Chains That Bind Us |One Piece

Jaya 7

Reading Norland's Log book had given the crew new hope in Sky Island. However, it only left a single problem. As Norland had never been the Sky Island before, they was no record of how to get there, especially since no one believed it existed for hundreds 0f years. "What did you want to tell us, Ossan?" Usopp had come to asked this as Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Liàn and himself were sitting at the stumps tables, while Cricket stood in front of them.
"Listen up, you guys. First, I'm going to tell you everything i know about Sky Island." That had come from the old man's mouth as he responded. "I dunno if any of it is true, so it's up to you if you want to believe it or not."
"Yep, I believe you." However, it appeared that two people didn't hesitate in saying that.
"That's too fast!" Which had been shouted by the Long nose at Luffy and Liàn, who had spoke before.
"There's something peculiar that happens in this part of the sea." The old man had began speaking while pointing off to the ocean of the side of them. "Sometimes, even in the middle of the day, an entire portion of the ocean suddenly turns as dark as night.
"Really?" Liàn appeared surprised upon hearing this, and Jiàn behind her didn't seem to care.
"That happened! That happened to us!" However, Luffy knew what the old man was talking about. "Right?" Then looked to Usopp beside him.
"Yeah! It turned to night, and then a bunch of monsters appeared!" This had been verified but him as he spoke.
"Amazing!" Which caused Liàn's eyes to sparkle in excitement.
"You mean the giants?" Crickey came to ask this, to see if they were speaking of what he was thinking.  "There's a story about where they come from, but let's forget them for now."
"Oh..." hearing him say that had caused the female twin to become disappeared.
"The true nature of the sudden nightfall..." there came a pause as smoke came flowing out of Cricket's mouth before he continued. "It is the shadow of a massively Danes cloud."
"You mean a cumulonimbus cloud?" As the navigator, Nami knew of many patterns and names of the clouds and sky. "It was much darker than if there were clouds like that overhead." However, she refused to expect this.
"Ossan, you're so stupid!" Luffy followed with that comment. "On days when there's lots of clouds, it gets cloudy!" However, he didn't have any room to talk about being stupid.
"Yep, cloudy." Usopp appeared to be the same.
"Cloudy!" As well as Chopper.
"Cloudy!" Then there was Liàn that joined in.
"SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" But it obey had the old man snapping at them. "Cumulonimbus. That's the name of this type of cloud. It forms high in the sky, and inside, no air currents front and it never turned into rain. Where one of those is is they sky. Not even the sun penetrates it. And on the ground blow it, day becomes night.  Another account states that cumuloregails cloud... remains unchanged, floating for thounds or tens of thousands for thongs of the years. Like a petrified cloud."
"That's impossible! No cloud can form without creating air currents!" Nami came to yell this as she come to stand up.
"You're free to think it doesn't exist. I never asked you to believe me." However, Cricket had repeated that once again.
"So it's a Mystery Cloud." Luffy didn't show a hit on doubt as he said that.
"That makes sense." And it appeared that Liàn was the same.
"That's right. There's been no explanation for its existence." Cricket moved onto saying, agreeing with Luffy.
"Luffy, that was awesome!" Chopper came to stand on the table, amused while looking at the captain.
"What's 'awesome' about it? He doesn't understand." This came out of Jiàn mouth, since he wasn't all that impressed.
"Understand? If Sky Island does in fact exist... that is the only place it could be!" That was stated, pointing at the group.
"Oh, okay! Let's get up to that cloud!" Luffy had said like that was possible. "Zoro, wake up!" Usopp had began jumping around with the captain, as they were pumped.
"Is it morning?" This entire time the swordsman had been sleeping, not listening to a single thing.
"Oi, everyone get ready! Hard turn to the clouds!" This was being shouted by Luffy. "Ossan, thanks for telling us!"
"Hard turn to the clouds! Hard turn!" At the same time as Usopp, while jumping around, completely forgetting about one thing.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU WE DON'T KNOT HOW TO GET THERE?!" Which had been snapped at them by Nami, who had gotten sick and tired of repeating herself.
"Quite brutal." Jiàn after seeing the aftermath of the navigator beating to the pair's face.
"Definitely." Which had his sister nodding in agreement.
