Last Boss of the Saruyama Alliance, Montblanc Cricket

Outside the house, the two large monkey-like men, Masira and Shoujou, are in a state of panic. They yell, "Oh no! The thought of that's giving me the jitters...!" and "I don't know, but you don't think something happened to our boss, do you?" One of them says, "Ah never mind. What do you think that gunshot we heard just now was about?" The other replies, "Am I still alive? What kinda question is that?" and "Ah! Masira, you're still alive!?" They both scream at the top of their lungs, their mouths wide open, "BOOOOOOSSSS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" accompanied by a loud "BA BAAAN!!" sound effect.

Inside the house, the Straw Hats have gathered. Luffy is walking across the room carrying a basin of water. Zoro stands near the wall with his swords resting on his shoulder. Sanji is standing with his hands in his pockets, smoking a cigarette. Nami looks back over her shoulder, and Chopper stands nearby looking shocked. In the bed, the large man with a chestnut-shaped head, Montblanc Cricket, is sitting up, looking confused with question marks floating around his head. Outside the window, Masira and Shoujou continue to wail loudly, their voices carrying into the room: "AGHHHH! THEY'VE COME TO KILL US!" and "GYAAA!"

Masira and Shoujou peek through the windows, crying and yelling, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR BOSS!?" and "JUST WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE!?" Inside, Chopper panics, yelling at Luffy, "LUFFY, YOU IDIOT! YOU CAN'T REASON WITH THEM, THEY'RE WILD BEASTS! EVERYONE, EVACUATE THROUGH THE WINDOWS ASAP!" Sanji calmly tells the monkeys, "What, you guys again? We're treating the sick old man so scram." Hearing this, Masira and Shoujou burst into tears of joy, saying, "THEY'RE... THEY'RE GOOD PEOPLE...!" Sanji looks annoyed by their sudden change in demeanor. An exterior view shows the house is built into a castle facade. Someone notes, "So you guys live here too?" and the reply is, "Well, the boss' house, is also the main base for the Saruyama Alliance, but..."

Outside, Masira and Shoujou laugh heartily, "Uohohoho!" and explain, "This house is too small for us, after all. We usually sleep on our own ships." Nami remarks, "Even you guys are only as big as their boogers." Sanji replies, "Nah, it's you guys who're too big. Then again, compared to the giants," Chopper wonders, "Why're they getting along so well?" and Zoro answers, "Got something in common, I guess." Inside, Cricket is fully awake. He says, "Ah, it's true. He does fly pretty easily." The crew notices, "Luffy, he's awake!" and "Yup, sure." Cricket tells Luffy, "But I'm surprised you managed to send this guy flyin' high despite your small frame." Luffy approaches him and says, "Diamond-head mister! I got stuff I wanted to ask."

Cricket sits up in bed, smoking a cigarette. He apologizes, "Sorry about the attack earlier. I mistook you for the usual idiots who come sniffin' for gold." Nami's eyes turn into sparkling stars as she excitedly asks, "GOLD!? SO YOU DO HAVE SOME!?" Sanji warns her, "Don't provoke him." Cricket asks Luffy, "So... What is it you want to ask me?" Luffy smiles widely and declares, "We wanna go to Sky Island! Teach us how!" Cricket looks surprised, repeating the words, "Sky island?"

Cricket bursts into loud laughter, "Ahahahaha! You folks seriously believe in that!?" Nami angrily grabs Cricket and shakes him, while Chopper yells at her, "NAMI, NO! HE'S A SICK PATIENT!" Luffy looks shocked and asks, "What, so there's no such thing!?" Cricket explains, "Who knows for sure... I do know of one man who said it existed... But the entire world labelled him a liar, and his entire family line's been a laughing stock ever since." Luffy asks, "Is how his story goes..." Cricket reveals the name: "'Noland the Liar.'" Luffy immediately reacts defensively, waving his arms, "IT'S NOT ME! I TOLD YOU ALREADY, IT'S NOT ME! EVEN THE NAME'S DIFFERENT!"

