[POV: MARC]
Reunion
I stepped out of the Foundation and closed the door behind me.
The afternoon sun shone over Mock Town. The sea air smelled of salt and adventure.
I walked through the dirty port streets toward the Going Merry.
And there they were. All of them.
Luffy was laughing loudly, telling an incomprehensible story. Zoro was drinking sake with satisfaction. Sanji smoked calmly. Nami was counting berries with a smile. Usopp was tinkering with something. Chopper was playing with SCP-999.
They were all in great shape.
Good. No injuries. No problems.
"MARC!" Luffy spotted me and waved like a madman. "WHERE WERE YOU?!"
"I had things to take care of," I replied simply.
"WEIRD FOUNDATION STUFF?"
"Exactly."
"COOL!"
Masira, the monkey captain, approached. "Hey, Straw Hat! My brother wants to meet you!"
"Your brother?" Luffy tilted his head.
"Yeah! He knows the story of the City of Gold! He can help you!"
Luffy's eyes lit up. "THE CITY OF GOLD?! WHERE IS IT?!"
"My brother can tell you more!"
"LET'S GO! RIGHT NOW!"
Sailing Toward Cricket's Island
We followed Masira's ship through the calm waters.
A few hours later, we arrived at a small, isolated island.
A large house stood at the center. Half-ruined but livable. Surrounded by diving and salvage equipment.
A man came out.
Tall. Muscular. With blond hair shaped like a chestnut. And a confident smile.
Montblanc Cricket.
The descendant of the legendary adventurer Noland the Liar.
"Welcome!" he said as he approached. "Masira told me you're looking for the City of Gold?"
"YEAH!" Luffy shouted. "WHERE IS IT?!"
Cricket sighed. "If only I knew…"
He invited us inside.
The house was filled with maps. Logbooks. Notes about Noland's history. Artifacts recovered from diving expeditions.
Cricket carefully observed each crew member.
Luffy. Zoro. Nami. Usopp. Sanji. Chopper.
Then he stopped on Mr. Fish.
"A… fish-man?" he asked, surprised.
"Technically, a man with a fish head," Mr. Fish corrected politely.
"Ah. Interesting."
Then his eyes landed on SCP-999.
The little orange blob bounced happily around the room.
"And… what is that?"
"Our mascot," I replied. "His name is 999."
SCP-999 approached Cricket and began scribbling on a piece of paper with a pencil Usopp had given him.
A few seconds later, he proudly showed his drawing.
It was… Cricket.
Well, a VERY rough version of Cricket.
A vaguely humanoid shape with spaghetti-like hair and a smile that took up the entire "face."
Silence fell.
Then everyone burst out laughing.
"GYAHAHAHA!" Luffy rolled on the floor. "THIS IS TOO FUNNY!"
"HE TURNED YOU INTO A STICK FIGURE!" Usopp added between laughs.
Even Zoro was quietly laughing.
Cricket looked at the drawing, then at SCP-999 happily chirping.
Then he laughed too. "Not bad! I like it!"
He pinned the drawing to the wall. "My first official portrait!"
SCP-999 vibrated with happiness.
The Discussion About the City of Gold
Once the laughter died down, Cricket became serious.
"You really want to find the City of Gold?"
"Yes," Nami replied.
Cricket pulled out an old journal. "My ancestor, Noland, found it 400 years ago. Shandora. A magnificent city covered in gold."
He opened the journal to a marked page. A drawing of the golden city shone on the yellowed paper.
"But when he came back with the king to show it, the island had disappeared. Completely. As if it had never existed."
"Disappeared?" Chopper repeated.
"They called him a liar. Executed him for wasting the king's time." Cricket clenched his fists. "Since then, I've been diving in these waters. Day after day. Year after year. Trying to find proof that Shandora really existed."
He looked out the window toward the ocean. "But I find nothing. Pieces of gold. Fragments of buildings. But never the city itself."
Silence fell.
"It can't have just disappeared like that…" Cricket murmured. "It has to be somewhere…"
I cleared my throat. "It's in the sky."
Everyone turned toward me.
"What?" Cricket said.
"The City of Gold. Shandora. It's on Sky Island. At 10,000 meters altitude."
Absolute silence.
