In the novel " Shinigami: The Unforgiven, " Chapter 30, "The Dreamer Cricket didn't say it was Usopp, but instead said, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, "Have you heard of Noland the Liar?"
I am his descendant, but to say that I am a descendant is an understatement; the bloodline is so thin that a mosquito bite would wipe it out.
Our people were expelled because of Noland, and to this day we are ridiculed by the world.
However, no one in the family hated him.
"Because Noland is an honest man through and through," Cricket said with a serious expression.
"An honest person?" Nami was puzzled. How could an honest person be considered a big liar by the world?
Mont Blanc Cricket began to tell his story to the crowd.
To be honest, he had no interest in proving Noland's innocence; he stayed here day after day, diving to find gold, solely for the purpose of dueling with Noland.
A duel between men spanning four centuries—he is determined to uncover the truth.
Usopp was most moved by these stories of true men, thinking, "There must be some touching reason why those two stayed here."
"... No, they are picture book enthusiasts."
Cricket gave a very simple answer.
Luffy wasn't very interested and shouted, "So that's why I'm going to Sky Island, Uncle Rhombus!!"
Cricket laughed and said, "Haha, you're so impatient. Didn't I just say that?"
The only witness on Sky Island is the Noland the Liar, but if you involve him, you'll all become a laughingstock like me.
As he spoke, he took a nautical logbook from the bookshelf.
What?! He's been to Sky Island too?!
Luffy asked in surprise.
Cricket, flipping through the book and searching for the page about the Sky Island, replied, "Unfortunately, it doesn't say that here."
Nami walked over, her face beaming with excitement, and exclaimed, "A ship's log?! Could it be Noland's ship's log?!"
"Yes, read that page aloud to everyone," Noland handed the book to Nami.
Nami was overjoyed. Aside from money, anything related to sailing was also a passion of hers. Holding the ship's logbook, she began to read, "Wow, this is a logbook from four hundred years ago! June 21st, 1120th year of the Sea Calendar, sunny weather, leaving the bustling Villa Town..."
According to the Log Pose, the ship will head straight northeast after departing from the port. During the day, I bought a strange and unusual item from a trading ship I encountered.
It was a single-person boat called Waver, which looked a lot like a ski. It was an incredible boat that could sail even on windless days, but I still couldn't figure out how to control it and could never get the hang of it.
Now, it has become the best toy for the crew to pass the time.
Upon reading this, Nami exclaimed with delight, "Wow, this is so interesting! I want this!"
"Read it quickly!" Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy urged, their eyes wide.
Nami continued, "Its power source seems to be something unique to Sky Island. I've heard there are many such unusual things in the sky."
Speaking of Sky Island, I can't help but think of my explorer friend, who once showed me lively, jumping sky fish—very peculiar and amazing.
Although that was uncharted territory for our ship.
But as a sailor of this nation, I really hope that one day I can go to the White Sea and broaden my horizons, like Mont Blanc Noland."
Upon hearing this, Luffy logbook described a wondrous Sky Island.
Nami exclaimed excitedly, "He said White Sea!"
Luffy chimed in, "Just like Robin said."
Usopp added excitedly, "And in his time, talking about Sky Island seemed like a normal thing."
"Very good!!"
Seeing the Straw Hat Pirates's excited expressions, Cricket smiled and made up his mind.
He went outside and told the Masira and Shoujou that he wanted their help to get the Straw Hat Pirates to Sky Island.
Masira and Shoujou also agree.
Feeling more confident, Cricket began explaining the unique geography and climate of the waters near Jaya Island to Luffy, Usopp, and Nami.
And the Sky Island conjecture associated with this geographical and climatic knowledge.
Zoro didn't listen; he was sleeping.
Shiraishi didn't like listening to this kind of knowledge either, and instead held Retsu Unohana while admiring the scenery of the sea.
Sanji is cooking, while Robin is making coffee and reading.
Cricket tells Luffy that they can reach Sky Island by riding the Knock Up Stream tomorrow at noon.
However, given the current condition of the Going Merry, it is clearly impossible to board; it will require modifications by Masira and Shoujou.
Luffy readily agreed.
Meanwhile, Sanji had finished preparing dinner.
The Straw Hat Pirates's mealtimes are always noisy.
