The Going Merry drifted away from the violent, rum-soaked docks of Mock Town, leaving the bruised egos of the Bellamy Pirates behind. The ship hugged the coastline of Jaya, moving from the developed, rot-infested port into the wild, untamed embrace of the island's eastern shore.
Here, the trees were ancient and gnarled, their roots twisting like petrified sea serpents into the water. The jungle hummed with the sound of insects the size of cats and birds that sounded like screaming women. It was a place where civilization had tried to take root and failed, choked out by the aggressive flora.
"Ben said he needs a quiet place to work," Nami muttered, consulting the map Robin had sketched. "According to the intel, this 'Cricket' guy lives on a cape just past those Twin Capes."
Luffy, who had recovered remarkably fast from his 'passive beating' (mostly thanks to a ham shank Sanji had provided), was perched on the figurehead, shielding his eyes against the setting sun.
"I see something!" Luffy shouted, pointing a rubbery finger. "Whoa! Nami! Look! It's huge!"
Usopp scrambled up to the crow's nest, adjusting his goggles. "By the great seas! Luffy's right! It's... it's a castle!"
"A castle?" Chopper gasped, running to the railing, his hooves clattering on the deck. "Like a real castle? With knights and a king?"
"It's massive!" Usopp reported, his voice trembling with excitement. "It's got turrets! It's got battlements! It looks like a fortress of solitude! This Cricket guy must be a legendary warrior to live in a place like that!"
The mist cleared slightly, revealing the silhouette of a grand stone structure rising from the beach. It had high towers, waving flags, and an imposing gate.
"SUGEEEEEE!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper screamed in unison. Their eyes sparkled with the universal love for cool architecture.
"We're gonna explore it!" Luffy declared. "Adventure in the castle!"
"Hold on," Ben said, "Uh, guys... don't get your hopes up."
"Why?" Luffy asked, drooling slightly. "Is it haunted? Even better!"
"Look closer," Nami sighed. "You idiots."
As the Merry drew nearer, the illusion began to shatter. The "stone" walls didn't have the depth of real rock. The "towers" looked strangely flat. And as the wind shifted, the entire "castle" seemed to wobble precariously.
"It's... flat?" Chopper whispered, heartbroken.
"It's a cutout," Zoro grunted, leaning against the mast. "It's a piece of painted wood."
The ship dropped anchor a few meters from the shore. The "castle" was revealed for what it truly was: a massive plywood facade painted to look like a fortress. Behind the majestic front lay a small, humble, slightly run-down brick house. It was like seeing a movie set from the wrong angle—all prop, no substance.
"MY DREAMS!" Usopp fell to his knees. "It's a lie! It's all a lie!"
"A liar's house," Robin mused, a small smile playing on her lips. "How fitting for the descendant of Noland."
---
The crew disembarked, wading through the shallow surf to the sandy beach. The air here was heavy and humid. Ben stayed near the ship, already eyeing the hull and preparing his tools for the expansion work, but he waved them on. "Go check it out. I'll start prepping the Merry."
Luffy, Nami, Zoro, Sanji, Vivi, Caroo, Dorry, Brogy, Usopp, Robin, and Chopper walked up to the small house hidden behind the fake castle.
"Hello?" Luffy shouted, banging on the wooden door. "Is the Cricket guy home? We want to ask about the Sky!"
No answer. The door creaked open under Luffy's fist. It wasn't locked.
"Intruding is rude, Luffy," Sanji chided, lighting a cigarette.
"It's fine, it's fine!" Luffy walked in.
The interior was dim and dusty. It smelled of old paper, tobacco, and loneliness. There was no furniture to speak of—just a hammock, a desk covered in charts, and piles of gold bullion thrown carelessly in the corner as if it were trash.
"Whoa, look at the gold!" Nami's eyes turned into berry symbols for a second, but she shook it off. "Focus, Nami. Sky Island first."
Robin walked to a bookshelf that was overflowing with journals. But on the center of the desk, lying open, was a large, colorful picture book.
"This is..." Robin picked it up. The cover showed a cartoonish man with a chestnut on his head, grinning stupidly.
"Oh," Sanji said, stepping up beside her. He blew a plume of smoke, his expression turning nostalgic. "I know this book. It's 'Liar Noland'."
"Liar Noland?" Chopper asked, tilting his head. "Is he a bad guy?"
"It's a fairy tale," Sanji explained, leaning against the desk. "Or rather, a cautionary tale. Everyone born in the North Blue knows it. I heard it a thousand times when I was a kid."
"Read it to us!" Luffy demanded, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Sanji sighed, picked up the book, and began to read, his voice taking on a storytelling cadence.
"Once upon a time, there was a man named Mont Blanc Noland. He was an explorer who traveled the great seas. One day, he returned from his voyages and told the King a magnificent story."
Sanji turned the page, showing a picture of Noland gesturing wildly to a skeptical King.
