Chapter 178: Noland the Liar
"Since you've found him, go meet him. If he's willing, bring him back with you. Remember to be friendly; don't scare the guy."
Nereus knew that Mont Blanc Noland had descendants still alive. If they couldn't be found after a few more years, he would have sent people toward Mock Town to look for them.
After all, Noland's descendant would be conducting deep-sea salvage operations in those waters, trying to find the missing City of Gold. Finding him there would naturally be even better.
"You've been away from Fish-man Island for a few years now, so it's a good time to come back and visit. I will send someone to take over your post in the Doel Kingdom.
"Of course, if you like the environment in the North Blue, you can always go back later."
Fisher Tiger naturally loved to travel and didn't mind being dispatched on long-term external missions.
Actually, most of the original inhabitants of the Fish-Man District shared this mindset. After all, the majority of them were orphans with no family on Fish-man Island. It was a common occurrence for a few brothers to band together and venture out into the world.
"Understood, Your Majesty Nereus."
Sometime later, in the North Blue, the Lvneel Kingdom.
Tiger arrived here alone on a small boat.
On this sea, it was common for a kingdom's lineage to span hundreds of years. Among the World Government's member nations, there was no shortage of countries that had been passed down from eight hundred years ago.
And Lvneel was the country where Noland once lived. This could be confirmed through the popular picture books.
Back then, Noland brought back news of the City of Gold. Driven by greed, the King of the Lvneel Kingdom dispatched Noland to set sail once more. However, the City of Gold had long disappeared due to the Knock Up Stream.
The King believed he had been deceived, but Noland stubbornly insisted that the City of Gold truly existed. In the end, he was executed by the King, leaving behind the title of "Noland the Liar."
To this day, this remained a household fairy tale in the North Blue.
Relying on a fairy tale to find a person sounded somewhat absurd, but it was the most effective record of Noland on this sea.
A while back, Tiger had commissioned passing merchant ships in the North Blue to gather information here, but the feedback was always that they couldn't find anyone. It took great effort to finally get a lead.
Although they still resided in the Lvneel Kingdom, Noland's descendants hadn't always stayed in one place. The domestic gossip and rumors severely impacted their daily lives.
Tiger could feel this the moment he arrived.
"Old man, do you know roughly where Noland's descendant lives?"
"A Fish-man? Are you also interested in the affairs of that great liar? They used to live here, but after his parents passed away, that Cricket boy sold the house and moved onto a ship.
"Now... he should be at the docks."
Tiger's obvious Fish-man appearance didn't attract much attention here. The Lvneel Kingdom was a place that produced many explorers. Not only was there a civilian passion for venturing out to sea, but the King also regularly organized expeditions.
Compared to those perpetually closed-off nations, this country had a relatively broad understanding of the outside world. And judging from the old man's tone, Tiger wasn't the first person to come looking for Noland's descendant.
It was just that those people had all come to laugh at them. The ones who insisted the City of Gold truly existed weren't just Noland himself, but also his descendants. In the Lvneel Kingdom, they were even known as the "Family of Liars."
Because of Noland, every descendant was branded a great liar. No matter the reason, even a childhood fib would be seen as a matter of course.
Following the old man's directions, Tiger quickly found the ship docked at the pier, and also spotted a youth with a chestnut-shaped head—Mont Blanc Cricket.
Comparing this hairstyle with the one in the picture books, it was almost certain this was Noland's descendant.
"Excuse me, are you the descendant of Noland?"
"No, you've got the wrong person."
Cricket didn't even turn his head, directly denying his identity.
"The wrong person... I'm sorry to have bothered you."
Seeing the boy deny his identity, Tiger didn't question it. He picked up his map and began cross-referencing it as he walked away.
"Wait, I'm actually a friend of Noland's descendant. What do you want with him? I can pass a message for you."
The identity of the Mont Blanc family was extremely troubling for Cricket, to the point where he didn't even want to face it. But for some inexplicable reason, as Tiger prepared to leave, he felt compelled to call out to him.
"I come from the Grand Line. The people of a certain country there once received a great favor from Noland, so they want to meet his descendant."
"A favor... You're not joking, are you?"
"Of course not. To this day, Noland is still their great hero. 'Noland' is even their highest title of honor for a hero.
"Since you know him, tell him to call this number when you see him. I was tasked by His Majesty to bring his descendant to that country."
"There's no need! I am his descendant, Cricket!"
At this time, Cricket was merely a youth. Having been mocked since childhood because of Noland, suddenly hearing that there was a place that revered Noland instantly caused him to drop his guard.
Packing all his belongings, he followed Tiger onto an unknown journey.
Or perhaps, even knowing this journey might be dangerous, he was still swayed by the prospect of clearing his family's name and found himself unable to refuse.
Tiger's return route to Fish-man Island was also very special. He didn't head for Reverse Mountain. Instead, he sailed backward along the sea chart, arriving at the other side of Reverse Mountain to wait for others to rendezvous with them.
Sailing in the Four Blues was undoubtedly much safer than in the Grand Line, but it still consumed a considerable amount of time.
If it were just Tiger alone, it wouldn't have taken this long. But Cricket couldn't handle that level of high-intensity sailing. By the time they arrived beneath the Red Line, on the other side of the Grand Line, a certain ship had also arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
"The Sabaody Archipelago... truly brings back memories. We're back here again."
Roger didn't even know how many times he had sailed the Grand Line. With a clear destination, the voyage actually didn't take much time. A portion of that time was even spent "playing around" with Garp, who was hot on their heels.
With the current lineup of the Roger Pirates, Garp alone was not enough to handle them.
"Rayleigh! Get ready for the coating! We're going to dive! Didn't you say you wanted to open a coating shop here and enjoy a peaceful retirement? We're leaving our lives in your hands!"
For surface ships, no matter how many times they had visited Fish-man Island, the mortality rate remained unchanged. A trustworthy coating mechanic was absolutely essential.
If someone on the crew could handle the coating, they naturally wouldn't leave the job to an outsider.
However, when Rayleigh went to purchase the relevant materials on the Sabaody Archipelago to prepare for the coating, he received an unexpected requirement.
"A permit... from the Ryugu Kingdom?"
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