Chapter 99 – [99] : [BONUS] – The 400-Year Promise! Super Reward!

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On the outskirts of Jaya Island.

A peculiar house stood here—Only half a structure, the missing wall replaced with wooden planks, which also extended the building, decorated with a fairytale-like castle painting, giving it a very flamboyant look.

This was the headquarters of the Saruyama Alliance.

“Boss! I heard that Sky Sovereign Rowen went on a rampage in Mock Town! Many famous pirates died at his hands! Even Bellamy the Hyena, that vicious pirate with a 55 million Beri bounty, got his entire crew wiped out just for jumping in front of the man… That guy—is the most vicious, super great pirate on the seas right now! What if he decides to just massacre everyone on Jaya Island?! Let’s get out of here and lay low for a while!”

Masira, who had encountered Rowen’s crew earlier, now stared fearfully at the two figures before him.

One looked like a orangutan—Shoujou, captain of the Shoujou Pirates, another faction of the Saruyama Alliance.

The other was a man with a distinctive diamond-shaped face.

—Montblanc Cricket, descendant of Montblanc Noland, the protagonist of the 400-year-old “Liar Noland” story.

“Calm down! He just killed a Warlord, that’s all! I bet I could become a Warlord too!” Shoujou declared, though his voice wavered slightly, trying to sound tough.

“THIS IS NO TIME FOR JOKES! Confidence is one thing, but that man can casually cause terrifying natural disasters—If you really faced him, you wouldn’t even know how you died!”

Masira yelled, spittle flying as he berated Shoujou.

Does this idiot have any sense? Bellamy the Hyena, a notorious pirate in these waters, got his entire crew annihilated just for jumping in front of Rowen!

According to his men who scouted Mock Town and barely escaped, the entire town had become that vicious pirate’s domain!

For all they knew, that ruthless monster was probably conducting a horrifying, inhumane massacre right now.

If he sensed their presence here… he might come slaughtering his way to their doorstep!

This was the pirate rumored to slaughter countless people at the slightest whim—the most vicious pirate on the seas!

The thought of that horrifying consequence made Masira tremble with fear.

“Calm down. Those are just rumors. You can’t believe everything you hear,” Cricket stated, exhaling a puff of smoke, his eyes holding a complex emotion.

He was here because of his ancestor from four hundred years ago, Montblanc Noland, who claimed this island held a city of gold.

When the king found nothing, and Noland, even facing death, refused to deny the city’s existence, he was executed.

Noland had been branded a liar for centuries, a name that shamed his descendants.

Cricket himself had borne this stigma since childhood.

To clear his ancestor’s and family’s name, he gave up being a pirate, came to Jaya, and had been diving in these waters ever since—searching for proof of the City of Gold. Unfortunately, he had found nothing so far.

Because of his own experiences, Cricket knew how destructive rumors could be—a linguistic force capable of ruining a person, even an entire family…

He inherently distrusted such tales; otherwise, why would he still be here, searching for a city of gold?

“Well said. You must be Montblanc Cricket,” an appreciative, hearty laugh suddenly interjected.

Cricket, Shoujou, and Masira turned towards the sound, their pupils instantly constricting.

“Sk-Sk-Sky Sovereign ROWEN!” Masira collapsed to the ground, staring in terror at the man who had just appeared.

‘What did he just say?! This man—actually showed up right in front of them! Did he finish slaughtering Mock Town and come for them next?!’

“B-Boss! You get out of here!”

Shoujou, usually supremely confident, now felt his legs turn to jelly.

Only by facing this man directly could one truly sense how terrifying he was. Just standing there, he radiated immense power, an overwhelming presence…

‘Is this the terrifying aura of a man with a bounty over 1.1 billion Beri?!’ Shoujou stared, horrified.

“B-Boss! We’ll hold him off! He’s a Devil Fruit user—He can’t swim! You run!” Masira, though terrified, forced down his fear for the sake of the man he respected most, Montblanc Cricket, and stood defiantly before Rowen’s group.

“Hey, hey! Didn’t your boss just say those are just rumors, and rumors can’t be trusted?” Rowen asked, amused, looking at the two men—one resembling a gorilla, the other an orangutan.

Though not particularly strong or handsome, their willingness to overcome fear and stand before a man they respected, ready to die—that showed the true spirit of men of the sea.

A flicker of appreciation appeared in Rowen’s eyes.

“Shishishi! Diamond-Faced Uncle is right! Those are just rumors! Rowen and Vivi are really nice people!” Luffy grinned, already bestowing Cricket with a nickname based on his appearance, as was his habit.

