Shoujou the King of Undersea Search:

-x-

"Hey, why's this map look like a mouth?" Luffy asked. The Straw Hats had set off and were starting their journey around Jaya to find Montblanc Cricket. Luffy was currently studying the map that Y/N and Robin had brought back from their trip in Mock Town.

"That's because you're holding it wrong," Y/N corrected him. He took the map and turned it the right way so the island of Jaya looked like a very rough and jagged 'U'. "See, we just came from Mock Town on the west side which is here on the left. We have to go around the side to the north, go passed the opening to Mouth Bay, and then down the other side to the corner here. The 'x' marks Cricket's house."

"Wait, didn't you say that the place we were going was on the north side of the island?" Nami asked from nearby.

"North, north-east corner, close enough," Y/N replied.

"There's a HUGE difference!" Nami insisted as she stomped over and yanked the map away from them. "If we were going to someplace on the northern shore we'd be going to one of these two towns that are situated on opposite sides of the entrance to Mouth Bay. The 'X' is clearly on the east side of the island."

"And that's why I'm not the navigator," Y/N stated. Nami gave him an annoyed glare. "What? I'm not perfect. Sometimes I make mistakes. Just be thankful that I don't make them in life-or-death situations where it really counts."

"Oi Y/N!" Sanji stuck his head out of the galley door and called out. "I've got the fridge hooked up. Since you paid for all the food, I thought you'd like to be present when I decided on the combination."

"Alright," Y/N agreed he grabbed Nami's hand and let her toward the galley before going in he called out to the others that were on deck. "If you guys want to keep a steady supply of food, I'd suggest keeping Luffy away from the galley for the next few minutes."

Y/N and Nami disappeared into the galley and Luffy glanced after them upon hearing the word 'food'. But he suddenly found three obstacles in his path in the form of Zoro with all three swords drawn, Chopper in Weight Point, and Usopp with the dreaded Rubber Band of Doom.

"Most Captains would consider this mutiny," Luffy complained.

"Most Captains wouldn't eat all the food and make their crew risk starving," Zoro retorted.

-x-

Off the shore of Jaya, a pirate ship was floating in the middle of the open water.

"Captain, all undersea operations are operational!" a man reported, "Microphone ready!"

"Excellent!" the Captain replied, "Initiate the Search Sonar!" The Captain raised a microphone and proceeded to yell into it. "WOOOOOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Under the surface, the Captain's yell flowed out of a super-sized microphone and spread a series of sound waves through the water around him. "WOOOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A bunch of the Captain's men were outfitted in wetsuits and had long lines leading to them from the ship as they held their hands to their ears.

WOOOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAAAAA!

The sound waves from the Captain's voice bounced off of rocks and a passing by school of fish then returned to the Captain's men and told them exactly what was in the water around them.

SPLOOSH! One of the men shot up out of the water and called out their findings to the crew up on the ship. "This is Depth Com Diver Number Twenty Seven!" he called out, "Sonar response confirmed! We've got a school of fish at nine o' clock! Judging from their speed, we're looking at swordfish!

"Yeah! Time for a fish fry!" the Captain cheered.

SPLOOSH! Another diver shot up out of the water and raised his hand up. "Diver Number Four Here!" he announced. "We have a sonar response confirmed! A small sailing vessel has been detected on the surface!"

"Excuse me? A vessel?" the Captain questioned. "Determine the exact direction its traveling!"

"It's dead ahead sir!" Diver Four responded as he stared off in a distance at the Going Merry. "Twelve o' clock!"

"IT'S ALREADY CLOSE ENOUGH FOR VISUAL CONTACT?" the Captain shrieked. THONK! He threw a barrel which hit Diver Four on the head. "Cancel the search and return to the ship at once!"

"Oooo-oooo-oooo..." the divers made monkey noises as the came out of the water and climbed up rope ladders to hatches in the ship's hull. They quickly slipped inside and shut the doors behind them. THUD! THUD! THUD!

-x-

The Going Merry got closer and the Straw Hats spotted the pirate ship bobbing in their path.

"It didn't take us long to run into something weird," Luffy remarked as he, Zoro, Usopp and Chopper stood on the front deck. The latter two were hiding behind the swordsman. "Do you think it's the same salvage boat from before?"

"Nah," Zoro replied, "It might look like a similar ship but it's not Masira's group."

"Yeah cause Chopper and I saw those guys," Usopp informed them, "Right?"

"Right," Chopper agreed, "We saw them docking. Turns out they dock at Mock Town. The same as most ship in these waters. They're greedy slime just like all the others."

"Those guys had better hope we don't run into them again," Luffy growled, while Zoro and Sanji had been the ones to send Masira packing, he was perfectly willing to if they ran into him again.

The new salvage ship was certainly similar to Masira's as it had a monkey theme. The figurehead on the sternpost was a monkey head and there were multiple big leafy trees planted on the deck. There were doors carved into high points of the hull and a the railing was designed to look like rope. The ship sported three large sails to on opposite sides of the rear of the boat and the main one in the front. A Jolly Roger was painted on the front sail and had a monkey's face for the skull with normal crossbones. The word 'MORINOHITO' was painted on the sail.

"HEY! HEY!" the Captain shouted. "SHUT YOUR TRAPS AND PAY ATTENTION!" The Captain was a large man with a round monkey-like face. Although he looked more like an orangutan than a monkey. He had extremely long green hair and a short green beard on his round chin. His arms were extra-long and almost touched the ground, he had a large round belly, and relatively short legs. His chest and arms were covered in body hair which was plainly visible through the gaping holes in his black button up shirt which was obviously too small. He wore a fancy green Captain's coat and actually had his arms in the sleeves, burgundy pants and a gold belt with the kanji for 'Forest' on it.

His name was 'Sonar King' Shoujou . He was the self-proclaimed King of Undersea Search and had an active bounty of 36,000,000 berries.

"Hmph," Shoujou grunted. "Could you believe I actually got all worked up wondering who you people were?"

"..." the Straw Hats stared blankly.

"Your face looks weird!" Luffy blurted out. "What species are you?"

"I'M HUMAN MORON!" Shoujou yelled.

