Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.
Opening for the Jaya Arc: SHUFFLE (Yugioh Duel Monsters OP. 2)
The road to the other side of the island was harder than the crew had originally thought it would be.
"Green monkey son of a- If I see him again I'm screaming into a megaphone into his face… see how he likes it!" Gian shuddered as the crew recovered from that ordeal. After explaining the plan to the crew, their departure was interrupted by another salvager, another ape-man named Shoujou claiming to be the brother of Masira. When Luffy revealed they've thrown the monkey off their ship, this prompted the pirate to attack in an attempt to avenge his brother. Fortunately they managed to escape, though not without their eardrums almost bursting and the Merry showing some fractures in her wooden hull.
However, the other side of the island was now in sight, and perhaps now they could get some information on the Sky Island.
"I don't see anything…" Usopp mumbled as he looked around.
"Robin, are you sure you heard correctly?" Chopper was also looking around.
"It is strange to think someone lives here… there's no sign of any houses or signs of camp being set up…" Nami scoured the shore, and indeed it just appeared to be hectares upon hectares of jungle, as well as some clearings.
"Hold on… I see something!" Luffy cheered as he pointed to a small shape on the tip of a small beach. As the shape grew larger, the Straw Hats were amazed as the shape made itself out to be a large castle.
Which soon turned to disappointment as they realized the castle was merely a cardboard cutout propped up by a much smaller wooden house.
"…Overcompensating much?" Sanji grimaced.
"Wait… we have to go in there?" Gian questioned "This looks like some serial killer's house, not the house of someone that knows about Sky Islands… Robin are you sure this is the right place?"
"I didn't get what the house looked like, and even so this is the only place that seemed to be habited by anyone." Was the response "According to the boy I asked, Cricket lives here as he dives every day to look for sunken gold."
"Guess we don't have a better choice… in we go." Gian sighed.
After knocking a few times to which they got no response, they found that the door was actually unlocked. The house itself didn't have much, but it did have multiple gold artifacts shaped into multiple forms. Nami naturally had beri signs in her eyes and had to be reminded of who they belonged to. Aside from that, nobody found anything worthwhile.
"Well that was a waste of time…" He isn't even here…" Zoro grumbled.
"So we have to look over the entire other half of the island just to find this guy?" Usopp sighed.
"Or he's diving right now, like Robin-chwan said." Sanji pointed out.
"At least tell me somebody found something worthwhile…" Gian grunted, to which Nami held up a book.
"Well, there was this. But looking through it I found that it's just a story book."
"Hold on… I recognize this story!" Sanji rushed over and skimmed through the contents of the book, nodding ever so often "Indeed, I have seen it before. It's a children's book called 'Noland the Liar'. It's a popular story for kids back in North Blue."
"3 guesses on what he does!" Gian chortled.
"I think I've heard of it as well." Robin nodded.
"Why does somebody have a book meant for kids in his house?" Chopper asked.
"Oh no… maybe he is a serial killer! He puts on a friendly face to make him more appealing to kids!" Gian panicked.
"Gian that is so morbid! Don't say things like that!" Usopp chastised.
"That could be possible, he could've used that book to lure kids in and then show his dark and terrifying self." Robin shrugged.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!"
"Hey, I'm just kidding!" Gian held up his hands "From what Robin has told us he seems like an alright guy, just really reclusive. I bet when we actually talk to him he'll be-"
He didn't finish as the sea close to them splashed about as a tall man leapt from the surf. A muscular fellow, his arms and legs were well developed by years of deep sea diving. His large chin gradually tapered his head to a smaller point, ending up with a hairpiece shaped way too much like a chestnut.
"Well… guess Ero-cook was right." Zoro pointed out "He was diving."
"CRAP! HE DIDN'T HEAR WHAT I SAID ABOUT HIM, DID HE?" Gian panicked.
"You lot! Don't think I don't know what you're up to!" the man shouted.
"HE KNOWS! LOOK MAN I'M REALLY SORRY I WAS JUST WONDERING WHO YOU ARE-"
"You're here to steal the gold! Don't think I'll let you!"
"I'M SO SORRY I SAID THOSE THINGS ABOUT- huh? Gold?" and Gian was brought back to reality.
"I think he means the pieces we saw back at the house…!" Usopp stammered back, at which the man actually picked up.
"So… you've seen it. And now you're planning to take it?!" The man growled "Over my dead body!"
"Wha? No! We're here to ask you about- WHOA MAMA TAKE IT EASY THERE MAN!" the outburst by Gian was not unfounded, for that moment the man charged forwards, thrusting his palm towards him. They all managed to leap out of the way, only to find the man had faster reflexes and now had pointed a pistol towards the back of Luffy's head!
The boy didn't have a chance to dodge before the man opened fire.
"LUFFY!" everybody but Gian cried out; the latter was a bit more observant at this point.
"Um… did we all forget Luffy is made of rubber? There's a good chance that bullet won't do anything." He pointed out.
"Oh… that's right…"
"Besides…" Gian pointed to the captain, who after blinking a bit, realized he was fine "It seems like the gun missed its mark."
"Seriously?" Usopp gawked "He missed at point-blank?!"
"Actually he's on the ground right now…" Nami realized. Indeed, the large man was now sprawled down, breathing hard. Chopper quickly ran over to him.