Robin sat quietly in a corner, reading Noland's logbook, Cricket suddenly leaned closer, "I saw gold in the skull's right eye."
Robin was startled by the sudden approach and broke out in a cold sweat.
"That's something Noland said."
"Those were Noland's words written with tears in his eyes before he died, and I still don't understand what they meant."
Cricket took a big gulp of his drink. "What exactly is the skull's right eye? Could it be a reference to some ancient city?"
Or is he alluding to his own death? The blank pages that follow contain not a single word.
"So we're going to dive down to the bottom of the sea to find it! Our dream lies in the ocean!"
"That's right!" Woohoo!
The Masira and Shoujou echoed, Luffy shouted, "We're going to fly into the sky! To Sky Island!"
Cricket continued reading Noland's logbook, or rather, memorizing it.
He remembered almost every place his ancestor had visited, gesturing with his hand as if listening. "Upon reaching the island, we heard wondrous bird calls coming from the forest."
Zoro smiled and clinked glasses with Shiraishi for a drink.
"Its bells tolled across the land and resounded through the heavens, as if the ancient capital of yesteryear were boasting of its former glory."
Luffy had a piece of meat in his mouth, a grilled fish in one hand, and a piece of meat forked in the other, with a big smile on his face.
"Seeing that even the civilization nurtured by the vast ocean cannot withstand the vicissitudes of life, we, who have lived for decades, feel so heavy in our hearts that we cannot even utter a word."
Cricket Kate clenched her fists and spoke loudly.
Usopp, drinking his wine, laughed loudly, "Uncle, you clearly like Noland quite a bit."
"Let's talk about the giant Golden Bell again!" Nami asked expectantly, her fascination with the gold far outweighing her admiration for civilization.
Upon hearing this, Cricket decided to give them a proper demonstration of his work.
Sharing your achievements on the road with like-minded people is undoubtedly a very gratifying experience.
He took out a Golden Bell. "Look at this."
"Wow, it's the Golden Bell!" Nami picked up the heavy Golden Bell, pressed her cheek against it, and her eyes resembled Belly's, with hearts constantly bubbling out.
Usopp stroked his chin, puzzled. "What's so huge about this clock?"
Cricket explained, " Noland wasn't talking about this bell; it should be a bell-shaped casting, and we found three on the seabed."
"Really? The City of Gold is sunk at the bottom of the sea?" Luffy was full of excitement. He wasn't interested in the gold itself, but rather in the fact that the City of Gold was sleeping at the bottom of the sea.
The Masira sighed, "Ah, this little bit of stuff proves nothing. You can find this little bit of gold even in ordinary ruins."
Chopper touched the gleaming Golden Bell and asked, "What is an ingot?"
Robin explained, "Ingots were specifically cast to divide gold into smaller pieces; they later evolved into items for trade."
"That's right," Cricket readily admitted, then chuckled, "As for the bird calls mentioned in the prologue, bring them out, Masira!"
"Wow, there's more! This one's even bigger!" Nami exclaimed with delight.
The Masira produced a bird cast in gold.
Cricket said self-deprecatingly, "These are all the nuggets we found. Ten years of diving isn't even worth it."
"Wow, so beautiful." Anything related to Belly is beautiful in Nami's eyes.
Retsu Unohana asked in confusion, "What kind of bird is that?"
"This is South Bird, which still lives on the island," Cricket explained.
Luffy asked curiously, "Is its cry strange?"
Cricket said, "Yes, just like the log says."
The Shoujou leaned closer and said, "I heard about the legend of the South Bird when I was a sailor."
"Oh no!!" Cricket suddenly remembered something very important.
"This is terrible! You must quickly go to the southern forests and catch this bird!"
Cricket looked anxious and urged them to hurry up and catch the bird.
If you want to get to the location of the Knock Up Stream, you need to catch a South Bird on the island.
The bird always points its head south, allowing it to navigate the Grand Line using ordinary seafaring methods.
Without this bird, one could easily distinguish north from south as soon as they set sail.
"Then let's set off together to find the South Bird!"
Luffy raised his hand and shouted.
At this moment, Shiraishi stepped forward and said, "Leave the task of finding the South Bird to me; my senses are far superior to yours."
