In Cricket's home, he trembled slightly as he looked at the group of pirates before him, his hands shaking while pouring wine.
Why would the world's strongest pirate crew come here?!
An ordinary island resident wouldn't even dream of encountering the world's top pirates!
Bizarre thoughts exploded in his mind.
He rubbed his eyes and pinched his thigh repeatedly—the pain and clear faces confirmed this wasn't an illusion.
Noticing Cricket's expression, Whitebeard reassured him.
"Don't worry kid. We're just here to gather information about Sky Island. Of course, it'd be great if you know anything."
At these words, most of Cricket's fear instantly dissipated.
In fact, it was completely overwhelmed by another emotion—hope and gratitude!
He stopped pouring wine, even forgetting to smoke, simply staring at Whitebeard before saying.
"You... you also believe that Sky Island truly exists in this world?!"
Upon hearing this, Whitebeard burst into laughter, his hearty mirth devoid of any trace of mockery.
"Gurararara! That place even has fixed routes—the Apex of the West is the path to Sky Island. You can also reach it by riding the Knock-Up Stream. The Roger Pirates went there over a decade ago. Later, he even boasted to me about Sky Island's beautiful scenery and claimed he saw the legendary City of Gold, Shandora. How could such a place not exist?!"
As Whitebeard spoke, Cricket's tears began to fall.
In that moment, all the grievances and ridicule he had endured over the years seemed to vanish like smoke.
He smiled, yet hot tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
Looking at Whitebeard, his laughter was tinged with a sob.
"So that's how it is... Shandora was on Sky Island all along. My ancestors... my ancestors weren't liars! Sky Island... it really exists!"
Cricket's tears left the Whitebeard Pirates stunned.
After Cricket shared his entire story with them, they all wept as they gazed at the small golden bell he pulled from his backpack.
Tears and campfire light reflected brilliantly under the quiet night sky.
Even Whitebeard's eyes reddened.
He looked at Cricket, then at Jake, and asked.
"What do you plan to do next?"
To avoid revealing Jake's identity to the crowd, he was wearing a mask.
Without hesitation, Jake replied with a smile.
"Isn't it obvious? We'll ring the golden bell and let everyone here know that Sky Island is real!"
Jake's words ignited the atmosphere, pushing it to a boiling point.
The pirates cheered, vowing to ascend to Sky Island the next day and ring the golden bell for Cricket's sake.
That night passed in a blend of alcohol and tears.
Laughter, campfires, promises, adventure—everything intertwined, becoming the pirates' shared dream and journey!
The next day, Cricket informed everyone that the Knock-Up Stream occurred five times a month, with the next one arriving at noon the following day.
Before heading to Sky Island, they decided to restock their ship's supplies by visiting Mock Town for provisions.
To avoid unnecessary commotion, Whitebeard took only a few with him—Marco, Jake, and Monet—as they walked through the streets.
They encountered none of the bullying or discrimination Cricket had described, though this was hardly surprising.
In this world, no one capable of bullying Whitebeard had yet been born.
The moment the townspeople laid eyes on Whitebeard, they froze in place.
Staring at the legendary pirate who seemed to exist only on wanted posters, the entire town fell into stunned silence.
Some even slapped themselves twice to check if they were dreaming.
After all, this was the man spoken of in the same breath as the Pirate King Roger—a living legend!
Along the way, wherever the group went, everyone fell into stunned silence, frozen in place.
When they tried to buy things, the merchants were too shocked to even name a price.
Whitebeard found this rather frustrating.
He just wanted to reminisce about the old days of adventure, but the reactions of the people along the way made him feel somewhat constrained.
*****
At that moment, inside the tavern, Bellamy—who had recently been subdued by Doflamingo—and his crew were chatting about something.
None of them noticed what was happening outside, too busy laughing and mocking a man kneeling on the ground.
Bellamy's raspy, mocking voice rang out as he addressed the kneeling man.
"Hey~ you bastard, you actually believe in the One Piece and Sky Island, huh? Hahahaha, that's hilarious! My greatest joy is mocking idiots like you with your delusions! Hey! Just say the words—that the One Piece and Sky Island don't exist—and... this whole bag of gold coins is yours!"
With a heavy thud, the coin pouch hit the ground, but the elderly man kneeling made no move to take it.
Instead, he pushed the pouch away with his hand.
Then, lifting his head, he spoke to Bellamy with solemn determination.
"The One Piece and Sky Island are my dreams. A man's dreams should never be mocked by anyone. Even if you offered ten times the gold, I would never deny my dreams. They are my soul and my faith—not something that can be measured by mere coins. Don't underestimate me, you brat!"
The old man's response stunned everyone present.
Bellamy burst into laughter, turning to Sarquiss beside him.
"Looks like today's entertainment ends here. What a stubborn old fool."
Sarquiss, with an arm around a scantily clad woman, chuckled softly.
"Hehe, seems like the tavern's gonna have one more headless corpse today—an old one at that. Don't kick him too hard, or blood'll splatter everywhere."
Bellamy grinned in reply.
"Of course!"
The next moment, Bellamy's right leg coiled like a spring before launching forward at a speed the old pirate couldn't possibly follow.
Just as his kick was about to connect, a blaze of blue-green flames erupted, accompanied by a voice seething with barely contained fury.
"Hey! Tell me—does mocking others' dreams really bring you that much joy?!"
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