Catch the Southbird!

The page begins with a flashback scene showing a small coastal settlement with palm trees and a tall, strange wooden structure. A voice narrates, "The day we arrived at Jaya! May 21, 1122." Laughter rings out, "GYAHAHAHA," as someone shouts, "NOLAND! NOLAND!" The scene shifts to Montblanc Cricket in the present, who is smoking a cigarette and holding a hand to his ear, continuing the story: "Upon arriving at the island, we were immediately greeted with a cry from a most unusual bird from the forest, and a loud bell-ring." Below him, a silhouette of a bird with a large beak sits on a branch. Next to it, a massive golden bell is shown ringing loudly. Cricket's face is shown in close-up, smiling around his cigarette as he recounts the tale. The narration continues, "The sound from this enormous golden bell..."

The narration continues: "...Reverberated throughout the entire island, as if proudly proclaiming, the former glory of its ancient city. When reminded of the civilizations that have risen and fallen throughout the ages across this vast sea, we, who barely live a few decades at most and yet act as if we know all there is to this world, were too awestruck to utter even a single word. And so we simply stood there, silently listening to the bell ringing..." As the story is told, the Straw Hat crew is shown captivated. Luffy chews on a piece of meat with a wide grin. Zoro smiles while holding a bottle, and Chopper looks on in awe. Below, a lively party is in full swing. The crew and the Saruyama Alliance are drinking, eating, and cheering. Usopp and Chopper have chopsticks stuck in their noses and mouths, dancing wildly on a table. Sanji sits back with a drink, laughing, "UHAHAHAHA." Nami and Robin sit at the table, smiling. Nami remarks, "Amazing, a giant bell made from gold!" and "What a poet, that Noland!" Sanji adds, "Ha, so you do like Noland after all, don'cha, mister!?" Masira and Shoujou are also seen enjoying the feast.

A large, gleaming golden object shaped like a bell is presented with a "WHOA! IT'S THE GOLDEN BELL!" exclamation. However, Cricket, sitting shirtless with a cigarette, laughs heartily, "Gahahaha, this isn't the actual golden bell. This is just a gold ingot in the shape of a bell. I found 3 of these at the bottom of the ocean here!" Usopp, sweating slightly, asks, "Umm... What's so enormous about this?" Nami, holding the gold piece with dollar signs in her eyes, explains, "An ingot is a weight to weigh out precious metals. You can use it to trade and sell goods." Robin adds, "This is enough proof that a civilization existed here in these parts." Usopp questions, "Still, what's an ingot?" Shoujou, holding a small cup, says, "It's not too hard to find this much gold in any old ruin. Well, there's no solid proof of that." Luffy, sitting cross-legged with a mug, concludes, "Oh, so the city of gold does exist!"

Masira, wearing his "MASIRA" shirt, brings over another object, saying, "Yup." Luffy exclaims, "Whoa, there's more!?" Zoro notes, "This one's big!" Cricket tells him, "Show 'em, Masira. That's right. And the bird that Noland talked about in his log is..." A large, intricately carved golden statue of a bird's head with a prominent beak is revealed, shining brightly. Nami coos, "Ooohh... It's so pretty...!" Luffy asks, "What is it, a penguin?" Cricket laughs, "Hahaha...! May not be much for 10 years of diving but... This is the last one." Robin observes, "I think this was only a part of a larger piece." Cricket replies, "I don't know for sure, but..." Sanji, smoking, summarizes, "So these are the two symbols of Jaya's ancient civilization, huh... A golden bell and a bird..."

Luffy, Nami, and Cricket are gathered around the golden bird statue. Nami is completely enamored, hearts floating around her head. Cricket explains, "This is a real bird known as the Southbird, which still exists on this island." Luffy asks, "Is its cry really that strange?" Cricket confirms, "Yes, it's just as Noland's log said." Shoujou and Masira are shown in the next panel. Shoujou starts to say, "Speaking of the Southbird, for ages, sailors have-" but is suddenly interrupted. A massive crash, accompanied by a loud "GAGAAN!!" sound effect, shakes the area. Outside, a large tree falls directly onto Cricket's house, breaking the structure. A voice screams, "OH NO! WHAT'S WRONG!?"

Inside the damaged house, chaos ensues. Someone yells, "WHAT!? WHY!?" Cricket urgently commands, "You've gotta go and catch this bird! Right this instant!" Luffy, confused, asks, "Huh? What're you talking about all of a sudden, mister?" Sanji questions, "Why the bird...?" Cricket shouts, "THIS IS BAD! YOU NEED TO GET TO THE FOREST NOW! THE FOREST TO THE SOUTH!" He explains, "Listen closely! The knock-up stream that should form tomorrow, is directly South of this cape!" A map of Jaya is shown with a compass rose, indicating the Knock-up Stream to the south. Luffy asks, "So how do you think we'll get there!?" Cricket replies, "By sailing South, duh." Luffy yells back, "THIS IS THE GRAND LINE! ONCE YOU SET OUT FOR THE SEAS, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHICH DIRECTION IS WHERE!" Nami realizes, "...Ah, that's right! Since we're not heading for an island but some point in the open seas, the log-pose won't be of any use! But then... Just how can we sail South!?" Cricket, pointing a finger, declares, "That's where this bird comes in!" A silhouette of the Southbird is shown behind him.