"Decompression Sickness… it's a common thing that happens when you're out diving. It happens when you come up for air too fast and don't check for water pressure, but he should be fine after some rest!" The reindeer assured them.
"He goes out deep-sea diving yet he doesn't even acknowledge that bit? What even?" Gian quirked his eyes "Let's just bring him into the house…"
"He definitely should be more careful." Chopper agreed "He doesn't even have proper diving gear!
The man was still unconscious as Chopper tended to him. He occasionally murmured about a city of gold, but otherwise didn't wake up.
"I'm assuming this guy is Montblanc Cricket, he seems the most likely." Zoro muttered.
"Didn't you say something about the guy diving for gold, Robin?" Gian asked.
"If my memory serves well, then yes the boy that gave me this information did confirm that."
"Then that's all but confirmed."
Soon, the door to the house burst open to reveal the monkey-like duo from before. Both Masira and Shoujou were horrified to see the man lying prone on the bed.
"BOSS! WHAT HAPPEN TO YOU?!"
"AAAHHH! IT'S THEM!" Usopp cried.
"Wow… what are the chances?" Gian noted.
"YOU GUYS?! WHY ARE YOU HERE AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH OUR BOSS?!" the two monkeys shouted.
"We're taking care of him! Stop bothering us!" Luffy waved them off.
"THEY WON'T BELIEVE THAT!" Chopper wept as well.
"OH YOU GUYS ARE SO KIND! WE FEEL BAD FOR ATTACKING YOU EARLIER NOW!"
"THEY ACTUALLY DID?!" Both Usopp and Chopper deadfaulted.
"Hey… it works for us. Besides it's sort of true." Gian whispered back. And just like that, the two henchmen quickly bonded with the rest of the crew, along with confirming that the chestnut man is indeed Montblanc Cricket.
Soon, the man awoke after some treatment, much to everybody's relief.
"You guys… you helped me…" the man grumbled "Thank you. I apologize for attacking you all earlier, but I wasn't sure who you were and whether or not you're just here to steal my gold like some of the others."
"So you actually do have gold!" Nami's eyes glittered, until Zoro brought her in check.
"Yes, it has a long history with me and I made quite some sacrifices for it. Others have tried to take advantage of that before, but I've managed to fend them off, with a lot of help from these two of course." Cricket explained.
"Hehe, don't mention it boss!" Masira grinned.
"Yeah! The Saruyama Alliance stick together for things like this!" Shoujou grinned as well.
"Anyways, I heard that you all have something to ask of me?"
"Do you know about the Sky Island? We want to go there!" Luffy said happily.
"Oh, is that what this is all about?" Cricket laughed "It seems some other people believe in that tale as well."
Everybody was rather disappointed at that.
"So… the Sky Island doesn't exist?" Nami said sadly.
"Now, I didn't say that! I said I didn't know." Cricket clarified "Knowledge on the Sky Island is known by only one man, but that man is someone who's known to the rest of the world as a Liar."
"Wait… you're not talking about… USOPP?!" Luffy and Gian both shouted at the revelation.
"DON'T BE STUPID!" the sniper screamed back "If I knew anything we wouldn't even be here!"
"Hehe, you sure are a lively group. Though, looking at the young man now I could see similarities there. No, the man I speak of is this person." Cricket then lifted the storybook the crew found earlier "Noland the Liar, known to the world as a folk tale, but whose existence was clear as day."
"Noland the Liar was a real person?" Nami asked.
"As real as the rest of us, of course that was centuries ago." Cricket sighed before closing his eyes "Though, even now his blood is scattered around the world, and one of them is standing before you. That's right, I am one of Noland's descendants."
"Then that means Jaya is the place that-" realization hit the crew, and Cricket's expression only confirms it.
"Yes, this land was once described by Noland as a city of gold… of course, you all know how that turned out. Even after his death, his descendants bear the ridicule of his name." he sniffed.
"However, despite all his talk, Noland was honest about his words. He truly believed that such things exist. Even as he was on the execution platform, he still boldly proclaimed that the City of Gold had sunk into the ocean, even as others laughed at him for his words."
Cricket was somber by the time he finished his story "It's funny, I was the one who despised his name the most, yet I was the one that ended up finding the place where his City of Gold supposedly was."
"Ah, so you're here trying to find it so that you can clear his name?" Usopp chimed in, but yelped as Cricket whirled on him.
"WRONG!" the man shouted, almost firing another shot at him "What my ancestors' claim was, it has nothing to do with me! Do you know how it feels, to have to endure the sneering of others simply due to sharing blood with a man like that?! To have to live through the taunts and jeers of people for even associating with Noland the Liar?!" Cricket shouted before calming down. The two primates were somber as well, it's clear they've known about his feelings in the matter.
"The sins of the fathers are passed on to the sons… you coming out here was trying to get away from all that, was it?" Gian inquired. Cricket sighed before continuing.
"Yes… that's correct. I wanted nothing to do with the Montblanc Lineage, so I left home to seek my own fortunes. It's a twisted form of irony in that case, that I was the one that ended up finding this place. Many members of my family had searched for it, but none had found it. Only I, the one who wished to distance himself from it the most…"
"When I do finally find it, it is only to bring some peace to my heart. This is a personal duel, a duel between me and the man who ruined my life!"
"And just like that… you've been searching all this time…" Zoro noted.