Nami is shocked and asks, "You're his descendant!? And this island is the very island in the story!?" Cricket confirms, "He's the grandfather of my grandfather... of my grandfather, and so on up the line... Suffice to say, he's a distant ancestor of mine, which is troubling to say the least... I probably share as much blood with him as a mosquito can carry in its belly..." He continues, "The Montblanc family's been run out of that kingdom, But their abuse and humiliation by the people's hands still continues..." Luffy asks, "Why's that?" Cricket answers, "But not a single Montblanc member resents him..." A close-up of Cricket's face shows his conviction as he states, "BECAUSE NOLAND, WAS A MAN OF UPSTANDING HONESTY." Luffy looks confused, "What?"

Nami recalls the story, "In the final scene of the picture book, Noland says, 'Ah, that's it! The mountain of gold must have sunk into the sea!' There, he's drawn with a stupid smile on his face, But the real man supposedly died with big blobs of tears streaming down his face." Cricket explains, "He was absolutely sure that the island that they'd landed at, Was the same Jaya where he'd discovered the ruins of a golden city. The thought that maybe he had seen an illusion never even crossed his mind." A flashback panel shows Noland being executed, kneeling before a crowd. Cricket continues, "Noland claimed that an earthquake must have caused the city of gold to sink to the ocean floor, But the people could only see it as a desperate excuse made to save his own skin, And the crowd mocked him to no end as he was executed."

Usopp asks, "So then! Have you come here in search of the golden city at the ocean floor, So that you could wipe away your family's dishonour!?" Cricket angrily yells, "DON'T BE STUPID!" He continues, "Whether my distant ancestor really was an honest man, Or a great explorer... WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME!?" A close-up of Cricket's intense, angry face is shown as he shouts, "WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW, ABOUT THE FEELINGS OF A CHILD, WHO'S HAD TO GROW UP BEING INSULTED AND LAUGHED AT BY EVERY STRANGER, JUST BECAUSE HE HAPPENED TO SHARE THE SAME BLOOD AS THAT IDIOT!"

Sanji listens as Cricket continues his story. "But in the past 400 years, There have been countless members of my family, Who set out for the seas to reclaim our family's honour or whatever... Don't know what ever happened to any of them but, I felt embarrassed by them. And so I ran away from home, And became a pirate." Luffy asks, "Oh, you're a pirate too, mister?" Cricket replies, "It's not that I wanted to become one. I just wanted to escape from Noland's curse, that's all. But 10 years ago... At the end of my adventures, my ship ended up arriving at this island."

Cricket continues, "Oddly enough, me, the one who despised Noland the most in my family, Was the only one that was able to arrive to this island. As I stood on the cape of this island that didn't even bear the slightest trace of a golden city, I figured it must be fate... And that I could run away no longer." He stands up, looking determined, and declares, "LET'S SETTLE THIS, NOLAND." A flashback shows Cricket's former crew leaving him on the shore. They say, "What kind of joke is this!? Captain... We've got no desire to get involved with your family's problems!"

The flashback continues with Cricket's crew sailing away on their ship. They yell back, "If you're still set on searching for gold, Then you'll have to do it alone! This means goodbye!" Cricket is shown diving deep into the ocean with a splash. He narrates, "I didn't care if there really was gold or not... I didn't come here to find gold, And clear up my ancestor's name..." Back in the present, Sanji is smoking as Cricket finishes his thought, "It was a personal fight between me, And the man who had ruined my life."

