The Grand Line.
Twin Capes.
In Sora's eyes, the East Blue held little appeal beyond Kaya, Nojiko, and Makino. As for Tashigi, she'd already ventured into the Grand Line and wasn't in Loguetown anymore. Thus, Sora didn't hesitate, sailing directly through Reverse Mountain to Twin Capes with his crew.
"Wow! That whale is enormous!" Kaya exclaimed from the ship's bow, gazing in astonishment at Laboon.
By now, Kaya had gradually adapted to life aboard Sora's ship after the initial adjustment period.
"It's an island whale, of course it's huge," Nojiko explained, standing beside her.
Since Laboon had its tail facing the Divine Slave, the crew hadn't noticed the Straw Hat pirates' mark painted on its head yet. Truthfully, Sora hoped they'd see it—he was curious about the reactions it would spark among Kaya and the others.
Nearby, Crocus, the lighthouse keeper, narrowed his eyes thoughtfully as he recognized Sora's face.
God-Slayer Sora!
As a regular reader of the news, Crocus was well aware of Sora's identity and the staggering bounty of 1.5 billion berries on his head.
"That old man's head has flower petals on it," Kaya whispered to Nojiko, mildly amazed. Though she knew it wasn't polite to comment, she'd never seen anything quite like it.
"His name is Crocus," Sora casually explained, sipping a cold drink prepared by Shalria. "He was once the ship doctor of the Roger Pirates."
The weather was unbearably hot today.
"What?! That old man was the Roger Pirates' doctor?" Kaya and Nojiko gasped, joined by equally stunned expressions from Reiju, Makino, and Anna nearby.
This was the legendary crew of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King himself. Many crew members were famous figures in their own right. Kaya's eyes lit up as she turned eagerly toward Sora.
"Sora, I'd like to ask him to teach me medicine," Kaya said expectantly.
After spending time aboard the ship and witnessing Sora rescuing merchant ships and several towns from other pirates, Kaya had realized that he wasn't truly evil—quite the opposite, in fact. He was surprisingly righteous, resourceful, and powerful.
Well, except for the small flaw of constantly kidnapping women, of course.
"Give me a kiss first," Sora smiled, pointing at his cheek.
Kaya blushed lightly but leaned forward and kissed him anyway. After all, they'd already gone much further than a simple kiss.
"Hey, me too! I want a powerful Devil Fruit!" Nojiko eagerly exclaimed, kissing Sora fiercely.
"A powerful fruit, huh? That'll cost you another kiss," Sora teased, raising his price shamelessly.
Now that they were in the Grand Line, encountering pirates with Devil Fruits would become much easier. He already had a fruit in mind for Nojiko.
"Muah! Muah! Muah!"
Thrilled by his promise, Nojiko enthusiastically showered him with kisses.
"Alright, enough!" Sora laughed, finally pulling the overly-excited Nojiko off himself and wiping away saliva with mock disgust. Somehow, it felt like he was the one being taken advantage of.
"Hehe!" Nojiko giggled, pleased with herself, as Kaya, Shalria, and the others burst into laughter at his reaction.
"I'll deal with you later," Sora playfully threatened, before taking Kaya and Makino off the ship with him. With the wind swirling around them, they landed softly by the lighthouse.
"Flower Gramps, my ship's little doctor would like to learn some medicine from you. Any conditions?" Sora asked Crocus with a friendly smile.
Kaya blushed at being called "little doctor," quickly adding politely, "If you're unwilling, please just forget it."
Controlling wind, incredible swordsmanship, expert navigation—this young man was truly extraordinary, Crocus thought, recalling the newspaper accounts of Sora's exploits.
After a brief pause, Crocus entered the lighthouse and soon returned with a stack of books.
"These are my medical notes. They should be useful," he said curtly. "Now take them and leave an old man in peace."
Without another word, Crocus returned to his reclining chair under the umbrella by the lighthouse.
"Thank you, Flower Grandpa!" Kaya thanked him excitedly, turning to Makino. "Makino, could you help me?"
"Of course." Makino nodded and neatly stored all the books in her dimensional storage.
Seeing Makino's ability, Crocus raised an eyebrow, impressed. As Roger's doctor, he knew exactly how invaluable this power was to any pirate crew. Many pirate crews perished not from enemies or marines, but from simply running out of supplies before reaching the next island.
"Thank you again, Flower Grandpa," Kaya expressed her gratitude once more before following Sora back onto the Divine Slave.
"Let's set sail. Next stop: Whiskey Peak," Sora announced after returning to the ship, immediately setting a course.
As a former Celestial Dragon's private vessel, the Divine Slave was equipped with Eternal Poses for most islands in the Grand Line, including Alabasta and Whiskey Peak, eliminating any navigational delays.
Besides "recruiting" Princess Vivi, Sora also had his eyes on several Devil Fruits belonging to Baroque Works. Mr. 5's Bomb-Bomb Fruit would be perfect for Nojiko. Miss Valentine (Mikita), Miss Doublefinger (Zala), and Miss Goldenweek (Marianne) were also on his recruitment list.
Whiskey Peak housed one of Baroque Works' main bases and information networks, making it the ideal place to start.
According to the original plot, after Crocodile's defeat, most Baroque Works agents were captured, but Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, and Miss Goldenweek had escaped earlier during the Little Garden incident. Later, they freed their comrades from prison—except Crocodile, Mr. 1, Mr. 2, and Mr. 3—and opened a café in the desert.
To gather Mikita and the others and upgrade his pirate crew to level two, unlocking new positions and features, he needed to track down this café. But first, Whiskey Peak would provide crucial intelligence on their whereabouts.
Soon enough, guided by the Eternal Pose, the Divine Slave approached two massive cactus-shaped mountains—the unmistakable landmark of Whiskey Peak.