THE CHILDREN Set Sail!
Disclaimer: You all can laugh all you want, but in the end I do not own Zettai Karen Children or One Piece.
"Damn! I can't believe our luck! That stupid orangutan almost sunk us!" Usopp grumbled in anger as he worked to repair the boat again, "The ship is in an even more worse shape now! And now it's up to me to fix this ship to keep us afloat…"
Having landed in Mock Town in Jaya, Robin and Shiho obtain information about a man name Montblanc Cricket who may hold information that could get them to Sky Island. Unfortunately, on their way there, they met the orangutan—I mean, pirate Shoujou who, after hearing that they had humiliate his brother Masira, went berserk and nearly destroyed their ship in the process. Now almost everyone is helping fix the parts of the ship that had broken.
"Seems to me," Zoro noted as he worked on the ship's main mast, "that this busted old ship is on her last leg. We need a new one-!"
"How dare you even consider replacing this boat~~!" Usopp performed a comical wild take.
"Yeah!" Chopper followed suite, "How dare you~~!"
"You are aware of the origin of this ship, do you!? You do know what she is capable of, do you~!?"
"Yeah! Do you~!?"
"I'm pretty sure he does," Shiho sweat dropped as she and her two childhood friends worked on the bow of the ship. This was only possible due to Kaoru's power. "Or have you forgotten he was there before you and the ship?"
"…Shut up…" Usopp grumbled as he went back to work.
"We all know the story Usopp," Luffy replied as he worked on one of the side rails of the ship, "And try not to be so defensive. The Merry Go is an important part of our crew, and we all know we have to take care of her. You shouldn't take everything so personally…"
The Children giggled in response to Luffy's speech. They hadn't been here on the ship as long as most of the others, but they felt a kinship with the caravel class ship as much as they did with the rest of the crew. It has help them since the moment they got onboard; it had provided them shelter and transportation after all; it was also on this very same ship they become part of the crew.
Usopp cried at Luffy's speech. "You're right. I'm sorry-!"
BAM! That was sound of Luffy hammering too hard, taking a chuck out of the ship in the process.
"…Oops…" Luffy could only say.
"… …WAAAHH~!" Usopp exclaimed comically in hysteria, "What are you doing!? We're trying to save the ship, not sink it~~!"
"Sure thing. Here, I fix it," Luffy nodded before…BAM! …taking another chunk of the ship, "…Oops, that didn't work…"
"Luffy~~~!" Usopp and Chopper exclaimed.
"Uh, Luffy," Aoi sweat dropped, teleporting the hammer out of Luffy's hand, "Why~ don't you just sit there and watch? We'll~ work on that part once we're done here, okay?"
"Huh? Why?" Luffy frowned, "I want to help!"
"No offense, Luffy," Kaoru chuckled nervously, "But it looks painful just watching…"
"And I can actually feel that," Shiho added.
"Oh, okay," Luffy sweat dropped.
"He gave up pretty easily," Usopp sweat dropped as he watches Luffy sulk on the spot.
"That's because when Shiho says it," Aoi reasoned, "It's not a joke…"
"…Oh…"
"We left Mock town and headed east by circling around the northern shore of the island," Nami list a while later as they closed in on their destination, "Our destination is here; we're supposed to meet that man here. What's his name again?"
"His name is Montblanc Cricket," Robin informed.
Nami once again looked at the spot they were headed and sweat dropped. "The man who talks of dreams, huh?"
"Wow~~!" Luffy, Kaoru and Usopp exclaimed in shock, "Amazing~~~!"
They all gazed at what looks like a huge colorful castle on the edge of a small cliff.
"That's where he lives!?" Luffy managed in awe, "It's a freaking palace!"
"I'd never seen a house that big before," Usopp added, "This Montblanc Cricket guy must be really loaded!"
Zoro scoffed. "Look closer, idiots…"
"…A man who dreams, huh?" Sanji huffed, "More like a man who wants attention…"
"It's really unattractive," Shiho's face strained, "The guy's got to have some serious guts to build a house that ugly…"
"Hmm?" Chopper forcefully widened his eyes, "What are you guys talking about?"
