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Under the faint moonlight, the light beam from the lighthouse at Twin Capes rotated.
Crocus brewed a pot of tea. Robin blew on her cup, using her Devil Fruit ability to add a few petals into it, and sipped gently. The petals from the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi), if not formed into tangible “limbs,” were just ordinary petals without any sensory transmission, so they wouldn’t scald Robin from the tea.
Do the flowers from the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) have a special fragrance? Robin couldn’t tell. Moreover, her attention was now focused on Liam’s response to Crocus.
Liam seemed to be just a year older than her. By now, Robin was quite familiar with Liam’s past. Before he turned eight, he lived with his mother in a small village on Lasgap Island.
At eight, he left the island alone to venture out to sea… This part was quite similar to her own story, Robin thought. She also had to leave her hometown at eight… Eight-year-old Liam wandered the seas for two years before meeting her on an Island.
They lived together for a while, separated, and then reunited… If Liam had heard about the Rumbar Pirates, it must have been either between the ages of eight and ten or during the time they were apart when he became a bounty hunter.
But Liam’s answer greatly surprised Robin.
“What if I told you I read about it in a prophecy book? Would you believe me?” Liam said.
“A prophecy, huh…” Crocus seemed to recall something and, after a moment of contemplation, actually nodded. “I see! I understand.”
‘You understand?’ Robin was amazed by such a response. But looking at Crocus’s expression, it didn’t seem forced or perfunctory. He genuinely believed Liam? Just like that?
However, Liam knew that as the former ship doctor of the Roger Pirates, Crocus had once followed the Pirate King to the final island, Laugh Tale.
There, this unprecedented crew seemed to have witnessed a prophecy firsthand… A massive war engulfing the entire world would erupt in twenty-odd years, and a new “Joyboy” would emerge.
Because of this prophecy, Roger believed he had come too early! Rayleigh thought the scholars of Ohara were too impatient! Kozuki Oden sacrificed himself to leave hope for Wano Country’s opening in anticipation of the prophecy’s great war twenty years later…
Thus, Liam understood why Crocus would so readily accept his story about reading a prophecy book.
Besides, he wasn’t lying…
Is there a problem with calling the “One Piece” manga a prophecy book?
Moreover…
Prophecies were commonplace! The shark mermaid girl from Fish-Man Island made prophecies for fun… Today she told King Neptune that the beautiful girl next door, Otohime, would be his future queen; tomorrow, she predicted someone would come to cause trouble for Fish-Man Island, even breaking down the doors!
Soon after, the Roger Pirates arrived… She even accurately predicted the birth of the Mermaid Princess (Shirahoshi) and told Roger and Neptune that the Sea Kings were waiting for her.
She even gave the exact birth date, ten years later, when King Neptune was still single… Such prophetic accuracy was unbeatable…
Compared to that, Liam’s so-called prophecy was insignificant.
Crocus, a seasoned navigator of the Grand Line, calmly accepted Liam’s explanation.
“Speaking of which, Shanks was really inconsiderate!”
Chatting aimlessly, Liam complained to Crocus, “This guy ran off to the West Blue. I asked him to teach me Haki, and he said he was in a hurry… but then he wandered around the West Blue for a few months and then took off again! With all that time, he could have at least given me a basic foundation…”
“Haki?” Crocus said in surprise. “In the West Blue, you probably don’t even need that kind of power.”
“It’s mainly because of this guy here.” Liam casually pointed to ‘B.I.B.’ beside him. “It can be seen and heard by Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) and can also be grabbed by Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)… If I don’t know Haki, I always feel like I’m at a disadvantage!”
Crocus squinted at the misty night air for a while, then shook his head. “Even though I know you’re talking about your ghost, I can’t see anything…”
“Don’t you know Haki?” Liam asked in surprise.
Crocus replied wryly, “After all, I’m just a ship doctor… fighting is best left to those who are good at it.”
“I see…” Liam rubbed his chin.
So the Roger crew, with so few members, even excluding Crocus as the ship doctor and the then-novice Shanks and Buggy, how did they manage to fight Whitebeard’s crew, which included Kozuki Oden, for three days and nights?
The Roger crew is just ridiculously strong!
“Apart from Haki…” Liam casually took out a green Den Den Mushi. “I think those with high mastery of Life Return or those with special Life Energy can also see and touch my ghost!”
He patted the disgruntled Den Den Mushi before speaking. “For instance, this little thing can do it.”
Crocus was surprised. “A Den Den Mushi… Indeed, Den Den Mushi are quite unique creatures…”
Liam sighed. “There are so many powerful people on the sea…”
“So, why did you come to the Grand Line?” The old ship doctor Crocus seemed a bit speechless. “You two are so young, entering the Grand Line from the West Blue like this, it’s a bit reckless…”
Robin, however, didn’t think so. With Liam’s ghost and her Shiro Shiro no Mi (Castle-Castle Fruit), they could be big, small, fly, and pass through walls. Honestly, she felt they had a sense of freedom that allowed them to go anywhere in the world…
Liam smiled slightly and didn’t argue, simply saying, “We came here to get stronger, after all!”
Crocus saw him smiling and asked, “What do you want to do?”
Liam reached for ‘B.I.B.’s chest, and the latter’s chest opened with a click, revealing a small castle door. A piece of “paper” flew out from inside. As it left the range of the Shiro Shiro no Mi (Castle-Castle Fruit) covering it, it grew larger and landed in Liam’s hand.
It was a notebook and a pen.
“I forgot to ask Shanks at the time, so could I trouble you now, Crocus-San?” Liam chuckled. “Can you write me a letter of introduction to Rayleigh-San?”
“…Sure,” Crocus took the paper and pen. “But, meeting Rayleigh isn’t an easy task.”
“We’ll find a way!” Liam said, clasping his hands together.
With the letter of introduction from the old ship doctor, they could take Robin into ‘B.I.B.’s castle, fly directly to the Sabaody Archipelago, and find Rayleigh to train them…
Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
……
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