Brand New World
Ch. 5: 3:10 To Skypiea
A little later on our way back, Robin struck up a conversation. "You certainly seem to have a way with persuading people."
"Yeah," I replied, "it seems so."
"I`d also like to know how you knew about how a gun could shoot that far," she asked inquisitively.
"Actually," I said, "that type of gun does exist in my world. It`s called a sniper rifle, for good reason. Many of those bullets can kill people from a mile or two away, and some can pierce heavy armor."
"My, your world seems very advanced," she replied in interest. "What other technologies does your world have?" So I began to tell her of the many different inventions we take for granted, like cars, airplanes, and bullet trains. Television, computers, the internet, and our schooling system amazed her, even if she didn`t show it completely. My knowledge of ancient and modern weaponry was vast, and she appreciated it. But what really amazed her was the history behind my world, the sheer age of my world, and how much we knew of it, from the age of the dinosaurs, to medieval times, to ancient and feudal Japan, to the Revolutionary War, the modern era, and everywhere in between was what drew her into my stories. "Wow, I didn`t know your world was so diversified. I`d really love to hear more about your schooling system and your governments."
"I`ll tell you later, I promise," I said, "We`re getting closer to the Merry." We got on the Merry and saw Luffy and Zoro being bandaged up. After learning what happened to them, we told them what we learned. "We found out there is a place on this island we can go to find out more about Skypiea. We even got a map that shows where it is."
"Wow," Nami said excitedly, "how did you get this?"
"Kakusei can be very persuasive when he wants to," Robin said slyly. "But I also learned what job Kakusei should have on our ship."
"REALLY?!?!?" Luffy exclaimed. "What job? Is he a musician?"
"No," Robin replied, "I think Kakusei should be our combat and weapons specialist. His knowledge is very extensive."
"That`s true," Usopp said. "I did some calculations, and what Kakusei said about the gun range is true."
"So it`s settled," Luffy said. "Kakusei is our weapons specialist!"
"A weapons specialist," I said to myself. "I like the sound of that."
And with that, we set off for Cricket`s home. On the way, we got stopped by an annoying orangutan guy named Shojo, who`s brother was Masira, and he got ticked off at us and used a sonic attack to try to destroy us. We got out of his range quickly, and soon thereafter, we saw Cricket`s house. It looked like a castle at first, but then we saw the castle was just plywood and his real house was behind it. After looking around for a little bit, we found a storybook about the King of Liars, Norland. We read it and found out that there was once gold on Jaya. Nami got excited, and then Luffy was pulled into the water. A middle-aged man with a chestnut on his head came out of the water and asked us, "Who the hell are you people?"
"It`s polite to introduce yourself before others introduce themselves to you," I said stepping forward. "Usopp, go save Luffy."
"R…right," Usopp said as he dived in after Luffy.
"You punks got a lot of guts to enter a man`s house without permission," the man said. "This area is my territory."
"You sound like those monkeys," I replied cracking my knuckles.
"You`re all after the gold, right?" he said slowly. "Prepare to die!"
"Sorry," I said with a smirk on my face, "I prefer living right now."
The man charged forward, I stood my ground, and then I blacked out. I was still standing, but I couldn`t move. Then I saw more memories come back, these ones still manga, but also television shows, all of fighters, what else, fighting. Their moves were laid out before me, but a manga stood above most of the techniques seen. History`s Strongest Disciple Kenichi was the title, and it was a martial arts manga, through which I saw many different techniques. A few stood out, and in a few seconds, I remembered how to execute them all. I was snapped back into the fight at hand, and I knew which techniques to use. He swung a kick at me, and I used the footwork of Ba Gua to slip up his footing. He recovered before he hit the ground, and came at me with a flurry of punches. I calmed my mind and used the Seikuken, a technique from the manga, which creates a near perfect defense. I deflected all of the man`s attacks without hurting him. As I was about to throw my first punch, the man dropped to the ground. After Luffy was rescued, we took the man inside his house so Chopper could treat him. Chopper said he had decompression sickness, or dysbarism, and said if he chilled off for a bit, he would be fine. Then Masira and Shojo showed up, and after overreacting a little, they told us that this guy was the boss of the Saruyama Alliance, the alliance they made with him. This guy I just fought was the guy we were looking for, Montblanc Cricket. After asking him about the sky island, and hearing his life story, they decided to give us a hand in getting to Sky Island.
The only way we were able to get up to where the sky island might be was by the Knock-Up Stream, which had a possibility of killing us if we missed our target. The next one was at Noon tomorrow, just in time so our Log Pose wouldn`t change. Convenient, huh? Well, after that deal was made, we had a party. Everyone was happy, and Robin and I were going over Norland`s journal and read the last page, which read, "In the skull`s right eye, gold is seen." Cricket told us he didn`t know what that meant either, but it did seem familiar to me. Something I`ve read I guess. Then another memory came back.
"Hey, Cricket," I asked. "If this island has its own magnetic field, how are we supposed to find North and South?"