Luffy and Kaoru got ashore to see what they meant and were in for a nasty shock.
"EH~!" Kaoru and Luffy exclaimed in comical shock, "This isn't a palace at all~~~! It's just a board!?"
It is as they described. What they saw was just a small two story house with the giant board displaying the castle attached behind it.
"WHAT~~~!?" Usopp and Chopper exclaimed in shock upon seeing it themselves.
"The actual house is only half that size," Zoro clarified, "What you see is just plywood; a fake…"
"This guy is even more vain than I thought," Aoi sweat dropped at the corny attempt.
"Why exactly did Cricket decided to leave his home and come live here?" Nami wondered, looking towards Robin and Shiho, "What dreams did he speak about when he was exiled?"
"We don't know all the details," Robin informed, "But we think it has something to do with his talk about a large amount of gold hidden somewhere in Jaya…"
"…! G-G-GOLD!?" Aoi, Kaoru and Usopp exclaimed in interest.
"You mean like Pirate's treasure!?" Nami wondered, being the most interested.
"Well," Shiho shrugged, "We don't know about that-…"
"GOLD~~~!" Nami swooned, before instructing Chopper to start digging, "Try here, Chopper! This spot!"
"I'll be right there, Nami," Chopper acknowledged.
"I'll start working over here then," Kaoru declared as she begins using her powers to dig at another location.
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"Must be hard living alone in such a remote area," Sanji noted as wanders around.
"I'll say," Aoi agreed.
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"Hello~!" Luffy called as he opened the door to the house and walked in, "I'm coming in~!"
"Hey! Don't just barge in there!" Aoi and Usopp exclaimed at their Captain's ill-manner and followed him.
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"Huh, looks like nobody's home," Luffy noted as he inspected the room, "Hello, anybody here~~!? … …I guess he's gone…"
"Get out of there you idiot!" Aoi called from the doorway.
"This guy could be dangerous!" Usopp grabbed him by the arm and began dragging him out.
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"Hey, you guys!" Luffy called to the others as soon as he was out, "Nobody's home!"
"…? He isn't home?" Kaoru paused her digging, "Where could he have gone?"
"Who knows," Aoi shrugged before glancing at the forest not too far from them, "…You don't he could be in the forest, do you? I hope not…"
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"…Hmm," Nami began considering it when she notice the tree stump in the area. There was something on it "Huh? What's this? A picture book? And it looks pretty old…"
Shiho examine the cover. "It's called: 'Noland the King of Liars'…"
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"Huh~!" Usopp cupped his chin in interest, "Sound like it could be good~! I sure like the title~!"
"…I can certainly relate to it," Shiho gave Usopp an Aside Glance, "Though obvious not as much as a certain someone…"
"Don't look at me when you say that!"
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"…! Noland the King of Liars?" Sanji noted in nostalgia, "That brings back old memories; I used to read it a lot…"
"…?" Nami blinked when she heard that, "You've heard of it? It said here it was originally published in the North Blue…"
"It was! I was born in the North Blue; I'm certain I must have told you guys that…"
"No, that's news to me," Usopp admitted, "I'd always thought you were born in the East…"
"I grew up in the East. But this story is pretty popular in the North Blue. People say it's a kid's story, but I've heard that this Noland guy really had existed…"
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"Is that right?" Shiho hummed in interest, "A real life person turn into a story for kids. That definitely caught my attention…"
SCOOP! SCOOP! SCOOP!
"…Enough already Chopper!" Nami exclaimed to Chopper who had been diligently digging around as Nami had instructed, "What are you doing!? Be quiet!"
Chopper gawked in comical shock.
"…You were the one who told-no, never mind," Shiho sighed, "Anyway, Nami can I read that book, with my Psychometry power I could put more life into it as I read to you all…"
"Oh! Please do," Nami nodded as she handed Shiho the book.
"Thank goodness it's not a horror story," Aoi chuckled nervously, "Otherwise this could get extremely scary…"
"S-Shut up," Shiho flustered on the spot as she open the book, "I-It's not like I could r-read those kinds of books anyway! …Now, where was I? Ah yes, Noland the King of Liars…"
This is a story of ancient origins. The events herein transpire over 400 years ago.
