After being persuaded by Rayleigh and the others, Roger finally agreed to go to the Twin Capes at the entrance of the Grand Line to find Crocus. So now they were heading straight for the first half of the Grand Line, retracing the route they had taken many years ago.
Since they knew the way, they often didn't even need the log pose. They just needed to know the direction. So, before long, they were back in the first half of the Grand Line.
"Man, this really brings back memories! When we first entered the Grand Line, it was one scary place for us!" Jabba said with a soft smile as he looked at the calm sea.
"Hehe... I bet the Navy never thought we'd come back to the first half of the Grand Line. That's what those New - World - failing pirate crews do!" Peterum replied with a smile.
"I always feel like the air here smells of freedom. You don't have to be on edge every day like in the New World!" The crew members were much more relaxed now that they were back in the first half of the Grand Line.
"Tsk tsk... I was wondering why I hadn't seen Garp lately. I didn't expect him to have gone to the Flower Country in the West Blue!" Roger said with a grin as he held the newspaper and looked at the report of Garp punching in the head of Chinjao, the current pillar of the Flower Country's Eight Treasures Navy.
Since he fainted last time, Roger hadn't shown any signs of being abnormal. He was just the same as usual. But only Rayleigh, who knew him best, knew that Roger was definitely enduring pain beyond ordinary people's endurance.
Although they were going back the way they came, Roger was still very concerned about all kinds of news. But since they weren't in the New World, they couldn't get many of the latest updates.
Apart from him, Rayleigh and Fang Yi were also very interested in intelligence. But the only thing they cared about was the whereabouts of the Ope Ope no Mi.
But even though Rayleigh had asked Shakky, who specialized in intelligence work, they still hadn't heard any news about the Ope Ope no Mi.
But it wasn't all bad news. Thanks to the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates, the fact that there was a samurai from Wano Country on their ship had finally spread.
"I really want to meet him!" Roger said with a smile as he looked at the intelligence in his hand.
Judging from the intelligence they had, Wano Country was definitely a crucial part of the equation.
"Don't be in a hurry, Captain!" Fang Yi naturally understood what Roger was thinking and said with a smile, "The Whitebeard Pirates are easy to find. It's not too late to look for them after we find Crocus."
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly." Roger nodded and said.
The Oro Jackson sailed towards the Twin Capes. Thanks to the Roger Pirates' powerful strength, they were almost invincible here. The Navy didn't even know that the Roger Pirates had secretly come to the first half of the Grand Line until they encountered a Navy warship patrolling there.
But none of this mattered to the Roger Pirates because they weren't planning to stay here.
"Up ahead is Reverse Mountain. The Twin Capes should be over there. What a nostalgic place!" The lookout, Golan, reported the situation right away.
"Finally, we're here... Is that lighthouse where Crocus lives?" Rayleigh looked at Fang Yi beside him and asked.
"It should be right. There's a rumor that he's raising a whale here. It should be easy to find!" Fang Yi nodded and said.
When the Oro Jackson docked at the lighthouse, Fang Yi recognized Crocus at first sight. His appearance was so unique that he was very easy to identify.
"Who are you guys?" Seeming to sense that Roger and the others were no ordinary people, Crocus directly asked as soon as Fang Yi and the others got off the ship.
"Excuse me, is this Mr. Crocus?" Rayleigh asked with a big smile on his face.
"You're looking for Crocus? He's out and not at home!" Crocus shook his head and said seriously.
Rayleigh's smile froze. Just before getting off the ship, he had confirmed with Fang Yi. Although Fang Yi said he had never seen the guy before, after Fang Yi described his looks, Rayleigh was sure that the man in front of him was the Crocus they were looking for.
But he never thought that the guy would lie so seriously and make it sound so real.
"Mr. Crocus, don't get me wrong. Although we're pirates, we're not here to cause trouble! We've heard that you're an excellent doctor, so we've come here specially to visit you and hope you can take a look at our captain!" Fang Yi stepped forward with a big smile on his face when he saw this.
At this time, Rayleigh and the others felt embarrassed to argue with Crocus, but Fang Yi could. After all, he was still a teenager, or it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was a kid. The other party couldn't possibly pick on a kid, right? Even if the negotiation failed, Rayleigh and the others could just use Fang Yi's age as an excuse and most likely get away with it.
"Here to see a doctor? You scared me! I thought you were here to rob! This is just a poor lighthouse. There isn't any treasure here!" Crocus replied with a big smile as soon as he heard this.
Actually, when Roger and the others got off the ship, Crocus had already noticed that these guys were definitely not pirates who had failed to make it through the Grand Line. Just from the aura they gave off, he could tell that these guys were definitely quite powerful pirates.
That was also the reason why he lied, because such people usually meant trouble.
But now that he couldn't avoid it, Crocus had no choice but to receive Roger and the others.
