Survivors Guilt

Chapter 42

Luffy's mood didn't get any better until the ship had left Mock Town and gone around to Cricket's House as per his direction. No one wanted to ask him about it, so they instead turned to ask Nami and Zoro. Neither were very forthcoming with any information, so everyone decidedly dropped it. Though, the second the Merry's anchor was dropped, Luffy's grin sprang back into place as he went to meet the man. The man in question had only just come out of the water and was put-off by the young pirate and his crew.

"I heard a story about a really famous liar in the North Blue when I was a kid," Robin and Chopper were the only two on the crew who didn't understand the underlying meaning behind Luffy's words, "When someone in Mock Town said your name, I just knew I had to come meet you!"

"So, you've heard the stories about my ancestor?" Cricket now had a towel and was drying off next to an unlit fire pit, "What do you think of them?"

There was a shine in Luffy's eyes that even Zoro was having a hard time deciphering. "I like the stories. It'd be pretty sweet to see a city of gold, don't ya think?"

A city of gold? That caught the crew's attention, Nami's especially. Luffy hadn't said anything about that. Sure, he'd mentioned it briefly when he and Usopp and Chopper were speculating about what Skypiea was like, but they didn't think he actually meant it! Though, the group that had been gathered in the East Blue realized that they should probably stop taking everything their captain said with a grain of salt. He'd probably already told them so much without them realizing it! Now they felt bad.

Cricket laughed. It was a happy and deep laugh. "You're funny, kid. No one actually believes in those stories."

"Oh? Do you?"

"'Course I do!" he was angry now, "That man tarnished our family name. As far as the world is concerned, the entire Mont Blanc family are liars. I became a pirate to prove them wrong and clear my name. I came to Jaya in search of the gold Noland the Liar talked about in his stories."

Luffy nodded along with what the blond man was saying. "So you're trying to prove him right?"

"What? No! I'm proving them wrong!"

"But you're trying to prove Noland right in order to prove everyone else wrong." Cricket spluttered, unable to refute the claim. "Tell us about Skypiea?"

Cricket finally composed himself. "What about it?"

"Well, I figured that you'd know how to get there."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Nami interrupted, "What do you mean, Luffy? We can't just go to an island in the sky! That's insane!"

Luffy turned his grin to her. "Sanji! Food!" Cricket laughed again.

***

The afternoon turned to night as Mont Blanc Cricket regaled the Straw Hat Pirates with tales of the Island in the Sky and the city of gold. Masira and Shoujou and their crews joined in on the fun around sunset. Soon after dinner was finished, Usopp brought up the matter of traveling to the island. This brought the cheery conversation to a halt and all eyes turned to the blond diver.

"Just south of here," the man relented with a sigh, "a phenomenon called the Knock-Up Stream will occur. That will take you to Skypiea, if you survive."

"Excuse me, what?" Nami blinked, "What do you mean, 'If you survive'?"

"Exactly what I said."

"How do you know exactly where this 'Knock-Up Stream' will be?" Robin asked, "I've heard of it, but I assumed it was a random occurrence."

"It is random," Cricket said, "Usually. There's a pattern to it, but I don't want to have to explain it."

"Is this thing gonna kill us?!" Nami and Usopp were ignored.