In the countryside somewhere in the North Sea, there once was a man named Montblanc Noland.
Noland, who was an explorer, always spoke of past adventures. But the people of the village didn't know if these tall tales were true or not.
One day, Noland came back from yet another expedition and went to report to the King all that he has seen.
"I discovered a city of gold on an island on the mighty sea," he declared. The Courageous King decided he must have this treasure for his kingdom.
The king set with Noland and 2000 of his finest soldiers. Along the way, they endure treacherous storms and battle many ferocious sea creatures.
At the end of their journey only the King, Noland, and 100 soldiers survived to set foot on the island that housed the city of gold. But the only thing they found for all their troubles was a normal island covered in ordinary jungle.
And so, upon their return, Noland was blamed for this and sentence to death for crime of lying to his king. Noland's last words were as follows:
"I know! The City of Gold sunk into the Sea!"
The King, his court and the Villagers were dumbfounded. No one believed Noland anymore, and the last of his days were spent in shame and ridicule before a sentence of death was carry out before a cheering crowd.
North Blue Fairy Tale, "Noland the King of Liars", a true story
"…And alas the pathetic liar died," Shiho summarized and closed the book dramatically, before eying Usopp with sigh, "Without being able to prove himself to the people…all he ever really wanted to do was live a life of an adventurer and to be a brave warrior of the sea…"
"Don't look at me when you say that sentimental nonsense!" Usopp comically exclaimed, "And stop making up all that stuff; when it comes from your mouth people can't take it as a joke!"
"Sure, sure," Kaoru snickered, "Noland~!"
"CUT IT OUT; MY NAME'S NOT NOLAND~!"
"…! WAH~~~!" Luffy, who was sitting at the edge of the cutoff suddenly yelled.
"What-!?" Nami exclaimed, glancing at Luffy had been, "Did Luffy just fell into the sea!?"
"What are you doing!?" Aoi and Usopp began to rushed over to dive after Luffy, only to stop short when someone else rose out the ocean where Luffy was, "WHAT THE-!?"
"Who the hell are you people?" The man questioned. He is a muscular, middle aged man with blond hair with a large chestnut-like object on top. He wears dark-purple tracksuit-pants with a white stripe running along each leg, and a rope around his waist. He didn't have a shirt or shoes but smoking with a cigarette in his mouth. On his left arm, he has a tattoo of a chestnut with the word "Maroon" written across it. "You punks got a lot of guts to enter a man's house and relaxing without permission. This area is my Territory and I suggest you leave!"
"Usopp," Sanji ordered as he positions himself before the man, "Go save Luffy-! Whoa!"
"If you're here for the gold, then prepare to die!" Sanji barely dodge man's straight kick. Before he could recover, Sanji found himself ducking from the man round kick only to find that the man was trying to stab him with a knife hand. He quickly blocked it with his leg only to find a pistol pointed at his face. BOOM! The gun fired, with Sanji barely escaping by leaning back.
"Wow! The old guy is good!" Kaoru exclaimed in awe.
"Sanji-han," Aoi exclaimed, nearly having a heart attack when the pistol went off, "Are you alright!?"
"Don't worry, he missed. This guy's a terrible shot-!" Sanji managed before finding himself ducking and weaving from multiple gunshots, "Hey! Wait a damn minute! Cut it out!"
"That idiot!" Zoro ready his swords before charging, "That's what you get for not taking him seriously…"
"Ah-! Wait for-!" Aoi began to charge before noticing the man's face turning green, "…! Wait, Zoro-han! Something's not right!"
"Huh?" Zoro came to halt and soon witness the man dropping his pistol and collapsing to the ground in pain, "What the-?"
"…What the hell were you doing!?" Usopp meanwhile finally managed to pull Luffy to shore.
"You really need to learn to be more careful," Kaoru shook her head at the sight.
"Sorry~," Luffy panted in exhaustion, "But I thought I saw…*cough*…bubbles coming up from the water…*cough*…so I looked closer and then a chestnut appeared, but it wasn't a chestnut…*cough*…it was that old guy…*cough*…and he pulled me in!"
