Luffy and the others had already reached the eastern side of Jaya Island.
There lived an old man who had been driven away from the island—Mont Blanc Cricket.
As the descendant of Mont Blanc Noland, the "Great Liar" from four hundred years ago, he had spent his entire life fighting against fate, all to prove that the City of Gold truly existed and to cleanse the "curse" borne by the Mont Blanc family.
And this stubborn dreamer was precisely the goal of their journey.
Perhaps the clue to Sky Island was hidden with him.
From afar, everyone saw a huge "house" standing there.
Luffy's face was full of shock, but when he turned his head, he realized it was nothing more than a disguise made from assembled wooden boards. Inside was actually a simple little shack.
After a series of misunderstandings, they heard the legend of Noland from Cricket's mouth.
They also learned of the old man's persistence—diving into the deep sea every day in search of the vanished City of Gold.
More importantly, they finally found the key to reach Sky Island: the Knock Up Stream.
This strange ocean current appeared only five times a month, and the next occurrence was already close at hand.
Before that, they still needed to find a South Bird to ensure the ship sailed in a straight line south from Jaya Island, accurately reaching the location of the current.
But time waited for no one.
Even from half an island away, the tremors coming from Mock Town in the west could still be clearly felt, leaving everyone caught in a dilemma.
Should they give up this chance and wait for Cain to return, or should they set off immediately?
At that moment, Uta, who had been worried about Cain all along, resolutely stepped forward and spoke firmly.
"Luffy, just do what your heart wants. This time, I'll make the choice in Cain's place."
Cain had trusted Luffy and Uta enough to let them leave first, rather than have them foolishly wait there for him.
Naturally, Uta understood the deeper meaning behind that trust.
"He promised me that he would take me around Sky Island. I believe he'll definitely keep that promise."
Hearing this, Luffy immediately revealed a bright, hearty smile and replied, "I see. Got it, Uta!"
"That's true. That guy can fly anyway, right? If he really wants to go to Sky Island, it won't be a big deal for him at all," Sanji said with a cigarette between his lips.
"SPEAKING OF WHICH, ALTHOUGH I SAW CAIN'S DRAGON FORM IN UTA'S WORLD, I STILL REALLY WANT TO RIDE HIM PROPERLY IN REALITY!" Luffy placed his hands on his hips, his eyes sparkling with eager anticipation!
Thanks to Cain turning Mock Town upside down, Bellamy could only retreat in a hurry.
With no further trouble afterward, the Straw Hats' search for the South Bird went smoothly.
…
On the western side of Jaya Island, smoke and shattered stone filled the air.
"Hey, hey, Captain, shouldn't we hide a little farther away?"
Even Burgess, who was usually arrogant and domineering, could not help sweating at the sight of Cain's thunderous attacks. His voice carried a hint of lingering fear.
"ZEHAHAHAHA! WHAT ARE YOU PANICKING FOR?!"
Blackbeard threw his head back and laughed wildly, his voice rough and greedy.
"ONCE THOSE THREE SIDES WEAR EACH OTHER OUT, WE'LL TAKE THE CHANCE TO AMBUSH THEM. TWO BIG PIRATES WITH BOUNTIES OVER A HUNDRED MILLION, PLUS ONE MONSTER WHO CAN FIGHT THEM EVENLY—IF WE PACKAGE ALL THREE OF THEM UP AND HAND THEM OVER TO THE NAVY, THIS GREETING GIFT WILL BE ENOUGH FOR US TO RISE STRAIGHT TO THE TOP! ZEHAHAHAHA!"
His calculations were perfect.
But would reality truly go as he wished?
On the other side, Katakuri steadily received one of Cain's immensely heavy strikes.
Thanks to Ace's reminder, his Observation Haki, which could see into the future, instantly sensed Blackbeard and his group hiding among the ruins.
His eyes narrowed.
The moment he spun and redirected the force, he actually guided Cain's attack straight toward Blackbeard's hiding place.
The situation reversed in an instant.
Blackbeard, who had wanted to sit back and watch the tigers fight while draining the stamina of all three sides, never imagined that he would instead be treated as a "tool" by Ace and Katakuri.
"You're sure this is fine? Luring Cain over to them like you said?"
Katakuri glanced at Ace from the corner of his eye.
His tone remained steady, but his Observation Haki stayed locked onto Cain's movements the entire time.
