Chapter 108: The "Resurrected" Kamael Saint

As the voices of the Rumba Pirates echoed from the Den Den Mushi, the old man finally felt a response beneath his feet from Laboon. In the creature’s enormous eyes, tears began to well up slowly, followed by a joyful cry, reminiscent of the time when it parted ways with the Rumba Pirates in its youth.

Hearing the song, and seeing Laboon’s reaction, the old man spoke again, “Where did you get that Den Den Mushi?”

“From a violinist with an afro named Brook. I’ll take Laboon to him,” Buffon replied, carefully describing Brook’s details to make his story believable.

“So Brook is still alive. What about the others?” the old man asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.

“Fifty years ago, the Rumba Pirates were annihilated in the Devil’s Triangle by other pirate crews. Brook survived because of the Revive-Revive Fruit,” Buffon explained honestly.

The old man set down his harpoon, kneeled on one knee, and stroked Laboon’s head, slipping into a reflective monologue. “Laboon is a whale with human emotions. I remember it well; fifty years ago, I was stationed at the lighthouse as usual when a group of hearty pirates came from the West Blue. The young Laboon followed them, and that crew traveled with Laboon from the West Blue onward.

They had planned to leave Laboon in the West Blue, but it followed them anyway. Island whales are social creatures and rarely leave their groups, but Laboon had come to see that pirate crew as companions. However, because the Grand Line is too dangerous, their captain entrusted me to take care of Laboon.

We agreed that in three years, after circumnavigating the world, they would return to take Laboon with them. But it’s been fifty years since, and now, unexpectedly…”

After the old man finished his story, Reiju spoke up. “Dr. Kurokasu, let us take Laboon with us to find Brook.” As an officer of Germa 66, Reiju was familiar with the old man’s identity.

“Laboon, do you want to go with them?” Kurokasu asked gently.

Laboon nodded in a very human-like manner, almost knocking Kurokasu off its head.

Lily, with an innocent look, asked, “Can it really understand what you’re saying?”

Before anyone else could answer, Abyss, who had been listening intently, said, “It understands. It told me in its heart that the song just now from the Den Den Mushi was indeed sung by its companions. It’s willing to go with you.”

“So you really are the girl who ate the Whisper-Whisper Fruit!” Lily immediately shrank to Abyss’s height, taking her hand and starting to ask intimately.

Upon hearing this, Abyss’s guard, which had just lowered, instantly rose again.

Although she said she could understand Laboon’s thoughts, she hadn’t yet revealed the true nature of her Whisper-Whisper Fruit ability to the others.

“Could it be? They really are after Dragon-sama!” Reiju, noticing the shift in Abyss’s expression, smiled and said, “Abyss, don’t be afraid. Our captain knows many things others don’t.”

The crew had long been accustomed to Buffon’s “Prophet” skill; they would probably believe him even if he disclosed the entire plot’s direction.

Meanwhile, Nelson, who had been entirely ignored until now, quietly probed, “Sir, what do you intend to do?”

Buffon paid him no mind and turned to Reiju, “Check if there are any operational warships. Gather them and lock them up!”

With that, Buffon lifted the unconscious Erik and returned to the Juventus ship’s cabin.

Over ten minutes later, Buffon came out with a man in chains.

Everyone gasped upon seeing the man’s appearance.

The man wore a bubble helmet and the clothes of a Celestial Dragon. Inside the bubble helmet was the distinctive blue nose—none other than Saint Carmariel.

“Saint Carmariel” shouted furiously at the Navy on the opposite warship, “You useless bunch! Contact the Navy Headquarters immediately and come rescue me!”

After this, Buffon dragged him back into the cabin.

A moment later, Buffon came out again, carrying the unconscious Erik and threw him onto one of the still-operational warships.

Witnessing this, Nelson dared not linger any longer. He ordered the Navy soldiers to set sail and depart.

After leaving some distance and seeing Buffon’s group not in pursuit, he hurriedly pulled out his Den Den Mushi to report to his superior, Jonathan.

Jonathan was momentarily stunned upon hearing Buffon’s name, then confirmed with Nelson, “Are you sure his name is Buffon?”

