Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘One Piece,’ the search for the infamous treasure leads the Straw Hat pirates to uncharted territories. Their adventures lead them to uncover the stories of other pirates while they make new friends and enemies. As soon as they cross into the Grand Line, they come across a giant whale called Laboon. Initially, the giant creature appears as an enemy, but as its backstory comes to light, Luffy realises the heartbreak behind its actions. Eventually, the Straw Hats have to move on to their next destination, but as they say goodbye to Laboon, one can’t help but wonder what becomes of the poor creature. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Straw Pirates Give Laboon a Ray of Hope
As Luffy and his crew cross into the Grand Line, their ship is eaten up by Laboon, with Luffy being the only one on the outside. He lands on an island where he meets Crocus, an old man who has been taking care of the whale. It turns out that when Laboon was a baby, it was separated from its herd, and later, it became attached to a crew called the Rumbar Pirates, with whom it entered the Grand Line. The pirates had planned to take the whale with them further, but Crocus reminds them that the journey ahead is perilous not just for humans but also for young whales. If Laboon went forth, it would fall prey to a bigger fish.
The idea unsettled the pirates, and they decided to leave their beloved whale in Crocus’ care, promising to return for it once they’d fulfilled their mission. But as years passed, the Rumbar Pirates did not return, which made Laboon so impatient that it started to smash its head against the rocks to leave the Grand Line and go back where it crossed over from with its crew. When Luffy discovers this, his heart breaks for the whale. To soothe the creature, he sings the same song its crew members used to sing. The young pirate wins over the creature and paints his logo on its face.
This means that Laboon is one of the Straw Hats now. And since their logo is on its face, it mustn’t hit its head against the rocks, because each hit would erase the logo bit by bit. As Luffy and his crew leave, he promises Laboon that they will return for him someday. This time, the creature is in much better spirits as it bids the pirates goodbye. While there is a good chance that we may not see Laboon again for a while, it is confirmed from the ‘One Piece’ manga series that the whale does, in fact, survive. Luffy’s trick works, and the whale stops hitting its head against the rocks, but that does nothing to soothe its heartbreak for not being able to reunite with its original crew.
The Rumbar Pirates Meet a Tragic Fate
As much as Laboon loves the Rumbar Pirates and continues to wait for them, the fact is that it will never be reunited with them. As Crocus predicted, the journey into the Grand Line is full of dangers, and the crew lands itself in some tricky situations. At one point, their captain, Yorki, and several other crew members are taken by an incurable disease, forcing them to part from the crew and wade out into certain death in the sea. The rest of the crew comes across another set of pirates, and with their few number and depleted resources, the Rumbars do not survive. The only surviving member in the end is Brook, thanks to a Devil’s Fruit that allows his soul to stick around to find his body, so they can be reunited and he can come back to life.
By the time his soul finds his body, it has decomposed to the point that only his skeleton remains. At one point, the Straw Hats cross paths with Brook, which makes one hopeful about Laboon finally getting to reunite with at least one of his crew members. However, the journey of Luffy and his crew has only just begun, and they have a long way to go before they return from their adventures to find Laboon again. For now, the whale is still at Reverse Mountain, with Crocus taking care of it. They will slowly get news of the bigger things happening in the world, especially with the Straw Hats. So, it’s good to know that they will stay updated to keep Laboon’s hope alive. And perhaps that will be enough to keep it going.
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