One Piece Chapter 228: Last Boss of the Saruyama Alliance, Montblanc Cricket

High in the treetops, unseen voices chatter nervously: “Oh no! The thought of that’s giving me the jitters…!” “I don’t know, but you don’t think something happened to our boss, do youI” “Ah never mind. What do you think that gunshot we heard just now was aboutI” “Am I still aliveI What kinda question is thatI” “Ah! Masira, you’re still alive!I” The scene cuts to a massive close-up of two roaring monkey-like pirates, one wearing goggles and a captain’s coat, the other with wild hair and a skull earring. They bellow together in huge letters: “BOOOOOOSSSS! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!I” Dramatic speed lines and the giant SFX “ばばーん!!” explode around them.

Inside a spacious room, Luffy stands holding a basin with a shocked “!!” above his head. Zoro stands with arms crossed, Sanji smokes nearby, Nami works at a counter, and Chopper looks up in surprise. Suddenly the wall bursts inward. A panicked man screams “AGHHHH! THEY’VE COME TO KILL US!” while another figure yells “GYAAA!”. Luffy, Zoro, and the others whirl around in shock as debris flies and two more voices cry out with “!!” and “II”

Luffy faces the two furious monkey-like pirates. One shouts “LUFFY, YOU IDIOT! YOU CAN’T REASON WITH THEM, THEY’RE WILD BEASTS! EVERYONE, EVACUATE THROUGH THE WINDOWS ASAP!” while the other yells “What, you guys again!I We’re treating the sick old man so scram.” The pirates demand “WHAT DID YOU DO TO OUR BOSS!I” and “JUST WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!I” Luffy stands firm. The goggled pirate, tears streaming, cries “THEY’RE… THEY’RE GOOD PEOPLE…!” with the SFX “ガシマアン!!” and “ガラガラ”. A small bubble notes “IT WORKED!I” Below, the same two pirates stand outside the building; one says “Is also the main base for the Saruyama Alliance, but…” and the other asks “So you guys live here tooI”

Outside the house, Masira and Shoujou tower over the building while chatting with Luffy's crew. Masira says, "Nah, it's you guys who're too big. Then again, compared to the giants, even you guys are only as big as their boogers." Shoujou laughs, "Uohohoho! This house is too small for us, after all. We usually sleep on our own ships." A crew member wonders, "Why're they getting along so wellI" and another replies, "Got something in common, I guess." Inside, Luffy suddenly sits up with a grin as the others react. "He's upI" "Ah, it's true. He does fly pretty easily." "Luffy, he's awake!" "Yup, sure." "Oh, reallyI" "ReallyI I'm sure you could do it too." "But I'm surprised you managed to send this guy flyin' high despite your small frame." Luffy walks up to the bandaged man with a diamond-shaped head and declares, "Diamond-head mister! I got stuff I wanted to ask."

Montblanc Cricket stands outside, smoking and glaring. He says, "I mistook you for the usual idiots who come sniffin' for gold." and adds, "Sorry about the attack earlier." Nami and Usopp react nervously in the background. Cricket asks, "So... What is it you want to ask meI" Nami warns, "Don't provoke him." Usopp sparkles and blurts, "GOLD!I SO YOU DO HAVE SOME!I" Cricket exhales smoke and mutters, "Sky islandI" Luffy leans in with wide eyes and an excited grin, shouting, "Teach us how! We wanna go to Sky Island!"

Luffy and Usopp react in shock inside the house. Usopp sweats and stammers, "Ha..." while Luffy yells, "What, so there's no such thing!I" Nami punches Luffy and shouts, "NAMI, NO! HE'S A SICK PATIENT!" Cricket laughs heartily, "You folks seriously believe in that!I Ahahahaha!" In a close-up, Cricket continues with a serious expression, "But the entire world labelled him a liar, and his entire family line's been a laughing stock ever since. Who knows for sure... I do know of one man who said it existed..." The scene shifts to a tower as narration states, "Noland the Liar." Cricket adds, "Is how his story goes..." Luffy and Usopp both protest loudly, "IT'S NOT ME!" and "I TOLD YOU ALREADY, IT'S NOT ME! EVEN THE NAME'S DIFFERENT!"

