Mock Town—A lively island in the first half of the Grand Line, far more bustling than most others.
Because of a story—A tale about the "King of Lies."
According to rumors that spread across the seas, there existed a city of gold called Shandora on Mock Town.
Of course,in that story, the so-called Shandora never truly existed.
The navigator who insisted on its existence was eventually executed, and came to be known to posterity as the "King of Lies."
Even so,for pirates who defied all conventions, they always came here to see the place behind the legend.
And, as always, they left disappointed—only to become yet another believer in the tale of the King of Lies.
However, some people were different.
For example—the descendant of the King of Lies himself, Mont Blanc Cricket.
"Boss! Still no sign of the City of Gold in this sector!"
"Ah, I know. Let's move to the next one."
"By the way, the weather's looking rough. Should we head back soon?"
"It's fine. Let's just dredge one more area."
Out on the open sea, far from Mock Town, two massive ships were conducting salvage operations.
One was the Salvage King: Victory Hunter, renowned for raising ships from the seabed—then sinking them again—before salvaging them once more. A true man's pursuit, they said.
The cymbal-wielding monkey perched at the bow wasn't for show—it was actually part of their salvage equipment.
The other ship was the Utan Sonar, packed with detection instruments and marked by the large tree standing on its deck.
During exploration, the gorilla aboard would emit sonic waves through underwater amplifiers, while crew members below interpreted the echoes to map their surroundings. Their expertise allowed them to determine direction, object size, and even details such as the types of fish schools passing below.
Together, these two vessels formed the Saruyama Alliance.
Just as there were those who mocked the King of Lies as a fraud, there were also those who admired Mont Blanc Noland, coming here in reverence for him.
After learning the truth, some chose to follow his descendant—four hundred years later.
That descendant was him.
Cricket stood at the prow, watching his brothers work tirelessly toward his lifelong dream, and a warmth stirred in his chest.
Even if he couldn't completely believe his ancestor's claims,to prove that the Golden City of Shandora truly existed—and to break the Mont Blanc family's "curse," the ridicule of being branded liars—he had chosen to stake his life in defiance of fate.
He believed the City of Gold had sunk beneath the sea, hence the endless salvaging.In the early days, he often dove alone for long stretches in search of clues. But those days had passed—now it was a team effort.
In truth, these men were his family.
Knock, knock. Cricket tapped the ash from his long pipe and swept aside the small mountain of cigarette butts piling up on his table. Then he shouted toward the sea where his men were working.
"If the weather's turning bad, don't push it! We'll pick it up again tomorrow."
"Hahaha! Boss, what if Shandora's right below us? Then we'll lose a whole day!"
The reply came from a man with long, unkempt hair who looked almost like a monkey himself—Masira, the so-called Salvage King and once a pirate with a bounty of 36 million Beli.
Now, though, he looked more like an ordinary worker. Laughing heartily, he called for his men to continue their task.
As expected, the haul turned up nothing once again—just a few items of vague value.
But the Saruyama Alliance didn't despair. They laughed, joked, and began to prepare for the return trip.
Then—a shout came from the lookout. "Boss! There's a small boat drifting ahead!"
"What? Someone trying to encroach on our territory?"
The Saruyama Alliance wasn't led by a single head.Cricket might be the chief, but beneath him were two captains—Masira and his brother Shoujou, the orangutan.
The core crew—mostly former pirates—instinctively sprang into action. After all, encountering hostile pirates on the Grand Line was nothing unusual.
But in the end, they discovered—it wasn't an enemy.
It was a woman. A stunningly beautiful one.
"I'm terribly sorry to intrude," she said, her voice soft yet clear. "Could you please take me to the nearest island?"
She looked delicate and refined, with short golden curls, sapphire eyes, and soft red lips.Her beauty radiated a poised and seductive charm—a living magnet to men.
Her every gesture exuded an almost tangible allure.
By now, the Saruyama men were seeing hearts instead of eyes. Yet despite their drooling expressions, they didn't dare act without their captain's word.
"You're alone?"Cricket frowned, his tone cool and cautious. "Name? Where are you from?"