"Indeed, it's been years. I'm no closer to finding it all this time, but I know for a fact it exists now. Traces of gold, found every day as I dive for it. It's somewhere in the ocean for sure. Eventually these two joined me after hearing about the story. Said they were believers as well and we've been working together all this time." Cricket gestured to the two monkeys.
"That's great and all, but what of the Sky Island? What does all this have to do with each other?" Gian asked.
"Yeah, how do we get there?" Luffy chimed in as well.
Cricket smiled softly "That… is found within this." He held up a book "This was Noland's logbook. Read this one passage, and see if you believe it or not?"
"Hmm…" Gian swept his eyes over the page "…A merchant once told me about called a Waver, it is quite a piece of work… it's capable of sailing even though there's no wind! The rest of the crew is having a blast with it. I however, haven't been able to control it well yet…"
"This is really cool and all, but where does it- oh, wait" he continued reading.
"The merchants told us that the Waver works on specific energies, energy found only on… a Sky Island!" Gian grinned. Now they're getting somewhere!
"Supposedly an island exists somewhere in the sky, amongst a sea of clouds. It is such a grand place for adventure, but alas my ship is unable to reach it. If only one day, I can visit it... Signed, Montblanc Noland…" Gian whispered as he finished. When he turned, the rest of the crew were excited as well!
"It mentions the sea of clouds! It's just like Robin told us!" Nami said happily.
"There's no doubt about it! The Sky Island exists!" Usopp exclaimed.
"I wanna go right now!" Luffy grinned as well.
Cricket grinned at that; he couldn't help but feel slightly warm at the sight.
"If the matter is getting there, then there is perhaps one way. This is just a theory though, I can't guarantee it would work."
"Everything else adds up so far, I'm sure this will too." Gian assured him.
"Very well. What I know is that, surrounding these seas there are particular clouds. Dark, imposing ones that are so dense that even the sun does not shine through them-"
"Then the Sky Island must be on one of those!" Luffy exclaimed "Let's go!"
"Hold on, I wasn't finished!" Cricket barked "You can't expect to get up there if you don't know how. The truth is that every once in a while, 5 times every month in fact, a massive pillar of water shoots up from the sea to the sky! This is the Knock Up Stream, and it forms from excess gas released from within an underwater cavern. If the Stream is strong enough, it should propel you far enough into the sea of clouds!"
"But be warned: it can lift you up there, but it's still possible that there isn't anything there at all. If the sea of clouds does exist, then you should be fine. But if there isn't anything then you'd just fall back down. I don't think you need me to tell you what would happen then?"
"I-I'm feeling less certain about going up there now…" Usopp whimpered, before Gian clamped a hand down on his shoulders and making him yelp.
"Relax, think of it like a watery trampoline!"
"E-easy for you to say!"
Cricket wasn't finished however and proposed another problem.
"Also, your ship is in no condition to take a Knock Up Stream. I can tell you've had it for a long time. She sure is a resilient vessel but it's painfully obvious she's battered and worn out. Some renovations will have to be done for her to withstand the trip upwards."
"You'd do all this for us?" Nami asked.
"Hey, we're both searching for something. The least I can do is help one of us find what their looking for."
Later:
"Anything else in the book?" only Gian and Robin were still looking over Noland's log book. The others were off having a party, though Gian wanted to join, a part of him compelled him to stay.
"A lot of information from Noland's travels… but nothing about the Sky Island…" Robin mumbled.
"Shame, though Cricket-san did say Noland never did make it up there. His great-great-great-great-great grandfather does seem to have a lot on Jaya, but nothing about where we want to go."
"Yes… although I will admit that the City of Gold sounds very interesting. If only there was time to look for it as well…"
"Of course you'd be interested in that! Unfortunately for us, it's underwater. Half of us can't go down there so I figured it'll be less fun." Gian laughed.
"I suppose so." Robin shrugged "Hmmm, there's another page…"
"Within the Skull's right eye, the gold can be found." And Cricket leaned real close to the two of them, prompting Gian to almost whip out Atom Splitter.
"That's what the page says. Apparently Noland said the same thing prior to his death. I still haven't figured out what it means."
"Don't ask us, we don't know either…" Gian stuttered, still shaken by the earlier incident.
Cricket sighed wistfully "All these years, the City of Gold still shies away from me. But I know I'm on the right track! Every day, I dive down deep and always I manage to find traces of it. Take a look!"
With that, the man produced multiple trinkets of gold, making the Straw Hat's eyes wide with wonder as they gazed upon it.
"These are mostly lockets, I don't really know what they were used for. My favorite one is this one though" he then pulled out a golden idol of a bird with a crest and a curved beak "This is a South Bird, named because of its head always pointing south. You can still find some of them in the rainforests around Jaya today and-"
"SHIT!" Cricket's eyes suddenly widened as he let loose that outburst. The Saruyama Alliance also caught on to what he was about to say.
"You guys have to go find a South Bird right now!"
"Um… do we-?"
"No time to explain! You need to go into the rainforest and find a South Bird right now! It's the only thing that can lead you to the Knock Up Stream!"
"And how is that possible?" Usopp asked.
"They say that some animals have a naturally good sense of direction. They can act as a form of bio-compass, and since the Knock Up Stream is directly south of here, the South Bird will lead you to it due to the shape of its head!" Cricket explained.
"And since we can't lock onto it normally like a Log Pose since it isn't a landmass…" Nami realized.