"Well," Kaoru began as she pointed over to the man with Aoi and Chopper checking on him, "The said guy is trouble now…"
"Hey," Nami wondered, "Is he okay? What's wrong with him?"
"…Bring some more cold towels would you?" Aoi called.
"Got it!" Shiho nodded and brought a slightly drenched towel over.
"And open all the windows too…"
"Got it," Luffy did just that.
"So," Zoro spoke, "What's his problem?"
"Is he really sick?"
Chopper nodded. "Yeah, Decompression Sickness…"
"Decompression Sickness?" Kaoru repeated the term Chopper had used.
"It's also known as the Bends," Aoi reworded.
"You mean those things divers get when they start having mood swings?"
"Something like that," Chopper nodded, "It's a various symptoms divers experience sometimes. But it's not a long term illness and should pass. It happens on diver's descent, when excess nitrogen enters the body's blood and tissue. Then on ascent the chemicals diffuse out in the form of Bubbles causing various symptoms…"
"Ah~!" Luffy thumped his palm, "It's a Mystery Sickness…"
"…To put it simply," Aoi sweat dropped at the collective blank expression on many people's face, "You swim deep but rise too quickly and your body hurts in a number of ways…"
"Ah~!" Everyone nodded at the simpler explanation.
"He must have been diving every day," Chopper mused over the unconscious body, "Not letting the bubbles dissolves properly and it finally caught up to him. That's why he passed out during the fight…"
"But why in the world would he do that?" Nami wondered.
"I don't know why, but he's taking a big risk. It's very dangerous. In some cases it can be lethal, so he's lucky to be alive…"
"It even more dangerous since he's living alone," Aoi sighed, "Who knows what would have happen if we weren't here…"
"… … …Maybe he isn't completely alone," Kaoru noted, catching everyone's attention. She nervously pointed to a picture frame that shows the man smiling with two clothed apes.
"Ah~! So he wasn't living alone," Usopp noted, "He kept pets…"
"Wonder where they are?" Sanji hummed.
"Well, it's as if those pets of his could be much anyhow," Zoro reasoned.
"…Hmm~!?" Shiho hummed suspiciously as she glared at the picture, "That's weird; I could have sworn I've seen these two apes before…"
"And where the hell could you have seen a Monkey and Orangutan-?" Aoi rolled her eyes before reality hit her, "Ah-! Don't tell me-!?"
But before she could say anything more, the two apes—I mean, people she thought of, Masira and Shoujou, appeared worryingly at the door. Because they were huge in a sense, they only managed to stick their heads in.
"BOSS~~~!" Masira and Shoujou exclaimed immediately upon coming into view, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT~!?"
…
… …
… … …
"…Speak of the Devil~~~!" The Children exclaimed in knowing shock.
"AAH~~~!" Usopp and Chopper panicked on the spot, "They're here to kill us~~~!"
"What in the world are YOU guys doing here!?" Shoujou exclaimed in rage.
"And just what did you do to the Boss!?" Masira shouted in question, seeing the man lying on the bed.
"We're taking care of him," Luffy bluntly, "so I suggest you either lend us a hand or leave us alone and find someone else to bother!"
"Don't antagonize them, Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed, "They're beasts; you know what they're capable of and now there's two of those salvages to deal with! Everyone, escape through the window-!"
"…You're such great guys~!" Both Masira and Shoujou comically tear on the spot, touch by the Straw Hats' kindness, "Thank you~~~!"
"…Wait, what!?" The Children performed face fault.
"They listened!?" Usopp yelped in shock as he and Chopper comically crashed into some of the house's furniture.
"So you two live on this island too?" Luffy probed. He and Kaoru had gone outside to talk with the two while Aoi and Chopper tend to the old man.
"Actually, this is our Boss's home," Shoujou informed, "It's also the head-quarters for the Monkey Mountain Alliance…"
"However," Masira added, "While we call this home we usually spent most of our time on our ships…"
"We're more comfortable out at sea because the house is too small for us," Shoujou laughed.