"You guys wait here. Fang Yi can come in with me!" Crocus glanced at Rayleigh and the others and said directly.
"Hahaha... Then I'll trouble you. I'm the patient!" Roger stepped forward and said with a big grin.
After seeing Roger, Crocus sized him up carefully and then frowned and said, "You're the patient? Are you kidding me? You don't look like a patient at all!"
"Mr. Crocus, our captain's situation is a bit special. Please allow me to explain it to you..." Rayleigh immediately stepped forward with a big smile on his face. The three of them directly went into the lighthouse.
"Alright, it seems the captain won't finish here in a short time. Let's prepare some food first!" Every time they reached a place, Cook Yao Yi would first prepare food because there were simply too many big eaters on the ship.
"Yao Yi, is there still enough food and Tansui on the ship?" Since they had been sailing straight all the way and there weren't many small islands to get supplies on, the remaining storage of food and Tansui on the ship had always been scarce. That's why Jabba asked at this moment.
"Indeed, there isn't much left!" Yao Yi nodded and said, "But there should be small islands nearby, right?"
He planned to use up all the food here. Then he would go on a big shopping spree on a nearby small island to replenish all the food and Tansui. After that, they would set off for the New World.
"That probably won't work!" Jabba unfolded the map, took a careful look, then shook his head, pointed at the map and said, "The nearest small island from here should be here, but it's about a day's sail away from us. We can't use up all the food!"
"So what should we do?" Yao Yi spread his hands and said, "We don't know how long the captain will be delayed here!"
"Alright! I'll lead some people to do the shopping first. You guys stay here and wait for the captain!" Jabba thought for a while and then said.
"It seems we have no other choice!" Yao Yi said somewhat helplessly.
So Jabba took Fang Yi, Shanks, Buggy and others and headed straight for the nearest small island from here, while Yao Yi led the remaining people to start making food.
While the Roger Pirates were staying at the Twin Capes, Garp, who was at the Navy headquarters, received the news that the Roger Pirates had appeared in the first half of the Grand Line.
"They went to the first half of the Grand Line? Roger... With your personality, you don't seem like someone who would run away. So what are you going there for?" Garp looked at the intelligence in his hand and was extremely puzzled.
"Forget it... I can't figure it out. I'd better take it to Rear Admiral Tsuru and let her analyze it for me!" After guessing for a long time and killing a lot of his brain cells, Garp finally gave up. He took the intelligence and walked towards another office, which was the room of Rear Admiral Tsuru.
Rear Admiral Tsuru, Garp and Sengoku were from the same batch. The iron triangle formed by the three of them was quite famous even within the Navy. Among them, Rear Admiral Tsuru was a female general, well - known for her wisdom. Her strategic ability was even above that of Sengoku, who was known as a wise general. So generally, whenever there was a problem, Garp liked to go to Rear Admiral Tsuru to solve it.
"Huh? The Roger Pirates appeared in the first half of the Grand Line? Could there be a mistake in the intelligence?" Rear Admiral Tsuru's first reaction upon seeing the intelligence was the same as Garp's. She would never believe that the Roger Pirates had fled from the New World.
"Wowahaha... So it was a mistake in the intelligence! It made me worried for so long. If Roger really ran away... I'd really be in a tough spot!" Garp replied with a big laugh upon hearing this.
"Idiot, I said it's possible! So I want you to confirm with the source of the intelligence again. If it's true, then they probably have some purpose!"
We have to figure it out! A pirate crew that can run amok in the New World suddenly appears in the first half of the Grand Line. This is a big deal!" Rear Admiral Tsuru rolled her eyes at Garp and said seriously.
At this time, Rear Admiral Tsuru didn't have the appearance of an old woman in the future, but was a young and capable girl. Even when she rolled her eyes, the surrounding Navy soldiers found it quite a sight.
"Huh? Seriously? I've got no idea where the intelligence came from either! Wait a sec... I'll go ask Bokato!" Garp was taken aback, scratched the back of his head, and said.
Bokato was Garp's adjutant. Usually, Bokato helped Garp handle some trivial matters.
Because Garp had once given an order that all intelligence related to the Roger Pirates must be given to him, this piece of intelligence ended up in Garp's hands.
After listening to Bokato's explanation, Rear Admiral Tsuru pondered for a while and said, "Immediately order the Navy over there to find the whereabouts of the Roger Pirates and figure out why they appeared in the first half of the Grand Line!"
"Yes, Rear Admiral!" Upon receiving Rear Admiral Tsuru's order, the messenger immediately saluted and turned away.
"Huh? Tsuru, Roger is mine! Those pirates aren't a match for Roger. Let me go instead!" After hearing Tsuru's order, Garp immediately complained.
"Dumbass, we don't know what's going on with them yet. What can you do even if you go? They must have left already! Only by figuring out their purpose can we make targeted arrangements and capture them once and for all!" Rear Admiral Tsuru shook her head and said.