"Exactly, but you haven't much time! Go and find one now! Shoo!" And Cricket hurriedly ushered them out of the house for their next leg of the journey.
Later:
"Bird hunting… bird hunting… Who would've thought to do it at night?!" Gian snapped as he looked around. The groups have separated; Luffy, Nami and Sanji were one, Zoro and Robin were another pair. That left Gian with Usopp and Chopper taking the last route. Splitting up could be helpful in finding it first, but in the darkness it makes it more difficult.
"Well, at night it's probably sleeping so we can catch it easier?" Chopper suggested.
"That's fair. Now that I think of it, this is actually kind of fun!" Gian laughed "We're like 3 adventurers braving the wilds of the jungles, where wild beasts and virulent diseases run amok!"
"Hehe, yeah! That is what this is like!" Usopp smiled as well.
"To the South Bird!" Chopper shouted.
"TO THE SOUTH BIRD!" The other two cried out as well, until Gian realized something.
"Although quieter would be better, we wouldn't want to scare it away! Now let's-"
A shrill cry alerted them, causing Usopp and Chopper to yelp and leap behind Gian for safety. So much for brave explorers!
"I-Is that one of the beasts…?" the sniper whimpered.
"Dunno, let's go find out." Gian slid Atom Splitter off his back as the three scooched forwards.
Gradually, they could make out noises coming from the direction they were going. The sound of slashes, more of the cry from earlier, and the occasional grunt of exasperation.
"W-what is going on there?" Chopper trembled.
"It sounds like a struggle, someone is in trouble there!" Gian declared before whipping around Atom Splitter in Wild Arcs, chopping up parts of the undergrowth as the two children behind him screamed as well.
"DO NOT WORRY RANDOM STRANGER! WHY? BECAUSE I AM HERE!" he then roared and charged south, the direction of the sound.
"WAIT, DON'T LEAVE US!" Usopp yelped as he followed.
"HUH? WEREN'T WE SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING FOR THE SOUTH BIRD?" Chopper facefaulted before scurrying after them as well.
Rustling can soon be heard as Zoro and Robin were fighting off waves of large insects. They had managed to find the South Bird first, only to discover a rather nasty ability that it has. The bugs of Jaya were much larger than your average ones, and soon, they were being swarmed.
"Dammit, is there more coming?" Zoro raised one of his blades to brace himself, only to get the surprise of his life when Gian launched out of the bush, yelling loudly. The act managed to cause him to fall over as Gian leapt over him.
"Wait, Zoro?" Gian was perplexed "Then what was all the- WAIT, WHERE AM I LANDING?!"
*CRASH
"I hate rainforests…." He groaned, before looking down in surprise. It just so happened that he landed directly onto Robin and the two were both sprawled to the ground.
It didn't make it any less awkward that his face was placed in a rather… risqué position.
"COVER YOUR EYES CHOPPER!" Usopp cried.
"Gian-san, please get up." The woman only sighed.
"OHMYGODIAMSOSORRYTHISDAYISJUSTSOMUCHWORSE-" Gian jumped back in embarrassment. The boys back home must never learn of him sticking his head (accidently!) between a woman's chest. What kind of role model would he be for his little brother if they had found out?
"Geez, at least give me a warning when you're jumping in like that!" Zoro snapped as he got back up.
A snickering sound was heard above them, as the group glanced up to see the multicolored bird making a little gesture with its body.
"Hey, you guys found it! Chopper what is it saying?" Usopp asked.
"Um… you're not gonna like this…" Chopper mumbled "It thinks we're a bunch of idiots…"
"Yeah…I could've figured that out…" Gian took a deep breath "BOY IF YOU DON'T-"
And then the South Bird emitted another shrill cry that alerted dozens more of the large insects earlier. Soon, more mantises and centipedes leapt at the group, causing the cursing and vile language to erupt again as Zoro and Gian were forced to chop their way through them. The bird giggled to itself again before flying off.
"It's getting away!" Usopp pointed.
"I once said I love all animals… that one is an exception…" Gian's eyes flared more bugs clung to him. They were all blown to pieces when blue flames erupted from his body as he emerged in his Partial Transformation "SKREHAHAHA! WHAT NOW YOU PEONS?!"
"I don't think he's even in the mood for catching that bird anymore…" Chopper sighed as Gian continued his rampage against the creepy crawlies.
"Guess we'll have to go after it." Zoro grunted.
It was a few minutes later when Luffy's group, after having no luck finding the bird and hearing all the commotion, showed up as well. Needless to say, the sight of a Partially Transformed Gian tearing into a pack of large insects were something they did not expect to see.
"Do…do we want to know?" Nami asked.
"Even we're still trying to figure it out…" Usopp sighed.
It took Robin's Devil Fruit ability to finally restrain the mischievous avian as the bird is now bound with a pair of arms growing out of its body.
"Gian, you can stop now… We caught it…" Chopper deadpanned.
"YEAH! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT YOU-huh?" and the Kaiju-Zoan user snapped back to reality "Oh! Nice job guys!"
"No thanks to you… Now let's hurry up and get back to the old man." Zoro snapped as he left.
Victorious, the group began to walk back, with Gian and Robin taking up the rear as the former snickered maliciously at the captive bird.
"Oh you little bastard… if it weren't because we need you to help us find the Knock Up Stream you'd be dead meat already…" much to the bird's horror.
"Never expected you to be the vengeful type." Robin chuckled.
