Assistance

"Thanks for your help and sorry for the trouble. I thought you were trying to steal the gold." Cricket apologized to the Straw Hat Pirates. He woke up a few minutes later after they met Masira and Shoujou.

He lit up a cigarette and started smoking it. "You wanted to ask me something,what is it?" Cricket asked. Luffy grinned at him.

"We wanna get to Sky Island! Please tell us how to get there!" Luffy requested. Cricket looked at him and laughed.

"Sky Island eh?! I don't know if it even exists of not! But I knew a man who did. Noland, the King Of Liars, it's an old story though. " Cricket muttered.

" Wait? Did the story take place here on Jaya?" Nami asked him.

"Yes, he was my great great great grandfather. It's an annoying legacy that goes far back but there isn't a trace of his lineage in me. The whole Mont Blanc family was exiled to a life of shame, even now we're still badmouthed. However, nobody in my family hates him for it.... " Cricket muttered.

" Why? " Nojiko asked.

" Because Noland out of all things was an honest man. You know the story right? About Noland saying that the island sunk into the deep sea. The storybook said he was grinning, when in fact he was shedding tears of hate and injustice when he died. " Cricket sighed and shook his head.

Cricket furiously asks if they know how it feels like to be laughed at by people you do not even know. He just wanted to become free from the mocking of everyone, and became a pirate.

But 10 years later, he and his crew came across Jaya and Cricket decided to find the 'gold' Noland talked about. Because of this choice, Cricket's crew went separate ways with him and he has been looking for the gold underwater since.

"This is a duel between me and the person who's ruined my life! Before I die, I will settle this and tell the truth to everyone! " Cricket declared. Luffy pointed at Masira and Shoujou.

"What about those two? Why are those monkeys here? That's emotional another story told with fists, right? " Luffy asked him.

" Nah, they're just fans of the story." Cricket replied bluntly.

"Just fans? That's a rather simple relationship..." Nami giggled awkwardly.

Cricket explained how they formed the Saruyama Alliance 5 or 6 years ago, while the two men had a friendly fight outside. Masira and Shoujou filled the empty void in Cricket's heart, they saved his life.

"Yeah, enough about the monkeys..... As I was saying.... I want to go to Sky Island, mister!! " Luffy declared seriously. Cricket laughed and shook his head at Luffy's impatience. He reached out to the bookshelf beside the bed and grabbed a book. It was Noland's log book.

" Here. Read this." Cricket gave Nami the book. Everyone surrounded Nami as she read the pages Cricket wanted her to read.

Nami and the others read excitedly and saw that in the log book Noland wrote as if Sky Island normally exists. Everyone was overjoyed. Luffy grinned at everybody.

"Yosh!! This is it everyone!! We ain't turning back now!! This time, we're really going to Sky Island!!! Who's with me?!"

" We are!!! "

.

.

Currently, Cricket was telling the Straw Hat Pirates everything he knew about Sky Island. He tells them to believe whatever he says, which Luffy quickly replies okay.

It was sort of a repeat of what Kaya told them before, but there are some things that they didn't know, like the mystery about the Knock Up Stream.

Cricket told them his theory about the Knock Up Stream. According to Cricket, the theory that makes the most sense is that a giant underwater cave gets filled with natural gas and at some point in time, the gas pressure is too big and creates a crack in the ceiling, then a giant whirlpool is created as a result of the crack.

Once most of the gas gets free, the seabed explodes, sending a giant stream upwards. This 'current' is maintained for approximately one minute before collapsing.

"So in order to get to Sky Island, the Knock Up Stream has to be right below it right? " Nami asked him. Cricket nodded.

" The next time this happens, when will it be?" Usopp asked him.

" Tomorrow noon. " Cricket replied, shocking Usopp. Nami clicked her tongue a little.

" If there is nothing on the top, we'll fall. Even if we succeed, if Sky Island doesn't exist, we'll still crash down and become fish food. " Nami mumbled and looked at the Going Merry.

" Our ship is in perfect condition, Luffy made sure that we clean it everyday. " Nami muttered.

" I can have Masira and Shoujou solve that problem of yours. Don't worry, they're very good at it. " Cricket promised her. Just then, Sanji shouted that the food was ready.

" Wait, there's more! " Cricket stopped Luffy from rushing into his house.

"In Masira's territory, two days after the 'night fall' incident happens, the Imperial Cumulus will appear in the sky to the south. The Knock Up Stream will appear there too. " Cricket grinned as he walked past Luffy.

" I'm very happy to meet fearless idiots like you. Come, let's eat!! Just enjoy the hospitality in my home for today, comrade!! " Cricket told Luffy who grinned broadly.

" C'mon guys!! Hurry up! Let's eat!! Shishishishishi!!!!"

They entered the house and started having their dinner. There was a lot of chatter and laughter.

Robin was sitting to the side, drinking some tea while reading Noland's logbook silently. Suddenly, Cricket appeared in front of her without warning.

"In the skull's right eye, gold is seen." Cricket muttered, making Robin sweat drop at how eccentric he was.

"Gold?" Nami asked while drinking some beer.

" The page that has a tear drop on it, it's Noland's last words. His sentence was carried out that day. I still don't understand what it means though. It's all blank after that. " He explained and didn't say anymore, leaving everyone to their own thoughts.

Then, Cricket started acting out Noland's words in his logbook and everyone happily listened while eating.

Cricket then showed the Straw Hat Pirates his gold he found after searching for months. He stated that he has 3 of the same bell-shaped ingots, and tells Masira to show the Straw Hats the South Bird shaped gold.

"What's a South Bird?" Kaya asked him. Masira was the one who started explaining.

"Ever since long ago, the sailors—

" Damn It!!" Cricket suddenly shouted out, gathering everyone's attention to him.

"This is bad! You should go to the forest quickly! Go to the forest south of here and catch one of these birds right away! " Cricket requested with a panicked tone.

" What for?! " Luffy asked while finishing a piece of fried meat.

Cricket explained that in order to get to where the Knock Up Stream will appear, they have to have a South Bird who always points south since the Knock Up Stream is south from where they are, and since it is in the middle of the sea, no Log Pose would work.

"What are you waiting for?! Don't you know how important this is?! Chop chop idiots!! Find the birds while the three of us enhance your ship!!" Cricket shouted. Everyone quickly stood up and waited for Luffy's orders. Luffy grabbed Nami's mug full of beer and drank it.

" Hey! Luffy! " Nami shouted at him. Luffy slammed down the mug and sighed in satisfaction. He then slapped Nami's bubbly ass and squeezed it tightly.

"Ahn~!"

" Alright everyone! Split up into three teams that have three people in it! Me, Nami and Chopper will be the first team! The rest is up to you! Got it?!"

" Got it, captain!!"

.

.

" Luffy! Are you drunk right now? " Nami asked Luffy with a voice of concern. She noticed that Luffy had a red face, and noted that he was drinking a lot back when they were having dinner.

He wasn't even holding the bug net correctly. Chopper looked at Luffy and sighed. "Wait a moment, let me confirm it." Chopper took out a pocket watch.

"Luffy, can you tell the time?" Chopper asked him.

"Hah?" Luffy looked at Chopper and then at the pocket watch. He then grabbed it and looked at it.

"It's uh.... past midnight right Chopper? I can't see very well. And I'm not drunk goddammit!!" Luffy shouted at pocket watch. Nami palmed her face and sighed. Chopper laughed and grabbed the pocket watch from him.

(Fun fact: Luffy has the ninth highest tolerance to alcohol among the Straw Hat Pirates.)

"Nami~!" Luffy shouted. He picked her up and hugged her. Nami sighed and hugged him back.

"You idiot, I told you! You shouldn't drink too much!" Nami scolded him. Luffy grinned while snuggling into her breasts.

"Are you even listening?!" Nami shouted angrily at him. Luffy laughed and kissed her, shocking Nami who blushed vividly. But she immediately kissed back.

Chopper sighed and palmed his face. He had known about Luffy's and Nami's intimate relationship from Usopp as soon as he joined the crew.

Despite his young age, Chopper knew about intercourse and all of the intricate processes that came with it. And he wasn't embarrassed about knowing it at all. He was a doctor, he should know about this.

"Really guys?" Chopper deadpanned at them as Nami was leaning against the tree while she and Luffy were engaged in a passionate make out session using their lips and tongues.

Chopper sighed and transformed into his Walk Point form. He dashed towards Luffy and rammed into his side.

*BONK!!!*

"Ahh!!!" Luffy shouted as he was blasted away from Chopper's charge attack. He tumbled on the ground and laid on it.

Nami looked at Chopper with an angered expression. Chopper gulped, seeing a dark aura behind her and black lighting crackling throughout her body.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Chopper!?" Nami demanded an answer from him.

"I was just getting us back to what we're supposed to be doing!" Chopper shouted back nervously. Nami bonked him in the head gently.

"Ow!" Chopper winced a little.

"Next time, just ignore us." Nami grumbled. Suddenly, Luffy appeared in front of Chopper with his cutlass pointing at Chopper's head.

The blade was then imbued with Busoshoku Haki and was clad in black coating. Chopper squealed in horror.

There was a tense silence that followed. Luffy suddenly grinned and the black coating on his cutlass disappeared.

"I'm just kidding. I will never harm you, Chopper. But if you do that again, I'll seriously consider it. You got that?"

"Y-yes!! Captain Luffy!!!"

To be continued.....