Luffy laughed. "You two are too big for own good but compared to the giants you're like a ball of ear wax to them…"
"Rather than ear wax," Kaoru chuckled, "they're more compared to tiny beetles, but it's all on how you look at it I guess…"
"…Oh, yeah!"
"…How can they get along so well?" Usopp sweat dropped in question. He and Zoro had also gone outside since they were more or less in the way. At the very least, Sanji was preparing food for when dinnertime arrives.
"They're just simple minded and have a lot in common," Zoro huffed.
"Even so, you two are so small and yet you can send Masira off your ship flying with a kick," Shoujou patted his brother's shoulder, "Such an impressive deed!"
"Really?" Luffy noted, "You can do it too…"
"Huh? Really?"
"Seriously?" Masira blinked.
"Yeah," Kaoru nodded, "I didn't need my powers to do that…"
"Huh~!"
"Luffy~!" Aoi called from the doorway, "He's awake~!"
"He's awake!?" Luffy noted excitedly before heading towards the house.
Kaoru was about to followed when she notice Shoujou creeping up behind Masira. "Ah-! Masira-!"
PUNT! Masira was send flying with a scream from the megaton kick from Shoujou.
"Oh, wow~!" Shoujou awed, "He really flew!"
Kaoru sweat dropped before nervously scoot off to follow Luffy.
"Hey, Old Man Diamond-Head," Luffy called once he was inside.
"…Diamond-Head?" Kaoru sweat dropped, "Isn't he a 'Chestnut-Head'?"
"…Oh, right!" Luffy thumped his palm, "Hey, Old Man Chestnut-Head~! I got a question for you~!"
"He has a name, you know?" Aoi dope slapped the two, "It's Montblanc Cricket!"
Montblanc Cricket puffed his cigarette before answering. "Thanks for your help and sorry for all the trouble by attacking you. I thought you're nothing more than a group of punks like those fools from before trying to steal my gold…"
"Did someone say something about gold~!?" Nami chimed in interest, her eyes turning into Belis symbols, "You have gold~!?"
"Get a hold of yourself, Nami," Usopp sweat dropped.
"Yeah," Shiho dope slap Nami, "Calm down and don't even think about…"
Cricket, thankfully, ignore that comment and continued. "You want to ask me something; what is it?"
"We want to go to 'Sky Island'!" Luffy replied enthusiastically, "Please tell us how to get there!"
"…Sky Island? Are you serious?" Cricket repeated in astonishment before bursting out laughing, "Don't tell me you guys actually believe that place exist!?"
Nami growled in rage as she stomped forward, a fist ready to punch.
"Stop! Stop!" Aoi and Usopp held her back, "He's sick! You can't attack a sick person!"
"So you mean Sky Island doesn't exist!?" Kaoru frowned.
"Are you sure?" Luffy exclaimed, apparently hoping otherwise.
Cricket gave a huff before continuing. "I don't know either. You see nobody really knows if Sky Island exists or not. But I knew of only one man who said it does. But he was known as a great liar of epic proportion, who was always being laughed at…"
"…!" Luffy and the Children slowly turn to Usopp with gapping mouths.
"What are you looking at!? It's not me!" Usopp exclaimed in denial.
"His name is Noland the King of Liars," Cricket informed, "It's an old story though…"
"…!" Only Luffy and Kaoru this time turn their heads slowly to Usopp with gapping mouths.
"I told you it's not me!" Usopp exclaimed once again in denial, "The name is different! Stop looking at me!"
"…Now that I think about it!" Shiho stared back at Cricket, "Noland's family name was also Montblanc! Could it be that-!?"
"You're his descendant!?" Aoi exclaimed.
"…Wait, this is starting to make some weird sense," Nami managed, "By any chance…that story took place here on Jaya!?"
Cricket nodded twice, confirming Nami and Aoi's suspicion. "He was my great-great-great-grandfather. It's an annoying legacy that goes so far back…but we're so far remove I doubt that a single trace drop of that man run through me now though…The whole Montblanc Family was exiled from the North Blue to life of shame, even now we are still badmouthed! However, nobody hated Noland for it…"
"…? Why?" Aoi blinked in confusion. If it was her, she would have at least resent someone who made her family a laughing-stock.
