The group followed Crocus through a small iron gate within the large iron door.
Inside, they found a passage lined with steel.
Kong Tai marveled at the passage. "Old man, did you build all this by yourself?"
"Yes!" Crocus replied without turning, as he walked. "To effectively treat Laboon's injuries, I had to dig these passages inside him to apply the medicine."
"That must have taken a long time for one person!"
"It wasn't too long."
"Not too long?"
"Just a few decades!"
"Decades isn't long?" Ah Hua adjusted his glasses, staring at Crocus in astonishment. In his daze, he almost tripped over the constantly swaying passageway. "So, you've been here for decades?"
"Yes! About 50 years."
"Although I left for a while in between, I eventually returned here."
As he spoke, Crocus stopped in front of an iron door. He extended his hands and twisted a circular switch on the door with force. With a harsh creaking sound, the iron door swung inward.
Crocus stepped inside first.
Beyond the door was a moderately sized space. The room was filled with wooden barrels, and the pungent medicinal smell emanating from within indicated that they were all filled with medicine.
Crocus entered and walked directly to a large syringe resembling a cannon. He first rotated the needle downwards, aiming it at a wooden barrel, and then plunged it in. He then pulled the plunger upwards with force, and a dark green liquid was quickly drawn into the syringe through the needle.
The group watched Crocus work in silence, their faces filled with curiosity.
Once the syringe was filled with sedative, Crocus turned the needle towards a wall. With a pull of his hand, a hole the size of a window appeared in the wall. Inside, they saw blood-red flesh that writhed and moved with Laboon's cries and impacts.
Crocus, pushing the giant syringe, forcefully injected it into the flesh and shouted loudly, "Stop it, Laboon! Don't hurt yourself anymore."
"That wall is the one that divides the world's oceans. Even if you smash yourself to death, you'll never break it."
"Laboon."
As the medicine from the syringe gradually entered the flesh, the writhing gradually ceased. The loud cries and impacts from outside also stopped.
"Phew~"
"It's finally stopped?" A Luo said, wiping sweat from his forehead. It was clearly not a pleasant experience inside the constantly shaking giant creature.
"Right, when we rushed down from the Red Line, we saw Laboon's head was covered in wounds. Coupled with his constant cries and impacts..." Kuina frowned and asked Crocus, "Grandpa, can you tell us Laboon's story properly?"
"Don't you already know Laboon's story?" Crocus turned to Kuina, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. Then, he turned to Kong Tai. "Look at this young man, he helped me reach here quickly just now and urged me to use the sedative quickly. You clearly know!"
"And you, silver-haired young man, I still don't know why you knew Laboon needed a sedative!"
"Also, the way you look at me is as if you know me."
Feeling everyone's gaze on him, Kong Tai shrugged. "I'll say I guessed, I don't know if you believe me."
"As for the way I look at you."
"Well! I seem to look at everyone the same way." Kong Tai nodded, touching his chin. "Yes, I look at everyone the same way."
"Oh, so it was a guess!" Crocus looked enlightened. "I thought you had learned about Laboon from that old fellow and recognized me!"
"Uh... you actually believed that?" Kong Tai's mouth twitched.
Crocus closed the window and turned to the group. "The wounds on Laboon's head were formed from constantly smashing into the Red Line."
"Smashing into the Red Line?" Everyone was astonished. Kong Tai, however, stood calmly, looking up and around with curiosity. "Amazing! Not only can it understand humans, but it also allows humans to build such engineering miracles inside it."
Crocus, seeing their reactions, had a glint in his eyes. This silver-haired kid definitely knew about him and Laboon, but he didn't expose him. Instead, with a look of reminiscence, he began to tell Kuina and the others Laboon's story.
"So, that pirate crew abandoned Laboon?"
"How despicable!" Ah Hua couldn't help but curse after hearing Crocus finish Laboon's story.
"It's possible they truly perished in this devilish sea!" Crocus adjusted his glasses and continued, "Laboon has been smashing into the Red Line for decades, waiting for his companions. But he can't help it. As his body grew larger, he couldn't return to the West Blue anymore."
"He can only call out and smash endlessly here, hoping that one day, that pirate crew will keep their promise and return to see him."
"Since Laboon can understand people, haven't you explained the situation to him?" Kuina glanced at the many barrels of medicine in the room and asked softly, frowning, "It must be painful."
"Why wouldn't I have told him!"
"The few years I left here in the middle were spent searching for that pirate crew, to see if they had escaped or perished at sea."
"Did you find them?"
"No."
"When I returned, I told Laboon, but he wouldn't listen. Instead, he smashed into the Red Line even harder."
"In his world, he simply refuses to believe that his companions would abandon him!"
A Tao, smoking a cigarette, sighed. "Nearly 50 years! That's truly a long time, and truly romantic!"
"Old man, I actually know where Laboon's former companions are." Kong Tai spoke up at this moment.
"What?"
"You know where the Rumbar Pirates are?" Crocus's aged eyes suddenly lit up. He stared intently at Kong Tai, his body straightening, filled with tension. After nearly 50 years together, Laboon was arguably his only family in this world. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed at Twin Capes for nearly 50 years. This guy had done something incredibly romantic for Laboon.
Kong Tai looked at Crocus with admiration. Laboon deserved admiration, but this old man deserved it even more. Not everyone could wait for 50 years, nor could everyone stay with someone for 50 years.
"After the Rumbar Pirates set sail from here, they all perished at sea within two years."
"All dead?" Crocus felt a lightness spread through him, his gaze quickly dimming as he lowered his head. After a pause, he looked up at Kong Tai and asked, "How do you know?"
"How I know, you don't need to worry about for now. I know that one of the Rumbar Pirates is still trapped in a certain sea area and hasn't come out yet."
"Who?"
"A musician with an afro."
"That's right, they did have an afro musician on their ship, named 'Brook'." Crocus looked at Kong Tai, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. "Since you know where Brook is, could you trouble yourself to tell me which sea area it is?"
Kong Tai looked at Crocus helplessly. "Old man, even if I tell you, Laboon can't go there."
"I'm telling you this because I want you to think of a way to give Laboon some hope. Perhaps I'll pass by that sea area and rescue the pirate named 'Brook', and tell him that Laboon is still waiting for him!"
"Oh... is that so?" Crocus smiled at Kong Tai and then bowed. "Then I'll entrust you with helping Laboon and Brook fulfill their promise!"
"Hey! Old man, I didn't agree to anything!" Kong Tai took a step back, waving his hands repeatedly.
Crocus straightened up and looked at Kong Tai sternly. "No, you will."
"Hahahaha..." He burst into laughter. He was in a very good mood now. Judging by Kong Tai's attitude, he would definitely help Laboon, otherwise, he wouldn't have said so much.
Watching Crocus laugh uncontrollably, Kong Tai stood in the distance, a smile also on his face. He would indeed go and tell Brook about Laboon. A promise and a wait of nearly 50 years were worth a special trip. As for whether Brook would return after knowing Laboon's news, after completing the promise of sailing around the Grand Line, that would be his own affair. When it came to persuading Laboon to stop smashing into the Red Line, he didn't have Luffy's charm.