Chapter 100 – The Whale That Waits

Silence clung to the chamber like mist.

No weapons drawn. No orders barked. No chaos.

Only the faint echoes of water lapping gently against the dock. Only the distant breathing of something impossibly large. And the subtle creak of wooden beams under the weight of decisions made and not made.

Mr. 9 had gone quiet, hunched near the side of his ship, his earlier bravado reduced to a confused stare at the floor. Vivi—still Miss Wednesday by name—stood unmoving, her head slightly bowed. Her hand twitched once but never reached for a weapon again.

The Straw Hats stood aboard the Going Merry, watching.

Waiting.

Not for violence.

But for truth.

And Crocus gave it to them.

"You should know," he said slowly, walking out toward the edge of the dock, "that whale… Laboon… he's not just some obstacle."

He looked toward the water.

"He's someone's family."

Luffy's eyes sharpened slightly.

"He came here as a baby," Crocus said, voice steady, with the practiced rhythm of a man who'd told this story more times than he wished he had. "From West Blue. Alone. Until a crew of pirates—good men, not monsters—took him in."

The mist around them seemed to dim, like even Laboon's body listened.

"They were musicians. Laughed louder than they fought. They let Laboon follow them, and he never left their side."

A long pause.

"They reached this mountain... and stopped. Told him the Grand Line was too dangerous. Told him to wait. Promised they'd return."

Crocus's voice caught only slightly.

"And they never came back."

The quiet deepened.

Water gurgled faintly near the base of the dock. Chains clinked from somewhere up in the ceiling scaffolding.

Usopp's mouth hung slightly open. "They just… left him?"

Zoro didn't speak, but his grip around his arm tightened.

Nami exhaled, blinking rapidly.

Sanji leaned forward slightly, jaw clenched.

Vivi turned her face away.

Luffy simply watched Crocus.

"Laboon waited," the old man continued. "A year. Then three. Then ten. Then twenty. Now over fifty. Every ship that arrives here, he surfaces—just in case. Hoping it's them."

Nami looked like she might cry.

"He started ramming the mountain thirty years ago," Crocus said. "Trying to break through it. Thinking they might be trapped behind. Or maybe just to scream."

His words echoed in the massive space like footsteps in an empty cathedral.

Vivi stepped closer to the edge of the dock.

She opened her mouth.

Closed it.

When she finally spoke, her voice was thin.

"I didn't know…"

"No," Crocus replied. "You didn't."

"Come," he said quietly.

They followed him.

Down a narrow walkway lined with rusted rails and swinging oil lamps. Pipes ran along the walls, dripping occasionally. The scent of oil, salt, and old metal filled the air.

He led them to a narrow maintenance catwalk bolted directly into Laboon's internal tissue—flexible, reinforced. At the far end was a small control station: levers, sonar pings, and a series of hand-painted charts marked with ship silhouettes.

And beyond it—

The scar.

An enormous patch of steel netting embedded into the whale's inner wall. Bent. Scored. Blackened.

Some of the mesh had peeled back. Some sections had been re-welded with makeshift braces. You could see the effort, the care, and the exhaustion in every repair.

Zoro stared at it. "He hits it that hard?"

"Every time," Crocus said. "He heals. Then he does it again."

Usopp shuddered. "That's… not madness. That's…"

"Heartbreak," Sanji said.

"Hope," Nami added.

Crocus nodded. "The two are often the same."

Luffy stepped forward.

He stood in front of the scar.

Didn't speak.

Didn't blink.

Just stood there.

Looking.

The system buzzed quietly behind his eyes.

[Subject Scan: Laboon]

[Memory Imprint: Companionship – Loyalty – Loss]

[Behavior Pattern Detected: Pre-Impact Build-Up]

[Collision Timing Estimate: 48 Seconds]

[Surge Detected – Whale Preparing for Full-Force Charge]

The floor beneath them trembled.

A gentle thrum passed through the platform like a heartbeat.

Crocus's eyes snapped toward the distant shape in the water.

"…He's going to do it again."

Nami gasped. "Now?! But we're still inside—!"

"He doesn't care anymore," Crocus said grimly. "He's not waiting this time. He's decided."

Lights above flickered.

Water swelled.

The Going Merry rocked on the waves, lifting slightly as the chamber shifted.

The whale moved.

Usopp scrambled. "He's gonna ram the mountain—with us inside?!"

Luffy's system glowed red.

[WARNING: Collision Course Imminent – Impact in 38 Seconds]

[Crew Safety at Risk – Emergency Maneuver Suggested]

[Option: Engage Whale Communication Protocol – Shadow Projection]

"Back to the ship!" Crocus shouted.

He wasn't giving advice.

He was issuing a command.

Sanji, Zoro, and Nami broke into a run, their boots slapping wet steel. Usopp stumbled after them, still looking over his shoulder.

Vivi lingered a second longer, staring at the scar.

Then she ran too.

Luffy remained still for half a heartbeat more.

Watching the wall.

Watching the whale.

Then he turned.

And followed.

Behind him, the chamber began to quake.

And ahead—

Laboon began to rise.

[End of Chapter 100]

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