"'I found a Golden City!' Noland claimed. 'A city where the bell towers are made of gold, and jewels line the streets! It is a paradise of wealth across the sea!'"
"The King, greedy for treasure, took 2,000 soldiers and sailed with Noland to find this paradise. They braved storms and monsters. But when they finally arrived at the island Noland spoke of..."
Sanji paused for dramatic effect. The crew leaned in.
"There was nothing. No city. No gold. Just a dense jungle."
"The King was furious. 'You have made a fool of me!' he roared. Noland was arrested and sentenced to death for his deception. But even as the executioner's blade fell, Noland cried out..."
Sanji pointed to the illustration of Noland crying on the scaffold.
"'It was there! The City of Gold sank into the ocean! I am not lying!'"
"But nobody believed him," Sanji finished, closing the book. "And so, Noland died a liar. And to this day, in the North Blue, when a child tells a lie, we say, 'Don't be a Noland.' He is the greatest liar in history."
The room was silent.
"That's... kinda sad," Usopp muttered. "To die screaming the truth and no one believing you."
"But he was lying, right?" Nami asked. "If the King went there and saw nothing..."
"Who knows?" Robin said softly. "History is often written by the victors, or in this case, the survivors. But this man... Cricket. If he is Noland's descendant, living here in this mock castle..."
"He's carrying the weight of that lie," Zoro finished. "Trying to prove a dead man right."
The Man from the Depths
SPLASH!
A loud sound from outside broke the somber mood. It sounded like a whale breaching.
"Something came out of the water!" Vivi said.
The crew ran out of the house. On the beach, a figure was emerging from the ocean.
He was a hulking man, shirtless, with a muscular build that spoke of years of hard labor. But the most striking feature was his head—he had a chestnut-shaped growth on top of his skull, exactly like the cartoon Noland in the picture book.
"Hah... hah..." The man wheezed, dropping the net. He looked up and saw the Straw Hats standing in front of his house.
His eyes narrowed. A vein popped on his forehead.
"More of them..." the man growled, his voice raspy. "You rats... came to steal the gold... didn't you?"
"Wait, we just want to talk!" Nami shouted, raising her hands.
"I don't... talk to... thieves!"
The man, Mont Blanc Cricket, lunged. Despite his exhaustion, he moved with the speed of a seasoned fighter. He aimed a kick at Sanji, who blocked it with his shin.
CLANG.
"He's heavy," Sanji noted, surprised by the weight behind the blow. "But he's sluggish."
"Get out... of my... house!" Cricket roared. He swung a fist at Luffy.
Luffy sidestepped easily. "Hey, Chestnut-Ossan! We aren't thieves! We're pirates!"
"Same thing!" Cricket yelled. He prepared for another attack, his chest heaving violently. "I won't... let you... mock me..."
Suddenly, Cricket's eyes rolled back in his head. He clutched his chest, a gurgling sound escaping his throat.
"Gah...!"
He collapsed face-first into the sand, twitching.
"Ossan?" Luffy poked him.
"He stopped moving!" Usopp panicked. "Did we kill him with our aura?"
"Idiot!" Chopper ran forward, activating his Scope. He placed a hoof on Cricket's neck and listened to his breathing. "His pulse is irregular! His breathing is shallow! And look at his skin—nitrogen bubbles are forming in his capillaries!"
"What is it?" Nami asked, worried.
"Decompression Sickness!" Chopper diagnosed instantly. " The 'Bends'! He dove too deep and came up too fast! If we don't treat him, the nitrogen in his blood will kill him!"
"Do it, Doctor!" Zoro ordered.
"I need to stabilize him! Bring him inside! I need hot water and blankets! Don't shake him!"
Sanji and Zoro carefully lifted the unconscious giant and carried him into the house. Chopper went into full doctor mode, barking orders, mixing herbs, and regulating the man's temperature.
Ben, who had been watching from the Merry, walked up the beach. "Caisson disease," he noted, looking at the man. "He's been doing this for years. His body is a wreck. He's diving deeper than a human should without a pressurized suit."
---
An hour passed. The sun had fully set, casting long shadows over the fake castle.
Inside the house, Cricket's breathing had stabilized. Chopper wiped sweat from his brow. "He's going to be okay. He just needs rest. He's pushing himself too hard."
"Why does he do it?" Nami wondered, looking at the piles of gold in the corner. "He has the gold. Why keep diving?"
"Maybe he's not looking for gold," Robin suggested.
Suddenly, a cacophony of noise erupted from the sea. Horns blared. Drums beat. And a sound that could only be described as "monkey screeching" echoed through the night.
"BOSS! HEY BOSS! WE'RE HERE!"
"DID YOU FIND THE CITY OF GOLD TODAY, BOSS?!"