"Are you telling us you don't know who Shoujou is?" one of Shoujou's divers snapped. "He's only the Captain of the Shoujou Pirates and the world's leader in undersea search!"

"I wouldn't make our boss angry if I were you!" another diver warned them.

"Now, now, hold on," Shoujou scolded his men before he turned to the Straw Hats. "It looks like we're in the same profession. Are you aware that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, was defeated recently? When you consider my dominating abilities that open spot is as good as mine! I've been doing my best to stay patient but the anticipation has gotten the best of me."

"So your goal is to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?" Luffy asked. "Are you really that strong?"

"I doubt it," Zoro dead-panned.

"You guys are obviously not a threat to me," Shoujou stated, "So let's get to know each other personally. Did you know I haven't had my hair cut in my entire life? That's over twenty-five years!" Shoujou's long green hair fell to the deck of his ship and trailed a little bit behind him. "You're impressed, and jealous, admit it!"

"That's lame!" Luffy replied.

"GAH!" Shoujou gasped. "HOW DARE YOU!"

"Watch your mouth kid!" one of the divers growled.

"Settle down my faithful divers," Shoujou instructed. "I'm not gonna let these foul mouthed little punks get away with insulting me. Take this to heart! Sail through the tunnel that is my rage and you'll be met by a sea of blood from which you'll never escape!"

"Yeah, whatever," Luffy said, "Move aside. We have places to go and people to meet."

"YOU JUST DON'T GET IT, DO YOU?" Shoujou shouted. "THIS IS MY TURF! AND IF YOU WANNA PASS YOU EITHER PAY TO TOLL OR GET SUNK! GOT IT?"

"What's this guy mean by his turf?" Usopp wondered as he hid behind Chopper. "He's starting to sound like our old friend Masira."

"Huh? Masira said stuff like that?" Luffy asked not bothering to keep his voice down.

"Masira?" Shoujou repeated. "What about Masira?"

"If you must know, my crew kicked his butt off of our boat," Luffy answered. "You didn't think that..."

"YOU WHAAAT?" Shoujou roared. "KICKED HIM? NOOOOO!"

"Easy boss!" Shoujou's men attempted to calm him down.

"HOW DARE YOU LAY A HAND ON MY BROTHER!" Shoujou screamed. "MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD!"

"Hey, we kicked him off our boat but I bet he's alive," Luffy reassured him.

"WAAAH!" Shoujou shrieked as he raised his microphone. "HAVOC SONAR!" He took a deep breath then yelled into it, "WOOOOOOOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A sound wave spread out from Shoujou's microphone and slowly spread out until it enveloped his entire ship. Krek... krek... KRESH! KRESH! The sound wave caused some of the wooden boards in the floor of the Shoujou's ship to shatter and break. One unfortunate man was sent flying when the floor he'd been standing on exploded upward.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"THE SHIP!" Luffy exclaimed.

"What are they doing?" Zoro wondered as he stood next to Luffy on the front deck. He took his hands off of his swords and watched in surprise as Shoujou's attack destroyed his own ship.

"Who knows," Luffy replied, "But it's amazing! He's destroying his own ship with his voice!"

Y/N, Nami and Sanji heard Shoujou's wails and came rushing out of the galley and stared at the 'attacking' ship.

"Are we under attack?" Y/N questioned.

"I'LL PROTECT YOU MISS. NAMI!" Sanji vowed.

"Then get back to work!" Nami instructed. "Let's use whatever they're doing to our advantage and put some distance between us and them!"

"GREAT IDEA MISS. NAMI!" Sanji sang as he pranced off.

"And she's back to barking out orders," Zoro complained.

"At least she's not a demon anymore," Chopper supplied.

"Good thing we have Y/N around for her to scream at," Usopp commented. "With all she yelled at him, I'd hope that she'd be at least a little calmer."

None-the-less Luffy, Zoro, Usopp and Chopper turned around on the front deck and made to get to work but that was when the sound waves from Shoujou's voice reached the Going Merry.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! The waves of sound washed over the Going Merry and it started breaking apart like Shoujou's ship. KREK! KRESH! KRESH! KRESH! But unlike Shoujou's ship which had started off in good condition, the Going Merry was barreling holding together with Usopp's sloppy repairs.

"LUFFY! WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!" Usopp shouted as he stopped down on a board in the deck as it came loose. WHOMP! "This isn't good! The waves are moving faster than I thought! THE SHIP'S STARTING TO BREAK APART RIGHT WHERE I MADE ALL THOSE REPAIRS! SHE'S BEAT UP ENOUGH ALREADY! IF WE STAY HERE ANY LONGER WE'LL START TAKING ON WATER!"

WOOOOOOOOOOOO-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

"FULL SPEED AHEAD!" Nami frantically ordered. "WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HIS VOICE'S RANGE!"

"Don't bother," Y/N replied as he looked over the railing at the dark shape that was forming underneath the Going Merry and was steadily getting bigger.

THOOM! The Going Merry started shaking and then it suddenly shot up into the air. SHOOM!

Shoujou and his crew stared in surprise. In fact he stopped yelling and just gaped in shock as the Going Merry rose hundreds of feet up into the air. The water stopped falling and eventually the Going Merry was left perched on top of Sheldon the Island-sized Sea Turtle's head.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Shoujou and his men screamed in terror. They forgot all about attacking at the sight of the impossibly huge sea turtle. "MOOOOONSTEEEEEEERR!"

"MEEEEEEN! RETREEEEAAAAAAT!" Shoujou bellowed. And in a flash, Shoujou's search ship turned in reverse and sped away from the Going Merry – and the giant turtle – as fast as his crew could make it travel.

"Yay Blastoise!" Luffy cheered.

"Luffy, he's Sheldon!" Y/N and Nami scolded him at the same time. They stopped and stared at each other and Nami broke out into a big smile.

Y/N shook his head and jumped over the railing onto the turtle's head. "Alright Sheldon, take us further along the coast," he instructed before turning back to the ship. "Everyone, hang onto something!" The Straw Hats hung onto the railings and widened their stances as Sheldon started swimming northward.

"Wow, having a giant island-sized turtle lying around is sure convenient," Zoro remarked.

-x-

Back in a bar in Mock Town two men were drinking at a table and having an interesting discussion about something that had happened earlier.

