"There's a story… called Noland the Liar," Cricket said with a bitter look. "That man was my ancestor."
Nami's eyes widened. "So you're his descendant? Then this really is the place from that fairy tale? The gold must have existed!"
Cricket sighed and glanced at Shirogai, who sat outside on the Ice Throne, his presence cold and distant. "Yes, he's my ancestor from centuries ago. But our blood connection is as thin as a mosquito's bite."
"Uncle, did you come here because of Noland?" Usopp asked.
"No, it was just coincidence."
Cricket chuckled grimly. "When Noland was executed, the Montblanc family was cast out by the king, stripped of their home and forced to wander. Even now, hundreds of years later, if people learn of our bloodline, they mock us. To them, we'll always be the descendants of a liar. But even so… no one in my family hates Noland."
"Huh? Why not?" Nami asked curiously.
"Because he was honest. He never lied. A man like him wouldn't deceive others."
Shirogai opened his eyes slowly, his cold voice cutting through the silence.
"A man brave enough to explore the world wouldn't need to deceive a king of a land no bigger than a palm."
"…"
Cricket's gaze lingered on Shirogai. "Perhaps. In our family records, Noland was remembered as honest, generous, meticulous… nothing like the ridicule in the fairy tale."
"So your family chose to believe in him," Nami said softly.
Shirogai's gaze pierced the window, as though seeing past time itself. He wasn't looking at Cricket—he was seeing the real Noland, a man mocked as a fool, yet truly heroic.
Cricket gave a bitter smile. "Yes. But what we believe doesn't change the world. For centuries, people have treated him as nothing more than a ridiculous liar."
Usopp's eyes shone with admiration. "So, Uncle, you keep diving into the sea, searching for the City of Gold, to clear your family's name, right?"
"Idiot! What do you know?!" Cricket roared, whipping out a flintlock and aiming it at Usopp.
"Usopp!" Nami gasped, panicking.
Chopper shrieked, "Ahh! They're going to fight!"
Zoro frowned, his hand already on his sword.
"Ice Butterfly."
A crystalline butterfly of frost drifted silently in through the window. It landed on Cricket's flintlock, freezing the weapon solid in his grip.
"Damn it…" Cricket gritted his teeth, shaking the ice from his hand.
From outside, Shirogai's voice rang out coldly. "I tolerated you pointing a gun at my crewmate once. But there will not be a next time."
"Uncle, you were really going to shoot!" Usopp yelped, hiding behind Luffy.
Luffy stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists. "Hey, Uncle! We saved you, and now you want to shoot Usopp?!"
"…Tch." Cricket's shoulders sank, his anger cooling into regret. "Sorry. I lost control."
His face darkened again. "But tell me, what does it matter whether Noland was a liar or a courageous adventurer? What does that have to do with me?!"
He smashed the ice from his hand, glaring at the Straw Hats. "Do you understand what it's like to be mocked since childhood for something you never did? To be cursed and ridiculed, simply because you share a drop of blood with someone the world calls a liar? I grew up drowning in that hatred."
The rage wasn't directed at them—it was the weight of a cruel childhood spilling out.
"Sorry," he muttered, forcing himself calm. "That anger isn't yours to bear."
Cricket turned toward the window, staring at the endless sky. "For centuries, countless Montblancs have gone out to sea, trying to restore the family's honor. Most never returned. Lost to the ocean, their fates unknown."
Luffy's fists loosened. The fury on his face softened into pity. "Uncle… your family's been through hell."
"Heh. More like cursed." Cricket laughed hollowly. "I didn't want that life. I ran away, became a pirate."
"A pirate?!" Luffy exclaimed.
Cricket shook his head. "Not by choice. I didn't want to be an adventurer like Noland. Yet fate dragged me here. Ten years ago, my ship drifted to Jaya… the very island mocked in the fairy tale."
He inhaled deeply. "Funny, isn't it? The more you try to escape something, the closer it follows."
Shirogai's cold murmur carried through the window. "That is the world's irony. Those who desperately seek something often never obtain it. And those who run from something… find it impossible to escape."
Cricket blinked, then laughed bitterly. "You're right. That was when I realized—this was destiny. And if it's destiny, I'll stop running."
As his voice rang with conviction, Sanji, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, lifted his eyes from his cigarette.
Cricket's words struck a chord. His own childhood—his own pain—flashed before him.
"I've been diving here ever since," Cricket continued. "Not for gold, and not to prove Noland's innocence. I just want a battle across time. To face the man whose legacy cursed my life."
Sanji's hands trembled slightly. A battle with the man who ruined my life…
In his heart, a voice whispered: Sanji, you still have us. Your crew.
The warmth of that bond pierced his memories like sunlight through a storm.
Sanji exhaled smoke and smiled faintly, glancing at his companions. No. I don't need a battle like that. I already have people who believe in me. Who accept me. I'm not alone anymore.
_______
Milestone,
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter