Noland the Liar

The title page for Chapter 227, 'Noland the Liar'. The cover story is 'Hachi's Ocean Floor Stroll Vol. 39: Catfish Village Expresses Its Gratitude'. The illustration shows Hatchan standing in front of a large, newly built ship shaped like a catfish. Several catfish people wearing headbands are cheering and holding hammers, celebrating the completion of the ship. A flag with a sun and a pirate skull flies on the mast. Large text reads 'DODON!!' and 'TAKOYAKI 8'.

The Straw Hat Pirates are sailing on the ocean. The sound of hammering, 'Ton ten kan,' rings out. Usopp is busy repairing the Going Merry, complaining, 'Sheesh! This ship turned to tatters before I even realized it... He's gone and banged up this ship even more! TO HELL WITH THAT ORANGUTAN!' Chopper stands nearby holding a box of nails. Zoro sits on the deck, remarking, 'Maybe it's time we got a new one?' Usopp angrily yells back, 'THAT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY, YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!' Usopp continues hammering, crying out, 'GOD DAMN IT, LUFFY! Luffy... Sniff! You really are a...' as he remembers Luffy breaking off a piece of the ship's railing earlier. Luffy, holding a hammer and smiling broadly, says, 'So let's give it our all and fix her up as best as possible! The Going Merry's still an irreplaceable member in our crew.' Usopp, exasperated, replies, 'Oh well, what's done is done, Usopp!'

A map shows the island of Jaya, with Mocktown on the west and the 'Eastern Coast of Jaya' highlighted on the east. The Going Merry approaches the eastern coast. Nami says, 'Well, we've arrived at the place marked in the map.' Luffy asks, 'Umm... Who is it that we're looking for again?' Nami replies, '...So the man who talks of dreams lives there?' Robin confirms, 'Montblanc Cricket.' Suddenly, Luffy and Usopp's eyes bug out in extreme shock as they yell, 'HOLY MOLY!' and 'WHOA-'.

The crew stares in awe at a massive, extravagant castle on the edge of the cliff. It has multiple striped domes, towers with flags, and a grand entrance. The Going Merry is anchored in front of it. Usopp exclaims, 'Whoa, maybe he's like, super duper rich!?' Luffy adds, 'THAT'S his HOUSE!?' Chopper looks confused, asking, 'What do you mean?' Sanji, smoking a cigarette, comments, 'Well, for a dreamer, He sure does "dream big."' Zoro smirks and tells them, 'Look again, you dimwits.'

A side view reveals the truth: the grand castle is just a flat wooden cutout propped up by wooden beams. Luffy, standing on the shore, yells, 'WHAAAAA!? IT'S JUST A WOODEN BOARD!' Zoro, walking up with his swords, explains, 'Only half is an actual house... The other half's just a veneer panel.' Sanji notes, 'Must be a pretty cheap guy.' Nami, looking annoyed, asks Robin, 'Just what sort of dreams was he talking about that got him run out of town?' Robin replies, 'I don't know the details, but... Supposedly, There's a vast amount of gold hidden in this island of Jaya.'

Usopp's eyes turn into stars as he yells, 'GOLD? DID SOME PIRATES BURY TREASURE HERE OR SOMETHING!?' Robin answers, 'Who knows...?' Nami immediately orders, 'START DIGGING, CHOPPER! THERE'S GOLD HERE!' Chopper frantically starts digging in the dirt like a dog. Sanji looks around and says, 'HERE!? REALLY!? So he lives alone all the way out here on the island's edge?' Luffy walks up to the door of the small actual house behind the cutout and calls out, 'Helloooo!? Anybody home? I'm coming in!' Usopp panics, 'WHAT, YOU'RE JUST BARGING IN!?' Luffy opens the door and yells, 'HELLO OOO!?' Usopp warns, 'Luffy, no! What're you gonna do if this guy's dangerous!?' Inside, the house is simple, with a table, chairs, and diving gear hanging on the wall. Luffy looks around and says, 'Hm? I don't see anyone inside...'