Cricket hesitated before continuing. "Because Noland, contrary to popular belief out of all things…was a very honest man…"
"… …HUH!?" The Children exclaimed in shock. That wasn't what they heard from the storybook.
"That's not how the story said," Nami managed.
"As the story goes Noland's last words were as follow: 'I know! The mountain of gold sunk into the sea!'" Cricket recalled, "The storybooks depicted him with an idiotic grinning face accompany this speech…but he was actually shedding tears of hate and injustice when he died…"
Shiho hummed in thought. "That makes sense. I do find it hard to believe anyone would be able to die with that kind of goofiness. Plus the story seems so one-sided…"
"Really?" Aoi wondered, "It didn't seem like that to me…"
"Think about it. The King, Noland, and 2000 soldiers went on the journey only for 100 of the soldiers to survive to reach Jaya. If that's the case, if Noland really is an absolute liar, how did he survive the journey? It's not like he had soldiers to protect him. Also, the story depicted the King as a gallant and virtues figure…history has taught me that most of those images are over-exaggerations. The fact that the story depicts Noland's final moments as an idiot proves my point. The king must have been like any other who hears about riches, greedy and selfish. And when he didn't get what he wanted, he executed Noland out of anger…"
"Ah~!" Kaoru, Aoi, Nami and Luffy thumped their palm.
Cricket huffed in amusement before continuing. "Anyhow, the island those people went to was really the place where Noland himself found the City of Gold; it was definitely not his imagination. Noland claimed that the City of Gold had sunk under the sea because of shifting of landscape from earthquakes. However, everyone thought he was just making false claims and nobody believed his City of Gold Story. His death penalty was carried out surrounded by witnesses' sarcastic laughter…"
"Oh I get it now!" Usopp thumped his palm, "You're attempting to prove Noland is innocent by trying to find the City of Gold-?"
"Don't be ridiculous; quit talking shit!" Cricket grabbed his pistol and shot at Usopp, who only survive because Aoi, who sense the sudden change in atmosphere, teleported him out of harm's way. Nevertheless, Usopp performed a pratfall with his wide open and his body shivering in fright.
"Usopp!" Chopper called out in worry while Luffy and Kaoru glared angrily at Cricket.
"Whether or not my ancestor was an honest person, or a great adventurer, has nothing to do with me!" Cricket declared, "Just for being his descendant, one gets ridicule by strangers! Could you understand how a kid in that situation feels!? My entire childhood was like that!"
The Children grimaced. Though not entirely like Cricket's situation, they too since childhood had face hardship because of their powers. They couldn't make friends; they couldn't go to kindergarten; they couldn't even stay with their own family! The adults would always make excuses, but at the end of the day their childhood was filled with unpleasant memories…just like Cricket.
"…But you are right," Cricket suddenly admitted, "During the past 400 years, countless members of my family set off to get here to restore the Montblanc name, but they were never heard from again. I, on the other hand, felt ashamed being in such a pathetic family like that, so I ran away from home and became a pirate…"
"…Eh!?"
"Wow! Old Man Chestnut-Head, you were a pirate just like?" Luffy exclaimed in shock
"I didn't even really want to become a pirate," Cricket admitted, "I just wanted to escape Noland's curse; to be my own man. But over time I came to assemble my own pirate crew. Finally, I was seen as a leader not a laughingstock and I span the world looking for adventures. Then 10 years ago, after a series of events, my ship reached this island purely by accident really…it's ironic; of all my family members who sought out this place, who lost their lives doing so, it was I, the one who hated and despise Noland the most, who became the only one to reach this place. While I was standing in front of the cliff where the Gold was supposed to be in the story, I thought it was my fate that I was destined to be there; that there is no escape. Of course, my crew wanted nothing to do with it so they left me and sailed on…"
The Children fumed on the spot. Cricket is a decent man, there's no doubt about that, even if they came to that conclusion all while knowing him for just a short time. He must have been a great pirate captain, just like Luffy (only smarter of course). He must have kept his entire crew safe on their journey. But they abandon him in an instance once he decided to stay on Jaya. Had it been them, they wouldn't abandon Luffy.
