Laboon ramming his head into the Red Lin was an admittedly frightening ordeal and, had Brynlee not known any better, she would have believed Crocus to hold ill-intentions toward the whale like the rest of her crew. But there was no time to clear the air as Luffy suddenly burst through a smaller door, along with two other people, and fell into the lake of digestive acid. Zoro and Sanji pulled them all out, and Brynlee stilled upon noticing the long, blue hair of the young girl now dripping stomach juice on their deck.

Nefertari Vivi, Heir to the Alabastan throne, secretly undercover in Baroque Works as Miss Wednesday along with her trusted aid… Iga-something.

This young girl alone had the power to entirely shift the Straw Hats' journey. It was because of her that Luffy picked the route, and then because of her that they got involved with a Warlord's business. Of course, they also managed to recruit Chopper and Robin along the way, but there was no denying the danger in which she put their crew by simply existing.

Something uncomfortable twisted in Brynlee's stomach.

"You! You scoundrels – as long as I'm alive, I won't let you lay a single hand on Laboon!"

Vivi—no, Miss Wednesday and Mister Nine jumped to their feet, wielding giant guns akin to bazookas as they did so, and they fired. Brynlee jumped, having enough strength to propel herself upward. She managed to divert the cannonballs fired, swiftly using their momentum to send them right into the digestive acid below, before gracefully landing back on the railing.

"Woo! That was so cool, Bryn!" grinned Luffy.

"M- m- m- monster!" cried out the pair of hunters.

Mister Nine tried to lift his gun toward her, but it was promptly kicked out of his hands by Sanji, who shot him a warning glare. Miss Wednesday's gun fell into three cleanly cut pieces before she could even think of moving, Zoro swiftly sheathing his sword behind her. Brynlee glared down at them, unforgiving.

"Don't hurt Laboon."

"You—!"

As one, they both pulled out matching sparkly handguns – and Luffy promptly slammed their heads together, effectively knocking them out. They collapsed on the deck with pained groans, and Brynlee shoot her Captain a look, a bit surprised by his unexpected vehemence.

"Caps?"

"I felt like punching them," he huffed, clearly annoyed.

"You alright?"

"Hm? Yeah! I was more worried about you guys!" he laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Who'd have thought you would all get swallowed by a whale, huh?"

"WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SWALLOWED IF YOU HADN'T PUNCHED IT!" snapped the rest of their crewmates.

"Shi-shi-shi! Sorry!"


Laboon's story was a saddening one. Crocus told them everything as they made their way outside of the dormant whale, explaining how he'd been taking care of him ever since that crew had left him in his care all those decades ago. Of course, Brynlee could understand why Crocus seemed to believe that the pirates had merely abandoned Laboon out of cowardice but hearing him say it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth, even more so when the others all agreed.

When they finally made it outside, they were quick to throw Mister Nine and Miss Wednesday overboard, before going to dock near the Lighthouse and settling on firm ground to catch their breath, processing Laboon's story as they did.

"So… he's been waiting fifty years for his crew, and he still thinks they're coming back for him?" summarized Luffy, who'd surprisingly paid attention to the story. "Man, those guys have kept him waiting for a long time. I hope they get back soon!"

"They're dead," replied darkly Sanji, lighting his cigarette. "Fifty years? Do the math. They're not coming back."

"What? Don't be so cynical!" protested Usopp. "Surely they just got delayed—!"

"I'm afraid that the truth is harsher than what you assume," sighed Crocus. "These seas are anything but 'normal'. They most likely fled, unable to ever return. They—"

"They didn't flee through a Calm Belt."

"Beg your pardon?"

Brynlee didn't want to cause any sort of conflict, but she also couldn't bear the thought of them unknowingly smearing the Rumbar Pirates' names in the mud, when they were genuinely one of the bravest, most kind-hearted crews she could remember from Before. And what if she told them, anyway? Laboon and even Crocus deserved some peace of mind, after all this time.

"They didn't flee," she repeated firmly, meeting his eyes without flinching.

Crocus narrowed his eyes. "And how could you possibly know this?"

"The same way I know that the Rumbar Pirates actually got trapped in the Florian Triangle. They didn't flee and abandoned Laboon – they sadly passed away."

"What?" exclaimed Usopp. "All of them!?"

"All but one. He's still trapped. He's lonely right now, a soul adrift in darkness. But darkness always gives way to light – he will be freed."

"How?" asked Nami, not a hint of doubt in her voice.

Brynlee shrugged. "He's a musician."

It was and wasn't an answer, but it was the best she could give. Nami nodded, more or less satisfied, while the others exchanged unsure glances. Luffy was already long gone by now, headed for the ship, so he wouldn't have heard the mild spoiler, but Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp simply weren't used to her randomly dropping hints of the future just yet.

"How could you possibly know this?" asked breathlessly Crocus. "You talk as if- as if—"

"I've seen it?"

She didn't avert her eyes when he glared her way, letting him draw his own conclusions. After a few seconds, his traits softened the slightest bit, and he promptly averted his eyes, turning his back to the entire group as he inhaled deeply. Brynlee and the others kept quiet as he processed the news she'd just delivered. When he finally turned to face them again, he seemed calmer, though his eyes were slightly rimmed red and teary.

"Thank you."

"We haven't done anything to be thanked for yet."

Still, when she asked for his snail number, he was quick to give it. She could tell he didn't entirely believed her, but a part of him did – enough to hope, at the very least.


I really love the Rumbar Pirates. And honestly, it's not like Bryn's ever done much of an effort to hide what she knows - the others simply never bothered asking her questions about it, kind of taking it as an "as is" quirk of hers xD

***IMPORTANT***

To those it may concern:

Lately, I've been receiving many comments and private messages regarding art commissions and, more specifically, comics, for my story (as in, turning my story into a comic). I'm half-wondering if this is a scam because I've been getting so many in such a short amount of time, honestly. But in the case that it isn't, then, I'm flattered, but not interested, so please stop soliciting me for commissions.

I'm not looking for it, I'm not asking for it - I'm fucking broke y'all.

So please stop.

I will be absolutely DELIGHTED if you decide of your own accord to create artworks based on my characters and stories, simply for fun and to show support for my own work. But I'm growing tired of lengthy messages filled with empty praises merely to end with a request for commissions. I understand the hustle, I do, but it's a waste of your time and my patience, so drop it.

Thank you for your understanding.