~Third~

"What did you wanna tell us old timer?"Usopp asked after Cricket gathered the Strawhats outside "Listen up and listen good i decided to tell you everything i know about the sky island" the old man said, Nicole noticed Zoro was sleeping and jabbed him on the side with her elbow waking him up, he gave her a glare but she ignored him.

"Most of this is rumor and hear say so you have to make you your own mind whether you believe it or not, there's something very strange that happens in this part of the ocean everything will suddenly turn black as night right in the middle of the brightest day"Cricket said.

"Hey yeah the same thing happened to us, right?"Luffy asked "Yeah it was like the sun vanished and these enormous monster showed up"Usopp said "You saw the giants? There's a tale about where they come from but forget about them for now we can go into it later now about this strange night fall, it's caused by the shadow of an extremely dense cloud"Cricket said.

"Thought so"Nicole muttered "But it was too dark for a cloud it was like the sun went out"Nami still not believing it "Yeah it was more of an eclipse clouds on a cloudy day are just sort of cloudy"Luffy said "Yeah just sorta cloudy"Usopp said "Yeah cloudy!"Chopper said.

"Shut your gobs and listen!"Cricket yelled at them "This cloud is called a cumilo origalis it forms high in the sky, it has no internal air currents and it never turns to rain, no light can reach the ground and a sunny afternoon turns black as pitch, it's like some giant hand reached up and snuffed out the sun like it was a candle some say that cumilo origalis clouds are floating fossils petrified clouds that hang in the sky for thousands of years"Cricket said.

"You've gotta be kidding us? A petrified cloud that drifts around for centuries?"Nami asked "Hey i'm just telling you what people have told me whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you"Cricket said "So it's a mystery cloud"Luffy said "Yeah i guess that sums it up as well as anything else"Cricket said "This is so awesome!"Chopper said.

"You see there's only one place the sky island could be if it's real and that's on top of one of those clouds"Cricket said "Alright let's go we're on our way up to the clouds!"Luffy said as he and Usopp started celebrating "I told you idiots before we don't know how to get there!"Nami yelled and beat them up.

"Yeah that's gonna be the hard part cause you'll be risking your lives every minute"Cricket said "You mean like now?"Luffy and Usopp asked "There's only one way to get there the knock up stream it shoots straight up into the air so it could theoretically take you up to the sky if you're lucky"Cricket said "Wait a minute are you saying this current can send ships flying?"Nami asked.

"Great then it'll be a snap all we have to do is hitch a ride up"Luffy said "On an ocean current?" Usopp asked "Except wouldn't we fall back down and get smashed into pieces?"Nami asked "Probably, unless sky island happens to be above us"Nicole said "Yeah but timing is key, it's one thing to sit here all comfy and talk about riding the knock up stream but if you think this trip is gonna be some pleasure cruise you're in for a very rude awakening"Cricket said.

"The knock up stream is as dangerous as any hurricane it should be avoided at all cost"Cricket said "But how can a current of water rise up in the air in the first place? Come on we've never heard of anything like that before right guys?"Nami asked "I can't imagine it being any different from a geyser"Nicole said.

"There are some similarities with the explanation that someone once told me that made the most sense, though so far no one has been stupid enough to confirm it, it's like this deep below the ocean floor there are large cavities filled with air cool water seeps into it and geothermal energy heats it until it becomes steam over time the pressure builds and when it becomes too great it becomes a tremendous explosion this explosion hurls the water in to the air creating a current to the sky"Cricket explained.

"The effect lasts for about one minute connecting the sky to the ocean like a bridge"Cricket said "One minute? Do you realize how enormous an explosion like that would have to be?"Nami asked "The explosions occur in wildly different locations about five times a month"Cricket said.

"We'd be blown into fish food if we tried that old man"Usopp said "Anyway you can't really explain something like this with words and theories it's one of the great mysteries of creation" Cricket said "So we gotta ride this current that shows up five times a month to reach some island in the sky? And just hope it's waiting for us?"Usopp asked.

"I say that sums it up pretty well and if you miss you fall back down and get blown into fish food just like you said"Cricket said "So it's all or nothing huh?"Nicole asked casually leaning on her arm "Yep"Cricket said "Okay so we're gonna forget about sky island right?"Usopp asked turning to Luffy who only seemed even more excited then before.

"Because it's nuts Luffy completely insane you have to be luckier the mister lucky luck of luck land on his luckiest day to pull off a stunt like this one"Usopp said as Luffy just laughed "It'll be okay let's go"Luffy said "Naturally, how can you say it'll be okay? Think about it for a second and what about the poor Going Merry? Did you even stop to consider the shape she's in? The way she's suffering? There's no way you can expect her to stand up to a disaster like this in her condition"Usopp cried.

