Chapter 236: It's Heaven's Will! The Spirit of Noland in Heaven
The east coast of Jaya Island.
The base of the Saruyama Alliance was situated on the edge of a jungle, right next to the sea. This was the residence of Cricket, the descendant of the great explorer Mont Blanc Noland.
At this moment, the base was bustling with activity.
Nami, Robin, Sanji, Usopp, and the adorable Chopper were there as the representatives staying behind on the ship, negotiating with Cricket. These five could be said to represent the peak of both negotiation skills and looks within the Straw Hat Pirates, excluding Ralph. More importantly, with the doctor Chopper present, he could help treat Cricket's body and manage his decompression sickness.
"Hahaha! This booze is great!"
Cricket held up his glass, a hearty smile on his face. "My body hasn't felt this comfortable in a long time!"
He looked to be in his forties, possessing the open-mindedness of someone who had weathered many storms.
"So, you want to go to Skypiea?" Cricket put down the bottle, his gaze sweeping over everyone.
"Yes," Robin nodded with a smile. "We are very interested in the legends of Skypiea. It's said that there are traces of history there..."
"And gold!" Usopp's eyes sparkled. "The legendary City of Gold, Shandora!"
Chopper shrank into a corner, muttering softly, "A place that high up... you'd die if you fell..."
"What's there to be afraid of!" Masira, the captain of the Masira Pirates—a large, hairy man—thumped his chest and guaranteed, "With our help, your ship will definitely be able to fly up there!"
Shoujou, the captain of the Shoujou Pirates—another large, hairy man—nodded in agreement. "That's right! We're professionals!"
Cricket looked at this rowdy bunch and shook his head with a laugh. He stood up and took a thick stack of records from the house.
"These are my records of researching the Knock Up Stream over the years." He spread the map on the table. "According to my calculations, tomorrow at noon, the Cumuloreimbus clouds that turn day into night and the Knock Up Stream will appear at the same time. At that moment, by using the Knock Up Stream to send the ship up into the clouds, you should be able to reach the legendary Skypiea."
"Should?" Usopp's voice went up an octave.
Cricket nodded matter-of-factly. "It's all speculation. I've deduced it from my years of observation and my ancestor Noland's logbooks. If Skypiea exists, it can only be above those thick Cumuloreimbus clouds. If you want to chase Skypiea, your best chance is tomorrow."
He paused, his expression turning serious. "And you need to prepare early. Not only do you have to reinforce and modify the ship to ensure it can survive the Knock Up Stream, but you also need to find a South Bird. Because you'll need to find the location where the Knock Up Stream appears on the sea. That location cannot be found with a Log Pose; you can only find it using the natural biological magnetic field of a South Bird."
Just as he finished speaking—
Thud!
A green figure slowly walked out of the forest. After looking around, he appeared before everyone with a strange expression.
Zoro.
He was covered in birds—specifically, four birds with large beaks, vibrant colors, and strange crests. They were perched on his head, his shoulders, and the back of his hand.
The Straw Hat Crew looked at this moss-head who had appeared from nowhere, their expressions surprisingly calm.
"Yo," Zoro greeted them nonchalantly. "So this is where you guys were."
Sanji's lip twitched. "Did you get lost again?"
"No," Zoro replied without blinking. "I was just... exploring the island's ecosystem."
"Exploring all the way to the east coast?" Nami raised an eyebrow. "You got off the ship on the west coast."
Zoro went silent for a second. "This island's ecosystem is very complex."
Everyone: "..."
Only Cricket's eyes widened in shock. He pointed at the four birds on Zoro, his voice trembling. "Th-this is..."
"Hmm?" Zoro looked down at the birds on himself. "You mean these birds? They insisted on following me the whole way, and I couldn't get rid of them."
"An East Bird! A West Bird! A South Bird! And a North Bird!" Cricket counted them one by one, his expression shifting from shock to pure ecstasy. "The Cardinal Direction Birds! The birds that point the way actually came right to us!"
Now it was the Straw Hat Crew's turn to be shocked.
"What?" Usopp leaned in for a closer look. "These birds are..."
"Exactly!" Cricket pointed to the bird with a crest shaped like a letter. "The South Bird can find the location of the Knock Up Stream! The East, West, and North Birds point in their respective directions!"
Everyone turned in unison to look at Zoro.
Zoro remained expressionless, but the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. He really wanted to say, "I wouldn't have gotten lost anyway," but considering everyone present knew of his legendary track record, saying it wouldn't be very convincing.
"This is fate!" Cricket sighed towards the sky. "Ancestor Noland, is your spirit in heaven guiding these young people?"
However, the six members of the Straw Hat Crew were in a bit of a bind. The communication had gone smoothly, and the key figure was unexpectedly cooperative and even willing to help modify the ship.
But the problem was—riding the Knock Up Stream to propel the Going Merry thousands of meters into the sky to chase the legendary Skypiea. If they weren't careful, the whole crew would fall from a height of thousands of meters, and both people and ship would be smashed to pieces.
Clearly, if they just waited one more day, the Jaya Island recording would be complete, and they could continue their journey on the Grand Line. Should they really go to Skypiea? This decision seemed to depend on the return of their captain, Lufia.
"I... brought them back."
A familiar voice rang out.
Everyone turned around to see Ace walking out of the woods, carrying two people. His clothes were tattered, covered in burns and bloodstains, and his face was weary.
When he set them down, everyone could finally see clearly—it was Ralph and Little Lufia. Both were covered in wounds and unconscious.
"What happened!" Chopper was the first to rush over, his blue nose sniffing as he checked them. "How did they end up so badly hurt!"
A flash of shame crossed Ace's face. He briefly recounted what had happened. Blackbeard, the battle, Ralph's desperate struggle, and finally the Blackbeard Pirates' escape.
"It was supposed to be my mission, but it ended up hurting them..." Ace lowered his head.
Nami went silent. Looking at the unconscious Ralph and Lufia, her heart was filled with complex emotions. Although they hadn't known Ace for long, a deep friendship had already developed among them. Even if they had truly encountered that duel, they couldn't have just let Ace be taken away by that man who killed his own comrade.
"Don't say another word," Sanji said, being unusually serious. "Any of us would have done the same."
Usopp nodded vigorously. "Exactly! That bastard who killed his comrade, how could we let him have his way!"
"Wait!" Chopper suddenly let out a cry of alarm.
All eyes focused on him. Chopper pointed at Lufia's face, then at Ace's, and finally at Ralph's.
Small, inconspicuous green spots had appeared on all three of their faces; they were almost invisible if one didn't look closely.
"This is an unknown virus!" Chopper's hooves were shaking, his voice filled with terror. "You're all sick! You must receive treatment immediately, otherwise..."
He swallowed hard, struggling to force out the words: "There will be severe consequences!"