"I can overlook lots of things, getting buried in bugs is not one of them…" Gian grumbled "You know, if that Giant Bird from the book was with us, it would've been much easier."
"And why is that?"
"From the illustration it looks like it eats bugs, it could've helped us cleared the path."
"Very observant. Though, considering its size, wouldn't it also be eating us afterwards?"
"…Sometimes you're way too smart for your own good, you know that?" Gian scoffed, before suddenly turning away, a gesture that Robin did not miss.
"…Um… about what happened earlier…"
"Hmm? What might that be?" Robin smirked.
"YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED GODDAMMIT!" Gian snapped with his face slightly pink "I'm just saying that… it was an accident… I didn't mean anything from it and if you felt the wrong way then I apologize."
Robin shook her head "Don't worry, I know."
"Oh…! Well… uh, let's just let that slide, and neither of us mention it again? And try not to tell anyone also…"
"I don't see a reason not to" Robin agreed.
"Oh, great! Well got that off my chest!" Gian sighed with relief, Robin only smiled lightly as they returned to Cricket's house.
Later:
"Hey, Ossan! We're back and we found the Bird!" Luffy called out as the crew got back, successful from their night's hunt. They were ready for what's to come next, but this night wasn't over just yet.
"Ossan! Monkey brothers! Where did you-!" Luffy's cry was cut short when the crew came across a ghastly sight.
Everyone stared in tension-filled silence as they took in the scene of destruction. The house that served as the Saruyama Alliance's base was ransacked, the painted castle partially torn down. Even the Going Merry didn't escape the damage, as it is now looking even more battered.
Masira, Shoujou and Montblanc Cricket were sprawled at the front of the house, battered and bruised as blood leaked from open wounds. Cricket was still conscious as he saw the concerned crew race to him.
"Ossan! What happened here?!" Luffy shouted.
"I should've known… that my dream would be dangerous…"
"What are you-?"
"Luffy! The gold's gone!" Nami cried out as she pointed within the house; each of the golden trinkets they've seen before had been snatched.
"And I think I know who did it..." Zoro snarled as he pointed to a tree… a symbol depicting a mouth with crossbones
"That's Bellamy's symbol… he must've-"
"Bellamy? Didn't you tell us he was the one that-?" Gian growled, but then Luffy was heard.
"Robin… can we reach Mock Town from here?"
"Yes, if you just follow the shoreline, you should be able to reach it."
"Then I'm heading off."
"Wait, what are you planning to do?" Cricket questioned.
"I'm going to bring back your gold." Was all Luffy said. Cricket's eyes widened as he tried to get up.
"S-stop! There's no need for this! It's really… not a big deal…"
"Not a big deal?! How is this not a big deal?!" Usopp demanded.
"We've been trying to follow this dream of finding that City of Gold for years… it's just a few missing pieces… we'll find more. I'll have your ship fixed up and ready to scale the Knock Up Stream by morning, so just sit tight and-"
"Stop talking." Gian told him firmly "This isn't a matter between gold or not, this is about crossing a line, and those bastards have clearly crossed it." He then leapt up and joined Luffy.
"Looks like I'm going to get blood on my new clothes after all."
"He's mine." Luffy said firmly.
"And he will be, I just want to pay the rest of his rat hole a visit" Gian replied. Luffy nodded and the two raced off, it was time to give a man his honor back.
"W-wait…! This is-" Cricket tried to protest, but was stopped by Zoro.
"Relax, they said they'll be back by dawn, and they'll have your gold with them." he promised.
Soon:
"BELLAMY! GET OUT HERE AT ONCE!"
No sooner did Luffy bellow that challenge out did the bar of Mock Town burst open as a tall man kicked the door open and jumped out. Dressed in a pink shirt with dirty blond hair, Bellamy The Hyena was a nasty pirate and had a rapidly growing reputation.
"Well, if it isn't the loser I ran out of town? One beating wasn't enough for you?" a taunting grin adorned his face as Bellamy's legs turned to coils, before springing up to the roof where Luffy was standing on.
"You stole that Ossan's gold didn't you? Give it back to him at once!"
"Oh, him? Yeah I took his stuff, what of it? A dreaming idiot like him can't even defend what's supposedly his!" the pirate laughed.
"Well I'm taking it back!" Luffy shouted.
"Hehe, come and try then!"
As that verbal spat was going on, Gian got a good look at the surrounding; Bellamy at least knew what it took to be a pirate, with a fully furnished crew and all. The thing he took the longest time to look over was their ship. It was like a standard pirate ship, with a smiling skull for a figure head. But what caught his attention was the Jolly Roger, or rather both of them. One was the mouth and tongue they saw before, but the second one was a smiling face with a diagonal slash across it. That was what made him look longer. He couldn't help but feel that the second flair was somehow familiar to him.
It was as if that flag had some history with him.
He was snapped out of his musing as Bellamy continued to laugh loudly, resulting in a scowl. This guy was seriously needed of a punch in the face.
"Geez… and I thought Bartolomeo was a jackass, this guy makes him look like a saint!"
"Hahaha! That Straw Hat Idiot is back? Doesn't he know when to quit?" an obnoxious sound drew his gaze away to see a blue haired man wearing a fur coat sneering at the scene.
"And why should he quit?!" Gian growled at him, making the man turn his attention over.