"Holy shit!" Cricket, Masira, and Shojo exclaimed. "We forgot! We need one of those South birds like this idol!"
"Why?" Luffy asked.
"Because the South bird has a natural compass," I answered. "A South bird`s head always points south."
"Bingo," Cricket said pointing at me. "We`ll fix your ship up, you guys go get the South bird."
"Got it," we said as we left for the forest, nets in hand.
We got in about the center of the forest, and decided to split up in three groups. Sanji, Nami, and Usopp went in one group, Luffy and Chopper went in another, and Robin, Zoro, and I went in the third. We followed what we guessed was the South bird`s chirping. Then we saw a group of beetles ready for a fight. Then I remembered something very important. "Zoro, the south bird is commanding the island`s insects!"
"What?!?" he remarked as we readied ourselves for a fight. We beat the beetles up, but caught up with the others and relayed what I remembered.
"So how are we going to catch it?" Luffy asked.
Then we heard it. Chopper said the bird was mocking us, and then I remembered another technique, and this was a doozy. I focused on where the South bird was, and a split second later, I teleported behind it. The shock I delivered the South bird (and my friends) was long enough to grab the South bird and hold its beak shut. "Gotcha, you little bastard," I said as I walked it over to my crewmates.
"How did you do that?" Luffy asked, with stars in his, Chopper`s, and Usopp`s eyes.
"That`s a technique called Instant Transmission," I replied. "I picked up over the course of my life. Teleportation at the speed of light by using my Ki."
"Cool," Sanji said. "Anyway, we should get back to Cricket."
When we got back, we were in for a shock. The Saruyama Alliance had the crap kicked out of them, the Going Merry was broken in half (Titanic style), and Cricket`s gold was gone. Then another memory hit me.
"Bellamy," I said my voice low but rising in anger, "that bastard did this, didn`t he?"
"Yeah, but don`t worry about it," Cricket said. "What`s important is that you guys got a South bird. We`ll finish your ship."
"But your injuries!" Chopper said worried.
"Luffy, you thinking what I`m thinking?" I asked still speaking low.
"Yeah," he replied. "Guys, Kakusei and I are heading into town."
"What for? We need to leave in a few hours," Nami replied.
"We`re getting Cricket`s gold back," I said walking towards town with Luffy at my left. "Wait a minute. Hey Luffy, let`s see how fast I can run with a person on my back at full speed."
"Whatever gets us there fastest," he said as he got on my back.
"Then let`s go!" I bolted as fast as I could and a split second later, I saw the others behind us about a mile away. "I guess I`m pretty fast when I want to be," I said jokingly.
"Yeah," Luffy said seriously. "We`ll be there in a few minutes, right?"
"Right," I replied as we began to see the light of town.
When we arrived, we both got in the center of town and yelled at the top of our lungs, "BELLAMY!!! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?!?!?!"
He walked out and said,"We were just talking about you. Do you and your friend have something to say to me?"
"Yeah, give back Ossan`s gold," Luffy said as seriously as possible.
"You mean Old man Cricket`s treasure?" Bellamy replied. Then he sprung up to the top of a tower, and Luffy followed suit. "I shouldn`t have to do that. It`s my loot as a pirate. You are a pirate too. You don`t have the right to say stuff like that to me."
"Yes I do," Luffy replied. "They are my friends. So I will take the gold back to them."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Bellamy howled at the top of his lungs. "Let me ask you this. Can you fight? Do you know how to throw a punch? HAHAHAHA!!! What can trash like you do? If you stand there like an idiot just like yesterday, then you won`t be able to take anything from me, wimp!!!"
"What happened yesterday is a different matter," Luffy said calmly. I`ll give it to him, Luffy does have his wise moments.
"HAHAHAHA!" Bellamy laughed. "Really? What`s different this time? Then this time I will beat you up until you won`t ever dare to bluff like that again!" Bellamy broke the tower using his powers and landing against another, said, "I will destroy you in an instant." He launched himself at Luffy and called out, "Spring Snipe!" Luffy jumped down to the town square, but everyone else thought he fell. Something was different when I was watching this fight. I was seeing and feeling a light around every person here. It must have been Ki. It made sense, as I just used Instant Transmission earlier. Some were stronger than others, and compared to Luffy`s Ki, Bellamy`s was a candle flame to a wildfire. Bellamy was going to get his ass handed to him. "He survived?" Bellamy asked surprised obviously. "Well then, taste my Spring Hopper!" Bellamy then began shooting around the town at high speeds, increasing with each bounce.
"Bellamy disappeared!" one bystander said.
"It`s the same move he used to kill Roshio the Executioner," another bystander said.
They couldn`t see Bellamy, but I could. His Ki aura left a huge trail as he flew by, and his movements seemed even slower than that. I could see him move as if I were running by him. And by what I could tell, Luffy could too.