Then Cricket burst out laughing. "In the sky?! That's ridiculous! An island can't—"
"A Knock Up Stream," I explained calmly. "A massive water jet that shoots kilometers into the air. Four hundred years ago, when Noland left, a Knock Up Stream launched part of the island—including Shandora—straight into the clouds."
Cricket stared at me, mouth agape.
"That's why the island 'disappeared.' It literally rose into the sky."
"That's… that's impossible…" Cricket stammered.
"Sky Island exists," I insisted. "And Shandora is still there. Intact. Golden. Exactly as Noland described."
Cricket's hands trembled. "You… you're serious?"
"Completely."
Tears welled up in Cricket's eyes. "My ancestor… he wasn't a liar…"
"No. He was just unlucky that the city disappeared after he left."
Cricket collapsed into a chair, overwhelmed. "All these years… I was searching in the wrong place…"
Luffy stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll go there. We'll find the city. And we'll bring you proof."
Cricket looked up, tears streaming down his face. "You… you'd really do that?"
"OF COURSE!" Luffy grinned. "That's what friends do!"
Cricket wiped his tears and stood up abruptly. "Then I'll help you! If you're going up 10,000 meters with a Knock Up Stream, your ship needs reinforcement! Otherwise it'll shatter during the ascent!"
"You can do that?" Nami asked.
"Yes! Masira! Shoujo! We've got work to do!"
The two brothers appeared immediately. "Yes, big brother!"
"We'll modify this ship so it can survive the impossible!"
Modifying the Merry
Cricket, Masira, and Shoujo immediately began working on the Going Merry.
They installed reinforcement plates on the hull. Strengthened the mast. Adjusted the sails. Prepared stabilizing fins for the ascent.
Cricket worked with renewed energy. Hope shone in his eyes.
"My ancestor wasn't a liar…" he kept murmuring. "He wasn't a liar…"
Meanwhile, Luffy and the others went to search for the South Birds.
"We need those birds to navigate in the sky!" Nami explained after Cricket told her.
"GIANT BIRDS?! COOL!" Luffy ran into the forest.
I stayed near the Merry, watching the modifications.
Then—
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.[ALERT: ANOMALY DETECTED][DISTANCE: 500 METERS][SCP PROBABILITY: 96%][DIRECTION: EAST BEACH]
I turned to Cricket. "I'll be back. I need to check something."
"Alright. Be careful."
I walked along the coast, following the system's guidance.
[DISTANCE: 200 METERS][100 METERS][50 METERS]
Then I heard it.
Screams. High-pitched. Human.
"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU FILTHY BEASTS!"
SCP-1867: The Adventurer Slug
I arrived at a small rocky beach.
And I saw…
A sea slug.
About thirty centimeters long.
Wearing a tiny adventurer's hat on its head.
Surrounded by hungry seagulls trying to eat it.
CAW! CAW!
The seagulls dove, beaks open.
And the slug… shouted at them.
"BACK OFF, WINGED MONSTERS! I AM A GENTLEMAN! ONE DOES NOT EAT A GENTLEMAN!"
I blinked.
A slug… talking… with a human voice…
The seagulls ignored his protests and kept attacking.
"HELP! SOMEONE! A GENTLEMAN IS IN DISTRESS!"
I reacted immediately.
"HEY! GET LOST!"
I grabbed stones and threw them at the seagulls.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The birds fled, screeching.
The slug straightened up (as much as a slug can) and looked at me.
"Ah! A savior! My deepest thanks, good sir!"
I approached slowly.
The slug adjusted his hat with… some kind of tentacle?
"Allow me to introduce myself. Lord Theodore Thomas Blackwood. Adventurer. Explorer. Gentleman."
"Uh… nice to meet you?" I replied, still in shock.
"You are most kind for rescuing me from those vulgar birds!"
BEEP.
[SCP IDENTIFIED: SCP-1867][CLASS: SAFE][DESIGNATION: 'LORD BLACKWOOD,' THE ADVENTURER SLUG][ABILITY: HUMAN SPEECH, SINCERELY BELIEVES IT IS A VICTORIAN HUMAN ADVENTURER][THREAT: NONE][NOTE: COMPLETELY HARMLESS AND CHARMING]
I remembered the file now.
SCP-1867 was a sea slug that firmly believed it was a 19th-century human explorer. It told adventure stories—likely fabricated—and constantly searched for "relics of the past."