"Oh please, he's another dreaming idiot like that old fool we visited earlier! I can't believe he even has 30 million as his bounty! Someone really messed that one up!" the man cackled "Not that it matters, our captain Bellamy has a 55 million beri bounty that way outclasses him! Still, can't believe he'd be this pathetic!"
"I'd be more wary of what happens during this, you can expect Luffy to come out on top in this fight! Bellamy doesn't have a chance."
"What did you say?! You think that-" the man snarled as he realized who he was talking to "Oh… I recognize you. You're 'Beast Warrior' a part of Straw Hat's crew! Came to stick up for you captain did ya? Can't even let him fight his own battles?"
"Easy there… some punks like that aren't worth Transforming over…"
It took Gian quite a bit of self-control not to punch the guy right then and there.
"Well listen here, my name is Sarkies, Bellamy's first mate! He's a big time rookie and an upcoming superstar! You and your dipshit of a captain can just get out of here! Then again, it's already too late for that!" and Sarkies drew a large curved knife from his pocket.
"Nice blade, compensating for something?" Gian scoffed, angering the man.
"Has anyone ever told you to watch your mouth?! For someone only worth 16.5 million, you sure don't know your place!"
"N-no, wait!" an old man ran up to them "You're mistaken! The bounties I gave you earlier were-"
"Shut up old man! I'm gonna gut him!" Sarkies shouted as he rushed forward in an overhead swing, which Gian easily sidestepped.
"If you keep this up, you're gonna get hurt. Very hurt." The Kaiju-Zoan user warned.
Before the blue haired knife wielder could do anything else, Luffy suddenly was launched from the roof to the square, landing on his feet. Bellamy's cackles sounded as his legs turned to coiled springs again.
"Spring Hopper!"
"You see? You captain stands no chance! Bellamy's Bane Bane no Mi powers are going to crush him flat!" Sarkies shouted triumphantly "Do it Bellamy! Kill him like the worthless worm he is!"
Gian said nothing only continued to watch.
And at this point Bellamy was bouncing all over the place, the speed gradually increasing as he was beginning to leave craters from his impacts.
"You made a mistake to have come back here! You and the rest of those pathetic pirates, still clinging onto worthless dreams like they mean something! The City of Gold? Sky Island? The Treasure of One Piece? All of it's a bust! Those fools all go looking for their dream treasures don't even know what's in front of them! The time of dreams are over! In this new age, out on these seas, only true strength matters! Those who live are the ones who are strong, and those who die are the ones killed by their foolish imagination!" Bellamy shouted as he began to accelerate faster, as he prepared to throw out the blow that would wipe this piss-ant off of the map.
"This guy is just spewing nonsense at this point…" Gian thought "Luffy, teach him a lesson."
And Luffy himself can take no more of this. As Bellamy shot forwards, he didn't notice that Luffy had his fist raised.
"Who are you…TO MAKE FUN OF SOMEONE'S DREAM?!"
And Luffy threw his fist down, the impact rang out across the entire yard. It was soon drowned out by the sound of Bellamy slamming into the cobblestone, however.
And he didn't get up. Luffy knocked him out with a single punch.
"Told you." Gian only shook his head. Beside him, Sarkies was speechless.
"B-Bellamy… come on get up!" no reaction "Bellamy! What are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be giving us a show?"
"He never had a chance to begin with, he spoke of strength, but strength is empty without the right things backing it up." Gian said as he walked towards the bar. Luffy had already went to retrieve the gold, the remaining pirates cleared a path almost immediately.
Sarkies was horrified, then angry. In a last attempt to regain his captain's honor, he ran at Luffy, knife out and ready to slash down. He never made it.
"Do not move again." Gian's rage was seething at this underhanded attempt as he lowered the leg that sent the blue haired man flying to the pavement. Sarkies tried to stab him, but only realized how deep he went when Gian caught the knife in his right hand without a single thought.
"Even now you still have no idea why your captain lost…" he growled as more pressure was applied to the blade, until it shattered into pieces "All that talk about strength, disregarding dreams…"
"Dreams are what gives you the strength to set off to sea!" and Gian's eyes flashed dangerously as he delivered a stomp kick to the blue haired pirate's chest, sending him flying again.
"Dreams are what gives people hope, as they all look for meaning!" Sarkies was terrified, almost soiling himself as Gian lifted him with one hand.
"And dreams… are what makes a person persevere… even as every odd is stacked against them!" one last punch sent the man flying into the bar, landing with a crash. Sarkies did not get up after that; he won't be for a bit.
"If not for dreams… then what are you gathering strength for?" Gian ended his monologue as he glared at the remaining pirates, daring them to come. None made any move. It was like that did Luffy see him when he walked out with the retrieved gold.
"Got it?" Gian asked. Luffy nodded with a big smile. And the atmosphere between them was back to a more casual one.
"Great, now we need to head back quickly. I think I see the sun beginning to rise, and we're supposed to be back at dawn."
It was only as the duo left did the remaining Bellamy Pirates realize just who they messed with. As 2 pieces of paper drifted down at them, they couldn't even think about what they've just done.
Later:
"Now remember! Once you find the current stick with it! Then bear the resulting whirlpool that comes with it and the Knock Up Stream will appear!" Masira reminded them as they set off on the newly repaired Merry. The Saruyama Alliance had made some pretty drastic changes to the ship, including the addition of two wings that would supposedly give them balance as they set off into the sky. Overall, it made the Going Merry look rather like a big chicken.