"Now the main problem." And Cricket moved on like nothing had happened. "And I gotta warn you, you'll be risking your lives!"
"We're half-dead already..." said the pair that were beaten quite badly.
"The vertically-flowing current, the Knock-Up Stream... If you get on that current, you can make it to Sky Island. That's the theory. Get it?" The old man came to ask them this, since it wasn't proven yet.
"But that is a current that will blast ships sky high, both into the air and destruction." Liàn stated this while glancing up to Jiàn, since both heard of it.
"Oh! So we just have to get blown up to the clouds!" However, it appeared that Luffy missed the destination part.
"On an ocean current?" Usopp didn't understand completely.
"But, we heard that ships they encounter it all fall straight back down to the ocean." Nami had spoken up, as it would make sense.
"Usually, yes. You have to get the timing right." Cricket came to explain things. "First of all, it's easy to talk about being blasted up by a sea current, but it ain't some nice, relaxing rise up there like you might be thinking." Chopper was a bit stunned upon hearing that. "Meeting the Knock-Up Stream is a disaster. By its nature, it should be avoided at all cost."
"But what kind of principle allows it to reach up to the sky? We've never heard of anything like that before." Nami was asking and stating as she turned to look at Luffy, who had nodded in agreement with Usopp.
"The principle behind out monster currents isn't beyond reasoning. But no one is ever been stupid enough to dive deep enough to investigate it." The old man come to say, which wasn't all that surprising. "The theory goes like this: Below The ocean floor, there are large cave like air pockets. Sometimes cool sea water leaks into one of those pockets. The geothermal energy from below heats it into high-pressure steam... Which creates an explosion underwater. The explosion upheaves the ocean water and forms a currents into the sky." Having this explained had caused Nami and Usopp to turn pale and sweaty. "For approximately one minute, the sea is connected to the sky."
"Just a single minute? That isn't long." Jiàn came to say this, as he was quite right about that.
"What kind of insane explosion can make the water shoot up like that?!" However, Nami was slightly freaking out as she was shouting this question.
"The location of the explosion is different every time, and it happens about five times a month." This had then been added onto this.
"We'd be blown to smithereens..." Usopp was barely able to speak due to fear.
"Well, anyway, it's a magnificent natural phenomenon." The group had Cricket turning his back to them as he continued to speak. "Trying to reason it out with theories and talk is senseless."
"S-So then... This Ocean currents that only pops up five times a month is... the only way to get to Sky Island?" The snipper was asking shaking.
"Yeah, and you;re the once's at a disadvantage."
"I guess that makes sense..." Liàn didn't seem all that surprised by Cricket's words. "If there's nothing for us to land on... we will just come falling back down and smashing the ship, killing us all." Hearing her say that caused the long nose to sweat even more.
"Y-Yosh! Let's give up on Sky Island!" He was saying to Luffy, as fear completely took over. He began laughing as to play it off, however... "This is crazy!" He was shouting at the captain, who was laughing away. "Listen here. We'd have to be the luckiest of the luckiest of the luckiest of the luckiest of the luckiest to make it!" It appeared that he was losing his sanity as if we go laughing once again.
"It'll be okay! Let's go!" However, Luffy hadn't heard a single thing and said that.
"I knew it." Not that it surprised him as tears were rolling down his face once again. "It'll be okay? how can you keep saying such groundless things? I mean, just look at the Going Merry!" Usopp was pointing to the ship that was barely holding itself together. "Look and how much pain she is in! She won't stand up to a disaster like that in this state!" and he was right.
"He's right." Cricket was in an agreement with that. "Even if that ship were brand-new, it could never make it!"
"WHAT!?" But hearing that only pissed Usopp off.
"Speed, weight, strength... that shit would be blown up right along with the explosion." the old man had continued on.
"B... But...See? It's crazy, like I said." Though, he appeared to have given up.
"He can't even deny it." Liàn pointed out as the long nose was having a depressing moment over agreeing.
"But, you don't have to worry about that. I'll have Masira and Shoujo refit you ship. Of course, they'll strengthen the ship's frame as well." Cricket had come to inform them of this.
"Yeah! Leave it to us, you guys!" The two monkeys had popped out the windows of the house shouting.