Montblanc Cricket sits on the floor and explains, "Suffice to say, he's a distant ancestor of mine, which is troubling to say the least... I probably share as much blood with him as a mosquito can carry in its belly... He's the grandfather of my grandfather... of my grandfather, and so on up the line..." Nami reacts with shock, "And this island is the very island in the story!I You're his descendant!I" Cricket continues, "But not a single Montblanc member resents him... The Montblanc family's been run out of that kingdom. But their abuse and humiliation by the people's hands still continues..." In a dramatic close-up, Cricket declares, "WAS A MAN OF UPSTANDING HONESTY. BECAUSE NOLAND," as Luffy stares and asks, "WhatI"

In the picture book, Nolan is drawn with a stupid smile, but the real man supposedly died with tears streaming down his face. The Straw Hats listen as Cricket continues: "In the final scene of the picture book, Nolan says, 'Ah, that's it! The mountain of gold must have sunk into the sea!'" The thought that he had seen an illusion never crossed his mind. He was absolutely sure that the island they landed at was the same Jaya where he'd discovered the ruins of a golden city. But the people could only see it as a desperate excuse made to save his own skin. And the crowd mocked him to no end as he was executed.

Cricket slams his fist down and roars, "DON'T BE STUPID!" He glares at the crew: "So that you could wipe away your family's dishonour!I So then! Have you come here in search of the golden city at the ocean floor, whether my distant ancestor really was an honest man or a great explorer... WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ME!I" Usopp slumps in shock. Cricket continues, teeth gritted around his cigarette: "WHO'S HAD TO GROW UP BEING INSULTED AND LAUGHED AT BY EVERY STRANGER, JUST BECAUSE HE HAPPENED TO SHARE THE SAME BLOOD AS THAT IDIOT! WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW, ABOUT THE FEELINGS OF A CHILD."

Cricket stands with his back to the crew. "Who set out for the seas to reclaim our family's honour or whatever... Don't know what ever happened to any of them but, there have been countless members of my family. But in the past 400 years, I felt embarrassed by them. And so I ran away from home. And became a pirate." Nami asks, "Oh, you're a pirate too, misterI" Cricket replies, "But 10 years ago... At the end of my adventures, my ship ended up arriving at this island. It's not that I wanted to become one. I just wanted to escape from Nolan's curse, that's all."

Cricket stands alone on the cape at night. "As I stood on the cape of this island that didn't even bear the slightest trace of a golden city, I figured it must be fate... And that I could run away no longer. Oddly enough, me, the one who despised Nolan the most in my family, was the only one that was able to arrive to this island." He turns with a fierce glare, arm outstretched: "LET'S SETTLE THIS, NOLAND." The Straw Hats react in surprise. "Captain... We've got no desire to get involved with your family's problems! What kind of joke is this!I"

A massive bearded man stands on the shore with arms crossed as a sailing ship departs behind him. He declares, "This means goodbye!" and warns, "If you're still set on searching for gold, Then you'll have to do it alone!" Underwater, a diver plunges deeper while thinking, "I didn't come here to find gold, I didn't care if there really was gold or not... And clear up my ancestor's name..." Bubbles and debris trail behind as the figure swims past rocks and a sunken boat. Inside a stone-walled room, Sanji lounges in a chair and states, "It was a personal fight between me." An arrow points to a rifle on the wall as another voice adds, "And the man who had ruined my life." Several crew members stand nearby listening.

Close-up reactions show Zoro, Nami, Chopper, and Sanji listening intently. A voice continues, "I wanted to settle the issue once and for all...! Before I kicked the bucket," followed by silence. Cricket, now shirtless and muscular, explains with a sniff, "I'M SURE THERE'S A HOT-BLOODED BACK-STORY FOR THAT, INVOLVING A HEART-TO-HEART TALK DONE WITH FISTS BELOW THE SEA..." Luffy reacts with wide eyes as Shoujou, wearing a diving helmet, grabs him and growls, "...A TRUE MAN'S..." while asking, "Why're the monkeys here with youI" Luffy replies, "...So what about themI" Cricket continues, "And enthusiastically claimed that Noland's gold exists for sure. About 5-6 years ago, they came here after hearing rumours about me." Shoujou and Masira react with shock as text reads, "Well that's a pretty simple relationship... THEY'RE JUST FANS!I They're just fans of the story."