"…I didn't care if it was true or false. I didn't really want to find the gold to prove Noland's innocence and rewrite history. All I'm doing is following what I believe is my destiny. This is between me and the man who ruined my life; this is a duel and I'm facing what I fear! Before I die, I will settle this and tell the truth to everyone…"
The Children smiled as he concluded his decision. He is fighting 400 years of his past just so that he can finally move on and live in the present. In a way, that is what Minamoto had always wanted them to do.
"Wow~! What a sad story," Usopp cried on the spot, completely recovered from nearly shot to death, with tears of admiration. "The power of a real man~…!"
"…!? What about Masira and Shoujou?" Kaoru suddenly remembered, "Why are those two here with you anyways?"
"I'm sure that must be another emotional story told with fists, right~!? You're life reads like a great book-!"
"…Naw," Cricket bluntly replied, "They're just fans of the story…"
"…JUST FANS!?" Usopp, Kaoru and Aoi exclaimed in comical shock.
"…That's a rather simple relationship," Nami sweat dropped.
"Considering their nature," Shiho sighed tiredly as she glances outside, "I'm not even a bit surprise…"
"SHOUJOU~~~!" Masira roared angrily, having just return from being punted off by his brother's megaton kick; he was wet from having fallen into and swimming back from the sea. "You kicked me! That means you're prepared for what I'm going to do, right!? You got no idea what you got yourself into~~~!"
"Bring it on~!" Shoujou declared, doing some warm-up punches in response, "You've always been very good at finding excuses to piss me off, Masira! Don't test my fury~! Just step up and you'll get knocked down!"
And with that, the two monkeys—I mean, brothers broke into a comical brawl.
"I think it was roughly 4 to 6 years after I started searching," Cricket enlightened, "They came here after hearing rumors about me and said, 'Noland's gold exist for sure'! Those two truly believe the City of Gold exists somewhere and they're helping me find it. The sea around here goes very deep. I felt especially lonely being under the dark cold sea. I had lived a lifestyle of day after day non-stop underwater search…and then they just suddenly enter my life, insisting on being my followers and fought every day. But having these idiots around puts me at ease, and truthfully I enjoy their company. To put a long story short, those stubborn brats…save my life, understand?"
The Children chuckled and nodded. They understood completely. It was just like how Minamoto save them when they first met. Before he came, there was always some kind of wall between them and their supervisor. That, in turn, made them feel especially lonely. So just having Minamoto in their life in a way save them too.
"Yes~!" Usopp once again cried on the spot after being moved to tears, "I understand completely~! True comrades always stick together like that-!"
"Yeah, enough about the monkeys," Luffy bluntly stated, earning a comical shock from the Children, "Are you just about done talking about your life story, Old Man Chestnut-Head?"
"If you're bored, then don't listen!" Usopp dope punched Luffy in anger, "Shut your mouth you ungrateful brat-!"
"As. I. Was. Saying!" Luffy comically threw Usopp aside, "I want to go to Sky Island!"
"Ah-! I almost forgot!" Kaoru thumped her palm in remembrance, "Yeah, Chestnut-Head Old Man! Please hurry up and tell us-!"
"KAORU~!" Aoi and Shiho dope slap their redhead friend for following their captain's example.
Cricket stared at Luffy and Kaoru before chuckling. "You're a bunch of pushy youngster, aren't you? You're so impatient…"
Cricket then reached for one of the books stacked nearby.
"I'll tell you now: the one who claimed that Sky Island existed was Noland the King of Liars. And nobody knows whether he was telling the truth or if it was just another tall tale. If you have anything to do with him, you'll end up just like me and be nothing more than a joke…"
"Eh!?" Luffy perked in interest, "He went to Sky Island before!?"
"Unfortunately, the book doesn't say," Cricket noted as he flipped through the pages before stopping at one, "But he does mention it in here…"
Nami gasped when she realized what it was Cricket was holding. "Is that a Captain's Log!? Did it belong to Noland!?"