Zoro, Nami, Chopper, and Sanji listen intently. Cricket says, "I wanted to settle the issue once and for all...! Before I kicked the bucket," Usopp is moved to tears, crying, "I'M SURE THERE'S A HOT-BLOODED BACKSTORY FOR THAT, INVOLVING A HEART-TO-HEART TALK DONE WITH FISTS BELOW THE SEA......A TRUE MAN'S..." Luffy interrupts, asking, "...So what about them? Why're the monkeys here with you?" Cricket explains, "They're just fans of the story. THEY'RE JUST FANS!? Well that's a pretty simple relationship... About 5-6 years ago, they came here after hearing rumours about me, And enthusiastically claimed that Noland's gold exists for sure."

A flashback shows Masira and Shoujou yelling at Cricket. "SHOU... JOU...! KICKING ME LIKE THAT WITHOUT WARNING... YOU GOT A DEATH WISH OR SOMETHIN'!? That's some big talk coming from you, but you better watch it if you don't want to make me really mad." Cricket narrates over the scene, "The sea here is deep... And in the cold, dark ocean depths, loneliness gets to you even more. For a guy diving alone day after day, Having these two idiots barge into my life, And making a big uproar about calling me boss, And becoming my followers is..."

Cricket smiles warmly and finishes his sentence, "HONESTLY, IT REALLY LIFTS A MAN... YOU UNDERSTAND?" Usopp, still crying, yells, "YES, I UNDERSTAND! TRUE FRIENDS DON'T NEED ANYTHING MORE TO-" Luffy angrily interrupts Usopp, grabbing him and yelling, "Right, well, leaving aside the monkey talk- YOU JUST STAY QUIET! LIKE I WAS SAYING..." Luffy then turns back to Cricket and shouts, "I JUST WANT TO KNOW, HOW TO GO TO SKY ISLAND!"

Cricket hands a thick book to Nami, saying, "Haha... You're one impatient bastard. But I told you my story for a reason. Getting involved with him will just turn you into the world's laughingstock like me. The man who once talked about a 'sky island' was Noland the Liar." Luffy asks, "Oh!? Did he also go to sky island!?" Cricket replies, "Unfortunately, he never wrote that he did... A logbook?...I-is that written by the man himself!? That's right. Read the section there." Nami opens the logbook and reads, "Amazing... A 400 year-old diary... Year 1120 of the Marine Calendar, June 21. Clear weather. Setting off from the merry town of Villa, We sailed Northeast from the port, following our log pose." A small note indicates "literally 'Kaienreki'" next to Marine Calendar.

Nami continues reading from the logbook: "During the day, we obtained a most interesting item from a passing merchant ship. It's a single-person-use boat called a 'Waver,' much resembling skiis. Even on a day without wind, it propels its own wind somehow to sail forwards. A very mysterious ship, though requiring a certain level of skill from the rider. I could not successfully ride it. It has since become a favourite plaything among the crew members." Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper are thrilled, yelling, "Whoa! What is this!? I want one too! ENOUGH ABOUT THAT, KEEP READING!" Nami reads on, "It seems the mysterious engine of this device exists only on 'sky island,' Along with many other rare and interesting items, or so I've heard. Also concerning 'sky island,' An explorer friend of mine once showed me a living 'sky fish.' Its bizarre appearance truly shocked me. Although this rumoured sky island is located in uncharted waters for us, Speaking as a sailor, I wish to visit this 'sky ocean' some day. -Montblanc Noland-" Luffy is amazed, "A sky ocean...? IT'S JUST AS ROBIN SAID! AND THE PEOPLE BACK THEN TALKED ABOUT IT AS IF THERE WERE NO DOUBTS ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE!"

Outside, Cricket stands with Masira and Shoujou. Someone yells from inside, "SO IT DOES EXIST! WOOHOO!" Masira asks, "Boss! How's your body feeling?" Cricket replies, "Never felt better. Now keep quiet and answer me. Do you like these guys?" Masira asks, "Why're you asking us that?" Shoujou says, "It seems like that bunch is completely set on going to sky island, No matter what... Sky island...? Well there's only one way to get up there... Yeah, but they'll die for sure if they tried that...!" Cricket smiles confidently and says, "That's why I'm thinking... We lend them a hand..."

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