The Straw Hats ran outside. Two massive ships were approaching the shore. One was the Victory Hunter they had seen earlier, captained by Masira. The other was a ship that looked like a floating jungle, captained by an even stranger individual.
"It's the monkey guy from before!" Luffy pointed.
Masira leaped off his ship, landing on the beach with a thud. Beside him landed another man—or was he a monkey?—with long green hair that dragged on the ground and a sonar-dish apparatus in his hands. This was Shoujou, the "Sonar King."
"Boss Cricket!" Masira shouted, marching toward the house. "We brought dinner! Bananas and... HEY!"
Masira froze. He saw Luffy. He saw Zoro. He saw the Straw Hat crew standing in front of Cricket's door.
Then, he looked past them and saw Cricket lying motionless on the bed inside.
Masira's eyes popped out of his head. Shoujou's jaw hit the sand.
"BOOOOOOOOSSSSSSS!"
Masira and Shoujou screamed in unison, a sound so loud it knocked the leaves off the nearby trees.
"THEY KILLED HIM!" Masira wailed, tears streaming down his face like waterfalls. "THEY KILLED THE BOSS! OH, THE HUMANITY!"
"CURSE YOU, PIRATES!" Shoujou roared, activating his sonar microphone. "YOU MURDERED OUR BEST FRIEND! PREPARE TO HAVE YOUR EARDRUMS EXPLODED!"
"Wait, you idiots!" Nami yelled. "He's not dead! He's sleeping!"
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Masira sobbed. "I can see the light leaving his body! Boss! Don't go into the light! The bananas aren't ripe yet!"
Masira charged, winding up a massive punch. "Monkey... PUNCH!"
Luffy sighed. He stepped forward, caught Masira's giant fist with one hand, and stopped him dead in his tracks.
"He. Is. Sleeping." Luffy said firmly. "Chopper fixed him. If you wake him up, I'll kick your ass."
Masira blinked. He looked at Luffy. He looked at Cricket, who was snoring softly.
"He's... snoring?" Masira whispered.
"Yes," Chopper squeaked, stepping out with a stethoscope. "He had the bends. I treated him. He needs rest. Please be quiet."
Masira and Shoujou looked at each other. The rage vanished instantly, replaced by blubbering gratitude.
"OHHHH! THANK YOU!" Masira grabbed Chopper and hugged him, nearly crushing the reindeer. "YOU SAVED THE BOSS! YOU ARE A GOOD RACCOON DOG!"
"I'M A REINDEER!" Chopper yelled, though he was blushing. "And your compliments don't make me happy, you jerk! Hehehe!"
"So," Shoujou wiped his nose. "You guys are friends?"
"We just met," Usopp said, relaxing his slingshot. "But we helped him."
"Then you are friends of the Saruyama Alliance!" Masira declared, striking a pose. "We are the disciples of Mont Blanc Cricket! We help him search for the romance of the sea!"
---
The commotion finally roused the man inside. Cricket groaned, sitting up and clutching his head.
"So noisy..." he grumbled. He looked around, his vision clearing. He saw the Straw Hats, saw Masira and Shoujou crying with joy, and saw the medical supplies next to him.
He looked at his arm, seeing the IV drip Chopper had set up.
"You..." Cricket looked at Chopper. "You treated me?"
"You were in bad shape, old man," Sanji said, leaning against the doorframe. "You shouldn't dive like that."
Cricket swung his legs off the bed. He looked at Luffy. "I attacked you. And yet you saved me."
"We aren't here for the gold," Luffy said simply. "We want to go to the Sky."
Cricket froze. He stared at Luffy for a long moment. Then, he let out a short, rasping laugh. He reached for a pack of cigarettes on his desk, lit one, and took a deep drag.
"The Sky, huh?" Cricket exhaled a cloud of smoke. "You're a rare breed, kid. Everyone else comes here to laugh at the 'Liar's Descendant' or steal the gold. But you... you want to chase a ghost even bigger than mine."
He stood up, shaky but standing tall. He walked over to the picture book of Noland and closed it.
"I don't know if the Sky Island exists," Cricket said, his voice gruff but not unkind. "But I know this: My ancestor, Noland, was not a liar. He was the most honest man in the world. And if he said there was a city... then there was a city."
He looked at the Straw Hats, a grin forming on his face—a grin that matched the golden statues of Noland.
"Masira! Shoujou!" Cricket barked.
"YES BOSS!"
"Bring out the good booze! Tonight, we drink with these idiots! And tomorrow... we help them with anything we can!"
"YEAHHHHH!"
As the celebration began, Ben watched from the deck of the Merry. He held a glowing blue crystal in his hand—the core of the flight system.
"Looks like they made friends," Ben smiled. "Time to get to work."
He turned back to the ship, the sound of laughter and monkey screeches echoing into the jungle night. The stage was set. The ship would be ready. And soon, the Liar's legend would be vindicated in the clouds.