Chapter 30: Mont Blanc Cricket
After circling halfway around Jaya Island, they arrived at the opposite side, where a large signboard shaped like a house stood—with the other half floating in the sky.
'Not sure if that chestnut-headed uncle is already here... I can't recall the details clearly anymore. But I do remember something about two giant gorillas and bird-catching,' Eric tried to recall the events, but couldn't quite remember the specifics. All he knew was that the Straw Hats had followed the Knock Up Stream and flown upward.
Sure enough, the chestnut-headed uncle was standing outside, preparing for a dive to hunt treasure.
"There's no town here. The town's on the other side of the island," the chestnut-headed uncle said coolly.
"No, we're not looking for a town. We just want to ask you a few questions," Eric replied, intending to ask about the timing and direction of the Knock Up Stream.
"What questions? Go ahead and ask." Though Mont Blanc Cricket appeared aloof, he wasn't a bad person—in fact, he was quite kind and helpful.
"We want to know the eruption time and direction of the Knock Up Stream. Do you know, uncle?"
"…The Knock Up Stream erupts about five times a month, and it's located to the south of this island," the chestnut-headed uncle answered, then added, "Because of the Grand Line's unstable magnetic fields, compasses don't work. So if you want to head south, you'll need to catch a bird whose head always points south."
See? Cold on the outside, warm on the inside—he even told them how to get there.
"Thanks, uncle!" Eric paused, then continued, "Uncle, if you want to find the Golden City of Shandora described by Mont Blanc Noland, diving under the sea isn't the right way."
"What do you know?!" Mont Blanc Cricket, who had resolved to put an end to things with Noland—even wagering the rest of his life on it—suddenly grew agitated and drew a pistol from who-knows-where.
"I know some answers you want. But you have to tell your story too. How about it, uncle?"
"…Come inside first," he said at last. After all, he was a reasonable man. If he weren't, he wouldn't have ended up in a fight with the Straw Hats, passed out due to diving sickness, gotten treated by Chopper, and realized his own mistake.
"…In the end, Noland was executed for lying and became the laughingstock of folklore," the chestnut-headed uncle recounted Noland's story. Sure enough, someone was about to hit a nerve. "So, are you trying to clear your family's name by finding the sunken city of gold?"
Cricket looked like he was going to pull the trigger, but seeing Akame's blank, innocent expression made him give up. Indeed, men and women get treated differently even for the same offense.
"When did I ever say that?! It doesn't matter how honest and upright my ancestor was, how great a navigator or explorer he might've been—it has nothing to do with me! Just because I share a drop of blood with that idiot, strangers rain insults down on me—can you imagine how that feels for a child?! That's the environment I grew up in!"
After the outburst, he paused to catch his breath. Then his tone softened. "For four hundred years, countless people have gone to sea to clear the Mont Blanc family's name, searching for proof. None returned. I've always felt ashamed of being born into this family."
"So, I ran away from home and became a pirate. Before I knew it, I'd become the captain of a pirate crew. We entered the Grand Line and began adventuring every day. Then this year, we came to this island. Of all the Mont Blancs, I hated Noland the most—yet I was the only one who made it here. The island matches the illustrations, but there's no proof the City of Gold ever existed."
"I believe it's my fate. So I decided to settle things with Noland. Whether it exists or not—this is a duel between me and the man who turned my life upside down!"
"Oh… by the way, uncle, I still don't know your name," Eric suddenly realized. It had been many years since he read the story and he'd forgotten.
"You're just now asking my name?!" the chestnut-headed uncle retorted with all his might. "Mont Blanc Cricket."
"Hahaha, don't get worked up. I'm Eric . This is Akame, Chiron, and Da Vinci," Eric introduced his companions, then asked again, "Uncle, do you know how the Knock Up Stream forms?"
"There's no official explanation for it yet. No one's been dumb enough to risk their life studying it. But here's the most accepted theory: There's an enormous underground cavity deeper than the sea floor in that region. Cold ocean water flows into it. The geothermal heat below generates intense steam pressure, which causes a violent explosion beneath the sea. It's enough to blow the water upward, forming an upward current—the Knock Up Stream. Each eruption lasts about one minute."
As a physicist, Da Vinci was puzzled. "What is this? Shouldn't that be a steam explosion? Why would it shoot straight upward? That theory sounds incorrect."
"Who knows? It's just the most plausible one we've got," the chestnut-headed uncle—no, Cricket—replied to Da Vinci.
"Ask Oda about that," Eric added. "So, uncle, have you ever heard of Sky Island?"
[Ding… You have a new message]
[Temporary Quest: Take Mont Blanc Cricket to Sky Island. Find the Golden City and the Golden Bell. Witness the result of the showdown between Cricket and Noland with your own eyes. Reward: 3 Bond Points / Golden Bell (identical to the one from the Golden City of Shandora; system-provided and unrelated to the real one)]
"Sky Island? I've never been, but Noland's loGabk mentioned it. Something about Wavers, Sky Fish, and so on. He firmly believed in its existence."
"Uncle, have you ever considered another possibility?"
"What kind of possibility?"
"A different possibility for the Golden City."
"You… mean?"
"That the Golden City didn't sink into the sea—it was blasted into the sky by a massive explosion."
"Do you know how much energy it would take to launch an entire island skyward?!" Da Vinci objected.
"That's impossible!" Cricket exclaimed.
"Believe in Oda. Anything is possible," Eric said mysteriously. "So, uncle! Want to make a bet? If you're a man who can gamble your whole life, surely you can wager your own life without hesitation too?!"
"…That's kind of cool," Akame said earnestly.
"R-Really?" Eric scratched the back of his head, blushing.
"Hey! Why do you blush when Akame praises you, but when your perfect big sister compliments you, you just brush it off?!" Da Vinci snapped, sticking to her big-sister persona.
"Ah, thank you for the compliment, Perfect Big Sis." (Totally perfunctory.)
"The Golden City… didn't sink but rose into the sky?" The shock left Cricket in a daze.
"Noland's loGabk mentioned Sky Island, right? The other half of Jaya flew up and merged with Sky Island. It never came down. That other half of your house? It's up there!"
"Hmph~! A day after that sky-darkening phenomenon, cumulonimbus clouds appeared in the southern sky. Judging by the five-times-a-month pattern, the next Knock Up Stream should be the day after tomorrow. We'd better reinforce the ship," said Cricket, a man of dreams and determination. He had made up his mind to board Eric 's ship and head into the sky.
As for why Cricket won't be around ten years later when the Straw Hats arrive and help them reach the sky—well, we'll figure that out when the time comes. The heavens will help them somehow.
"Our next destination—Sky Island!" Eric announced boldly.
(END CHAPTER)
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