Nami finds a book inside and brings it out. 'Guys! He's not home! A picture book... Looks like a pretty old one, too.' She reads the cover, 'It's titled, "Noland the Liar."' Usopp laughs, 'Ahahaha. Ohhh! Nice title! I like the subject!' Sanji, surprised, asks, 'Did you say, "Noland the Liar?" Man, that takes me back. I used to read that a lot back when I was a kid.' Nami asks, 'You know it, Sanji?' Sanji replies, 'Yeah, I was born in North Blue. Did I never say so before?' Usopp is shocked, 'First I've heard. I thought you were from East Blue.' Sanji clarifies, 'No, I was only raised in East Blue, but whatever. This is a famous story in North Blue. It's labelled as a fairy-tale, but the Noland character of this story, Was actually a real-life person, or so I've heard.' In the background, Nami yells at Chopper, 'Chopper, stop making so much noise! What're you even doing anyways!?' as Chopper continues to dig furiously in the dirt, throwing it everywhere.

The pages of the picture book 'Noland the Liar' are shown. The cover depicts a smiling man with a chestnut-shaped hairstyle standing on a ship. The narration reads: 'This is a story from long, long ago. A story from over 400 years from now... In a certain kingdom in North Blue, There lived a man named Montblanc Noland.' The next illustration shows Noland standing on a stump in a village, telling stories to a crowd. 'Noland the explorer was always speaking of his great adventures so grand and unbelievable that they seemed like lies. The townspeople had no idea whether Noland's tales were truth or fiction.'

The storybook continues. An illustration shows Noland walking towards a grand castle. 'One day, upon returning from another voyage, Noland reported to the king thus:' The next panel shows Noland speaking excitedly. 'On an island in the Grand Line, there is a pile of gold stacked as high as the mountains.' The narration continues: 'To verify Noland's claim, the brave king took 2000 soldiers with him, And sailed for the Grand Line! On his way, he battled many sea monsters and overcame fierce storms.' An illustration shows the king's ship sailing through rough seas, fighting a giant sea monster.

The storybook concludes. An illustration shows the king and his remaining soldiers arriving at an island covered only in trees. 'By the time the king arrived at the island, he only had 100 soldiers remaining. But facing before the king was only a jungle.' The next panel shows Noland tied to a cross, about to be executed. 'Noland was put to death for lying to the king. His final words before his execution went like so...' Noland, crying but still smiling, says, '"That's it! The mountains of gold must have sunk into the sea!" The king and the people were dumbfounded by his brazenness. Nobody believed in Noland anymore. Even to the very moment of his death, Noland could not stop lying.' A caption notes: ('Noland the Liar,' collected from Northern Folk Tales).

The scene cuts to a bustling bar in Mocktown. Bellamy and Sarquiss are sitting at a table, laughing uproariously. 'HAHA HAHA HAHA!' Sarquiss says, 'Now that's a name I heard a lot from my childhood. There ain't a single person from North Blue who doesn't know of Noland the Liar.' Bellamy, grinning widely with his sunglasses on, replies, 'Yeah, as kids from North Blue, We all had adults tell us more than a few times that we'd end up executed if we kept lying!' A large man in a cowboy hat laughs nearby, 'HAHA HAHA! Things are gettin' even more interesting!' Bellamy continues, 'To think that Jaya was the famous island from the story! So this Montblanc Cricket, Is the descendant of Montblanc Noland!?'

The conversation in the Mocktown bar continues. Bellamy says, 'So 400 years after, this descendant of Noland the Liar, Came to this very island in search of the fabled gold, In order to clear up his ancestor's reputation...!?' The bar erupts in laughter. 'HAHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA! THAT'S ONE HELL OF A FAMILY LINE! HAHAHA!' Bellamy laughs maniacally, his mouth wide open, throwing his head back. 'DOES HE THINK IF HE CAN FIND EVEN A SPECK OF GOLD, THAT FOUR CENTURIES OF SHAME AND MOCKERY WOULD SUDDENLY JUST UP AND DISAPPEAR!? HAHAHAHA! WHAT A FOOL!'

