At Montblanc Cricket's residence—
Seeing Sandy suddenly lie down on the grass, Luffy asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is your shoulder wound hurting again?"
"What are you talking about?" Sandy waved his hand dismissively. "Why did we even set sail?"
Luffy replied without hesitation, "To become the Pirate King, of course!"
Sandy sighed. "You're too focused on the end goal. Whether you become the Pirate King or not doesn't matter — what's important is being happy along the way. You guys are too goal-oriented; living like that will only wear you out."
"Tch." Sanji turned away, irritated.
Luffy tilted his head. "So… lying on the ground makes you happy?"
Chopper and Usopp leaned forward, equally curious.
Sandy folded his arms behind his head, crossed one leg, and gazed up at the sky.
"Happiness is different for everyone," he said calmly. "Look — blue sky, white clouds, lush jungle… what a beautiful sight."
Ignoring everyone's confused looks, Sandy smiled, pulled out a cigarette, took a long drag, and sighed contentedly. "My state of mind is something you idiots will never understand, damn it…"
Before he could finish, everyone ganged up on him.
Sanji shouted, "You bastard! I'll show you what happiness really means!"
Zoro smirked. "Beating you up makes me happy."
Usopp yelled, "Only sailing across the sea is a man's true romance, you fool!!"
After a round of chaotic brawling, Sandy raised his hands. "Stop it, all of you! The owner's back!"
Just then, a man suddenly leapt out of the sea — with a small head and a tuft of hair the same color as Sanji's.
Sandy blinked. "Sanji, is that your dad?"
"Bastard…" Sanji growled.
At that moment, Montblanc Cricket spotted the Pirate flag on the Going Merry.
Thinking they were thieves after his gold, he didn't hesitate — he launched a flying kick that sent Luffy tumbling backward!
Everyone immediately became tense.
Zoro glared coldly. "What's your deal?"
Cricket took a fighting stance. "Aren't you here to steal my gold? And you're asking me that?"
Nami's eyes lit up. "There's really gold?"
Usopp flailed his arms. "Hey, hey! Keep saying stuff like that and we really will look like thieves!"
Luffy got up and ran over, shouting, "Uncle, wait! We're not here to steal gold — we just wanted to ask—"
Thud.
Before Luffy could finish, Cricket suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Everyone turned to Sandy with the same thought — Did he use Conqueror's Haki again?
Luffy complained first. "Sandy! Don't mess around! We still need to ask him how to get to Skypiea!"
Sandy rubbed his forehead. "Go play somewhere else, idiot. I didn't do anything. He probably fainted from illness."
"Fainted from illness?"
"Quick! Call a doctor!"
"Wait, aren't you the doctor?"
"Ah? Oh yeah, I'm the doctor!!"
Soon, everyone carried Montblanc Cricket to his bed. Chopper examined him and discovered that Cricket suffered from a chronic condition caused by overexertion. If he kept diving like that, it could cost him his life.
A while later, Cricket's two subordinates returned — one was a red-haired man named Shojo, and the other a tall, ape-like man named Masira.
When they saw their boss unconscious, Shojo shouted angrily, "What are you bastards doing here!?"
Masira bared his teeth. "What did you do to our boss!?"
Luffy replied innocently, "What are you talking about? We're taking care of this sick old guy. You two should move out of the way!"
Usopp screamed, "You idiot! They won't listen to that! Don't forget they're wild animals! Everyone, escape through the window!!"
Sandy, standing to the side, finally understood Luffy's charm. With such a pure heart, he really can connect with anyone — as long as they're not evil.
Sure enough, Shojo and Masira were instantly moved to tears.
"You're truly good people!" they sobbed.
Usopp and Chopper both fell over in shock. "They actually believed him!?"
Since Montblanc Cricket hadn't woken up yet, everyone went outside to talk.
Luffy asked, "You guys live here too?"
Masira replied, "Our boss's home is actually the base of the Ape Mountain Alliance."
Shojo added, "But we usually sleep on our ships. This place is too small for us."
Luffy laughed. "You two are just too big! If the giants from Little Garden saw you, they'd probably say you look like earwax."
Sandy face-palmed. "Luffy is…?"
Usopp muttered weakly, "I don't get it — they're actually chatting like best friends."
Zoro shrugged. "Because they're all idiots. That's their common ground."
After a while, Montblanc Cricket finally woke up.
Luffy leaned forward eagerly. "Uncle, I've got something I want to ask!"
Cricket took a long drag from his cigarette. "Ask away."
"Uncle, we really want to go to Skypiea! Can you tell us how to get there?"
"Skypiea?" Cricket burst into laughter. "Hehehe… hahahahaha! You actually believe in that?"
Nami's expression turned dark — she thought he was mocking her, just like those jerks in town. Furious, she stomped forward, ready to clobber him.
Seeing that, Sandy quickly wrapped his arms around her waist to stop her. "He's not mocking you — that's just the excitement of finding someone who actually believes!"
Cricket laughed for a moment longer before calming down.
"Skypiea… I don't actually know if it exists. But I do know someone who once believed in it. That person became world-famous as a great liar, and ever since, his descendants have lived under that shadow."
Luffy turned toward Usopp in confusion. "You?"
Usopp waved his hands frantically. "It's not me!!"
Sanji took a puff from his cigarette. "Uncle, your last name's Montblanc too. Are you… a descendant of Noland?"
Cricket nodded. "That's right. I am the descendant of the so-called 'Great Liar' — Montblanc Noland."
"I see," Usopp said in awe. "Uncle, you're diving for the gold beneath the sea to clear your family's name, right?"
Cricket's expression darkened. He suddenly pulled out his gun and fired.
Sandy moved instantly, catching the bullet between his fingers. Based on the trajectory, he knew Cricket wasn't aiming to kill — just to scare.
Cricket wasn't shocked. Instead, he shouted furiously, "No matter how honest or great my ancestor was, it has nothing to do with me!
Because of that man's name, I've been cursed and ridiculed my whole life! Can you even imagine what that feels like!?
Ever since I was a kid, I've been ashamed to bear the name Montblanc!"
The room fell silent.
Everyone could feel the weight of his anger — the pain of a man chained to a legacy he never chose.
...
Author's Note:
The fanfic One Piece: My Flirtatious System Adventure is now fully completed.
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📚 Category: One Piece (Chapters 1–657)
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