"Yeah, it is," Cricket tossed the open book to Nami, who promptly caught it with great care, "Read that line at the bottom aloud…"
"…Wow, Amazing! This Log Book is over 400 year old!" Nami awed before ready the area Cricket indicated, "Year of the Sea 1120, June 21st, clear weather, I set sail from the lively City of Jolly Villa. Following the direction from the 'Log Pose', we went northeast-east, straight out of the docks with the wind behind our backs. In the afternoon, I met a merchant ship and bought a unique object. It's a small snowboard-like object called a 'Sky Waver'…"
By then Luffy, Usopp, Chopper and the Children had gather near Nami, peering excitedly at the page that she was reading.
"It is a small mysterious boat that will move even when there is no wind; in fact it seems to be able to generate its own wind and sail at great speeds even on a still day. There seems to be a secret method needed to use it, as I could not control it very well. Now it has become a popular toy among the crew…No way! What is this? I want one-!"
"KEEP GOING; DON'T STOP READING~!" The Children, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper exclaimed in hysteria, eagerly wanting to hear more and upset that Nami had cut off, "KEEP READING~! KEEP READING~~! KEEP READING~~~!"
"I'm just saying-!"
"Bah~!" Shiho huffed and snatched the book out of Nami's hands.
"Ah-! Hey-! Shiho-!"
"The Sky Waver's source of energy, we were told, seems to only exist on Sky Island, it is said that there are a lot of special and interesting items can be found there. Speaking of Sky Island, it brought to mind of a fellow adventurer who once showed me a living Sky Fish; I was surprised seeing such a strange creature; I never seen such a fish with such a bizarre appearance in all my years…"
"Sky Fish…?" Sanji blinked at the term; Shiho had no doubt that Sanji had shown interest in the prospect of a new ingredient to work with.
"This island remains the only unexplored domain. With our ship it is impossible to get there, but being a sailor, I really wish I could go to the Sea in the Sky someday. Montblanc Noland!"
"Sea in the Sky!?" Nami awed; that was what Robin had used to describe Sky Island.
"Just like Robin said!" Luffy and Kaoru exclaimed excitedly.
"And judging from the text," Aoi added excitedly, "Talking about Sky Island back then didn't seem to be uncommon!"
"A lot more people back then believed in Sky Island!" Usopp noted excitedly.
"I can sense it in his notes," Shiho managed in amazement, her hands glowing bright blue, "Montblanc Noland wrote these with pure intention! He may have actually own a 'Waver' and seen a "Sky Fish'!"
"So it does exist!" Luffy and Kaoru cheered at the top of their voice as everyone else began to cheer in joy.
"Oh Boss, you're up!" Masira noted in the middle of his fight with Shoujou when he saw Cricket walking out of the house and towards them, "How are you feeling?"
"Better than I had in ages," Cricket claimed before putting on a serious expression, "Now listen up, I got something to ask you two. About those pirates, do you like them?"
"…? Why do you ask, Boss?" Shoujou asked, as he and his brother halted their fight.
"It seems that they are determined to get to Sky Island no matter what…"
"…! Sky Island!? But you know there's only one way to reach Sky Island!"
"And if they try getting there on their own," Masira added, "They'll die for sure, Boss!"
"Exactly! That's why I'm asking if you like them," Cricket smirked as he stared back at the house where the Straw Hats and the Children were still celebrating, "If you do like them, should we give them a hand?"
Shoujou and Masira glance at each other for a moment before Masira punched his hand and Shoujou stretch himself in preparation, both with a determine gin on their face.
Kaoru (cheering): "We're finally making progress to Sky Island~~!"
Shiho (rolling her eyes): "We're not there yet! There'[s no need to get that excited!"
Aoi: "Does it matter? We're getting closer!"
Shiho: "Even if it came from the infamous Noland the Liar?"
Aoi: "Didn't we just over that fact that Noland is possibly not such an infamous Liar?"
Shiho: "I'm just saying-!"
Kaoru: "Next time, the Old Man fill us in on everything he knows about Sky Island before giving us a short party that ended quite abruptly!"
Normama: "Find out why next time on the Children Set Sail!"
Shiho: "Hey; don't end this yet! I'm not fin-!"