The last rays of twilight slowly faded from the horizon, and night fell.
On the eastern side of Jaya, at the residence of the "Chestnut-Headed Old Man," the Straw Hat crew was holding a banquet.
Perhaps because he had encountered a group of pirates who harbored dreams just like his own, Mont Blanc Cricket was in an exceptionally pleasant mood. He held a copy of the logbook passed down through the generations from his ancestor, Norland, and was reading its contents with passionate intensity.
"...The sound of that bell spread across the land, echoing through the clouds. It was as if the ancient capital of old was boasting of the prosperity she once held!"
"The ancient civilizations nurtured by the vast sea ultimately cannot withstand the impermanence of life..."
"We stood amidst the tolling of the bell for a long time, moved by the unpredictability of the world—how life is but a dream, and how time slips through our fingers..."
Luffy and the others, along with the Saruyama Brothers, listened to Cricket's reading while eating grilled fish, their faces filled with yearning. Upon hearing the description of the Golden City, Shandora, Nami trembled with excitement. It looked like the money-loving navigator was about to short-circuit.
"The right eye of the skull hides the gold... what exactly does that mean? Is it a code?"
"But still... a city covered in gold..."
After taking a moment to imagine the magnificent sight of the Golden City, Nami asked Cricket anxiously, "Mister, since the Golden City exists, how much gold have you actually salvaged all these years?"
Having truly decided that the Straw Hats were not bad people, Cricket did not hesitate to display his harvest from the years, a hint of achievement visible on his face.
The moment Nami saw those glittering gold artifacts, her eyes instantly transformed into Belly signs, emitting a greedy green glow.
"Hey, Nami, the look in your eyes is a bit scary..."
Usopp, who was understandably wary of the "Little Cat Burglar's" track record, whispered, "You're not planning to steal this gold, are you? Didn't you just fleece Sherlock for a fortune recently?"
"Psh, even if I steal, I only steal what I should. I won't touch gold they worked so hard to salvage."
Reluctantly putting down a miniature golden bell, the orange-haired navigator curled her lip. "And what do you mean 'fleece'? That 100 million Belly was clearly Sherlock's way of making amends!"
"But speaking of which..."
Nami looked around. "Sherlock is taking too long. He hasn't come back yet, and it's already dark. Robin, do you know what kind of person this 'old friend' of his is?"
Nico Robin took a sip of her fragrant coffee and shook her head. "I'm not sure. But based on how he looked at the time, he didn't seem to want me to meet this so-called old friend."
As she spoke, a flash of worry crossed Robin's beautiful face. She felt more and more that there was something wrong with the friend Sherlock went to see. However, to keep the crew from worrying, the intellectual beauty did not voice her concerns.
"Maybe that guy just got lost..."
A certain green-haired swordsman downed his entire drink in one gulp, a malicious smirk on his face.
"Psh, you're talking about yourself, Mr. Directionally Challenged."
Ignoring Zoro's face turning instantly dark, the curly-browed cook blew a smoke ring, wearing a confident expression as if he alone knew the truth.
"In my opinion, since Sherlock is so popular with women, his old friend must be a beautiful lady he hasn't seen in a long time. They're probably having a romantic candlelit dinner in a luxury restaurant right now, lost in romantic bliss..."
The more Sanji spoke, the worse his own expression became. Eventually, unable to bear the scene he had conjured in his mind, he fell to his knees in a fit of jealousy and hammered the floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Aaagh! Dammit! I'm so jealous, that lucky bastard!" The lovesick cook wailed.
"..." Everyone else was speechless.
(What an interesting bunch of pirates...)
Cricket wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Is there one more companion who hasn't arrived? That's not good. Mock Town is very chaotic at night."
"Eh?! Then isn't Sherlock in great danger?" The blue-nosed little reindeer cried out. He still had lingering fears from seeing Luffy and Zoro's battered state earlier, thinking the Sorcerer had met the same fate.
"Haha, don't worry, Chopper. Sherlock is very strong."
Luffy grinned, then instinctively reached his hand toward the portion of grilled fish Sanji had specifically set aside for the Sorcerer.
(Since Sherlock isn't here, he won't mind if I eat his food,) the dimwitted captain thought.
"Uheehee! Not just Mock Town—the forest to the south is also full of danger."
"That's right. Masira is right," Shoujou added. "There are many poisonous insects and fierce beasts living there. Moreover, a creature called the South Bird can use its call to command them to attack outsiders together. It's terrifying."
The Saruyama Brothers looked very serious; it seemed they had suffered plenty at the hands of those birds.
"South Bird? South... Is it called that because it points south like a compass?"
Nami frowned slightly. As a navigator, she immediately caught the key point.
"Exactly. The biggest characteristic of the South Bird is..."
Cricket pointed to a golden statue shaped like a South Bird. Just as he was about to continue, his expression changed abruptly. Realizing their "Boss's" look, the Saruyama Brothers also simultaneously remembered something extremely important.
"Oh no!" the three of them shouted in unison.
A moment later.
"Listen, for this reason, you must catch a South Bird. Otherwise, you won't be able to make it to the Knock Up Stream. As for reinforcing the ship, leave that to us."
After concisely explaining the importance of the South Bird to the Straw Hats, Cricket took a deep drag of his cigarette and said sternly:
"Thinking about it, we actually have no time for a banquet tonight!"
"THEN WHY DID YOU JUST REMEMBER SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT NOW?!" Luffy and the others roared with shark-teeth expressions at the chestnut-headed man.
Time was tight. The Straw Hats prepared their bird-catching tools and were about to head out when several deafening cannon blasts echoed from outside.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
(An enemy?!!!)
Everyone's expression changed almost instantly. They rushed outside and looked toward the source of the gunfire.
On the sea, a pirate ship with a bizarre smiley face on its sail was rapidly approaching. Because of the darkness, they couldn't see the figures clearly, but from the aggressive momentum, it was clear they came with ill intent. The Cowardly Trio scurried back into the house in fear.
"Uheehee, that pirate ship is..."
"Dammit, are they here to steal the gold?"
Masira and Shoujou cracked their knuckles, looking ready for a big fight.
"..." Cricket smoked his cigarette, saying nothing, just silently watching the pirate ship draw closer.
"Straw Hat! Where is Straw Hat?!"
With that arrogant roar, the Straw Hats finally saw the figure on the ship. It was none other than the "New Age" pirate who had mocked Luffy's dreams at the bar—Bellamy the Hyena.
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