Laboon
Seiyuu / Dub
Summary
Laboon is a massive whale native to the West Blue, comparable in size to the monsters found in the Calm Belt. The Straw Hat Pirates encounter him right after entering the Grand Line. Fifty years prior, a group of pirates had befriended Laboon, who belongs to a species that travels in pods, and left him at the bottom of Reverse Mountain. Laboon formed a strong bond with these pirates and patiently waited for their return at the entrance to the Grand Line. His caretaker is Crocus, a doctor who operates the lighthouse that guides travelers into the Grand Line. Crocus informs the Straw Hat Pirates that Laboon’s friends effectively abandoned him by fleeing the Grand Line through the Calm Belt, although Brook reveals that his former crew was actually slaughtered in the Florian Triangle. These pirates were the crew of Brook, the skeleton, making him the last remaining member of Laboon’s original crew. Crocus has cared for Laboon since his friends left. Despite knowing the truth, Laboon refuses to accept that they are gone. He has many scars on his head from repeatedly slamming into Reverse Mountain, as he believes he can destroy the mountain and return to the West Blue. Monkey D. Luffy, aiming to give Laboon renewed hope, picks a fight with the whale by jamming the Going Merry’s mast into his head. After the battle, which Luffy declares a draw, he promises to return to see Laboon under the pretense of wanting a rematch. As a sign of this promise, Luffy paints the Straw Hat Jolly Roger on Laboon’s head, noting that the insignia will wash away if Laboon hits Reverse Mountain again. The Straw Hats then depart, leaving behind two important friends.