"I'm all by myself, yes~ You can call me Stu. "The woman—Stussy, or "Stu" as she called herself—batted her lashes, walking toward Cricket with a swaying waist and a teasing smile.
But—Cricket quickly stepped back, smiling wryly. "I see. I can take you as far as Mock Town. After that, we go our separate ways."
"Alright, thank you, Captain."Stussy's eyes narrowed slightly, and she flashed a dazzling smile.
"Then please wait a bit. We'll be heading back soon."
Cricket didn't buy her act for a second—if anything, he grew even more alert.
This wasn't the Four Blues—it was the Grand Line. A lone woman in such a place, perfectly calm and self-assured? Either she was a master actress—or something far more dangerous.
Even if she was breathtakingly beautiful, the type of woman every man dreamed of, Cricket valued his goal above all else.
He wouldn't lose his life over some mysterious beauty.
Sensing the captain's wariness,the crew members—though eager to approach—wisely kept their distance.
Stussy, unfazed by the cold reception, still made small talk with Cricket during the trip. Eventually, they reached Mock Town's harbor.
After dropping off this mysterious woman—who clearly wasn't just any traveler—Cricket finally exhaled in relief and waved his men off.
"That's it for today. No Golden City again, but we still found plenty of materials. Once we sell them off, we'll have funds for the next round. Now go enjoy yourselves—but don't stay out too late."
"Long live the Captain!" The men of the Saruyama Alliance cheered and dispersed in high spirits.
Cricket waved to Masira and Shoujou, then chose a tavern opposite the direction Stussy had gone.
His usual spot.
Along the way, the locals of Mock Town called out to him—none of it kindly.
"Cricket, still chasing that City of Gold, huh?"
"Idiot. Just admit your ancestor was a liar already."
"Yeah, because of fools like you, I wasted a whole trip believing that stupid story!"
The jeers came from residents, passing pirates, and even some former allies of the Saruyama Alliance.
Cricket ignored them all and entered the tavern in silence.
The moment he stepped inside, he froze.
For a split second, he thought his luck with women had finally changed.
But reason quickly told him otherwise—there was no way. Still, the sight before him was undeniable.
Behind the counter stood a stunning barmaid he had never seen before—a tall, elegant woman, or rather, a beautiful young lady with an impressive figure.
Her wavy, grass-green hair framed refined features that gave her a composed, mature air.Yet her golden eyes flickered with unease, and her awkward movements betrayed her inexperience.
Her bangs occasionally fell over her left eye, and a pair of thick, bottle-bottom glasses hung from her chest, swinging gently with each motion.
Weird. When did Old Pineapple hire new staff? And one this beautiful? Cricket was still processing when a sharp cough sounded nearby.
A lecherous-looking middle-aged man glared at him, eyes burning with possessiveness. "What're you staring at, Cricket? Wanna taste Old Pineapple's fist?"
"Your fist's nothing special." Cricket rolled his eyes and sat down at a table. "When did you start hiring people, old man? You never needed help before."
Glancing around, he noticed the place was far more crowded than usual.
Ah, he realized. So that's the reason. A bunch of old perverts.
"Business sure improved," he muttered.
Old Pineapple grinned smugly. "See? That's why."
"What's her story? You just hired her out of nowhere?"
"She's a poor thing. Her parents died at sea—same pirates you guys from the Saruyama Alliance took down recently. I took her in. If I hadn't been out that night, she'd have been ruined by a pack of idiots."
"...That's all?" Cricket narrowed his eyes skeptically.
Old Pineapple chuckled nervously, lowering his voice. "Those idiots are gone—permanently.And me? I'm too old for anything else, you know? But don't you dare try to steal her from me, Cricket. I've treated you well!"
"Got it. Since it was your catch, I won't interfere—but you owe me a year's worth of booze."
"Deal, deal!" The old man beamed, hurrying back to the counter to chat up the green-haired beauty.
That fool's gonna die because of a woman one day, Cricket thought, shaking his head.
He glanced at the green-haired woman again but said nothing more. Maybe his method was a bit underhanded—but that was life on the sea.
(End of Chapter)