"That old man and his monkeys are just like you! They`re idiots who believe in a 400-year-old lie made by lying ancestors," Bellamy yelled as he flew around. "Golden city… Sky Island… The age of daydreamers is over. You bastards are the shame of all pirates!" Oh, he was in for it now.
"You asked if I knew how to throw a punch, right?" Luffy said holding his right hand up and cracking his knuckles.
"Farewell, Mugiwara!" Bellamy said as he flew directly at Luffy. And Luffy just slammed him into the ground as if Bellamy had just walked up to him and said, "Punch me in the face as hard as you can." The crowd was awestruck as just sat there and smiled at the bastard with the imprint of Luffy`s fist on his face. He had it coming.
"Hey, quit fooling around, Bellamy!?" Sarquiss said, increasing in volume and anxiety as he asked his questions. "Are you trying to play us? Hey, Bellamy! Stop acting like a retard! Get up! Show us your stuff like you usually do!! Bellamy! You are the 'Big-Time Rookie' with a bounty of 55 million!!!" And then he saw Luffy`s poster as it flew in his face. He flipped out.
"Ossan`s gold," Luffy said simply. "Give it to me!!" The crowd flipped out and gave him the gold.
As we were walking away, Sarquiss had a thought. "If I kill him, my bounty will go up, and I`ll get a huge amount of Beri!" He grabbed his giant Kukri knife, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him jump up in the air. "Die, Mugiwara!!! BIG CHOP!!!" In a split second, I turned around completely and grabbed his knife between my left index and forefingers with Sarquiss in mid-air, still holding his knife. "Wha… what the?"
"Now that`s low," I said in a voice which was almost a growl, "attacking someone when their back is turned." I held up my right hand and a Ki blast began to form, almost at will.
"Wha…wait a minute," Sarquiss said, begging for mercy. "Don`t kill me, please!"
"Nighty-night," I said, the blast at full power. "HA!!!!" The blast shot off from my hands just as you would expect a Ki blast to. Sarquiss was still hanging onto his knife after the blast hit him, singed pretty bad and covered in ashes. So I flicked my finger holding the knife and sent Sarquiss a few meters away. "Sweet dreams…oh, wait, you don`t believe in dreams do you?" I said as I turned towards Luffy and walked away.
"Who was that guy?" one of the bystanders said, "he wasn`t on a wanted poster."
"He will be soon if he`s that strong," a second bystander commented.
"That was so cool!!!" Luffy said with stars in his eyes on the way back. "You fired a beam!!!"
"It`s a good skill, isn`t it?" I said playing around with my Ki like it was a toy.
"Hey, Kakusei," Luffy said, "I want to ask you something."
"Shoot," I replied.
"We each have a dream in my crew," Luffy said looking at the sky. "What`s your dream?"
"My dream?" I repeated. Well, I couldn`t tell him I was living my dream, being a Mugiwara pirate and living out the adventures I wanted to most. "Well, I`d have to say… I want to become one of the strongest fighters out there. I want to be strong enough to protect my friends and loved ones from anyone who may want to do them harm."
"That`s pretty noble of you," he replied. "That`s a good dream to strive for."
"Thanks," I replied looking embarrassed, and then I looked towards Luffy and saw him running off. "Hey, where are you going? We need to get back to the others!!!"
"It`s a Hercules beetle!!!" he said chasing after a Hercules beetle. "I`m gonna catch it!!!"
I laughed to myself and shook my head. "And this guy`s my captain?" Well, I wanted to do this. "Hey, Luffy, wait up!!!"
After we caught the beetle and got back, we saw the Going Merry with its upgrade. It looked more like a chicken than a bird."You do realize domestic chickens and roosters can`t fly."
"That`s not what I`m worried about!!" Nami yelled.
We gave back Cricket`s gold, and he gave us a final word. "This is ROMANTIC!!!"
We thanked him for his hospitality and the Saruyama Alliance guided us to our destination. When we got there, a whirlpool of all things started to suck us down. Oh, this ride is going to be worse than any roller coaster. "Time for the ride of our lives, guys!!!" And then a sea king got sucked down by the current. "Holy… And now the cloud`s covering us completely!" It was as dark as midnight. And then we were flying for a second. I knew what was heading our way. "We`re going up soon, aren`t we?" I said to Nami.
"Most likely," she replied. And then a guy with a scraggly black beard and a small crew showed up on a larger version of a makeshift raft. Something about this guy just rubbed me the wrong way.
"Mugiwara! I`m here for your head which is worth 100 million!" he said in a loud voice. "Surrender to us now!"
"What do you mean 100 million?" Luffy asked.
"Your bounty is 100 million and "Pirate Hunter" Zoro`s is 60 million!" he yelled again.
"Nice job, you guys," I said.
'"Heard that? 100 million!" Luffy exclaimed.
"60 million? I`m not satisfied," Zoro said.
"You two!! Don`t be so cocky!!" Nami yelled at Luffy and Zoro. Then we started to rise up.
"Everyone get inside or hang onto something sturdy!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. Then we all screamed as we flew up into the sky.