None of the Straw Hats complained though, the 3 had already done more than they needed.
"Now, we part ways here." Cricket informed them "What happens afterwards… no one may now. I do know this one fact however!" The old man grinned "No one has yet been able to prove that the Sky Island or the City of Gold doesn't exist yet!"
"Others may laugh at us, but that doesn't matter! What matters is that we're still looking! Now go! Find the Sky Island!"
And with a heartfelt farewell that the Straw Hats finally set off once again.
The sea remained calm for some time as the crew followed the South Bird, nothing out of the ordinary. Soon however, the sky began to darken at an alarming rate.
And then they felt it, the turning of the ocean.
"I think this is it… we're getting close to-THERE!" Nami pointed "A whirlpool is forming! This is where the Knock Up Stream is! The Log Pose is pointing directly at that cloud!" and what a cloud it is, a massive dark pillar of a cloud. This must be the Millennium Cumulonimbus, the cloud where the Sky Island is found on!
"Now, on a different note on how to avoid being swept in…" Gian shivered as he looked over. This was no ordinary whirlpool; the force of the water was far greater, as even a Sea King could not escape its grasp.
"Stay away from the center! Don't get drawn in and stay on the side!"
"Easy for you to say…!" Gian strained as he tried to move the ship along the edges; the suction was getting stronger. He had to focus on all-
"STRAWHAT! I'VE COME FOR YOU!" a loud voice bellowed.
"OH NOW WHAT?!" Gian shouted in exasperation.
The crew turned to see a large wooden raft sailing towards them, on it were a group of people, more familiar then most.
"Hey, it's that guy from the bar!" Luffy realized.
"The guy who was shooting those birds is there too… who are they?"
"I've come for your bounties!" the rotund man grinned savagely as he held up 3 posters "You guys have got some guts, getting this much of a wanted poster!"
"Guys… you might want to take a look at this!" Usopp shouted with the spyglass.
To say they were surprised were understating it.
Wanted, Dead or Alive: 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy, 100 million beri.
Wanted, Dead or Alive: 'Beast Warrior' Gian, 97.3 million beri.
Wanted, Dead or Alive: 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro, 60 million beri.
"O…M…Goodness…" Gian breathed.
"I don't believe this…" Zoro mumbled.
"I see…" Luffy mumbled as well.
Then three pairs of grins became wide.
"WE'RE MORE INFAMOUS NOW!"
"WOW I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M WORTH 100 MILLION!" Luffy shouted estatically.
"97.3 MILLION IS PRETTY DAMN GOOD AS WELL, I FEEL LIKE IM GONNA GET FANS!" Gian laughed.
"I'M A BIT DISSAPOINTED WITH 60 MILLION!" Zoro said, but his grin stated otherwise. The 3 laughed in mirth as they basked in this newfound information.
"YOU GUYS STOP BEING EXCITED ABOUT THIS!" and it was Nami who was the one that had to bring them back to reality.
"Do I have one? Usopp can you check if I've got one as well?" Sanji pleaded.
"Um… I only see 3… maybe they didn't bring it out?"
"WHO CARES?! THIS MEANS MORE POPLE WILL COME AFTER US NOW, AND HAVEN'T YOU FORGOTTEN THAT ROBIN HAS A BOUNTY AS WELL? THAT'S FOUR PEOPLE ON THIS SHIP!" Nami screeched.
"Oh yeah, forgot about you for a sec there. Sorry about that." Gian informed the archeologist.
"Its fine, I've had my bounty for a much longer time and for a different reason, so the celebration would be lost to me anyway."
"Besides" Nami sighed as she signaled them to get back on track "We have to be ready… keep sailing."
"You won't escape me! Zehahaha!" the large man shouted.
For a while, the whirlpool continued to expand, threatening all in its path.
And then it all erupted, a massive pillar of water shot up towards the sky, forming a spectacular blue monolith. The force of the rising water soon sent the mysterious man's ship spiraling away.
"There it is! The Knock Up Stream!" Nami pointed.
"That's looks way too dangerous…!" Usopp trembled "How did we get up here?!" unlike the raft, Merry had somehow been sent vertically up the stream, and is hanging directly off of it!
"With one physics-defying act, that's how!" Gian grinned.
"We're going to fall!" Chopper cried.
"We won't! Everyone grab something to hang onto!" Luffy commanded.
And they were going up fast, the force of the water quickly helping them rise. So much so that Merry almost toppled off. It took the closing of sails to finally get the boat back on track. Soon, the ship disappeared from sight, deep into the cloud.
Down below, the group of men that came after them only looked with a bemused expression.
"Wihahaha… they escaped us." A large man with a luchador mask grunted.
"Indeed they did, Jesus. We didn't catch them." The man Gian encountered earlier with noted.
"It seems it is not their fate to be caught by us today." A sickly man hanging onto a horse coughed.
"Oh well, I hope they have a nice time!" the bearded captain laughed "By the way, Van Augur, have you heard from Laffite yet? He should've arrived in Mariejois by now."
"I did" The gunman confirmed "The World Government seems reluctant to grant you the title of Shichibukai. He told me that you are still relatively unknown as a pirate.
"Then everything is going smoothly…" the man grinned "When they will finally realize I am here, the world will be shaken! Let us go men!" and the crew laughed as they set off, for whatever nefarious role they will play next. The man gave one last look at the clouds, Straw Hat Luffy may have escaped this time, but even he will soon witness his rise to the top.
