Cricket stood in front of the crew, Zoro absent and snoring somewhere while Sanji was inside, busy cooking. Robin was off in her usual solitude, reading her books.
“All right…First, I'll tell you all I know about Sky Island. It’s nothing confirmed, mind you. So believe what you want.” Cricket began, his voice steady but carrying a mysterious edge.
“Okay, I believe it.” Luffy immediately replied with unflinching trust.
Usopp shook his head, exasperated. “Wait until you actually hear it first!”
Cricket continued, “Strange phenomena happen around here—days turning into nights out of nowhere.”
“Yeah, we know! We saw it!” Luffy interrupted, eyes bright with excitement as he turned toward the crew. “Right!?”
Ryomen raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about, Luffy? I don't remember that happening.”
“Huh!? Did I imagine it?” Luffy scratched his head in confusion.
Nami sighed, exchanging disbelieving looks with Usopp and Chopper.
“We also ran into monsters.” Usopp quickly jumped in, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
Cricket nodded. “You mean the giants? They’re part of the mystery too. And that sudden ‘night’—it's the shadow of a dense mass of clouds.”
“Cumulonimbus clouds?” Nami asked, her navigator instincts kicking in. “But they wouldn’t create total darkness.”
“You're not that smart, mister!” Luffy said matter-of-factly. “When there are a lot of clouds, it's ‘cloudy’ not ‘night’.”
“Yeah, cloudy.” Usopp echoed.
“Cloudy!” Chopper chirped in agreement.
Ryomen blinked, momentarily losing track of the conversation. “Cloudy?”
Cricket groaned, his patience wearing thin. “It’s not just clouds! It’s called Imperio Cumulus, the Emperor Cloud.”
“A dense mass of clouds high in the sky.” He explained. “There are no air currents or condensation. When it appears, it blocks the sun.”
“But that’s impossible!” Nami objected, her eyes widening.
Cricket shrugged. “Believe what you want.”
“So, a mysterious cloud, huh?” Luffy said, fascinated by the idea.
“Still unexplained to this day.” Cricket added.
Chopper looked up at Luffy with admiration. “Luffy, you're so smart!”
Ryomen smirked. “Never thought I’d hear those two words in the same sentence.”
Cricket's tone grew more serious as he continued. “If Sky Island exists, that’s where you need to look.”
“Alright! Let’s get on top of that cloud! Zoro, wake up!” Luffy shouted enthusiastically.
“We still don’t know how to get there!” Nami snapped, already losing her temper as she beat both Luffy and Usopp to the ground.
Cricket, unbothered by the commotion, warned, “If you truly want to reach it, you’ll be risking your lives.”
“We’re already half-dead.” Luffy and Usopp mumbled simultaneously from the dirt, faces bruised from Nami's earlier outburst.
Cricket leaned in, his expression grim. “The Knock Up Stream is deadly. You’ll have to let it carry you to the sky.”
YOU ARE READING
Cursed Seas and Slashing Tides
FanfictionRyomen lived a life of imprisonment. After finally tasting freedom, he decides to join Luffy on his quest to become the Pirate King. Will he fulfill his own dream, or will he give up on his thirst for revenge in exchange for the people he now sees a...
