Chapter 121: Noland the Liar and the Other Half of the Chestnut
In Mock Town, news travels faster than a storm.
The black-haired youth's violence in the bar spread through the town like it had wings.
"Hey, did you hear? 'Hyena' Bellamy, with a 55-million bounty, was pinned to a table and rubbed like a slaughtered chicken!"
"For real? Where did that bunch even come from?"
Now, rumors were circulating throughout the town that a seemingly low-key but actually terrifying great pirate crew had arrived.
And the once arrogant Bellamy had become everyone's laughingstock and clown overnight.
In a dimly lit room.
Bellamy had just woken up, his head and face wrapped in thick bandages, with only one bloodshot eye showing.
"Damn it... Damn it all!!!"
He felt an unprecedented humiliation in front of his subordinates.
Bellamy punched the wall, swearing revenge.
But whenever he recalled that black-haired youth's cold gaze and that immovable palm, a bone-deep fear made him tremble uncontrollably.
That was the psychological shadow brought by an absolute gap in strength.
"I can't win in a fair fight... then I'll play dirty."
Bellamy clutched his agonizing face, his eyes glinting with a sinister plan:
"Straw Hat... and that Crimson Lotus, just you wait. The pirate game is about more than just fighting."
...
Meanwhile, the Going Merry had bypassed the dangerous forest and arrived at the eastern shore of Jaya Island.
The atmosphere here was completely different from the violent aura of Mock Town, filled with a fairy-tale-like absurdity.
Coming into view was a magnificent castle standing on the shore.
"Whoa!!! It's a castle!! So cool!!"
Chopper was currently being held gently in Robin's arms; its small hooves gripped the railing as it looked at the distant castle, its eyes sparkling with admiration.
"That uncle must be a king!"
However, when everyone got off the ship and took a closer look, they discovered that the so-called "castle" was actually just an illusion painted on a huge piece of plywood.
The back was barely supported by a few wooden sticks, creaking whenever the wind blew.
"What... it's a fake," Usopp complained in disappointment.
Just then, a very uniquely looking man walked out of the dilapidated small house.
He was shirtless, with bulging muscles, and the most striking thing was his diamond-shaped hairstyle that looked like a chestnut.
Mont Blanc Cricket.
"Are you here to steal the gold? Brats!"
Without a word, Cricket launched an attack.
"Hey! Uncle! We're just here to ask for directions!"
A brief skirmish broke out instantly.
Sanji kicked away a flying kick from Cricket, while Luffy easily dodged the opponent's fist.
After a few rounds, although the misunderstanding was cleared, Cricket suddenly collapsed in pain due to a decompression sickness flare-up from years of diving.
After emergency treatment from Chopper, Cricket finally recovered.
Sitting in the simple small house, Cricket lit a cigarette and told everyone the sad story that had been passed down for four hundred years.
He was the descendant of the legendary "Noland the Liar."
Four hundred years ago, Mont Blanc Noland discovered the City of Gold, but when he brought the king, the City of Gold had vanished.
Mont Blanc Noland was executed for the crime of deceiving the king, shouting until his death that "the City of Gold exists; it sank to the bottom of the sea."
"My whole life has been bound by that foolish ancestor's curse."
Cricket pointed at the sea outside the window, his gaze both resolute and weary:
"I don't hate him; I just want to put an end to it. Does the City of Gold exist or not? Since it's not on the island, the only possibility is that it sank to the bottom of the sea."
"So I dive every day, even if my body breaks down, I have to find evidence."
Hearing this heavy story, everyone fell into silence.
Nami looked at this persistent man, a hint of sympathy showing in her eyes.
However.
"Hey, Uncle."
Tatsuya, who had been sitting in the corner flipping through the picture book "Noland the Liar," suddenly closed the pages.
He pointed at Mont Blanc Noland, who was finally executed in the book, and said with a smile:
"Although I don't understand diving, if it were a real City of Gold... such a huge island sinking into the sea should have left a large amount of debris floating up, right?"
"If it's not on the seabed..."
Tatsuya raised his hand and pointed to the azure sky above:
"Then there's only one possibility left."
"It didn't sink; instead... it was washed up into the sky."
"!!!"
These words were like a bolt of lightning hitting Cricket's soul.
The cigarette in Cricket's hand dropped to the ground, his pupils trembling violently.
"Washed up... into the sky?"
Decades of obsession seemed to have a new door opened at this moment.
Yes, if it was taken away by that kind of power...
"Haha... Hahahaha!!"
Cricket suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until tears came out:
"I see... so there's that possibility too! You brats really have some imagination!"
Deeply touched by Tatsuya's words, Cricket decided to take a gamble.
"Alright! Since you're going to Sky Island, I'll give you a hand!"
Cricket took out a sea current map from the cabinet:
"In this sea area, there is a special natural phenomenon called 'cumulonimbus cloud.' And beneath those clouds, there is a terrifying current that can wash everything up into the sky—the 'Knock Up Stream'!"
"As long as you catch tomorrow's current eruption, you might be able to ride the current and fly directly to Sky Island!"
Everyone was fired up hearing this.
"But..."
Cricket pointed solemnly toward the depths of the forest:
"On this sea filled with magnetic field interference, wanting to find the exact location of the current eruption, a normal compass is useless."
"You must enter this forest and catch a bird with strange habits—the 'South Bird'."
"Only with its help can you find the direction in tomorrow's great current!"
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