"I'm telling you it was the strangest thing," the first man insisted, "This couple walks in, one of them was a gorgeous woman, and I mean she was a knock-out. The other was a man who was walking around carrying a refrigerator on his back. They were travelers of some kind. And they had the attention of everyone from the second they walked in to the second they left..."

-Y/N and Robin in the Bar Flashback-

Y/N and Robin walked through the swinging doors of the bar with Y/N a half a step behind Robin. They crossed the room and without a word walked up to the bar. They put down the bags they were carrying and Y/N took off the refrigerator box and dropped it on the ground. THUD! The loud noise from the heavy refrigerator hitting the floor not only ensured that they had the attention of the entire bar but also warned the other patrons off by giving an intimidating hint towards Y/N's strength.

The two sat down on stool at the bar and Y/N turned to Robin, "You know, earlier I heard this lunatic talking about the Sky Island," he commented. "Can you believe the things some people can come up with?"

"Fufufu," Robin laughed lightly... as planned. "It sounds like a fairy tale."

"That just shows you how many strange people there are in this world," Y/N replied, "You know, back on my home island there were these three boys who claimed they were going to be pirates and find the One Piece. For years they ran around the island causing trouble as they did their 'pirate training'."

"Well, every island seems to have its own colorful characters," Robin remarked.

"The strangest characters we've got around here are Montblanc Cricket and those monkey brothers," a random man chimed in since Y/N and Robin's conversation had the attention of the entire room.

Y/N and Robin traded a silent glance before Y/N turned to the man, "Who?"

"Montblanc Cricket," the man repeated, "He used to live in this town. He and those two monkey brothers patrol the waters around the island searching for treasure."

"Treasure huh?" Y/N questioned, "That sounds interesting. Where would I find this 'Cricket' character?"

"He lives on the house on the north-eastern shore of the island," another man answered, "he keeps to himself and is pretty much isolated from the rest of the island."

"Now, pretend I had never been to this island before," Y/N instructed, "How would I go about finding this 'Cricket's' house?"

"Perhaps someone has a map of the island we could use?" Robin suggested.

"I have one," an older man supplied as he pulled out a map.

"Let's see it then," Robin instructed. The man came over and showed Y/N and Robin the map he had of Jaya and then made an 'X' on the north eastern shore.

"Cricket's house is right here," the man explained. "It's right on the shore. You can't miss it."

"Here, for your troubles," Y/N said as he pulled out a handful of coins and gave them to the man then took the map and slipped it in his pocket. He glanced at Robin and nodded and without a word the two of them got off their stools. Y/N put the refrigerator back on his back and they picked up their respective shopping bags. The two of them then headed for the door.

"Wait, didn't you want something to drink?" the bartender asked.

"No," Y/N answered as he and Robin continued to the door, "You've already given us everything we need." And with that they walked out.

"Who were they?" someone wondered.

-End Flashback-

"They sound like a pair of characters themselves," the other man commented to the storyteller. "So what did they want with Old Man Cricket?"

"Well the sea around here is the turf of those monkey brothers," the storyteller explained. "I bet you what they're after is Cricket's gold. They seemed to perk up at the mention of it."

"His gold?" the other man questioned.

"I heard they found some recently," the first man replied.

"Oh yeah?" the other man asked. "Where at?"

"Hey! Guys!" a loud voice called over from the bar. The two men turned and saw Bellamy drinking at the bar. Sarquiss and a few other members of the Bellamy Pirates were there as well. They'd been there the whole time. One had to wonder if they did anything but cause trouble at different bars all day.

"Bellamy?" one of the men gasped.

"What did you just say about 'gold'?" Bellamy inquired. "This old man that goes by Cricket... I'd like to set up a meeting with him. What do you know of him? Hahaha haaahaahaaa!"

-x-

Noland the Liar:

-x-

"I can't..." TONK! "...believe..." TONK! "...our luck..." Usopp grumbled as he hammered in some nails in an attempt to repair the damage Shoujou's attack had done to the Going Merry. "Seriously..." TONK! "...that orangutan almost sunk us..." TONK! "And now it's up to me to fix it all..." TONK! "...and keep this thing afloat..." TONK!

Chopper stood dutifully nearby holding a pile of boards for Usopp when he needed them.

"Seems to me that this busted old ship is on her last legs," Zoro stated as he casually hammered in the steel plates that were keeping the main mast attached. "We need a new one."

"HOW DARE YOU EVEN CONSIDER REPLACING THIS BOAT!" Usopp shrieked.

"YEAH!" Chopper shrieked too in an attempt to copy Usopp. "HOW DARE YOU!"

"You are aware of the origins of this ship, aren't you?" Usopp growled. "You do know what she's capable of, don't you?"

"YEAH!" Chopper chimed in, "DON'T YOU?"

"We all know the story Usopp," Luffy said from across the deck where he was doing some repairs of his own. "And try not to be so defensive. The Going Merry is an important member of our crew. And we all know we have to take care of her. You shouldn't take everything so personally."

"You're right," Usopp agreed as he fought to hold back tears, it was still true that he had the closest bond with the Going Merry since they'd gotten it from Kaya back at his home island, "I'm sorry!"

KRASH! Luffy pounded his hammer and the entire section of boards that'd been 'repairing' broke off and dropped down onto Sheldon's head. "Oops."

"GAAAAAAAHHHH!" Usopp wailed in horror, taking it personally. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING? WE'RE TRYING TO SAVE THE SHIP, NOT SINK IT!"

"Sure thing, I'll fix it," Luffy replied. KRASH! "Oops... that didn't work..."

"LUUUFFYYY!" Usopp and Chopper shouted in annoyance. As usual, he was doing more damage than actual repairs.

Highly annoyed, and looking to continue berating somebody, Usopp spotted Y/N and turned to yell at him. "HEY! Why don't you do something useful and control your brother!" he snapped.

Y/N stopped and looked over at Usopp, "You talkin' to me?" he asked.

"Yeah I am!" Usopp insisted, "He's your brother isn't he! CONTROL HIM!"

Y/N looked over at Chopper, "It looks like he's helping you to me," he pointed out.

"YOUR OTHER BROTHER!" Usopp shouted as he pointed at Luffy.