At that moment, Blackbeard was in an extremely sorry state.
After taking one of Cain's heavy blows head-on, two of his teeth shattered on the spot.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and he bared his teeth in pain.
His subordinates were so terrified that they scattered in every direction.
There was no trace left of their earlier arrogance.
"Yeah, it's fine."
Ace collapsed onto the ground from exhaustion.
"Cain told me before that Blackbeard… has an abnormal body. He didn't sleep for three days and three nights… He has twice the life of an ordinary person… Using him to drain Cain's stamina… is perfect."
'Cain, this might be a bit immoral—using the information you told me to deal with you in return.... but right now, this is the only way to save you,'
Ace thought to himself.
Among the ruins, Blackbeard barely dodged Cain's follow-up attacks and frantically activated the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, trying to devour the assault.
But Cain kicked him squarely in the chest, sending him flying like a kite with its string cut.
He smashed heavily into the wreckage of a ruined house, sending dust billowing into the sky.
"That guy really isn't a normal human."
Katakuri sensed that even after being hit, Blackbeard was still full of vitality despite grimacing in pain, and he voiced his agreement.
His Observation Haki remained firmly locked onto Cain, afraid that he might slip outside his range of perception.
Then he turned to Ace, his gaze carrying a trace of inquiry.
"Tell me Cain's story."
"Cain?"
Ace suddenly raised his brow, his tone filled with surprise and confusion.
"Come to think of it, you said earlier that he might be your younger brother. What exactly is going on with that?"
In the distance, Blackbeard's screams rose and fell one after another.
Chased by Cain like a stray dog, he fled while being beaten, without any ability to fight back.
"The surname Chad is rare enough on these seas to begin with. Besides, who doesn't know the name of your Charlotte Family?"
Ace continued questioning him, his tone full of doubt.
Katakuri's expression did not change.
He remained calm.
"I'm not sure either. At Mama's tea party, a woman said Cain was Mama's child. We can't confirm whether it's true or false, but even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we won't let go of the possibility of bringing him back."
"HEY, HEY, ISN'T THAT WAY TOO RIDICULOUS? THAT BIRTHING MACH—"
Ace hurriedly began to retort, but halfway through his words, he paused and forcefully swallowed the rest back down, changing his wording.
"You believe the words of some random woman? I investigated Cain's origins for so long! Do you really think he was born from your Mother?"
The beating in the ruins had never stopped.
Blackbeard had already been beaten until he was coughing blood nonstop, supported by his crew as they fled.
Katakuri glanced at Ace indifferently.
"Precisely because we aren't certain, we need to confirm it. If you concluded his background based only on a surname, then that would be truly laughable. Who in the world could guess someone's origins based on nothing but a surname?"
"That's true, but…"
Ace's tone softened a little, and a complicated look flashed through his eyes.
"Cain really was different from ordinary children. That guy matured way too early…"
"Then… do you know what kind of person the grandfather who adopted Cain was?"
Katakuri suddenly remembered what Luffy had mentioned earlier and immediately questioned Ace.
Just then, a loud shout suddenly tore through the battlefield.
"ACE! CAIN! THIS IS YOUR GRANDPA! THIS IS YOUR GRANDPA! GRANDPA IS HERE—GRANDPA'S COMING TO SAVE YOU TWO!"
Garp was standing on Katakuri's ship, his mouth stuffed full of doughnuts and his cheeks bulging.
In one hand, he held a loudspeaker and shouted.
With the other, he kept stuffing snacks into his mouth.
Garp's warship had already docked on the shore of Mock Town.
He had come directly here, so he had not run into Luffy and the others on the eastern side.
"Where are you going?"
Katakuri noticed from the corner of his eye that Ace was quietly moving backward, looking as if he wanted to slip away, and immediately asked.
Before Ace could explain, Katakuri suddenly stretched out his hand and grabbed Ace's arm.
The next second—
BOOM!
A massive figure crashed down onto the ground, splitting the earth beneath him and sending dust surging into the air.
When the dust cleared, Garp revealed his signature cheerful grin.
Yet his eyes carried a somewhat "devilish" kindness as he stared straight at Ace.
"MY DEAR, GOOD GRANDSON. GRANDPA CAME TO SEE YOU!"
The corner of Ace's mouth twitched.
With an awkward expression, he turned his head toward Katakuri and spread his hands.
"Now do you understand?"
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