The weather and ocean currents in the Grand Line were notoriously unpredictable. One moment, the sky could be clear and sunny, and the next, dark clouds could roll in. This was completely normal.
"Our luck isn't great. We've just set sail and already run into a rare storm."
Stussy's expression was grave.
The storm had come too quickly. Their ship, a standard three-masted sailing vessel powered by wind, had no chance of avoiding it.
In less than a minute, the ship would be completely engulfed by the storm.
Facing this maritime tempest, the mountain bandits were visibly nervous.
On the deck, only a few, including Arlong, remained relatively calm.
Arlong, the Fishman, not only remained calm but even raised his chin slightly, revealing a faint smile and a mouthful of sharp teeth.
"It's indeed a powerful storm, enough to destroy most human ships."
"But for us Fishmen, it's not a big deal. As long as we dive a few hundred meters underwater, we can safely ride it out."
Most maritime storms couldn't reach depths of several hundred meters below the surface.
However, Arlong wasn't the only one who could dive.
"Sig, there's no time to explain. Let the ship enter Laboon's stomach!"
Amidst the howling wind, the pirate ship was already being tossed about. Crocus called out to Laboon.
Immediately, Laboon, who had been following the ship, opened its massive, abyss-like mouth.
Instantly, the expressions of the mountain bandits on the deck changed drastically.
Despite its seemingly gentle demeanor, Laboon's mouth was lined with two rows of sharp, saw-like teeth, each one larger than the pirate ship itself.
Laboon didn't give Sig and the others time to react. As it opened its mouth, a powerful suction force erupted, and a torrent of seawater rushed into Laboon's mouth.
In less than ten seconds, the pirate ship had been swallowed by Laboon.
The light dimmed instantly, plunging everything into pitch darkness. Even the sound of thunder from outside became almost inaudible.
In the darkness, Sig and the others could only feel the ship being carried along by a swift current.
By the time the mountain bandits, who had been tossed around by the current, regained their senses, they were even more confused.
"Did we just get swallowed by a giant whale?"
At that moment, the pirate ship was quietly floating on a pale green sea.
Blue sky, white clouds, a calm pale green ocean, and a small, isolated island in the middle of the sea.
On the island stood a simple wooden cabin, with a beach chair under a palm tree outside.
But upon closer inspection, it became clear that not only was the pale green sea motionless, but the white clouds above and the faintly visible seagulls in the air were also completely still.
"Alright, welcome to my vacation spot."
Crocus, who had somehow already appeared on the beach chair on the island, stretched lazily.
"This is Laboon's stomach. I advise you not to go into the sea. Just wait quietly here for the storm to pass, and then you can return to the outside world through that large iron door behind you."
These words left everyone in awe as they looked around. Sure enough, behind the ship, they saw a large, tightly shut iron door.
"Mr. Crocus, did you remodel all of this?"
"My goodness, the blue sky and white clouds are paintings on the whale's stomach, and that island is actually a small boat. And that huge iron door... Did you turn Laboon's insides into a fortress?"
This scene left everyone speechless.
Hearing this, Crocus, sitting on the beach chair, suddenly sharpened his gaze.
"I've spent almost forty years at Twin Capes with Laboon."
"Do you know how I got through those forty years?"
Crocus pointed to the blue sky and white clouds around them:
"This is how I, as a doctor, spent my leisure time over those forty years."
While the mountain bandits were stunned, Sig felt a sense of relief.
The fierce storm outside, with its towering waves dozens of meters high, could easily tear the ship apart.
But now, inside Laboon's stomach, everything was calm. The gastric fluid sea only rippled slightly.
In fact, Sig's attempt to have Laboon accompany them was partly for this reason.
The storms of the Grand Line were ferocious and beyond human resistance. Even someone as powerful as Golden Lion Shiki had once been defeated by them.
But for the Sea Kings and massive sea creatures like Laboon, who were as large as islands, these storms weren't a major threat.
No matter how strong the storm, could it really shake Laboon, an island-sized whale several kilometers long and four hundred meters tall?
If it could, then they could just dive a few hundred meters deeper.
If a few hundred meters weren't enough, they could dive even deeper.
"With Laboon here, we can ignore most of the storms in the first half of the Grand Line, not to mention the New World."
"If we can buy Eternal Poses for various islands on the Island of Everything, we can treat the first half of the Grand Line like any ordinary sea and sail freely."
"Once we find an island to settle my crew, I can start my plan."
Sig indeed had a plan in mind.
That is... to settle his crew, change his face, shed his identity as Sig, and start a new life.
"Crocus, do you have a way to communicate with Laboon here?"
Sig glanced at the Log Pose on Stussy's wrist.
"Let Laboon swim toward the Island of Everything. Laboon's swimming speed should be much faster than my ship."
Crocus nodded, then pulled out a Den Den Mushi from the cabin.
"This is a special breed of male and female Den Den Mushi. They don't need to dial numbers and can only communicate with each other..."
"The other Den Den Mushi in the pair is placed near Laboon's ear... As long as I call, I can talk to Laboon."
Crocus had remodeled far more than just Laboon's stomach.
The interior of this island-sized whale was filled with complex passageways, allowing one to climb directly from the stomach to Laboon's head.
After explaining a bit, Crocus used the Den Den Mushi to continuously guide Laboon toward the Island of Everything.
An hour or two later, Laboon's excited cries came through the Den Den Mushi.
"Laboon not only survived the storm but is also about to reach the Island of Everything?"
"Sig, we can go out now."
The mountain bandits exchanged glances, still not fully processing what had happened.
Inside Laboon's stomach, this journey through the Grand Line had been even smoother than their voyages in the East Blue.