"There's no use in staying, Captain," Andy whined, rubbing his eyes. Cricket's first mate yawned, and stretched his arms to the sky. The wood beneath his feet creaked as he shifted his weight. Andy leaned to look overboard, and rested his head on the railing of the ship.

"It's out here, I know it," Cricket muttered. Cricket had been diving since daybreak, and by now his hands were wrinkled as prunes. The water was beginning to get colder, but Cricket did not want to give up. It had to be here. Somewhere.

"Noland's a liar," Andy said sleepily, "who cares?"

"He's not!" Cricket glared at his first mate. "The city of gold exsisted!"

"There's no proof," Andy rolled his eyes.

"Noland's journal," Cricket slapped the side of the boat. "How about that?"

"Solid proof," Andy drawled, throwing a rope ladder down to Cricket.

"For Kami's sake, the guy was a botanist!" Noland cried, "You think he would justmake up all those plants and samples? For fun?!"

"No," Andy sighed, "but I don't see him picking them from imaginary lands of gold either. They must have come from a nearby island or something."

"You too?" Cricket frowned, "I thought you were my nakama."

"Look, Cricket," Andy started, "please just face the facts. There's no way an island could just magically dissapear without a trace. Noland was lying."

"It's the Grand Line," Noland said, "anything could happen."

"Cricket-"

Cricket cut him off by diving downwards. The water really was freezing now. It felt like ice running through his blood. 'If only I could find one thing, just one!' Cricket thought, finally reaching the ocean floor. He dug through the sand frantically. He was running out of air, and this may well be his last dive. The Log Pose was going to set today, and he would have to move on. His fingernails filled with grit as he pawed at the seabed. His chest felt tight; he had used his last bit of air. 'Come on, come on!' He suddenly caught sight of a gleaming object, poking out of the sand. Cricket swam towards it, but before he could reach it, his vision went black.

When Cricket regained conciousness, Andy and the rest of his crew were hovering over him.

"You're okay!" Andy broke into a wide grin.

"More importantly," Cricket sat up, "I saw something! An ancient coin, I think! I didn't get the chance to examine it closely, but I'm positive it's from the golden city! I'll go back to look for it again in an hour."

Andy looked at Cricket at if he'd lost his mind.

"The Log Pose is set, Cricket," Andy said grimly. "Enough with this talk about the golden city."

"It's fate, can't you see?" Cricket implored him. "The many paths in the Grand Line, and we end up in Jaya of all places!"

"You're insane," Andy narrowed his eyes.

"What? No!" Cricket protested. "I'm positive it's out there!"

"Make your choice Noland. Stay here and search for something that doesn't exsist, or contiue along the Grand Line with us."

"I-I can't leave," Noland said helplessly.

"Then that's that," said Andy, leaving Cricket on the sand and walking towards the ship.

"Get ready to sail!" Andy called to the rest of the crew. They hesitated, but began making preparations. Cricket watched them helplessly. He understood, they had their own dreams too. But couldn't they help him fulfill his own first?

A.N.: I don't know about this one, to be honest. I was considering just not posting anything for Cricket, but I ended up giving in. I'm not too proud of it, but it's something, right? Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, Reader Birthdays, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! I'll see you on the 16th for Laboon!