-Grand Line - Jaya-

-Remaining Time For Log Pose to Set: Two Days-

-Outskirts of Mock Town-

Sanji, as it turned out, had helped pack up the others to the opposite side of the island, but not before valiantly agreeing to stay behind to keep Nami from becoming lost. This had seemed reasonable enough to Sasuke at first. Then Sanji had started talking to him.

"So, when you left the ship I didn't realize you were going to be spending some alone time with Nami," Sanji said, agreeably, as he hung back to talk to the ninja, letting their navigator lead the way. "Did you have fun?"

"Fun? I suppose. She taught me some moves, and I shouldn't have any trouble paying our way now," said Sasuke.

"That's good! Really good." Sanji looked at him, and his expression darkened. "But if you don't watch yourself around her I'll make sure you really pay, you piece of shit. I'll take you and your friend and I'll stick my feet up both your asses, then wear you around like a pair of fuzzy slippers, capiche?"

"I don't... know what that last word means," said Sasuke. The language must have diverged somewhat since they had last had contact with the outside world.

"It means watch your back, smart-ass."

"I'll keep that in mind," replied Sasuke, carefully.

Sanji, Sasuke decided, was stark raving mad.

They followed the coast, approaching their destination a few hours later. The weather was darkening, and deep clouds covered the sky. In the distance they could barely hear the sound of thunder, but there was no rain yet. Occasionally, Sasuke would leap onto the larger trees in the area and survey the landscape, listening to the very strange birdsong of the very strange jungle.

Finally, his scouting revealed the location of their ship, and it was docked beside... something.

"What the hell is that?" asked Sasuke.

"It's some sort of castle!" exclaimed Nami, as the trees thinned out.

"What's a huge-ass castle like that doing in a place like this?" Sanji mused.

"That's not a castle," said Sasuke, gesturing with his right arm. "It's all wrong-looking. It's a fake or something."

The 'castle' was tremendous, almost ridiculously fancy, and totally out of place with the rest of the buildings on the island. The shadows were entirely wrong, and while he wasn't about to bother turning on the Sharingan for this, but he was pretty clear he could see places where bits of it had been broken off and nailed back on.

"How the hell can you say it's fake from here?" grumbled Sanji, "It's like a mile away."

Nami cast a sidelong glare at Sasuke as they continued walking. "Don't tell me. It's your eyes again?"

"What can I say? They're my eyes. I'm not going to stop using them."

"Wait, what's that about?" asked Sanji.

As Sasuke opened his mouth, Nami interrupted whatever his explanation would have been. "He's got some crazy ninja eyes. They let him copy things he sees and are apparently great at spotting fake real estate."

"Oh, ninja stuff, huh," said Sanji, accepting this with a thoughtful frown. "That reminds me. How the hell were you walking around on water? I'm assuming it's another ninja thing?"

"I'm pretty sure I already explained it the other day…"

"Sure, I'll buy that you did explain it, but I wasn't paying any attention then. Now I am."

Sasuke shook his head. "Whatever. It's basic chakra training. They expect twelve-year-olds to learn it."

Sanji blinked at that, then said, "Huh. But you have to have this chakra stuff to do it?"

"Everyone has it. Even you."

"I'm pretty sure I'd notice something like that."

Sasuke shook his head, "Trust me. I can see chakra and every one of you has it. It looks a little strange when I watch you or Zoro, but it's there, and nearly as bright as a trained shinobi. Luffy, Chopper, and Robin's looks really strange, but I'm assuming that's from their Devil Fruits."

"Huh." He seemed to roll that thought around for awhile. "So I've got this ninja stuff in me, too. Well, if this water walking trick is supposed to be so easy a child can do it, then how does it work?"

"It's all about taking your chakra, that is, the energy linking your mind and body, and then extending it through the soles of your feet and manipulating the water. It's sort of like both solidifying the water and at the same time extending the size of your feet to spread out your weight. Then you bind the two together so you can get some traction and you sort of grip on to the surface, just like that."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Don't get your hopes too far up," said Sasuke, brushing aside a tremendous jungle fern, "I said that they make twelve year olds learn it, but I was training since before I was six, so keep that in mind."

As Sasuke talked, Sanji had pulled out a cigarette, exhaling a puff of smoke before responding. "Could you do that business in the air?"

"What? What do you mean, 'in the air'?"

Sanji waved his cigarette back and forth above him. "You know, do the chakra thing to the air, make your foot like a sail and kick off of it or something."

Sasuke stopped in place, scratched his head for a moment, then continued walking. Moments passed, until finally he said, "That sounds really, truly, impossibly difficult."

Sanji scoffed. "Maybe for a shitty ninja."

"Psh, you don't even know where to start!" Sasuke exclaimed. "You're less capable than a twelve-year-old!"

The argument continued for a minute, until…

"Guys, guys!" Nami interrupted, "Knock it off! We're almost there."

