Everyone gathered at the stern of the ship, looking down into the water.
"It's a little whale! Barn! Come on, if you can catch it, I'll stop teasing you forever!" Mab turned back and mocked Barn again.
"Get lost! Catch! Catch! Catch it and eat it, idiot!" Barn growled at Mab, his teeth bared like fangs, but inwardly he thought,"Laboon? If this little guy's here, it means we're about to enter the Grand Line soon. Once we're in the Grand Line, getting wiped out in the Devil's Triangle isn't far off. Even though I'm way stronger now, I guess the story's gears won't stop turning."
That thought instantly wiped away Barn's morning good mood, and his entire demeanor darkened. He let go of Mab's collar, ignoring the excited crowd, and headed straight into his cabin.
Fitz didn't understand why his master suddenly became like that. He looked back reluctantly at the little whale, then jumped onto Barn's head and followed him inside.
That night, the crew held a welcome party for the little whale named Laboon by Brook. Barn also came out of his cabin to join.
He smiled happily. He had come to terms with things — since he couldn't change fate, he would just walk the last stretch together with Yorki and the others.
Laboon was thrilled, swimming excitedly all evening, singing the pirate song along with Brook and the others.
Fitz got along great with Laboon too — probably because animals understand each other better.
So it went for half a year: Laboon sang daily with Brook and the crew, occasionally tilting its head curiously at these strange creatures called pirates and watching their odd behaviors.
Not long ago, Yorki excitedly announced to the crew that in just two months, they would enter the Grand Line. Barn fell silent, while the others eagerly discussed the countless wonders they'd heard about the Grand Line.
But they were facing a huge problem: Laboon!
Laboon was just too small, still in its juvenile stage, and the Grand Line was far too dangerous.
The pirates debated fiercely for half a month over what to do about Laboon.
In the end, they decided to keep Laboon onboard — a decision that was painful for all.
Over the past six months, everyone had formed a deep bond with Laboon, and suddenly parting ways was hard to accept for Barn, Yorki, Brook, and Laboon alike.
Laboon stubbornly insisted on following the Rumba Pirates' ship like a defiant child.
York tried to convince it to stay behind — no luck.
Barn tried too — no luck.
Brook, who was closest to Laboon, tried his best to persuade it — still no luck.
Even Fitz, also an animal, flew over and pecked Laboon's wooden head.
But Laboon refused to leave and kept swimming behind the pirate ship every day.
With no other choice, York finally ordered the entire crew not to leave the cabin, not to drink, and not to sing until they entered the Grand Line.
From then on, the whole ship was engulfed in a heartbreaking silence.
Finally, the Rumba Pirates arrived at the foot of Reverse Mountain…
"Wow wow wow! So exciting! So ships can climb mountains too!" Blon hung from the mast, shouting loudly as usual.
"Yo ho ho ho!" Brook slid across the deck with one hand on his cane and the other holding his hat, adopting a strange 45-degree angle stance.
Why is it called Reverse Mountain? The Red Line and the Grand Line form two loops, intersecting at two points. The first intersection is Reverse Mountain. This is a mysterious and dangerous mountain that serves as the gateway to the Grand Line.
There are five river channels on Reverse Mountain. Four of these rivers flow uphill toward the summit, each connecting a different sea — the East Blue, West Blue, South Blue, and North Blue. The fifth river gathers the water at the summit and flows down into the Grand Line. Because the water flows uphill on this mountain, it's called "Reverse Mountain."
The Rumba Pirates finally crossed Reverse Mountain. Unlike the luckier Luffy and crew, their ship was now battered and worn, and Barn finally found the chance to mock the navigator Mab a bit.
At the Twin Canyons at the mountain's foot, Barn met the legendary ship doctor who extended Roger's life by three years — Crocus. He was only in his early thirties, still very young. It was hard to imagine that fifty years later, the now octogenarian Crocus would still be so vigorous.
Yorki proposed to stop for a while to repair the ship, and Crocus agreed readily. Then, casually, he asked, "Is that your pet?"
Brook followed Crocu's finger and looked over…