"It's faster to use my Spiritual Sense than to search aimlessly."
" Spiritual Sense? What is that?"
Nami was puzzled.
Usopp quickly explained, "You were sick last time, right? It was Shiraishi who used his Spiritual Sense to find the location of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom. He's really amazing!"
"Okay, I'll be right back. You can get ready to welcome our guests."
Shiraishi smiled and said, "Let's leave from here."
Upon entering the forest, he extended his senses and detected the presence of various creatures within.
The forest was so dense and teeming with life that, thankfully the South Bird were much larger than insects but smaller than wild beasts.
Soon, Shiraishi noticed it and used his Steel Tempest forward, directly trapping the South Bird inside the bag.
At this moment, in Mock Town.
A drunk man found today's newspaper, opened it, and found several newly updated wanted posters inside.
Then he saw the latest bounty posters for Luffy and Zoro, the brats Bellamy and his friends had beaten up during the day.
"Oh dear, I must be really drunk. I must have mistaken Zero."
The drunkard rubbed his eyes, counted the zeros again, and then hurriedly ran to the tavern to find Bellamy, but Bellamy had already left.
"What's wrong?"
"Did that brat say he was going to find Mont Blanc during the day? If so, Bellamy will be killed if he goes now."
The drunkard held up two wanted posters and shouted.
Everyone looked over and was so shocked that they were speechless.
Monkey D. Luffy, regardless of whether he lives or dies, has a bounty of 100 million Belly.
Roronoa Zoro, dead or alive, bounty: 60 million Belly.
Both of them have higher bounties than Bellamy.
"Oh ho, I didn't expect you two little bugs to be here too!"
Bellamy disembarked from his ship, looked at Luffy and Zoro, and stuck out his tongue while laughing.
Luffy and Zoro watched Bellamy silently without saying a word.
"What's wrong? Who's that guy?"
Usopp asked in a low voice.
"The guy I met at the bar this morning..."
Nami replied that she didn't know how to say it properly.
Cricket stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Bellamy turned his head and said, "We're here to rob gold. In the hands of you guys, even gold would cry."
"Anyone who isn't even qualified to struggle with fantasies has no right to spout nonsense here."
Cricket responded with a curt "Kid."
"What did you say?" Bellamy's already large eyes widened even further, his feet turning a bouncy yellow as he began to press down slowly.
"How pitiful," Sarquiss, hugging the blonde Lily with a mocking smile. "The consequences of angering Bellamy are severe. Before, taking the gold would have been enough, but now it might cost him his life."
"Go to hell!" Bellamy stomped her foot hard.
"Wait!" Nami shouted hurriedly, trying to pull out her Clima-Tact.
Retsu Unohana held her hand and smiled, "No need to be nervous."
Luffy stood directly in front of the diamond-shaped man, facing Bellamy who was charging towards him menacingly.
He pressed down on his straw hat with his left hand and raised his right hand in a fist.
"Die!" Bellamy utterly despised this guy who wouldn't even throw a punch.
Luffy up, and at the last second, his Riot Games slammed into Bellamy's head. "Don't hit my friend!!"
Bang.
With one punch, Bellamy's eyes rolled back and his head slammed into the ground.
" Bellamy? Hey! Bellamy! Stop playing around there!"
When Sarquiss saw Bellamy lying on the ground, his first thought was that this guy was toying with him. But when there was no movement, he finally panicked.
To my surprise, Bellamy was knocked down by that brat with a single punch.
Why is he still so weak even in broad daylight?
"Get out of here and never set foot here again."
Luffy glared at him; his slender frame exuded an overwhelming aura of Haki in the eyes of the Bellamy Pirates.
Sarquiss quickly took the unconscious Bellamy away, and the rest of them slunk away.
"Wow, time really flies."
Shiraishi returned, clutching the South Bird. "It seems the guests have been sent away."
Nami excitedly moved closer, not to the South Bird, but to Shiraishi, her eyes gleaming with golden light. "Can that Spiritual Sense be used to detect gold?"
"No," Shiraishi answered truthfully.
"Tch." Nami changed instantly, and she turned back.
"Alright, we've caught the South Bird too. Let's hurry and repair your ship."
Cricket called on everyone to work together to repair and refit the Going Merry.