Life was about to be very good for Marshall D. Teach…
Meanwhile:
"Incredible…" Robin noted as they rose higher into the clouds. Clouds were all that were around them, blinding them as they rose higher, with seemingly no end in sight.
"Now, keep hanging on! This trip is not over!" Gian stated over the rumbling of water "But be wary, and never let your guard down! Recall the story of Icarus, whose father gave him wings so he could fly the skies, but warned him not to fly too close to the sun. He did anyway, and his wings ended up melting and sending him falling into the sea. However, Cricket-san gifted us with a new Going Merry that is now capable of traversing the clouds, and we are not irresponsible! And with it, we will find the Sky Island!"
"Wow… so inspiring…" Chopper breathed.
"That's a great motivational speech!" Usopp agreed.
"But who's Icarus?" Sanji asked.
"Don't worry about it." Was all Gian said.
Their wait proved effective however, as a blinding light hit them. When they opened their eyes, even they had to blink twice to confirm what they saw.
"Tell me I'm dreaming…" Gian breathed "Or I died and this is heaven…"
"No… this is real…" Nami whispered.
"There's so much clouds… we're floating on clouds…" Zoro looked around.
An entire sea of clouds lay before them, seemingly spreading on forever. They were floating, but not sinking at all.
"We did it…" Gian grinned "Guys, we've made history."
Elsewhere:
Unbeknownst to the Straw Hats, their arrival did not go unnoticed, and unfortunately for them, this one was not someone they'd expect to see.
"Do you feel that…? Some new signatures have appeared." A smooth voice sounded, in the darkened room. It was hard to make out anything, but a circular pattern of drums seemed to adorn this figure's back.
The one he was speaking to was not looking at him; he wished he didn't need to and preferred not to. But he rose up from his crouching position regardless "Indeed, Enel-sama…" he spoke out that last part without any emotion, almost distastefully.
"And visitors should be checked out, do you not agree?" the voice, seemingly omnipresent, sounded again.
The second one stepped out, not willing to stay for much longer.
"That is correct, Enel-sama…" the man monotoned as he reared up and spread a pair of brown, leathery wings…
A/N: I'VE RETURNED! JAPAN WAS GOOD TO ME! I LOVE IT THERE AND EVERYTHIN ABOUT IT! Well, maybe if they had more garbage cans, but otherwise it's great! I even got a Zoro figurine that didn't force me to sell organs!
And now, we end the Jaya Arc, which means Skypiea Arc officially begins with the next chapter! Being one of the longer ones, this arc may take around the same as the Alabasta chapters, maybe more. This is considering a flow of original plans I have for the arc, and you can expect more things to be happening! But after this arc, we are getting another surprise, as the arc after this one is a completely original arc!
So enjoy this, and I'll be back soon! I once again love everybody who've reviewed/favorited/followed this story! We love you all!
Responses to Reviews:
To Chance Green G. King:
Actually, Skypiea has a snake already. But you are correct on the other answer! Manda, however, will be appearing very, very soon after the Skypiea arc, that much I can say.
To JayH120:
G: you know what they say, once you go black you never go back!
…You keep using that… I don't think you know what it means…
G: What? Don't the kids all use it? Just like how Orange is the New Black?
That- Uh- Never mind… you are too innocent sometimes…
(OITNB is a great show by the way, I recommend it to anyone else who wishes to get into a new series.)
To Raikaiguken:
Gian is based on none other than the King of Monsters
To Omegadramon2:
You were closer with the first answer
To Matt:
During the timeskip, Gian's trainer, or trainers I should say, is someone that will be the focus of another original arc, not the one coming up, but another one after the Straw Hat Separation. That much I can tell you. On the topic of Hedorah, I've kind of made him dissociate from the World Government. He wouldn't really be the type of person to fight for justice…
G: And that fic you were requesting, I'm sorry but we've failed you. Partially because Time Travel fics are waaaaayyy too common…
To A Certain Triangle:
G: I am totally doing that, don't mind if I do.
To Kakusei:
I just want to say, Skypiea will soon be… swarmed with what's to come!
To Girlbook:
This opponent may be more than just an opponent!
To squeegywing:
The Donquixote Pirates already have another Kaiju, but Spacegodzilla is actually more important near the end of the series, in fact if you've read the first part of Little Garden Arc, you can see I've added a bit about 4 monsters, one of them is Spacegodzilla. As for what he will do…?
To pokemonking0924:
And now, their new adventure awaits!
G: Can't wait to play it!
To Lucas FTW:
Oh boy here we go again.
G: He's back!
T: Another riddle?
0.5: What more can he possibly give us?
Oh I recognize this one. It's in German again I think, seems like this is the only language he's got now. But this is You are a Pirate. It's an older LazyTown meme, but it checks out.
G: Isn't We are Number One also from that show?
Yup, that show is a meme goldmine, around the levels of Jojo and Spongebob. Truly an amazing sight.
To biowolf864:
You will find out soon! Thank you for sticking with us!
To Guest:
Clover is a bit of a tough one. But if I were to make an original arc about it, then it probably would be something like that.
And that's it for all this! We'll see you next time!
I'll let Gian take a bit of a break, but we'd love it if you'd review anyway!
G: I'M FREE!
T: it may be temporary though…
0.5: eh, we'll enjoy it while it lasts.