Luffy instantly liked Cricket’s demeanor.

“Sky Sovereign Rowen. Straw Hat Pirates. Your reputations precede you,” Cricket stated, stepping in front of Shoujou and Masira, shielding them. “Do you have business with me?”

He wasn’t a fool… The famous Sky Sovereign Rowen and his crew seeking him out, even knowing his name—they clearly wanted something.

As for a massacre? He never believed those rumors anyway, and he didn’t sense any killing intent from these people.

In fact, they didn’t seem like typical pirates at all.

“Diamond-Faced Uncle! We need to use a Knock-Up Stream to get to Skypiea! Rowen said you know how!” Luffy blurted out their purpose with a grin.

“SKYPIEA?!” Cricket, Shoujou, and Masira stared, stunned.

This fanciful legend—people still believed it?

If it were anyone else, they’d scoff. But the ones asking… were Sky Sovereign Rowen and his crew.

“You… believe Skypiea exists?” Cricket asked, his eyes flickering with intense emotion.

“Of course! Rowen said Skypiea exists, so it definitely does! Shishishi!” Luffy grinned confidently. The others also wore expressions of absolute trust. Rowen was never wrong.

“A Knock-Up Stream… If one were to go to Skypiea, that would indeed be the only way,” Cricket murmured, his eyes suddenly shining brightly.

Skypiea—in these waters, it was widely considered a fanciful legend, something only naive children who believed in fairy tales would accept.

Anyone in this region claiming to believe in Skypiea was usually laughed at.

But this man before him—Sky Sovereign Rowen, Cricket didn’t believe the rumors about massacres or overthrowing kingdoms.

But some facts were undeniable: this man had killed a Warlord, defeated an Admiral Candidate, and possessed a bounty exceeding 1.1 billion Beri!

Without exaggeration, even across the entire Grand Line, he was an absolute powerhouse!

For such a man to speak of Skypiea’s existence with such conviction! Perhaps… the legendary Skypiea really did exist…

Cricket’s eyes shone with startling intensity.

If the legendary Skypiea existed…

Then what about the City of Gold his ancestor, Montblanc Noland, believed in?

Could it also… possibly exist?!

“Alright. I’ll help you!” Cricket stated firmly after a moment, exhaling slowly.

“Shishishi! Diamond-Faced Uncle, you’re a good guy!” Luffy grinned even more happily.

“This isn’t just helping you… it’s also helping myself,” Cricket replied, a wistful expression on his face.

“Since a man like you knows my name… you must also know the story associated with my surname, Mont Blanc.”

“‘Liar Noland’,” Rowen stated slowly.

“Liar Noland… Usopp?” Chopper, hearing the epithet, instinctively looked towards Usopp. When it came to telling tall tales and boasting—Usopp was exceptionally skilled.

“HEY! CHOPPER! I’m a Brave Warrior of the Sea! Not a liar!” Usopp snapped, transforming into his sharp-toothed angry state and starting to playfully wrestle with Chopper.

“Noland… I’ve heard that name too. Exiled from his country for some reason,” Robin commented thoughtfully.

“Exiled? Why?” Nami asked Robin curiously.

“I don’t know the exact details. I heard it was because he claimed Jaya Island had vast amounts of gold,” Robin replied slowly.

“GOLD?! HERE?!” Nami’s eyes transforming into ‘Beri symbols’.

“Chopper! Stop fighting! Start digging! There’s gold here!” Nami ordered immediately.

“Is there really gold if we dig?!” Chopper instantly started digging in an empty spot with his antlers.

As a reindeer with a pirate dream, Chopper’s love for gold was immense—not for its monetary value, but because pirates were supposed to have vast treasures—that was a pirate’s dream!

“How could there be gold here? I’ve been searching for years…” Cricket commented, a faint smile on his lips as he watched Nami and Chopper.

Indeed, the pursuit of gold—even for the crew of the infamous Sky Sovereign Rowen, it was an irresistible allure.

Gold was a pirate’s romance.

“What exactly happened?” Nami pressed, more eager than anyone for news of gold.

“The story… goes like this.”

Cricket slowly pulled out a fairytale book and began recounting the tale of Montblanc Noland:

How he proclaimed Jaya Island held immeasurable gold; how the king found nothing; how Noland, even facing death, never recanted, insisting geographical shifts had sunk the gold into the sea; how no one believed him, and the enraged king executed him—The story of Montblanc Noland and his descendants, burdened with a 400-year-old shame.

