with blue hair and a ponytail, and the other was a man wearing a crown with a 9 painted on each cheek.
"Mr. 9, Miss Wednesday, what are you doing here?"
"Um???"
The two were stunned by Kai's recognition.
How could this person know them?
The people behind Kai were equally shocked. Despite knowing he was well-informed, this was beyond anything they expected. How did he know these two who appeared out of nowhere?
"Who are you? How do you know our names?"
"Me? You don't even know me? What do you two do for food?" Kai feigned anger.
This familiar tone, accent, and expression made the crew realize Kai Vane was putting on a show.
As expected, he was about to start performing!
Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday were even more confused and slightly angry.
"No, who are you? Why should we know you?"
"Haha! Haven't you two been keeping up with the club's messages during your recent missions?" Kai sneered.
The two were instantly taken aback. They hadn't received any updates because they'd been preoccupied with their mission to kill the whale.
Could this person be a new high-ranking officer in the organization?
While they were still pondering, Kai Vane's voice came again.
"Listen up, I'm Mr. 1, newly appointed by the boss. Does that make sense now?"
!!!
"Mr. 1? That's way above their level! The strongest under the boss!"
Fear flashed across the faces of the two.
"Sorry, Mr. 1, we didn't get the message before, so we didn't recognize you. Please forgive us!" Mr. 9 quickly bowed.
Miss Wednesday, who had been silent, finally reacted. She smiled.
"I knew it. There's no way you're Mr. 1!"
"Oh~ Why do you say that?" Kai asked with a smile.
Miss Wednesday's confident grin widened.
"Because..."
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you like the story