Summary:
Usopp tries to repair the damage from the sonar attack, but the crew is still talking about replacing the ship. Usopp gets angry and asks them if they remember how they got the ship in the first place. Luffy tells Usopp not to complain and that the ship is part of the crew and needs to be repaired. This was before he crashed into a hole in the ship, angering Usopp again. Nami looks at the map and explains that they are headed east by circling the island on their way to visit the Mont Blanc Cricket. Luffy and Usopp are shocked to see a house that looks like a huge carnival palace. However, the grand looking palace turns out to be just a cutout with a much smaller house behind it. Nami asks why he was an outcast, and Robin explains that it might have something to do with him proposing to find the gold. Nami is excited about the idea of finding gold and puts Chopper to work digging around. Luffy goes to the house to find no one there. Nami finds a very old children’s book called “Noland the Liar” from North Blue. Usopp likes the title and Sanji reveals that he is from North Blue but grew up in East Blue and mentions how famous the book is in the North. He also says that the book was based on a man who existed a long time ago.
Story: 400 years ago there lived a man named Mont Blanc Noland who lived in the land of North Blue. He talked about his adventures as an explorer, though the villagers couldn’t decide whether to believe him or not. One day, after his travels, he reported to the king and told him that he had found a mountain of gold on an island in the middle of the sea. The king set sail to find out if the story was true, taking 2,000 soldiers and Noland. After rough waves and fighting monsters, only the king, Noland and 100 soldiers remained. But there was only jungle on the island. The king sentenced Noland to death for lying, his last words being “The mountain of gold must have sunk into the sea!”, but no one believed him.
Back at the pub, the pirates laugh that Mont Blanc Cricket is descended from Mont Blanc Noland, that he must not be in the right mind if he wants to clear the name of his 400-year-old ancestors by finding a few pieces. of gold. Back with the straw hats, Luffy sees bubbles coming out of the water, but is disappointed when nothing happens. Nami teases Usopp that Noland died before becoming a “great warrior of the sea”. Luffy is suddenly pulled into the sea as a large man with small blond hair and a “Maroon” tattoo jumps out of the water. Sanji runs to the mysterious guy and tells Usopp to get Luffy out of the water. A man who we believe to be Mont Blanc Cricket shoots Sanji in the face, but actually misses. Just as Zoro is about to enter the fray, Cricket drops his gun and falls to the ground. Usopp brings Luffy to the surface while he explains what happened. The crew take the man to their house while Chopper treats him. Chopper explains that he has caisson disease, which is something that divers get, but it’s not long-lasting, but it can become fatal if one exerts themselves too much. In the background is a picture of a man and two smiling monkey pirate brothers.
Two monkey brothers, both in good health, burst into the house and ask if the “old lover” is all right. Usopp and Chopper freak out when the brothers ask what they are doing to him, but Luffy says that they are taking care of him and that they should leave. The brothers are happy that the Straw Hats are nice. The brothers reveal that the house is the headquarters of the Saruyama Alliance. Cricket comes in and apologizes, assuming they were after the gold. Luffy asks him about Sky Island, but he is laughed at instead. He explains that no one knows for sure if he is there except for the man everyone calls a liar. Luffy keeps looking at Usopp but says it’s not him. It turns out that Cricket is indeed a descendant of Mont Blanc and that Noland was actually an extremely honest person who was very sad that people didn’t believe him. Usopp guesses that he was diving to find gold and clear his ancestors’ name, but he fires at him, missing of course, and explains that what his ancestor did had nothing to do with him and that he had a rough childhood because of it. But over the past 400 years, many relatives have tried to clear the name of Mont Blanc, only to disappear instead. So Cricket ran away from home and became a pirate to escape Noland’s reputation. He managed to get his own ship and crew and entered the great line. However, they happened to stumble upon the island they are now on. He believed it was fate that he, who hated the name Mont Blanc so much, would find the island his ancestor had found long ago. He decided to search for gold, but his crew decided to leave rather than help him search. Cricket doesn’t feel obligated to find the gold, but thinks of it as a battle between the man who made his life hell and himself. Usopp yells and Luffy asks how the monkey fits into the picture. It turns out that the monkeys love the picture book and believe that gold actually exists. Luffy pushes the man around the sky island and shouts that he wants to go there. Cricket says that it’s not confirmed that Noland ever went there, but he throws in Nami Noland’s diary from 400 years ago. Nami reads about his adventure and how they saw the skyfish. The gang is really excited to hear Nami read about Sky Island. Cricket goes outside to see the Monkey Brothers fighting and convinces them to help the Straw Hats get to Sky Island.