This was why Cricket dived, searching the seabed for gold—to clear his ancestor’s name, to prove he wasn’t a liar.

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“The Gold… EXISTS,” Rowen stated seriously, looking directly at Cricket after he finished the story. Towards a man like this, Rowen also showed respect.

“What did you say?!” Cricket’s pupils constricted sharply.

“Rowen! Where’s the gold?!” Nami instantly jumped up, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Rowen.

Nami trusted Rowen completely—if he said there was gold, then there absolutely was!

“Of course. Noland didn’t lie—” Rowen affirmed, patting Cricket’s shoulder.

“Why… why are you so certain? I-I’ve searched this entire sea area… only found a tiny bit of gold… nothing like the legendary City of Gold,” Cricket stammered, his whole body trembling. This super-powerhouse from the sea… was actually willing to believe his ancestor?

“You… were looking in the wrong place. The gold… isn’t in the sea… nor on the land,” Rowen stated, then looked up towards the sky.

“C-Could it be…?!” Cricket’s pupils constricted.

“That’s right! The gold—IS IN THE SKY! ON SKYPIEA!” Rowen declared, looking up at the vast expanse, then burst into laughter.

The One Piece world… truly was magnificent and grand.

Gold in the sky! How romantic!

“SKYPIEA???!” Luffy and the others’ eyes shone with startling intensity. Gold on a Sky Island! So romantic!

“Jaya Island 400 years ago… wasn’t like it is now. Before… it was an island shaped like a skull,” Rowen explained, looking at Cricket.

“Sk-Skull?!” Hearing this, Cricket trembled violently. He immediately rushed back into his house and returned with a nautical logbook.

“Th-This is my ancestor Noland’s logbook! It mentions… his experiences on a Sky Island! And it says… ‘The gold is in the skull’s right eye!’ Could it mean—!”

Nami’s eyes lit up, and she quickly took the logbook from Cricket.

“IT REALLY EXISTS! There’s a Sky Sea on Skypiea—and various Sky Fish that swim in it! and—Wavers… Vehicles that can travel on the Sky Sea! AMAZING! I really want to see it!”

Nami exclaimed, her eyes shining brightly as she flipped through the logbook.

“SUGEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp—the ‘dream-chasing trio’—their eyes also shone with incredible excitement.

“Does the logbook mention… Shandora?” Rowen asked with a smile.

“Shandora? Let me see… Yes! The Golden City of Shandora! That city—was made entirely of gold—Its most dazzling feature was a giant Golden Bell, made entirely of gold, hailed as the Light of Shandora! When rung, the sound of the Golden Bell was said to be so beautiful it touched the soul!”

Nami read, her eyes gleaming.

“It also says… the Shandians guarded Shandora. Noland became friends with their mightiest warrior, Kalgara the Great Warrior. They promised each other… to meet again… to ring the Light of Shandora together…”

Nami’s voice rose with excitement.

“That’s right! It’s all true! 400 years ago, Noland met the Shandians and Kalgara, becoming friends. Then, because of a Knock-Up Stream, half of Jaya Island—along with the Shandians—was blasted up into the sky! Jaya Island was left with only half its original landmass! The other half—is on Skypiea! And that half… is where the Shandians reside… along with the Golden City of Shandora… and the Light of Shandora, the Golden Bell! Everything… is on Skypiea! And Kalgara the Great Warrior, until his death, hoped the sound of the Golden Bell would reach down here, telling his friend Montblanc Noland that they were on Skypiea! And your ancestor, Noland, defended the existence of Shandora, his friend’s home, until his death—which is why he was executed!”

Rowen declared, his voice filled with passion.

A promise spanning 400 years… truly romantic.

“Is all this… really true?”

Cricket, his entire body trembling, still found it hard to believe.

But this man before him—HAD NO REASON TO LIE!

“Help us reach Skypiea—and I will help you ring the Golden Bell! Let that 400-year promise—come to a perfect conclusion!”

Rowen stated earnestly.

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—[Condition Met! Triggering Side Quest Reward Mission!]—

—[The 400-Year Promise!]—

—[Objective: Ring the Golden Bell! Bring the 400-year promise to a perfect conclusion.]—

—[Reward: The combined spiritual power from Montblanc Noland, Kalgara the Great Warrior, and the Shandian people’s 400-year fervent desire to light the Light of Shandora and fulfill Noland and Kalgara’s promise!]—

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