"Oh, him," Y/N realized. "That seems like a hopeless cause."

"Why is it that you're never around when we're trying to fix the ship?" Usopp demanded as he glared at the First Mate. "Even Zoro's helping with the repairs!"

"I got us a giant, island-sized turtle for our ship to sail on, didn't I?" Y/N questioned, "And it was that giant turtle that scared off that screaming guy, wasn't it?" Y/N held up the snail box that he was carrying with him. "Now I've come up with a way to keep in contact with Sheldon in case we lose him."

"What's that going to do then?" Usopp asked.

Y/N opened the box and pulled out the spotted yellow transponder snail that he had inside. "This is a special transponder snail," he explained. "The only way to contact it is with this receiver..." Y/N reached into his top left pocket and pulled out a matching yellow receiver. "I'm going to put it in Sheldon's ear and it will give me a direct way of communicating with him no matter where either of us is. What use is having a giant, island-sized moving safe if we lose it the second we get separated? Now I have a way to call Sheldon to us wherever we are. With all the money in Sheldon's stomach we could easily pay a competent shipwright to repair the Going Merry when we reach an island that has one, heck, with all that money we could pay a shipwright to build another ship around this ship. "

Usopp whimpered and wiped tears out of his eyes, "I'm so glad you're our First Mate..."

"I do what I can," Y/N replied, "Do I have your permission to continue, Captain Usopp?"

"Yes, of course," Usopp agreed, "Carry on. Keep up the good work."

"HEY, I'M CAPTAIN!" Luffy protested.

"Y/N, don't encourage him," Zoro grumbled.

"YOU TWO GET BACK TO WORK!" Usopp ordered.

"Look what you did!" Zoro grumbled, "Now he's going to act like he actually has authority..."

-x-

"We left Mock Town and headed east by circling around the northern shore of the island," Nami recounted as she and Robin looked over the map and checked their progress. "We're supposed to meet that man there... Cricket, right?"

"Yes," Robin confirmed, "Montblanc Cricket."

"And you're sure that he'll be able to help us out, right?" Nami asked.

"Mr. One Eye seems to think so," Robin replied.

Y/N sat on the steps nearby talking into the receiver of his transponder snail, "Okay Sheldon, you're free to do whatever you want now. Go get something to eat, or whatever. Just stay in this general area. I'll call you if we need you."

The Straw Hats had left Sheldon behind further out to sea and now they were sailing towards the shore on the Going Merry.

"WHOOAA!" Luffy and Usopp exclaimed as they stared off the side of the ship. "AMAZING!"

On the shore in front of them was a castle. It was a large white structure that was easily six stories tall. It had three round pink diagonally striped turrets and two that were pointed with yellow and black stripes. There were fancy designs all over it and cannons perched on top of the walls of the top two stories.

"That's where he lives?" Luffy questioned. "It's a freakin' palace!"

"I've never seen a house that big before," Usopp admitted, "This Cricket must be really loaded!"

"Kaya's house seemed bigger," Y/N reminded him. "And the Royal Palace in Alabasta seemed a lot more impressive than that."

"Uggh... look closer," Zoro groaned.

"It's really unattractive," Sanji commented. "The guy's gotta have some serious guts to build a house that ugly."

Chopper stared at the castle and stretched his eyes wider with his hooves, "Hmm? What's that?"

SKISH! Luffy leapt off of the Merry and onto the shore then ran around the side of the palace. "WAAAAAAAHHH!" he howled. The palace turned out to only be a wooden cutout. The actual house was very small only two stories tall with only two visible rooms. The house was half as tall as the cutout and a third as wide. "ITS NOT A PALACE AT ALL!"

"WHAAAAAT?" Usopp and Chopper shrieked.

"The actual house is only half that size," Zoro explained, "what you see is a façade... a fake."

Whap! Y/N slapped himself on the side of the face, "Stupid lack of depth perception."

"This guy's even more vain than I thought," Sanji remarked.

"Why exactly did Cricket decide to leave his home and come live here?" Nami wondered.

"I don't know all the details," Robin admitted, "but I believe it has something to do with his belief that a large sum of gold lies somewhere in the hills of Jaya."

"Gold?" Usopp repeated.

"Do you think he's here searching for some sort of buried treasure?" Nami questioned.

"Well, I just don't know," Robin confessed.

"GOOOOLD!" Nami squealed. She grabbed Y/N and yanked him out of his seat and practically threw him off the ship and onto the shore. "Y/N! FIND IT! FIND IT!"

Y/N sat up on the grassy shore where he'd landed, "But if he left his home in Mock Town so he could search for treasure out here, shouldn't we leave it for him to find?"

"Don't get noble on me now!" Nami snapped. "You're the Treasure Hunter! Find the treasure!"

"But it's not our treasure to find," Y/N protested. "We're here to get information from this Montblanc Cricket character. I don't think finding and stealing the treasure he's exiled himself in an attempt to find will be a good first impression. Besides, yesterday I found a turtle filled with billions of berries worth of treasure. Isn't that enough for now? We're not desperate for money anymore, in fact, with me here we never will be. Can't we just leave this guy's treasure alone?"

"Okay, fine," Nami conceded, "Way to make me out to be the bad guy... Can't we at least find the treasure for him?"

"This treasure obviously means a lot to this Cricket guy if he's cut himself off from the rest of the island to find it," Y/N replied, "Besides, people don't like having their dreams destroyed. Zoro, what would you do if I out-dueled Hawk Eye Mihawk?"

"Anyone who gets in the way of my dream, gets cut down," Zoro answered promptly. "And if you went as far as ruining my dream by beating him, I'd kill you out of principle and send you to personally apologize to Kuina."

"See?" Y/N asked. "People don't like it when you interfere with their dreams. Now let's do what we actually came here do to and get some information."

Nami, Usopp, Sanji and Chopper joined Luffy and Y/N on the shore while Zoro and Robin stayed behind on the ship.

"It must be hard to live alone in such a remote area," Sanji commented as he walked around the side of the house. The area was wide opened with the exception on a lone stump.

"Heeellooooo!" Luffy called out as he opened the door to the house and walked right in.

"DON'T JUST BARGE IN THERE!" Usopp scolded him.

"And to think, my aunt actually tried to teach him manners," Y/N remarked, "Now that was an awful waste of time."

"Huh, looks like nobody's home," Luffy noted as he stepped inside the house and glanced around him. "ANYBODY HERE?" The lower floor of Cricket's house was a large single room. But there was no one inside. "I guess he's gone."

"Get out of there you idiot!" Usopp advised as he peaked his head in the door. "This guy could be dangerous!"

"Hey you guys!" Luffy announced, "Nobody's home!"

"Hmm... what's this?" Nami wondered when she spotted an old book outside on the stump. "A book? And it looks pretty old. It's called 'Noland the Liar'. Hehe!"

"Ahaha! Sounds like it could be good!" the resident liar remarked. "I sure like the title."

"Noland the Liar?" Sanji repeated.

"Yeah, have you heard of it?" Nami asked him. "It says here it was originally published in the North Blue territory."

"It was," Sanji told her, "I was born in the North Blue territory. I'm certain I must have told you guys that."

"No, that's news to me," Usopp replied, "I always thought you were born in the East Blue."

"I grew up there," Sanji explained.

"I've heard of the story but never actually read it," Y/N admitted. "It was referenced in the treasure book as one of the first stories to talk about the Legendary City of Gold. But it doesn't mention the Sky Island at all."

"Read it!" Chopper urged them.

Y/N casually sat down on the grass and Chopper jumped up and perched on his shoulders.

"Where I come from this is a famous story," Sanji informed them, "It's a fairy tale supposedly based on the life of Noland who lived in the North Blue a long time ago."

Nami opened the book and started reading, "This is a story of ancient origins. The events here-in transpired more than four hundred years ago." The first page depicted Noland, a round headed man with an chestnut on his head standing on a small ship. She turned to the next page which depicted Noland standing on a pile of logs telling a story to a small group of people. "There once was a man by the name of Montblanc Noland who lived in the North Blue country-side. Noland, who was an explorer, always regaled the crowds with stories of his incredible exploits but nobody knew whether or not to take Noland's tall tales seriously."

"Sounds like you Usopp," Y/N said to the sniper who was sitting on the ground next to him.

"Ssshhh!" Usopp hissed at him, "I'm starting to like this story!"

Nami turned to the next page which depicted Noland landing on his cartoonish ship. In front of him was a large castle that looked exactly like the one drawn on the cutout. "One day, upon returning from yet another adventure he reported to his King all that he had seen." The next page showed an enthusiastic Noland standing in front of a golden city. 'I saw a city of gold on an island in the sea' declared the Great Noland'. And the courageous King decided that he must have this treasure for his Kingdom."

"The King set out with Noland and two thousand of his finest soldiers. Along the way they endured treacherous storms and battled many ferocious sea creatures." The next page showed a cartoon King standing on the front of a fancy exploring ship that was twice the size of Nolands and had a grand total of five sails. The brave King was brandishing a sword at the mouth a large green sea monster. "At the end of their journey, only the King, Noland and one hundred soldiers survived to set foot on the island that housed the City of Gold. And all they found was an ordinary island covered in an ordinary jungle." This page showed Noland, the King, and a handful of soldiers standing on the sandy shore of a tree-covered island.

"And so, upon their return Noland was sentenced to death for the crime of lying to his King. His last words were as follows: 'I can only assume that the City of Gold sunk into the sea'." The picture showed Noland standing alone in a cage, he had a big dumb grin on his face. "The King and his court were dumbfounded. Nobody believed Noland anymore. And the last of his days were spent in shame and ridicule before his sentence of death was carried out before a cheering crowd."

"And it says here that the story is based on the true story of Noland the Liar," Nami concluded as she closed the book. "Alas the liar died before he could prove himself to the people. All he ever really wanted to do is live the life of an adventurer." Nami sighed and glanced at Usopp.

"THAT LAST PART'S NOT IN THE BOOK!" Usopp snapped. "Don't try to tack on your own sentimental nonsense!"

"Fairy tale or not, we can take two things from this story," Y/N resolved, "First, if it's based on a true story then that means that Noland actually did set sail and believed with all certainty that he found a City of Gold. Second, his name was Montblanc Noland. The guy we're here to see is Montblanc Cricket. He must be his descendant or something."

-x-

Back at the bar in Mock Town, Bellamy was laughing after being told a similar story to Noland the Liar. "Haaahaaa haaaahaaa haaaahaaahaaaa! Montblanc Cricket is a descendant of the infamous Montblanc Noland! I heard that fairy tale all the time as a kid. But I never knew that Jaya was the island where he thought he saw the City of Gold."

"When we were growing up in the North Blue we were always warned that if we lied we'd suffer the same fate as Noland," Sarquiss commented, "And be ridiculed until we were eventually put to death."

"Aaah haaahaaahaahaaaahaaa!" Bellamy laughed, "It makes perfect sense that Cricket's related to that fool! But I can't believe that Jaya is the island from the fairy tale."

"So you're saying a descendant of Noland is here four hundred years later looking for that gold?" Rivers asked from the table he was sitting at with Ross and some of the other Bellamy Pirates. "He's gotta be doing this to clear his name and regain some small amount of respect."

"Pshaaaa haaahaaahaahaaa!" Bellamy laughed again. "This story keeps getting better and better! Huuhaahaahaahaa! Can he seriously hope to wipe away for four hundred years of embarrassment by bringing back a few pieces of gold? WHAT A JOKE! AAAHAAAHAAHAAAHAA! Sounds like he's a few bricks short of a wall! Haaahaaahaaahaaahaaaa!"

-x-

"Huh?" Luffy said. He'd left the house and was staring off the store at an odd patch of bubbles. Sploosh! A hand suddenly shot out and grabbed him. "GAAAAAH!" SPLOOSH! Before he could do anything Luffy was pulled under.

"DID HE JUST FALL IN THE WATER?" Nami exclaimed having heard Luffy's cry from the other side of the house.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!" Usopp shouted as he and Y/N ran over in time to see and man climb out of the water and onto the shore.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?" the man demanded. He was a middle aged man with a muscular frame. He had a pair of blond side burns that didn't quite reach the small patch of blond hair on the top of his head where there was a chestnut. He was shirtless and shoeless and only wore a pair of maroon track pants with white stripes going down the side and a rope around his waist as a belt. On his left bicep was a tattoo that showed a chestnut with the word 'maroon' on top of it. "You've got nerve relaxing at someone's house without permission! This is my land and I suggest you leave!"