After Nelson’s description of Buffon’s appearance, Jonathan ordered, “Do not disclose a word of this to outsiders until further orders. Keep your men in check—if this information leaks from your side, then…”

After ending the call, Jonathan immediately dialed Sengoku’s Den Den Mushi and gave a full report.

Sengoku gave a similar gag order, instructing Jonathan to order Nelson to find a nearby location to await reinforcements and, if possible, prevent Buffon’s group from disappearing without a trace.

Without consulting Tsuru, Sengoku immediately called Kizaru, “Borsalino, where are you now? Buffon’s group has appeared near Reverse Mountain. You need to head there at once!”

“That soon? That Buffon fellow is terrifying! I’ll have to be more careful,” Kizaru replied.

After ending the call, Sengoku told Tsuru the whole story. Tsuru pondered for a moment, then said anxiously, “It must be that Buffon has turned Saint Carmariel into a zombie. That means Moria has already joined him?”

Hearing this, Sengoku’s heart tightened, unease creeping in. “Hopefully, that’s the case. That clever kid—if he pulls this off a few more times, the whole world will know he captured Saint Carmariel. That’s even more humiliating to the Celestial Dragons than killing him.”

“Moreover, he could rally a group of pirates dissatisfied with the Celestial Dragons. When that happens…” Tsuru’s voice trailed off; she feared to witness that day.

If Buffon’s forces grow, they would be far more formidable than the current Revolutionary Army troubling them, far more cohesive than scattered pirate crews, and more determined to confront the Navy!

“Send people to find Moria’s whereabouts. If he still wants the Shichibukai title, we might not be completely on the back foot,” Tsuru said seriously.

Meanwhile, Kizaru had already arrived on Hina’s warship.

After relaying Sengoku’s message to the assembled, he turned to Yukikaze, who had also joined the Navy, and said, “Konoha Sakuyahime, what do you say? That Buffon is too dangerous. I’m afraid if I go alone…”

Before he could finish, Yukikaze interrupted, “A defeated subordinate handles her own affairs. You’re fast, so go intercept him first. You won’t defeat Buffon anyway. When you’re worn out, I’ll come in to clean up the battlefield.”

Her assessment of Buffon’s strength was hardly exaggerated. Even though she was somewhat depleted from fighting Buffon last time, no longer at her peak, she still believed she could beat Kizaru.

Kizaru snorted lightly and vanished from the deck in a beam of light.

“Prepare me a small boat; I’m departing immediately!”

Hearing this, Hina, for some inexplicable reason, volunteered, “Lord Yukikaze, please allow me to escort you!”

“No need! You’d just be a burden,” Yukikaze replied sharply.

Hina’s face flushed red. Just as she was about to protest, Smoker spoke up, “She’s right; you’d hold us back. Take me to the Seven Water City; you hand over the Sand Crocodile group. I’ll wait there for the Straw Hat crew!”

“How do you know they’ll go there?” Hina asked stubbornly.

“Intuition,” Smoker said coolly, then turned to Fujitora, who had followed Yukikaze, “Old Blind, what about you?”

Fujitora rubbed his cane sword, pulled out a set of dice cups, shook them in the air a few times, then placed them on the deck, revealing the roll.

“Five and six, leopard! I’ll follow the swordswoman!”

After driving away the Navy group, Sauron and a squad of giants returned to the Juventus.

Still reeling from the earlier scene of the imprisoned Celestial Dragon, Kurokasu was again stunned by Buffon’s indescribable stitching technique.

As the former ship doctor of Pirate King Roger’s crew, he was a consummate expert in medicine.

Watching Buffon’s seamless suturing, Kurokasu entertained an absurd thought: “If only Buffon had appeared at sea decades earlier, perhaps Roger’s illness…”

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice, “Abyss, can you help me communicate with Laboon? I want to re-stitch the scars on its head.”

“If Laboon goes to see Mr. Brook in this state, Brook will surely blame himself!” Reiju added in support.

Abyss nodded, approached the ship’s railing, gently stroked Laboon’s head, and began using her Whisper-Whisper Fruit ability to communicate with it.

Moments later, Abyss nodded to Buffon. Laboon agreed.