The two of them settled down quickly. It was good to have a third person around to break up bickering. Sasuke couldn't help but think back to Sakura, left behind back in the Elemental Kingdoms. Then he frowned. It really hadn't sunk in yet that he'd never see her again, and that really didn't feel good to think about.

They arrived at the faux-castle and it was soon apparent that it was indeed just a facade. The immense, painted wooden cutout of a palatial estate was hiding what looked like half of a small set of stone ruins. The whole thing was nestled right up against the edge of a cliff that dropped straight down into the ocean. Strangest of all was the far end of the house, which seemed to sit open to the air, as if someone had taken a knife blade to the cliff it had been resting upon.

No, thought Sasuke, the strangest thing was the sound that came from inside of four people bawling at the tops of their lungs.

-Jaya-

-Residence of Montblanc Cricket-

"-and that's why I can't leave this place," said Montblanc Cricket, his voice rough and rugged. "From now until the day I die, this is a battle between me and my ancestor. At the end of all of this, either I find that great golden bell down in the ocean, or my bones will join it and search the ocean floor when I'm gone."

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper continued their loud wailing interspersed with sounds of encouragement, and goddammit, Naruto was right there along with them. He couldn't help himself; he was moved to tears. Zoro was just watching, looking bored.

"So this is about proving your ancestor's good name?" asked Robin.

"What?" asked Cricket, caught off guard by the question. "No, the name is nothing but a curse! One I've tried to escape my whole life. I don't give two shits about my ancestor Noland's name or any of that. This is just about putting an end to all the words and wondering that have followed me my whole life. It's a fight between me and him. At the end of all of this either his words will be proven true, or I'll be dead, and that's that."

"I suppose I can understand that," Robin replied, her tone enigmatic. Then, "It looks like the rest of our crew has arrived."

Nami, Sanji, and Sasuke stepped in over the threshold of the entryway. They took in the strange figure standing before them, noting the angry, muscular man who seemed to be allergic to shirts. Atop his scraggly blond head sat a purple lump. Hat? Wound? Weird lumpy growth? Who could say. The man was giving them a nasty, suspicious look.

"You lot gonna cause any trouble?" growled Cricket.

"Who's asking?" questioned Sanji. Nami smacked him on the back of the head.

"Montblanc Cricket is who's asking, and I'm still not sure why I haven't kicked you all off of my property."

It was Luffy that spoke next, still sniffling, his voice breaking. "Hey, Old Guy! I've got it! I understand! I'm gonna help you find that golden bell!"

Naruto, Chopper, and Usopp all nodded enthusiastically. Cricket glared back at them in consternation.

"Naruto, what the hell are you doing?" asked Sasuke, increasingly concerned for his friend's mental health.

"I just kinda got pulled into the story, ya know?" Naruto choked out, "Have you heard this guy? People out here are crazy! They're crazy!"

"Wait, wait, a golden what?" asked Nami. "A bell? We're finding a bell? Luffy, we'll be ready to leave in a day and a half! Where is this bell supposed to be?"

"Supposedly it's underwater somewhere near here," murmured Robin, her eyes lidded, "A great golden bell, lost to history except by the words of an ancient story..."

"Luffy," said Nami, with the patience of a saint, "I really, really shouldn't have to tell you this any more, but you can't swim!"

"But Nami-"

"No! Look, sir… Cricket, I'm sorry for intruding like this, but my Captain's kind of an idiot sometimes. He goes by his instincts and sometimes that gets him in trouble. How long have you been searching for this bell?"

"Years. Day in, day out." Cricket just seemed intensely confused by the entire exchange

"Years, Luffy. You can't even swim."

But Luffy had a hard look in his eye. "Nami, we're gonna find this Old Guy's bell, and that's that! It can't be that tough!"

"Now, listen up, you little-" started Cricket, before Nami began shouting over him.

"Luffy! What about becoming the Pirate King?! What about your dreams?! You're just giving up on all of that? We can't afford to spend years here, and that bell isn't going to just fall out of the sky!"

-That Very Moment-

-The Sky-

The object plummeted like a meteorite to the earth it had left so long ago. It had been falling for more than three minutes now, but it took that opportunity to impact the ground.

KRAAAAAKOOOOOOOONNNNNNNGGGG!

The titanic impact shook the island, it shook the air, and it shook their bones. If an explosion could be said to have a 'rich' and 'deep' sound, then that is exactly what it sounded like. Stones shattered, the cliff shifted dangerously, and the wooden facade that covered the front of the house was ripped and torn away; the mighty castle broken and besieged. All the inhabitants of the stone house behind it ducked for cover, hitting the ground and desperately protecting their ears.

When the dust settled and the ringing stopped, Luffy took a look outside. Soon, others joined him.

"Hey, Old Guy!" shouted Luffy, "I found your bell for you!"

Beside him, Montblanc Cricket began hyperventilating, made a few choked gasps, and then fell over on the spot.

"Isn't that great?"