"Usopp, go fish Luffy out of the water," Y/N instructed.

"Got it," Usopp agreed as he darted passed and dove into the water after Luffy. SPLOOSH!

"Y/N! I can take this guy!" Sanji offered as he ran over.

"No, hold on," Y/N instructed, he held his arm in Sanji's path then turned back to the man. "We're not here to fight."

"I know why you're here," the man growled, "You're after my gold!"

"No we're not," Y/N told him, "We only came here to talk. We've been waiting outside your house for you to come back. You're Montblanc Cricket, aren't you?"

"So you know who I am," Montblanc Cricket noted, "Then you must be here to mock me!" In an instant there was a gun in his hand and he opened fire. BANG!

"LOOK OUT!" Sanji shouted as he shoved Y/N out of the way. A cloud of smoke from the old gun hid them from view.

"Y/N!" Nami shrieked.

"SANJI!" Chopper cried out.

"We're fine, this guy's a lousy shot," Sanji said as he got back up, "But if he wants a fight so badly, then I'll give him one."

BANG! BANG! BANG! Cricket shot off a series of bullet as Sanji who danced around and flipped onto his hands to avoid being shot.

"Whoa! Hey! Cut it out!" Sanji complained as he continued dodging gunfire. BANG! BANG!

"Idiot," Zoro muttered from where he was lurking beside the house. "Never under estimate your foe." He grabbed hold of Wado Ichimonji and ran over to where Sanji was still dodging gunfire. BANG! BANG! BANG! "Outta the way! I'll handle this!"

"Ugghhhh..." Cricket suddenly stopped shooting and let out a groan of pain. Tunk! He dropped his gun and collapsed to the ground. FWUMP! "Ohhhhh..." He man clutched his stomach and continued to groan while Y/N, Zoro, and Sanji stood around him and stared down in surprise.

SPLOOSH! Usopp broke the surface with Luffy's arm slung over his shoulders. "You really need to learn to be more careful," Usopp scolded the panting Luffy.

"I thought I saw..." KOFF! "...bubbles in the water..." Luffy wheezed. "So I looked closer and then a chestnut appeared..." HUFF! "...but it wasn't a chestnut! I was a guy and he pulled me in!" HUFF! HUFF! KOFF!

It was then that they noticed Cricket who had lost consciousness and was twitching on the ground.

"Huh? What's with him?" Luffy wondered.

"Chopper, get over here quick!" Y/N instructed, "This guy needs help."

-x-

"I need more cold towels!" Chopper instructed. "And open up those windows!"

The Straw Hats had moved inside Cricket's house and had the man laid on his bed so Chopper could treat him.

"What's Caisson Disease?" Zoro inquired.

"So this guy is really sick, huh?" Luffy questioned as he stood in an opened window.

"Yeah," Chopper confirmed. "Caisson Disease is an illness that sometimes effects divers. Though it's called a disease it isn't actually a chronic condition... it's caused by a lack of decompression when resurfacing from the sea bed. The nitrogen in the blood releases too quickly and causes gas bubbles to appear in the circulatory system. And when those gas bubbles expand they can cause considerable damage to muscles and joints and seriously decrease blood flow."

"So it's a mystery disease," Luffy commented, even though Chopper had just done a perfect job of explaining it. "Think you can help him?"

"I'm not sure," Chopper admitted. "My guess is that he kept diving every day without allowing time for his body to recover and now it finally caught up with him. That's why he passed out during the fight."

"But why in the world did he do that?" Nami asked.

"I don't know," Chopper replied, "but he was taking a big risk. In some cases Caisson Disease can cause death. So he's lucky to be alive."

"He's searching for the gold that Noland claimed sank into the sea," Y/N said as he stared at picture of the wall that depicted Montblanc Cricket standing in front of two familiar but much younger monkey-men. "He knows those two monkeys that we ran into. And the two of them have a common theme of undersea search. It only makes sense that he's doing the same. I guess he's trying to find the gold that Noland claimed he found so he can reclaim some family honor. Maybe Jaya's the island from the fairy tale."

"You got all that just from one picture?" Nami asked as she looked over Y/N's shoulder.

"And the story, and running into the two of them," Y/N added. "But I'm just guessing here."

-x-

At that moment, two familiar monkeys were running through the forest towards Cricket's house.

"Hey Masira, I guess you're alive after all!" Shoujou remarked.

"Why would you say that?" Masira asked.

"Forget about it," Shoujou replied, "Do you know what all that gunfire was about earlier?"

"I'm not sure," Masira admitted, "but that's where I'm headed now... to find out."

"Well come on then," Shoujou encouraged him, "I'm worried about the old timer."

They reached the house but ran into trouble when they both attempted to squeeze their large frames through the door at once. "HEY OLD TIMER! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!"

The Straw Hats whirled around to face the two monkeys while Masira and Shoujou gaped at them in surprise.

"WAAAAAAHHHHH!" Usopp and Chopper screamed as they ran frantically around the room.

"THEY'VE COME TO KILL US!" Usopp shrieked.

"WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING HERE?" Shoujou demanded.

"AND JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR FRIEND?" Masira bellowed.

"The old man's sick," Y/N stated, "Our doctor was taking care of him before you came in."

"We're trying to help," Luffy answered. "So I suggest you either lend us a hand or find someone else to bother."

"DON'T ANTAGONIZE THEM LUFFY!" Usopp wailed. "YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF! AND NOW THERE'S TWO OF THOSE SAVAGES TO DEAL WITH!"

"THEY'RE SAVAGES!" Chopper yelled.

"EVERYONE JUMP OUT THE WINDOWS AND RUN AWAY!" Usopp instructed.

"USOPP!" Y/N shouted.

"WHAAAAAT?" Usopp whimpered.

"They're crying," Y/N stated.

"Huh?" Usopp questioned as he turned to look. Shoujou and Masira were indeed both crying.

"Bwaaa haaa..." they sobbed, "Thank you guys!"