"He's absolutely right, she's worthless even brand new that reack wouldn't stand a chance" Cricket said "Say what?"Usopp asked "Speed weight strength the explosion would tear that ship to pieces before it had a chance to get air born"Cricket said "Yeah, see it's hopeless"Usopp said "But don't worry i think i can help you out there i'll have Masira and Shoujou do a complete refit of your ship i'll also have them reinforce the structure to with stand the strain"Cricket said.

"You bet, don't worry guys we're all over it!"the monkeys said in response waving from the house "Thanks fellas!"Luffy yelled back "Yeah thanks a lot"Usopp and Nami muttered "Have you really thought about this?"Nami asked going over to Luffy "What?"the rubber boy asked.

"About well at most we can only stay one more day on this island or did that slip your mind? After that the log pose will lock onto the next island and we'll have to move on" Nami said showing the log pose.

"That's right! That's right we gotta move on, hey old man i realize you're not a fortune teller and you probably don't have the vaguest idea but how many days will it be until the next time a knock up stream will lines up with a cumilo origalis? Or better yet how many weeks? or years or centuries? Now take your time i'm in no hurry, can i lend you and abacus?"Usopp asked

"It'll be around noon tomorrow so you better get ready"Cricket said "Wait a minute you mean we can make it?!"Usopp asked "'Fraid so if you're scared then don't go"Cricket said "Hold on, are you sure? How do you know that's exactly the window we need if we really want to get into sky island?"Nicole asked.

"Masira said that whenever the midday night occurs in this area a cumilo origalis appears on the southern sky the next day based on it's usual appearance circle of five times a month i'm guessing the knock up stream will also erupt at midday tomorrow that will probably also be to the south, i can't be hundred percent certain but there is a good chance that the two events will coincide"Cricket said walking over and the two had a stare off

"I'm proud to have met a bunch of fools like you, you're true pirates, now then let's go inside and eat, tonight i want you to call your home my home my friends"Cricket said, Nicole huffed a bit and turned away walking to the house with Zoro.

That night they had a small party in Crickets home, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were goofing around as usual, Sanji was spoiling the girls but mainly Nami with his cooking, Nicole and Zoro were having a drinking contest as usual and Robin was reading Noland's log book, she reached the last written log when Cricket appeared in front of her.

"The skulls right eye that's where i saw the gold"he said making the party pause "Those words smeared with tears are the last Noland wrote in his log book "The skulls right eye that's where i saw the gold" that very same day Noland was executed i still don't know what he meant by that does it refer to the name of a city or some land mark that used to exist on the island? Or is it just a poetic illusion to his own impending death? The blank pages that follow give us no clue and that's the reason we continue to dive to the bottom of the sea we dream"Cricket said and the party continued.

~skip~

"Log entry for May 21st 1122 today i arrived on Jaya, shortly after making landfall we were startled by the cries of some strange bird from deep in the forest as well as the tolling of what seemed to be an enormous, bell the ringing of that golden bell resounded far and wide as if announcing the presence of some great and prosperous city of the past it's fleeting echo is the only reminded this land was once home to a mighty civilisation, in our pride and arrogance we thought we had seen everything in our short lives but the sound of that bell tolling left us all speechless it was as if the clang of that bell had struck us dumb with wonder"Cricket said the roared as if to imitate the bell.

"I just love stories with bells in them especially gold ones"Nami said "Hey old timer it sounds like you might be a little fond of Noland after all"Usopp said and everyone laughed "Look at this"Cricket said showing everyone a golden ingot "Wow a golden bell"Nami said "Huh doesn't seem to enormous to me"Usopp said.

"That's cause these are ingots"Nicole said "Yeah, they're just shaped like bells, we found them on the ocean floor during a dive"Cricket said "Golden ingots?"Chopper asked "The city of gold, it is real!"Luffy said "It's still not proof though you can find gold relics like that lying around in any old ruin in this part of the world"Shoujou said.

"Maybe so but that does suggest there was a civilisation here some time in the past, ingots are made to measure gold into standardised units of weight and that would indicate an advanced trading society"Robin said "Right and you remember that peculiar bird call he said they heard when they landed? Show it to them"Cricket said and unveiled a golden statue.

"There's more gold?!"Usopp asked "Just look at the size of it"Zoro said "That's the last of it" Cricket said "Oh it's gorgeous"Nami said "Golden bells and birds huh? Do you think they might be symbols of some ancient civilisation?"Sanji asked "I really can't say for sure but it think all these pieces were a part of the same casting this creature is called a south bird you can still find them on the island today"Cricket said pulling the statue over to him.

"Wow and they have a peculiar call?"Luffy asked "Ah ha just like in the log book"Cricket said "Sailors have used south birds on ships since ancient time to help them na-"Masira cut himself off realizing something, Cricket realized it too "Oh no!"the monkeys said "What's wrong?"the others asked.

