I agreed to win with Roger, but the guy I met was too young Chapter 041

On the azure sea, the Oro Jackson cut through the waves.

Rhett stood at the stern, mist swirling around his fingertips, healing a crewmate’s arm wound. His ability was healing, but every time he used it, he couldn’t help but recall a question—

“What if, one day, even my mist is powerless?”

Rhett boarded a pirate ship at the age of three. Before Rhett could heal, everyone just casually bandaged their wounds, relying on their monstrous self-healing abilities. After Rhett’s Devil Fruit awakened, the duty of ship’s doctor somehow fell to him.

But Rhett had no medical knowledge whatsoever. Rhett’s healing was simple and crude, somewhat similar to Tsunade’s method of stimulating muscle cell division to heal wounds. Rhett directly infused a large amount of life force into the body, letting the body grow whatever was needed wherever it was lacking, with life force in ample supply.

This method was very effective for external injuries, but he knew nothing that required pharmacological explanation. As the time for Roger’s terminal illness drew closer, Rhett wondered if having Crocus join the crew earlier would lead to a better outcome.

Rhett murmured to himself, “It’s time to prepare for a rainy day…”

At dinner, Rhett suddenly tapped his glass, drawing everyone’s attention.

Rhett said very seriously, “We need a ship’s doctor.”

The deck was silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter.

Jabra grinned, “What? Little Rhett, is your mist not enough anymore?”

Shanks raised his hand, “Brother Rhett used his mist to put my bones back together last time! It was super amazing! And it didn’t hurt at all, just felt ticklish.”

Buggy chewed on his meat, mumbling, “Exactly! I was beaten black and blue, just soaked in Brother Rhett’s mist for a bit and I was fine.”

Roger laughed heartily, “Kuhahaha! Rhett, you’re not trying to be lazy, are you?”

No one was confused; they simply had deep trust in Rhett, because Rhett had never disappointed them.

Rhett didn’t smile, because he knew that precisely because of everyone’s trust, he had to find a professional ship’s doctor.

Rhett’s tone was calm but firm, “My ability can only heal external injuries, and my methods are very crude. To prevent your family status from being jeopardized when you get old, we must find a professional ship’s doctor.”

“Bastard, Rhett, who are you looking down on?” Jabra couldn’t sit still when he heard that.

Rhett ignored Jabra, scanning the crowd, his gaze finally settling on Roger.

Rhett repeated, “We must find a professional ship’s doctor.”

The deck fell silent.

Roger and the others knew that Rhett must know something. They didn’t ask, choosing to trust him.

Rayleigh pondered, “Who do you want to find?”

Rhett, “Twin Capes, Crocus.”

The Oro Jackson slowly docked beside the lighthouse at Twin Capes, the waves gently lapping against the hull. Rhett stood at the bow, his black hair disheveled by the sea breeze, his red eyes gazing at the solitary lighthouse—and the cold-faced, spectacled man beneath it, the daisy uncle??

“Doctor Crocus!” Rhett waved and shouted, his voice exceptionally clear in the sea wind.

Crocus didn’t even lift his head, continuing to flip through his medical notes. “Pirates? Not interested.”

Jabra crossed his arms and grinned, “Hey, old man, we came with sincerity!”

Crocus sneered, “Pirates’ ‘sincerity’? The last guy who said that almost blew up my lighthouse, and now he’s probably fertilizer somewhere at the bottom of the sea.”

Roger laughed heartily, his straw hat askew in the wind, “Kuhahaha! That must have been an ignorant fellow!”

Rayleigh adjusted his glasses, his tone calm, “We need a ship’s doctor, and your medical skills… are unmatched.”

Crocus finally looked up, his gaze stopping on Rhett. “Even if I agree—”

Before he finished speaking, the sea suddenly churned violently, and a huge black shadow broke through the waves!

“Boom—!”

A massive island whale—Laboon—surfaced, its eyes fixed on the Oro Jackson, a low rumble emanating from its throat, as if warning these unwelcome guests.

Buggy was so scared he jumped directly onto the mast. “Waaah! Why is this whale so big?!”

Shanks gripped his long sword, his eyes shining. “Amazing…”

Crocus stood on the shore, his voice calm. “I won’t get on the ship. If you want to fight, then come and try.”

Rhett, however, smiled.

Little Laboon of the Rumbar Pirates. Rhett was very fond of this Laboon. The Rumbar Pirates were annihilated fifty years ago in the original story, and with Luffy arriving here, Laboon had remembered his promise with the Rumbar Pirates for seventy or eighty years.

Brook, Laboon, this was a two-way journey. He leaped lightly, mist condensing under his feet, carrying him steadily onto Laboon’s snout.

Laboon was stunned, its giant eyes blinking, seemingly surprised that someone dared to jump directly onto it.

Rhett crouched down, his palm gently pressed against Laboon’s rough skin, blood mist slowly flowing, without any hint of aggression.

“Big guy, we’re not enemies.” Rhett’s voice was very soft, yet it carried the gentleness of coaxing a child. Although Laboon was much older than him, Laboon’s mindset was still that of a child.

Laboon whimpered, its tail restlessly slapping the water, splashing up huge waves.

Rhett smiled, suddenly pulling out a small Tone Dial from his pocket—he had casually bought it on some island. The Rumbar Pirates’ song still echoed across the sea after all these years; what wasn’t that a success?

He pressed the play button, and a melodious tune drifted out.

Laboon’s body suddenly stiffened.

That was… the Rumbar Pirates’ song.

Crocus’s pupils contracted. “How do you—”

Rhett put away the Tone Dial, looked at Laboon, and spoke the most important news to Laboon: “The Rumbar Pirates were annihilated, but Brook is still alive.”

Laboon’s breathing suddenly became rapid, and its huge eyes welled up with water.

Rhett continued, “He’s in the Florian Triangle, trapped, but he hasn’t forgotten his promise to you, and he’s been waiting for you.”

Laboon let out a mournful wail, its voice mixed with sadness and hope.

Crocus quickly walked to the shore, his voice slightly trembling. “Are you sure? I’ve been looking for them. How can you guarantee you’re not lying to us?”

Rhett nodded. “I guarantee it in the name of the Roger Pirates.”

Laboon was silent for a long time, then slowly sank into the sea, only half its head exposed, its eyes wet as it looked at Rhett, as if asking, “Really?”

“Of course it’s true.”

Rhett jumped back onto the ship, patted the water off himself, and grinned at Crocus. “Now, are you willing to come aboard?”

Crocus stared at him for a long time, then finally sighed. “…We set sail in three days.”

Crocus boarded the Oro Jackson. Laboon no longer crashed into the Red Line but floated quietly on the sea, watching them leave.

But Rhett was not in a hurry to board the Oro Jackson. Rhett had wanted to help this little guy for a long time, and he had also prepared a very suitable Devil Fruit for Laboon, the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Fighter. This fruit was quite useless for humans, only giving them some basic fighting knowledge and reactions, but for a large island whale like Laboon, strength was not an issue they cared about.

However, Laboon would also lose the opportunity to roam the sea independently. But Rhett thought of a makeshift remedy: wrapping Laboon in his blood mist would allow him to swim in the sea for a few days without any problems. Now, Rhett’s mist concentration and quality were no longer easily dispersed by seawater.

Of course, all of this depended on Laboon’s own choice.

Thank you, little author,

(少年仲夏夜) (阙城斓), this is the first time the little author has received a gift. I hadn’t noticed before, I thought no one would be willing to send one to the little author. I’m so touched, my eyes are watering ŏ̥̥̥̥םŏ̥̥̥̥