-x-

Legendary Family:

-x-

"So you guys live on this island too?" Luffy asked a little bit later as he sat outside with Masira and Shoujou.

"Yup," Masira answered. "This old timer's house is the official headquarters of the Saruyama Alliance of Jaya."

"We call this home," Shoujou chimed in. "But we spend most of your time on our ships. We're more comfortable at sea 'cause this place is too small for us."

"Shishi," Luffy chuckled, "You guys are too big for your own good. But it's all in how you look at it I guess. To a giant you'd look like nothing more than a ball of earwax."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" the three monkeys laughed.

"Well those three sure are getting along well now aren't they," Usopp remarked as he and Zoro sat against the side of the house.

"Yeah, seems like they have a lot in common," Zoro agreed.

"I'm pretty impressed you managed to get Masira here off of your ship," Shoujou commented, "It's quite a feat for someone as small as you to overpower him."

"Ah, I didn't do it," Luffy admitted, "but for my crew it probably wasn't all that hard."

"Huh? What's that?" Shoujou questioned.

"I'm sure you could kick his ass," Luffy said.

KREEK! The door to the house opened and Chopper dashed out. "Luffy! He's waking up!"

"He's awake!" Luffy exclaimed.

THWAK! "WAAAAAAAHAHHHH!" Masira screamed as he was sent flying off into the air by a kick from Shoujou.

"He's right!" Shoujou realized as he stared after his brother. "I can kick Masira's ass!"

Luffy ignored the fight he'd created and went inside. "Hey chestnut head!" Luffy called out to Cricket who was now sitting up in his bed. "I've gotta question for you."

"Ahhhh..." Cricket sighed as he smoked a cigarette. "I'm sorry I attacked you. I thought you were nothing more than a group of bandits that had come to steal my gold."

"GOOLD?" Nami repeated.

"We already went over this," Y/N scolded her, "We're not doing anything with it. We came for information, remember?"

Cricket glanced at Y/N, then at Luffy. "What exactly was it you wanted to ask me?"

"We're searching for Sky Island and we were told that you might be able to tell us how to get there," Luffy told him.

"Are you serious?" Cricket asked. "Hmhmhm HAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't tell me you really believe that place exists! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"WHY YOU!" Nami snarled, now wanting to deal with someone else laughing at her.

"Hold on," Y/N said as he grabbed her and held her back.

"You mean there's no Sky Island?" Luffy questioned. "Are you sure?"

"Hmmm... hahahaha... "Cricket chuckled, "Well I don't know. You see... nobody actually knows if the Sky Island really exists or not. I know of only one man who claims to have seen the island for himself. But he's considered a liar of epic proportions."

Luffy turned to Usopp. "WHAT'RE YOU LOOKING AT?" Usopp snapped.

"There's an old fairy tale that the people of the North Blue know very well," Cricket explained. "It's called 'Noland the Liar'."

Luffy turned to Usopp. "STOP LOOKING AT ME LUFFY! I'M NOT NOLAND!"

"Montblanc..." Y/N stated, "Are you really his descendant?"

"Is he right?" Nami asked. "And is this island really the one from the Fairy Tale?"

"Yeah, Noland's my grandfather's, grandfather's, grandfather," Cricket admitted. "He's a distant ancestor of mine. I am his descendant. But we're so far removed that I doubt there's even a single drop of his blood in my veins. The Montblanc Family was driven out of the North Blue territory a long time ago and we've managed to keep a very low profile ever since. People still denounce the family name. But we've never despised him for this."

"But why?" Chopper inquired.

"Because Noland, contrary to popular belief, was a very honest person," Cricket answered.

"That's... not what the fairy tale said," Nami replied.

"As the story goes," Cricket said, "Noland's last words were as follows 'I can only assume that the City of Gold sunk into the sea'. This line is accompanied by an idiotic face in the illustration. But Noland was no idiot. He knew what he saw. And I believe he wasn't lying about it. Noland was sure the island he stumbled upon where he found the ruins of the city of gold was the island of Jaya but when he returned with the King there was no gold. Unsuccessful, he insisted that the city had submerged due to shifts in the Earth's crust. But everyone dismissed this as the last ditch excuse of a doomed man. Noland was given a public execution and when he died, so did his discoveries. Only the legend of the liar remains."

"I get it!" Usopp exclaimed, "You're trying to find the ancient City of Gold at the bottom of the sea in order to finally clear the Montblanc family name and prove Noland right!"

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!" Cricket roared he pulled out a gun and fired at Usopp. BANG!

"USOPP!" Chopper shrieked. It turned out that Cricket was actually a very good shot. A bullet hole was in the wall right above the terrified sniper's head.

"I don't really care if the ancient City of Gold exists or not!" Cricket growled. "The actions of my ancestor have nothing to do with me and my life! You can't possibly begin to imagine what its like... as a kid for everyone to laugh at you and ridicule you because you're a descendant of that idiot Noland! That's what I've dealt with my whole life!"

"..." The Straw Hats stared silently and Cricket eventually calmed down.

"Anyway," he continued, "Over the past four hundred years a great many of my family have set sail to find the City of Gold, prove Noland right, and restore the Montblanc name. But each and every one of them went missing. I was ashamed to be a member of such a pathetic family so I decided to leave home and become a pirate."

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed. "So you're a pirate just like us?"

"I didn't even really want to become a pirate," Cricket confessed, "I just wanted out of Noland's shadow, to be my own man. But over time I came to assemble my own pirate crew. Finally I was seen as a leader, not a laughing stock. And I spanned the world looking for adventures. Then then years ago as my crew and I sailed a calm sea we discovered this island purely by chance. And ironically, of all my family members how sought out this place, who lost their lives doing so, it was I who found it. I who despised the Montblanc name! We came ashore but found no trace of the City of Gold. I stood on a cape of the island and felt I was destined to be there."

"Let's settle this Noland!" Cricket had said those ten years ago as he stood on the cape. He still looked exactly the same as he did now. "Once and for all!"

"You're on your own," one of Cricket's crew said, "We don't want anything to do with this! We're setting sail and leaving. If you want to stay here and search for gold that doesn't exist you're doing it alone. So long Captain."

Noland spent the next ten years diving into the sea east of Jaya in search of sunken gold.