"This is really bad you guys gotta get to the forest on the south side of the island right away" Cricket said "What do you mean? Are you crazy?"Luffy asked "Don't waste a minute you gotta capture one of these birds and quickly"Cricket said "How come?"Usopp asked "Oh of course! How else are we supposed to navigate south when regular compasses don't work"Nicole said

"That's right without a landmass to lock onto the log pose will be useless and there will be no way for us to navigate, but there's gotta be some way we can figure out which way to sail?"Nami asked "There is if you can lay your hands on one of these birds certain animals are known to have a very strong sense of internal directions as if they're born with a natural compass"Cricket said.

"That makes Zoro dumber then an animal"Luffy laughed "Oh yeah right like you have any room to talk!"Zoro yelled at him "Actually yes because you're even worse with directions"Nicole muttered "What was that?!"Zoro growled at her "The south bird is a perfect example of this kind of creature, in the middle of a vast barren plain or the ocean it's body will always point in the same direction"Cricket said.

"You see if you don't get going to that forest and catch one of those birds right now you'll have to kiss your only chance to get to sky island goodbye"Cricket said  "And you're just telling us this now?!"Usopp, Luffy and Chopper yelled at him "Quit your whining, there's no time no move it or lose it!"Cricket said as the crew set off into the forest.

"Whoa it's pitch black"Luffy said "Will you let go of me you idiot?"Sanji asked Usopp as the scardy cat was clinging onto him "My stomachs still so stuffed from that dinner, i couldn't catch a bird if i saw one"Chopper said "So where are they?"Luffy asked "Let's just catch one of them and get back to drinking"Zoro said.

"Will someone remind me how we ended up in this mess?"Nami asked "Move it"Sanji said pushing Usopp off of him "Man he couldn't have told us in the daylight? It had to be in the middle of the night"Usopp said "Where are the birds?"Luffy asked "If we had any idea where the birds were do you think we'd be out here looking for them?"Zoro asked.

"All we know is things got a peculiar call"Luffy said "Yeah and it looks like that gold statue he showed us"Sanji said "It's kinda hard for me to believe that any bird could look that screwy looking in real life"Zoro said "Anyway saying it has a peculiar call is too vague we can't id it from that"Usopp said "Well the old coot didn't seem to believe we'd have any trouble finding one"Sanji said.

Just then they heard a very peculiar call indeed "Hey that sounded peculiar"they said "More like bizarre"Nicole muttered "Oh you think?"Nami asked "Yeah"Luffy said "Well we're here let's do it and get this over with"Zoro said "Three nets three teams let's split up and bag that bird"Sanji said.

Thus the group split Luffy, Robin, Chopper and Usopp in a group, Nicole and Zoro in another and Sanji and Nami in one group.

"Ah Nami~swan you seem cold, here"Sanji said offering his coat to her "Oh uh thanks"Nami said taking the cooks coat and slipping it on, this wasn't unusual for Sanji but the navigator wasn't blind, she had noticed that ever since she got sick Sanji though still remaining flirty with Nicole and Robin that he was also taking the extra mile for her but in a more subtle way like how his coat somehow felt warmer.

Nami then noticed something crawling up her leg "Spider!"she yelled in a panic and leaped onto Sanji clinging on to him "Let's get out of here Nami!"he said just as freaked out as she was about the creepy crawlies surrounding them but took the time to lift her bridal style before running out of there, the coat suddenly became much much warmer as Nami felt herself blush.(again one of those shippers sue me)

"That sounded like a scream"Nicole noted hearing something "Just forget about it, we should be looking out for the bird"Zoro said cutting down another centipede "Would you stop cutting down everything we come across? These are just harmless bugs"Nicole said going on ahead but stopped and groaned a bit as she noticed Zoro wondering off, again, she grabbed his arm dragging him back "At this point i'm wondering if i should just get a leash on you"she said with a sigh.

Zoro smirked "Oh? Are you into that stuff or something?"he asked, Nicole's whole face went red "What?! No!"she yelled at him, Zoro smirked wider deciding to tease her more "Really now? Don't you even want to try?"he asked, Nicole blushed more before she smirked as well "So you're saying you'd be willing to try? Never took you for such a perv Zoro"she said making him blush in return "Why you!"he growled as she turned his words against him.

Nicole snickered a bit before she giggled "I was just kidding in the first place, i'd much rather just hold your hand"she said grabbing his hand, Zoro smiled at her intertwining their fingers and let her lead the way as they heard the bizarre bird call again.

~skip cause i'm lazy, tired and this chapter is nearing 3000 words~

The Strawhats eventually caught a South bird thanks to Robin.