At that moment.
Shojo and Masira could not help looking at each other.
Logically speaking, after Natsuya had saved them, they should have expressed their gratitude.
But after realizing Natsuya's identity, they were somewhat at a loss.
Just then, a giant chestnut suddenly emerged from the sea beside them.
Immediately afterward, a bare-chested man surfaced from the water.
"Boss!"
Shojo and Masira's faces lit up at once.
The man with a chestnut on his head was none other than Mont Blanc Cricket!
As it turned out.
Mont Blanc Cricket had been diving underwater, but the commotion of the two halves of the giant ship plunging into the sea had been so great that he noticed something was wrong and surfaced as well.
"Hm? They are...!?"
Mont Blanc Cricket then noticed Natsuya, as well as Nami and Gin aboard the unfamiliar pirate ship.
Oh, and Momoo, whose presence had become incredibly faint.
Shojo and Masira hurried over and explained the situation to Mont Blanc Cricket, especially Natsuya's role in it.
When he heard that Natsuya had a bounty of one hundred million, Mont Blanc Cricket was startled as well.
But he quickly recovered and thanked Natsuya on behalf of Shojo and Masira. "Thank you for saving them."
Whether Natsuya bore them any ill will or not, he had clearly saved them just now, so they had to thank him no matter what.
"Thank you!"
"We're deeply grateful!"
Shojo and Masira hurriedly echoed their thanks.
Natsuya waved a hand and introduced himself. "My name is Natsuya."
Then he added, "You three should be Mont Blanc Cricket, Shojo, and Masira, right?"
Hearing that, the three of them nodded in surprise. They had not expected Natsuya to know them.
At the same time, Nami and Gin were somewhat surprised too.
Nami especially.
Over this period of time, she had come to understand Natsuya very well.
All in all, Natsuya was a complete hands-off boss.
As captain, he only decided on their destination and ignored everything else.
He paid no attention to miscellaneous matters either, spending every day either training or cultivating himself.
She had not expected him to know Mont Blanc Cricket in addition to Shojo and Masira.
After all, she did not even know who Mont Blanc Cricket was!
Wait, did that mean Natsuya had approached them because he knew Mont Blanc Cricket and the others?
What exactly did he want!?
Natsuya did not waste words and asked directly, "How much do you three know about the Knock Up Stream?"
The Knock Up Stream??
Nami and Gin were both stunned upon hearing that.
Mont Blanc Cricket and the other two exchanged looks, then replied, "You've come to the right people with that question!"
"Exactly. We've been here for a year already, so we know the Knock Up Stream very well!"
"But why are you asking? Don't tell me you've heard that legend!?"
By the end, Shojo and Masira seemed to have thought of something, and a trace of fear appeared on their faces.
Mont Blanc Cricket, meanwhile, darkened.
Natsuya immediately understood that the legend they meant was Sky Island!
But at present, whether Sky Island truly existed was clearly still an unsolved mystery to the people of Jaya.
With that thought, Natsuya nodded. "That's right. I want to use the Knock Up Stream to reach Sky Island, the island that exists in the heavens!"
Yes, that was why he had deliberately approached after discovering Shojo, Masira, and the others!
He wanted their help.
He had thought it might be a little abrupt, but since he had happened to save Shojo and Masira, asking them for a favor should not be a problem.
Yet upon hearing that, Mont Blanc Cricket and the others immediately wore complicated expressions.
Nami and Gin, on the other hand, were completely confused.
They still knew nothing about Sky Island.
But after Natsuya gave them a simple explanation, the two of them quickly understood.
Knock Up Stream.
Sky Island.
So that was it!
Nami could not help sighing. "So that's why the Log Pose pointed toward the sky when we came here."
At that point, she finally understood the reason for the Log Pose's strange behavior.
But just then, Mont Blanc Cricket and the others warned them, "Sky Island isn't so easy to reach!"
"Your chances of survival are one in ten!"
"The legend of Sky Island may sound wonderful, but have you considered what would happen to the ships blasted into the sky by the Knock Up Stream if Sky Island doesn't exist? What happens once the Knock Up Stream stops!?"
"I advise you to give up."
"Because that will be your fate!"
At the end, Shojo and Masira pointed directly at the wreckage of the giant ships around them.
Mont Blanc Cricket fell silent. Seemingly reminded of something, he took out his pipe and began smoking.
Nami and Gin were dumbfounded.
So Natsuya wanted to go to Sky Island? And he was going to take such a huge risk!?
What was going on? Hadn't they said they were going to Sabaody?
Natsuya did not explain further to Nami and Gin. Instead, he continued speaking to Mont Blanc Cricket and the others. "You don't need to worry about that. Just tell me roughly when the Knock Up Stream will appear."
As far as Natsuya knew, the Knock Up Stream appeared five times every month. Mont Blanc Cricket and the others had been here for quite some time, so they should know very well.
Of course, merely knowing roughly when the Knock Up Stream would appear was not enough.
With that in mind, Natsuya said to Mont Blanc Cricket and the others again, "You said you wanted to thank me. If you're truly grateful, then reinforce my pirate ship and improve my chances of reaching Sky Island!"
Mont Blanc Cricket and the others immediately looked conflicted.
Reinforcing Natsuya's pirate ship was no problem, but were they really going to watch Natsuya march to his death?
Mont Blanc Cricket took a deep drag from his pipe and suddenly murmured, "Does Sky Island really exist?"
Natsuya gave a mysterious smile. "Won't we find out if we go take a look?"
"Gin, stay here and help them. Nami and I are going out for a while."
After leaving Gin with Mont Blanc Cricket and the others, Natsuya took Nami and departed first.
There were actually many preparations needed to reach Sky Island.
Reinforcing the pirate ship was only one of them.
Catching a Southbird was another.
But those were obviously minor matters.
For this trip to Sky Island, the most important preparation was figuring out how to deal with that arrogant fellow up there who called himself "God."
Although Natsuya considered himself very powerful already, he still had shortcomings in certain areas.
If he rashly confronted that guy, he might not be able to guarantee victory!
So he still had to make some preparations.
Thus, Natsuya took Nami, teleported into the forest, easily caught a Southbird, and then headed toward the town on the island.
There should be something there that he needed!
After Natsuya and Nami left, Gin naturally returned to the shore with Mont Blanc Cricket and the others to reinforce the pirate ship.
The process continued for two or three days.
Gin did not help much during that time.
In fact, Natsuya had never expected Gin, who did not know how to repair ships, to be of much help.
There was another reason he had left Gin behind.
That reason was to keep an eye on Mont Blanc Cricket and the others, lest they try anything underhanded.
Although Natsuya knew Mont Blanc Cricket and the others fairly well and had even saved their lives, one could never be too careful.
What if these people, who had seemed kind-hearted in the original story, turned evil over the one hundred million bounty?
Then.
Perhaps proving Natsuya's suspicions, or perhaps merely by coincidence.
On the third day, Gin spotted a large warship on the distant sea!!
The Marines!?
Before you continue