I'm A Plunderer In The World Of One Piece.

Shirogai was a bit surprised.

He hadn't expected his first fully developed skill to be medical expertise.

Based on his observations, Master-level seemed to be the peak most people could realistically reach.

But Crocus—the former doctor of the Pirate King's crew—had surpassed that. He was a Master among masters, his medical skills refined beyond normal human reach.

He truly lived up to his reputation as the Pirate King's personal doctor.

As for the next tier—Peak-level—Shirogai suspected it was something only a handful of people in the world could achieve.

Right now, he still didn't know if there was a level beyond that.

"Whoa, old man! You were the doctor on the Pirate King's ship? That's amazing!" Luffy blurted out in awe.

"Don't yell, young man," Crocus said calmly, glancing at Luffy, then at Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp. Finally, his eyes rested on Shirogai, scrutinizing him.

He sighed softly and said, "Your crew is still very young. If you want to reach the final island, you'll have to endure a lot more hardship."

Shirogai smiled faintly.

"Crocus sama, I'm not the Captain of this ship. Luffy is our Captain."

Luffy stepped forward and grinned broadly.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"D…" Crocus echoed, his eyes narrowing in thought. Then, his gaze landed on the straw hat atop Luffy's head. Memories stirred behind his calm exterior.

"That hat... the Straw Hat. The D. lineage… I see now. That Straw Hat was given to you by a red-haired man, wasn't it?"

Luffy nodded, a fond smile on his face.

"Yeah! This Straw Hat was a promise from Shanks!"

Crocus turned back to Shirogai.

"It seems you've found yourself a good captain."

Shirogai gave a small nod, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Crocus looked at Luffy again and said:

"And it seems you've got yourself a remarkable crewmate."

Usopp, puffing up with pride, pointed at himself.

"What about me? Crocus sama, I'm a great crewmate too, right?"

Crocus squinted at Usopp's long nose.

"That nose reminds me of an old friend."

Usopp huffed and crossed his arms.

"Hmph! Just wait—I'm gonna be the bravest warrior on the sea one day!"

"Ah, Crocus sama..." Usopp suddenly remembered something, excitement lighting up his face.

"Shut it, Usopp!" Shirogai and Luffy both reached out and pressed their hands over his mouth.

Shirogai chuckled.

"Usopp, what kind of warrior spoils the adventure by asking about the destination before the journey even begins?"

Luffy added loudly, "I don't want to know if the treasure's real or not! If I knew everything from the start, what's the point of being a pirate?!"

"W-W-Wha—?" Usopp blinked, stunned. Then he covered his mouth and spoke nervously through his fingers.

"Right! Totally! I don't wanna know anything, Crocus sama! If I learn about the One Piece, I've got a disease that'll kill me on the spot!"

Crocus gave a raspy chuckle and finally spoke:

"No worries. Even if you begged me, I wouldn't tell you anything.

You must endure the harsh seas, fight enemies stronger than you've ever imagined, and survive disasters beyond your control.

If you manage all of that, you'll reach the truth on your own.

And maybe… you'll become King of the Pirates."

Shirogai met Luffy's eyes, and together they said with quiet certainty:

"We never wanted to rule.

The freest person on the seas is the Pirate King."

They grinned and high-fived.

Crocus paused.

Someone else had once said those same words.

Now, here were two more who echoed that will.

Roger…

Could they be the ones to carry your will?

Crocus looked at the two with a trace of nostalgia, then stood from his beach chair.

"If that's what you believe, there's nothing more I need to say. That door over there will take you out of Laboon's stomach—"

Before he could finish, the sea inside Laboon's belly trembled violently. The Merry Go rocked hard, and even Crocus's island ship swayed from the turbulence.

"Not good," Crocus said with alarm. "Laboon's ramming the Red Line again! His emotions are spiraling. I need to sedate him!"

Just as Crocus prepared to dive into the acid sea, he heard a calm voice in his mind:

"Don't worry, Crocus sama. I'll handle it."

It was Shirogai.

"You? How?" Crocus asked, incredulous.

Shirogai smirked.

"Easy."

The Whisper-Whisper Fruit, now developed to 70%, had surpassed anything the previous user, Apis, had ever done.

At this stage, Shirogai could not only communicate mentally but also hypnotize and alter the emotions of sentient beings.

In fact, at 70% development, the fruit's power was comparable to Luffy's Gear Fourth.

Shirogai closed his eyes, standing at the bow of the ship. Acid waves sloshed around them, but he remained composed.

Whisper-Whisper Fruit: Devil-Gear Variant — Mind Weaver Form.

Deep within Laboon's chaotic mind, something stirred.

A bizarre being, half-human and half-spider with Shirogai's face, silently descended on silver threads—the Mind Weaver.

It crawled across Laboon's fractured subconscious, weaving delicate strands of Mind Silk.

These invisible threads patched over pain, soothed trauma, and brought warmth to the cold spaces of Laboon's despair.

Where pain had taken root, peace was now restored.

The web wasn't for control—it was for healing.

For a creature as pure and trusting as Laboon, the repair was effortless.

In reality, only two seconds had passed.

By the time Crocus looked back to the sea, the turbulence was gone.

Laboon was still.

A deep calm had settled over the acid waters.

Crocus was stunned.

In all his years, calming Laboon in a frenzy had been near impossible.

But Shirogai had done it with nothing more than closed eyes and still breath.

Shirogai turned to face the doctor and offered a quiet smile.

---

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