Cricket roars at the monkeys, "That's some big talk coming from you, but you better watch it if you don't want to make me really mad. KICKING ME LIKE THAT WITHOUT WARNING... YOU GOT A DEATH WISH OR SOMETHIN'!" Shoujou and Masira yell back "SHOU... JOU...!" amid impact effects. The scene shifts to a lighthouse on the coast where Cricket narrates, "For a guy diving alone day after day. The sea here is deep... And in the cold, dark ocean depths, loneliness gets to you even more." In a close-up, Shoujou clutches his helmet and shouts, "And making a big uproar about calling me boss. And becoming my followers is... Having these two idiots barge into my life."

Cricket grins fiercely and asks, "IT REALLY LIFTS A MAN... YOU UNDERSTANDI HONESTLY," while the Straw Hats react. Luffy yells, "LIKE I WAS. SAYING... YOU JUST STAY QUIET! Right, well, leaving aside the monkey talk-" as he punches forward. Shoujou blocks with his helmet, replying, "YES, I UNDERSTAND! TRUE FRIENDS DON'T NEED ANYTHING MORE TO-" Luffy's face fills the final panel as he shouts with intense determination, "HOW TO GO TO SKY ISLAND! I JUST WANT TO KNOW,"

Montblanc Cricket leans forward on the logbook, glaring at Luffy. "The man who once talked about a 'sky island' was Noland the Liar. Getting involved with him will just turn you into the world's laughingstock like me." Luffy stands unfazed in his straw hat. Cricket continues, "Haha... You're one impatient bastard. But I told you my story for a reason." A close-up shows Cricket's scarred face with a cigarette, eyes narrowed. Nami and Usopp lean in as Cricket points to the page. "Read the section there." Nami gasps, "Ahh!" while examining the old logbook. Cricket reads aloud, "A logbookI...I-Is that written by the man himself!I Unfortunately, he never wrote that he did... Oh!I Did he also go to sky island!I" Nami flips through the aged pages, eyes wide. "Amazing... A 400 year-old diary... Year 1120 of the Marine Calendar,* June 21. Clear weather. Setting off from the merry town of Villa. We sailed Northeast from the port, following our log pose."

The logbook entry continues: "Even on a day without wind, it propels its own wind somehow to sail forwards. A very mysterious ship, though requiring a certain level of skill from the rider. It has since become a favourite play-thing among the crew members." Nami reads on, "During the day, we obtained a most interesting item from a passing merchant ship. It's a single-person-use boat called a 'Waver,' much resembling skis." Cricket adds, "Also concerning 'sky island,' an explorer friend of mine once showed me a living 'sky fish.' Its bizarre appearance truly shocked me. It seems the mysterious engine of this device exists only on 'sky island.'" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper react with shock and excitement. "ENOUGH ABOUT THAT, KEEP READING! Whoa! What is this!I I want one too!" Usopp exclaims. The crew discusses the sky ocean. "AND THE PEOPLE BACK THEN TALKED ABOUT IT AS IF THERE WERE NO DOUBTS ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE! IT'S JUST AS ROBIN SAID! A sky ocean...I" Luffy stares with wide eyes. Cricket concludes, "Speaking as a sailor, I wish to visit this 'sky ocean' some day. Although this rumoured sky island is located in uncharted waters for us."

On a high platform overlooking the sea, a massive man with a scarred face and cigar stands with arms crossed. "Now keep quiet and answer me. Do you like these guysI Never felt better. Boss! How's your body feelingI" His crew watches from below. "Yeah, but they'll die for sure if they tried that...!" one subordinate growls. Another replies, "Sky island...I Well there's only one way to get there..." The boss questions, "It seems like this bunch is completely set on going to sky island. No matter what... Why're you asking us thatI" He smirks confidently. "That's why I'm thinking... We lend them a hand..." The crew reacts with surprise and determination as the boss declares his intent, the sea and lighthouse visible behind them.

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