Back at the eastern coast, Nami finishes reading the book. 'And so the liar, Very pitifully, Met his end......Without even becoming, A brave warrior of the seas...' Usopp, crying dramatically, yells, 'AGHHHHH! AND DON'T GO INSERTING LINES THAT AREN'T EVEN IN THE STORY!' Nami snaps at him, 'WHAT'RE YOU LOOKIN' AT ME FOR!? SHUT...' Suddenly, Nami notices something. 'Wha!? Luffy fell into the ocean!' Usopp panics, 'W-what do you think you're doin'!?' Bubbles rise from the water where Luffy was sitting. A dark figure emerges from the water behind the wooden cutout, yelling, 'JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE!?'

A muscular man with a chestnut-shaped hairstyle and a tattoo that says 'MAROON' on his arm leaps out of the water, throwing a powerful punch. He yells, 'You've got some guts barging in another man's house and making yourself at home. The seas around here are my territory. YOU'VE COME FOR MY GOLD, HAVEN'T YOU? OVER MY DEAD BODY, YOU WILL...' Sanji reacts quickly, shouting, 'USOPP! GET LUFFY OUTTA THE WATER!' A caption introduces the man: 'Last Boss Of the "Saruyama Alliance" Montblanc Cricket'.

Sanji intercepts Cricket's punch with a powerful kick. The impact creates a shockwave. 'AHH-' Sanji grunts. Usopp watches in shock, 'WHOA-'. Sanji and Cricket land and immediately clash again. Sanji delivers a flurry of kicks, 'SHI!!', but Cricket blocks them with his arms. Cricket then retaliates with a swift kick of his own, forcing Sanji to dodge backward.

Sanji and Cricket continue their intense fight. Sanji lands a solid kick on Cricket's arm, making a 'GIGI' sound. Cricket pulls out a pistol and aims it at Sanji. Sanji notices, 'HM!?' Cricket fires, but Sanji dodges the blast, yelling 'AGHHHH!' as the explosion goes off right next to him.

Sanji lands safely, saying, 'It didn't hit me! Don't worry,' Nami and Chopper scream in panic, 'SANJI! SANJI! GAHHH!' Sanji glares at Cricket, 'That's what you get for underestimating him, you dumbass... JUST GIMME A LIL' LONGER TO FINISH HIM OFF!' Suddenly, Cricket stops moving. He clutches his chest and collapses to the ground with a heavy thud. Sanji looks surprised, 'BUT... Hm!?'

Cricket lies unconscious on the ground, coughing up blood. 'COUGH! COUGH!' Usopp, dragging a soaking wet Luffy out of the water, explains, 'T... THERE WERE... COUGH! BUBBLES FROM BEL- BELOW SO I LEANED IN FOR A CLOSER LOOK AND THIS CHESTNUT APPEARED! BUT THE CHESTNUT WAS ACTUALLY A GUY... AND HE QUICKLY PULLED ME IN THE WATER...' Luffy coughs up water. Sanji asks Cricket, 'You... you okay, old man?' The scene shifts to inside Cricket's house. Cricket is lying in bed, with Chopper tending to him. Sanji says, 'This old man's sick? Diver's disease?' Chopper instructs, 'Cool this towel a little more. And open all the windows! Yes, it's an illness that occasionally affects divers, But normally, it doesn't grow serious enough to become a chronic illness.'

Chopper continues his medical explanation. 'The cause is the sudden drop in pressure when rising from deep below the sea to the surface. This drop in pressure destabilizes the dissolved gases in the human body, forming bubbles. As the formed bubbles collect in blood streams and tissues, they cause pain and distress in the muscles, joints, and blood vessels.' Luffy, now recovered and sitting nearby, says, 'Oh, so it's sort of a magic disease.' Chopper looks at the unconscious Cricket, 'This person must have been diving so frequently, That the bubbles didn't have enough time to disappear naturally. What could have driven him to this?' Chopper concludes grimly, 'Depending on the severity, I don't know... but it's very dangerous. Diver's disease can even lead to death.' As he says this, Masira and Shoujou are shown looming in the background, grinning menacingly.

No description for this page.