"Thanks for that!" And the captain was grateful.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Nami came up to him asking, since she wasn't clear either he did or not.
"What?" Which it was a not.
"Well, to start with..." She was trying to think of something. "Oh yeah! We can only stay on this island for at most another day. After that, the Log Pose will read apt to the next island's magnetic field." This had been explained as the navigator held up the Log on her wrist.
"Right! Right!" And this had lighten up Usopp's face. "We won't make it in time!"
"Cricri-chan, when is the next current?" Liàn was looking to the old man asking, calling him by a nickname.
"Cricri-chan...?" Which he didn't seem to appreciate it. "Tomorrow afternoon. If you're going, you'd better get ready."
"YOU MEAN WE'LL MAKE IT?!" However, much to Usopp's hope it appeared closer then they thought.
"What? If you don't want to go, then don't." Cricket didn't care one way or another. 
"You're lying!" The snipper had come to snap, pointing at the old man with his back to them. "There's something fishy about this! We just met you today! Aren't you being a little too nice!?" The same thing could be said about Liàn and Jiàn... well, more Liàn. "A-And besides..."
"Oi, Usopp!" Luffy had tried to interfere before the long nose said something he shouldn't.
"You shut up!" However, he wasn't going to allow him to. "This Sky Island... Our best chance of getting to a legendary island we don't even know the location of... is tomorrow!?" It was understandably why Usopp found it all suspicious. "And to help us get there, you're gonna refit and strengthen our ship?! That's just too good to be true! Just what the hell are you plotting!? You're the descendent of Liar Norland, right!? We can't trust you!" The was a heavy silence that came to be after that was shouted.
"OYASSAN!" Until the two monkeys was squeezing in the doorway that was slammed opened.  "The food's ready!" They were both shouting loudly.
"Move it." Sanji had to push pass through them both, as he had been in the house the whole time cooking. "Nami-swan~! Liàn-Chin~! Lunch is ready-!" He was shouting until he noticed the atmosphere.
"W-What is it!?" Usopp was getting defensive as Cricket had turned around looking at him. "Y-You wanna fight?"
"Masira recorded...that when night suddenly falls in his territory... the day after, he always sees a Cumuloregalis cloud in the sky to the south." The old man began speaking while heading towards the teen. "Al so, based on its cycle of five times a month... I'm guessing the Knock-Up Stream will most likely occur tomorrow. That is also south of here." Hearing all this had caused the young man to lower himself. "I'm not 100% sure, but there is a high probability those two events will coincide." Cricket had completed walked passed him, which was clearly making Usopp uncomfortable. "I'm happy to have met a bunch of idiots like you." This had been the reason the old man agreed to help them. "Now, lets eat. I want you to enjoy yourselves at my house... My comrades." Luffy began chuckling.
"Food! Hurry up, Usopp!" Before he began heading towards the house as he was shouting to the long nose still standing still.
"Yeah, c'mon!" Masira shouted in agreement as everyone was heading inside.
"Chopper, call Robin-chan!" The cook came to order the doctor.
"Right!" Who took off running to the Merry.
"The best we can do is try to befriend him, if we want to get to the sky." Nami ended up walking over to Usopp, who was on his knees. "But it's still all down to luck in the end."
"Nami... Am i a miserable coward?" This had been asked.
"And an idiot to boot." She didn't hold back her punches saying that.  "I know how you feel. Now go apologise."
"OYASSAN, I'M SORRY~!" Usopp came to run at the man in tears, grabbing hold of him.
"W-W-What the hell are you talking about?" However, the old man was confused. "Ah, gross! You're getting snot on me!" And he was trying to push him away in disgust.
"Did you know..." Jiàn came to glanced down at his sister that was speaking. "People are like flowers as they are unable to choose where to blooms... they are unable to pick their blood." She was speaking looking down at her open hand. "The blood running through our veins can't change, no matter how much you might detest your parents or such." That soon came to close into a fist so tightly that it began turning red, until Jiàn gently placed his hand over it, causing her to release it.
"Liàn! Jiàn! Come on!" Luffy's shouting caused the twins to look to the house, where the captain was standing, waving at them to hurry.
"Coming!" With that being shouted by the girl, both of them had began heading inside with the others as well.