"I don't care if I find the City of Gold or not," Cricket resolved, "I'm not here to prove Noland right or wrong. I have no interest in rewriting history. All I'm doing is following what I believe is my destiny. This is between me and Noland. I'm facing what I fear. And whatever the outcome, the act is all that matters."

The Straw Hats were silent except for Usopp who was crying. "UUB! UUB! Wow... what a sad story..."

"But what about the monkeys?" Luffy asked, "How did they come to be on this island with you anyway?"

"I'm sure that's another story of bravery in the face of incredible odds," Usopp whimpered. "Your life reads like a great book, you know Cricket?"

"They were just fans of the fairy tale," Cricket dead-panned.

"THEY'RE FANS?" Usopp snapped.

"How did they find you?" Nami questioned.

"I think it was five or six years ago," Cricket said. "They heard a rumor and set out to find me. Those two truly believe that the City of Gold exists somewhere and they're helping me find it."

-x-

SPLOOSH! "RAAAAAAHHH!" Masira roared as he burst back out of the water. "Shoujou you have no idea what you just got yourself into!"

"Bring it on you big ape!" Shoujou retorted, "I'm ready when you are! Just step up and you'll get knocked down!" The two charged at each other and started fighting again.

-x-

"The sea surrounding this island is very deep," Cricket continued, "and in those dark cold depths your surrounded by a profound sense of solitude. When I first arrived here I spent my time searching the seabed alone. They entered my life without permission and assigned themselves as my crew without asking. And they do nothing but fight all the time. But having these idiots around puts me at ease. And truthfully, I enjoy their company. You understand?"

"I understand completely..." Usopp said as he sobbed into his arm. "True friends lift each other up and give each other strength in times of need."

"Are you just about finished telling us your life story?" Luffy bluntly asked.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU UNGRATEFUL BRAT!" Usopp yelled at him. BONK! Usopp hit Luffy on the head but Luffy no-sold it and grabbed him and threw him away. WHING!

"Look, all I really wanna know about is Sky Island!" Luffy insisted.

"Haheha," Cricket chuckled, "You're a pushy guy aren't ya? But like I told you earlier... the only person who's ever seen the Sky Island is Noland. And nobody knows if he was telling the truth or if it was just another tall tale." Cricket reached out to a bookshelf that was situated next to his bed and pulled out a book and started paging through it.

"Is there any record of his trip to the island?" Luffy questioned.

"Officially no," Cricket admitted, "but he does mention it in here."

"What do you have there?" Nami inquired as she eyed the book Cricket was paging through. "That isn't Noland's log book is it?"

"Yeah it is," Cricket confirmed before he tossed it to her. "Read from the bottom of that page."

"Amazing," Nami commented while Y/N stepped forward and read over her shoulder. "This log book is over four hundred years old."

"Are you listening to this?" Y/N asked out loud as he prodded the ear growing out of his shoulder. A familiar blue eye appeared on his eye patch and stared over Nami's shoulder at he log book along with him.

"'June 21st year 1120'," Nami recited, "'Clear skies. Sailed from the lively town of Vira. Followed the Log Pose and sail into the rising sun at a heading of east-by-northeast with the wind at our back. At mid-day we happened upon a merchant ship an unusual item. A single person boat called a Waver.'"

"Whooooaaaa..." Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were grinning widely as the approached Nami so they could read alone in Usopp's case, or just listen better in Luffy's face. Chopper jumped but had trouble seeing the book so Y/N scooped him up and placed him on top of his cowboy hat.

"'This small mysterious vessel can generate its own wind and sail at great speeds even on a still day'," Nami continued reading. "'But the ski-like ship is not easily maneuvered. I couldn't control it although my crew is taking quite a liking to it.' I've gotta get one of those things!"

"KEEP GOING!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper urged her. "DON'T STOP READING!"

"Umm..." Nami scanned the page and found her place again, "'We were told that the vessel had been manufactured on the SKY ISLAND and that many more interesting devices could be found there! It brought to mind an explorer friend of mine who once showed me the most unusual specimen, a living sky fish."

"Huh, sky fish?" Sanji repeated. The cook perked up at the mention of an exotic food.

"'I have never seen a fish with such a bizarre appearance in all my years'," Nami read, "'This island remains the only unexplored domain and as an sailor and an adventurer I feel it is my destiny to somehow reach the sea in the sky. –Montblanc Noland'"

"Do you know what this means!" Nami gushed to the others.

"SKY ISLAND MUST REALLY EXIST!" Luffy exclaimed.

"JUST LIKE ROBIN SAID IT DID!" Usopp cheered. "NOW WE'VE JUST GOTTA FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THERE!"

"THE SKY ISLAND DOES EXIST!" Chopper squealed.

The sound of laughter filled Cricket's small house. Cricket smiled to himself as he walked outside while the Straw Hats were preoccupied with the logbook.

"YOU'RE UP!" Shoujou realized when he and Masira spotted Cricket.

"You feelin' alright?" Masira inquired.

"Better than ever," Cricket answered.

"Glad... to hear it..." Shoujou groaned as he shoved Masira. The two had been fighting the whole time.

"This jerk snuck up on me and attacked me..." Masira started to complain.

"Shut up," Cricket interrupted. "I need to ask you something. What do you think of those guys?

"Why're you asking old timer?" Shoujou asked.

"It seems that they're determined to get to Sky Island no matter what," Cricket explained.

"Sky Island?" Shoujou repeated. "You know there's only one way for them to get there!"

"And if they try to get there on their own..." Masira said, "They'll die."

"Exactly," Cricket said. "I think we should help them along. So what do you guys think?"

Shoujou and Masira grinned. It looked like the Straw Hats had just gained the help of the Saruyama Alliance in finally reaching the Sky Island.

-x-

Far from Jaya, in the middle of a cold opened sea, a black coffin-shaped boat with a single raised black sail floating alone. A green candle lit up the face of 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk.

The World's Greatest Swordsman stared down at three familiar Wanted Posters.

'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy – β100,000,000

'One Eye' Y/N – β 80,000,000

'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro – β 60,000,000

The new wanted posters were finally circulating and the Warlord's face quirked into a grin as he glanced down at the three pirates that had captured his interest.

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!