Sanji explains, "There are some animal species which have a way of accurately perceiving magnetic waves to orient themselves. Right... I've heard that pigeons and salmons have that ability." Luffy laughs, "UHAHAHAHA, guess that makes you worse than even an animal, Zoro!" Zoro angrily yells back, "AS IF YOU CAN TALK!" Cricket continues, "The Southbird is the keenest of such animals. Even if you were to throw it out into the middle of a featureless ocean or desert, it'll accurately point South." A silhouette of the bird pointing south is shown. Cricket yells, "IN ANY CASE! WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT THIS BIRD! Forget about going to sky island, you won't even be able to have the chance of going there!" Usopp and Chopper react with shock, "WHAT!?" Usopp complains, "Why'd you tell us so late!? IT'S ALREADY THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND YOU WANT US TO GO INTO THE FOREST!?" Cricket retorts, "STOP WHININ'! THERE'S NO TIME FOR THAT! As for us three, we're gonna be busy fixing your ship!" Usopp cries, "GOD! WHAT'S THE USE OF SAYING THAT NOW!? Come to think of it, we really shouldn't have been partying at all!" The exterior of the damaged house is shown in the dark.

Cricket points intensely, his face looming large, and commands, "YOU BETTER HAVE CAUGHT ONE SOUTHBIRD, BY THE TIME THE SUN RISES...!" The scene shifts to the Straw Hat crew standing at the edge of a dense, dark forest. The trees are massive, towering over them. Luffy, holding a bug net, says, "WHOA... IT'S PITCH BLACK IN HERE!" Usopp, trembling and holding onto Sanji, whines, "Ughh... I think I ate too much..." Sanji tells him, "Stop holding onto me!" Zoro, carrying a net over his shoulder, says, "Well, let's catch this thing quickly so we can go back and drink some more..." Nami, looking nervous, asks, "Why'd things have to come to this all of a sudden!?" Chopper stands nearby, also looking apprehensive.

Usopp complains loudly, "MAN, WOULD IT HAVE KILLED YA TO TELL US THIS DURING THE DAY!?" Zoro retorts, "If we knew where it exactly was, we wouldn't have all come here looking for it! So where's the bird?" Luffy says, "Our only two hints are its peculiar cry, and that it looks like the gold figure we saw earlier." Usopp asks, "Does a bizarre-looking bird like that really even exist? What do they even mean by a 'peculiar cry?' It's way too vague!" Sanji replies, "Well, he said we'd understand once we entered the forest..." Suddenly, a strange sound echoes through the dark trees: "Jooeee~". The crew stops and listens. Zoro remarks, "What kind of queer-ass cry is that?" Usopp, sweating, confirms, "THAT'S IT FOR SURE..."

Luffy grins confidently and says, "Alright... Since we have no other choice, let's do this thing! We've got 3 nets, so we'll split up into 3 teams! NOW THEN... IT'S TIME TO KICK THIS BIRD'S ASS!" He, Zoro, and Sanji hold up their bug nets. Usopp nervously reminds him, "Umm... We're here to catch the bird alive, Luffy." A caption box reads: "Shot 1: Team Sanji, Usopp, Nami". The three are shown walking through the dense foliage. Sanji turns to Nami with a charming smile and says, "Don't worry! I'll protect you no matter what pops up in this forest, Nami!" Nami replies flatly, "Yeah, let's catch this bird as soon as possible and get outta here." Usopp yells from behind, "WHAT ABOUT ME, SANJI!?" Sanji snaps back, "Like I give a rat's ass about you! Stop whining and get a move on already!"

Team Sanji continues their search. Sanji suggests, "Alright, let's cup our ears and try to find out where the cry is coming from." The strange cry echoes again: "Jooeee~". Nami points and says, "Ah! That sound-". Usopp spots something and says, "Ah, Nami! Nice catch. Where'd you get it?" Nami, confused, asks, "Get what?" She looks down at her side. A large, hairy spider is clinging to her striped shirt. She freezes in horror, a "CLIMB..." sound effect near the spider. Suddenly, she lets out a blood-curdling scream, "EEEEEKK! A SPIDER!" The scream echoes through the dark forest.