Buffon nodded and was about to start when he felt he should show Brook Laboon’s battle scars accumulated over the years on Reverse Mountain.

He called Von Clay and had him use his ability to record Laboon’s gruesome wounds as evidence for Brook.

Then Buffon unleashed sixty-six flying needles and began carefully stitching Laboon.

Although Buffon’s speed had increased, stitching the whale’s long-standing wounds and its mountain-sized body still took over two hours.

Curious, he ventured inside Laboon’s body for a look.

As in the original story, a steel-made esophagus led directly to a stomach whose gastric acid was like a small ocean.

A ship the size of the Juventus could easily fit a dozen of them.

“This space could accommodate an army with no problem! This isn’t a submarine; it’s an entire submersible fleet!” Buffon silently marveled as he exited Laboon’s body.

Back on land, Kurokasu adjusted his glasses as he carefully examined the newly restored wounds on the real Laboon’s head.

“Are you a Devil Fruit user?” Kurokasu asked.

Buffon shook his head, “No.”

Kurokasu sighed, “What a pity.”

Buffon noticed the discomfort rising again as he looked at the scars on Kurokasu’s hands.

“I’ll re-stitch your wounds,” Buffon offered.

As a doctor himself, Kurokasu was curious about Buffon’s skill and wanted to experience it firsthand.

“All right!” he said, adjusting his glasses and removing his floral shirt.

Despite being 73, his muscular physique was still strong, and the scars showed he was more than just a ship doctor on Roger’s crew.

His combat skills were no less impressive.

For these external wounds, Buffon didn’t even need to examine them. His needles flew with muscle memory as he stitched Kurokasu’s wounds.

In less than ten minutes, under Kurokasu’s incredulous gaze, Buffon finished.

“Tsk, tsk! If only this skill had been around back then…”

Kurokasu trailed off, changing the subject quickly. “Where do you plan to go next?”

Buffon looked seriously at Abyss and asked, “The dragon tooth on your neck—is it from a thousand-year-old dragon?”

At this, Abyss’s heart tightened again. Taking a step back, she said, “Are you also here for Dragon-sama? I won’t let you harm Dragon-sama.”

Though a Devil Fruit user, Abyss was still an eight-year-old girl with a pure heart, easily seen through by Buffon.

“A thousand-year-old dragon? It’s all about the so-called immortality legend,” Kurokasu said with a hint of sarcasm.

As a former member of Roger’s crew, he had heard plenty of such stories.

Moreover, Roger, who could hear all things, had personally verified the legend: the thousand-year-old dragon does exist, but after death, it becomes a fossil-like stone statue.

The idea that dragon bones could grant immortality was pure nonsense.

With this in mind, Kurokasu earnestly said, “Don’t believe those legends. If dragon bones truly granted immortality, then back then…”

He hesitated mid-sentence.

Reiju knew Buffon had no interest in the dragon bones of the thousand-year-old dragon; what he sought was Abyss’s power.

She knelt, took Abyss’s hand gently, and said seriously, “Abyss, Captain Buffon is an excellent doctor. You saw how he treated Laboon’s wounds just now. If your friend Dragon-sama needs help, we’re willing to assist.”

Though Reiju had shown goodwill, Abyss remained wary. “Really? Dragon-sama is very weak now. It said only by returning to the Dragon’s Lair can it recover.”

“When I was on Roger’s ship, I heard a similar legend. It’s said the Dragon’s Lair is on the Lost Island, which appears once every thousand years. The lair is located on that island!” Kurokasu added.

“So, where is your Dragon-sama? Let’s go help see how it’s doing,” Reiju asked Abyss, though she already knew their destination.

“Girls, they’re kind-hearted pirates. If they’re willing to help, maybe we can really find the Lost Island!” Kurokasu supported.

He said this because Buffon had helped them against the Navy earlier and had even captured a Celestial Dragon.

After confirming this, he believed Buffon’s group had no interest in the so-called immortal dragon bones.

Besides, he wanted to see for himself if the Lost Island truly existed.

“It’s on my hometown, Warship Island!” Abyss thought for a moment, then mustered courage to say.