Nami frantically tries to shake the spider off, screaming, "GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF, GET IT OFF OF ME! AGHHH! THEY'RE FALLING DOWN FROM THE TREE!" Several more spiders drop around her with "PLOP" sounds. Sanji yells at Usopp, "Get away from it, Usopp! That's definitely a venomous spider!" Usopp, unbothered, replies, "What, it's just a spider. It's BECAUSE it's a spider that we're grossed out! Throw it away somewhere!" Usopp holds the large spider on his arm, smiling, "It's probably a type of tarantula. Don't worry, it won't bite as long as you don't hurt it. I used to do stage a lot of spider-fights back in the day..." Nami and Sanji are huddled together, terrified and crying. Sanji yells, "WELL I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH THOSE KINDS OF CREEPY CRAWLIES!" Nami adds, "ME NEITHER! I HATE THEM ALL! HURRY UP AND TOSS IT FAR AWAY!" Usopp then points out, "Oh... But you're fine with the moths and centipedes back there?" Nami and Sanji freeze in shock. Behind them, the trees are completely covered in massive swarms of moths and giant centipedes. They both scream in absolute terror, "MOTHS AND CENTIPEDES ARE NOT OKAY EITHER! AAAAAAH!"

A caption box reads: "Shot 2: Team Zoro, Robin". Robin calmly observes, "It's crying out in pain..." Zoro is shown swinging the handle of his bug net, striking a massive, segmented centipede that is rearing up at him. He mutters, "Whatever. Sure is freakin' huge for a centipede..." Robin asks, "You don't have to beat down every single one. Don't you feel sorry for it...?" Zoro, holding the net handle like a weapon, replies, "Hey, it's his fault for coming at me in the first place, so mind your own business." He glares back at her and adds, "Moreover... It seems like you've yet to reveal your true nature and I sure as hell don't trust you. Don't forget that..."

Robin looks back at Zoro and starts to say, "...But-". Zoro interrupts, "What is it now?" The bird's cry, "Jooeeee~", echoes through the trees. Robin points out, "That's the way we just came from. It's the bird-cry." Zoro looks annoyed. Robin then points in another direction and advises, "This way. And watch out for the bog over there." Zoro, sweating, yells, "Hey! W-wait up..." He takes a step and immediately sinks into the mud with a series of sound effects: "SQUISH, SQUASH, SQUISH, KAPLUNK!" He yells, "AGHH!" as he falls into the bog.

A caption box reads: "Shot 3: Team Luffy, Chopper". Luffy's face takes up a large panel as he screams excitedly, "CAUGHT IT!!!" He holds up a large rhinoceros beetle. Chopper, amazed, yells, "LOOK, CHOPPER! AN ATLAS BEETLE!" Chopper asks, "An atlas?" Luffy, stars in his eyes, explains, "That's right! Atlas and Hercules beetles are every child's dream in this world!" Chopper, looking confused, asks, "What, these rhinoceros beetles? Then what's greater, an Atlas beetle or One Piece?" Luffy struggles with the question, sweating and groaning, "NGHHH...! HARD TO SAY...!" Suddenly, the bird's cry, "Jooeee...", sounds nearby. The Southbird is shown perched on a branch, looking down at them. Luffy, completely distracted, points in another direction and yells, "Luffy, there's one here too! WHOAAA! IT'S A STAG BEETLE!" He completely ignores the Southbird right next to them.

The Southbird takes flight, crying "Jooeee...". Chopper notices and yells, "AHH! IT'S FLYING AAWAY! CHASE IT! WE CAN'T LET IT ESCAPE!" Luffy, still distracted, yells, "AHH! A GIANT SPIDER! IT'S IN OUR WAY! KICK IT!" Suddenly, a massive, round object falls from the trees with a "THUD!". Luffy looks at it, "Hm!?" It's a giant wasp hive. A swarm of angry wasps bursts out with a loud "BEEEEEE!!". Luffy and Chopper scream in terror, "AAAAAAGHHHHHH!", their eyes popping out of their heads. They turn and run for their lives. Luffy yells, "A WASP HIVE! RUN FOR IT!" They sprint through the forest, panting heavily, "HUFF... HUFF... PANT... PANT...", trying to escape the swarm. Chopper looks back, confused, "Huh?"

Luffy and Chopper continue running from the massive swarm of wasps. Chopper yells, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS FOREST!? LUFFY, LOOK!" He points up. The Southbird is perched on a branch above them, crying out a series of "JOOEEE JOE JOE JOOEEEE!". Chopper realizes, "A bird? AH! It's the bird we're looking for! It must have dropped the hive on us!" Luffy, shocked, asks, "...Wha!? Why, did it say something!?" The Southbird is shown in a large panel, looking smug. Chopper translates, "It said it will kill anybody, that dares harm this forest...!"

Back at Cricket's house, Shoujou and Masira are confronting intruders. Shoujou warns, "Whoa, whoa there. You don't wanna make us mad now, brother." Masira adds, "UKIKIKI! Beat it, punks! You think you can just barge in here in the middle of the night and demand our gold?" A voice mocks them, "HAHAHAHA! What're you, his bodyguards? You know, pirate Cricket, I heard about the touching story of your Montblanc family, and shed some tears..." Cricket glares silently, smoking his cigarette. The intruder is revealed to be Bellamy, grinning widely with his tongue sticking out. He says, "Taking away someone else's hard-earned treasure has... Got such a distinct flavour to it, y'know?...Should I tell ya what they call me? THE HYENA! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Bellamy's crew stands behind him in the shadows.

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