"Lord Blackwood," I said with a smile. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah! I am in search of ancient artifacts, my dear fellow! Lost relics! Forgotten treasures!"
"Really? We're heading to Sky Island. To search for the legendary City of Gold."
His eyes—or rather, the spots resembling eyes—lit up.
"THE CITY OF GOLD?! SHANDORA?! THE LOST CITY IN THE CLOUDS?!"
"Exactly."
"BY JUPITER! THIS IS MARVELOUS!" He wiggled with excitement. "May I join your expedition?! Please, good sir! A gentleman cannot miss such an adventure!"
"I'll have to ask the captain."
"Take me to him immediately!"
I smiled and gently picked him up. "Alright. Follow me."
Introducing Him to the Crew
I returned to the Merry with SCP-1867 in my hands.
Everyone was back. Luffy proudly held a giant South Bird by a rope.
"LUFFY!" I called. "I've got someone to introduce to you!"
"WHAT?! WHO?!"
I showed SCP-1867.
"A TALKING SLUG?!" Luffy burst out laughing. "THIS IS AWESOME!"
"I AM NOT A SLUG!" SCP-1867 protested indignantly. "I am Lord Theodore Thomas Blackwood! Adventurer and gentleman!"
"BUT YOU'RE A SLUG!"
"CERTAINLY NOT! I AM A MAN!"
I signaled the others to stay quiet about his physical appearance.
Nami immediately understood and elbowed Sanji. Chopper covered his mouth. Usopp nodded.
Zoro shrugged, completely indifferent.
But Luffy…
"But you really are a slug! Look, you don't even have legs!"
"LUFFY!" Nami hissed.
"What?! It's true!"
SCP-1867 looked offended. "Young man, I assure you I am perfectly bipedal! Those seagulls merely stripped me of my trousers!"
Luffy blinked. "…Okay!"
He accepted the explanation without question.
"SO YOU WANNA COME WITH US?!"
"Absolutely! If you'll allow me to join your noble quest!"
"YEAH! WELCOME TO THE CREW, SLUG!"
"Lord Blackwood, please."
"LORD SLUG!"
"…Close enough."
I smiled. At least Luffy is happy.
Final Preparations
The next day, everything was ready.
The Going Merry had been fully modified. Reinforced. Prepared for the impossible ascent.
The South Birds were tied to the ship, ready to guide us through the sky.
SCP-1867 proudly rode atop SCP-999 on the deck.
"Onward to adventure!" declared the slug.
SCP-999 chirped happily.
Cricket gave us final instructions. "The Knock Up Stream will appear exactly at noon. You must be precisely at these coordinates."
"Got it!" Nami replied, adjusting the helm.
"And most importantly…" Cricket clenched his fist, tears in his eyes. "Prove my ancestor wasn't a liar. Bring me proof that Shandora exists."
Luffy smiled back at him. "COUNT ON US!"
Cricket watched us depart from the shore.
For the first time in decades, he had hope.
Blackbeard's Bombardment
We were nearing the rendezvous point when—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Cannonballs splashed down around us.
"WHAT THE—?!" Nami shouted.
In the distance, a pirate ship.
Black. Massive. Bearing a flag with three skulls.
And on the deck…
A huge man. Black hair. Messy beard. A cruel smile.
Marshall D. Teach.
Blackbeard.
"ZEHAHAHAHA!" he laughed. "STRAW HAT! I'VE FINALLY FOUND YOU!"
"WHO'S THAT?!" Luffy shouted.
"Trouble," I replied.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
More cannonballs fell.
But before we could retaliate…
Blackbeard's ship began to freeze.
Slowly. Completely.
Ice spread from the hull to the sails.
"WHAT?!" Teach looked around, shocked. "WHAT THE—?!"
Then a lazy voice echoed.
"Ara ara… you're making quite a racket."
A figure appeared.
Tall. Slim. With a sleep mask on his forehead.
Riding a bicycle.
On the water.
Admiral Aokiji.
Aokiji
The most powerful vice admiral of the Marines casually approached Blackbeard's frozen ship.
He didn't even look at them.
With a careless gesture, he pushed the entire ship—frozen crew included—aside.
As if it were a minor inconvenience.
"You're in my way," he said simply.
Then he turned toward us.
His eyes settled on the Going Merry.
On the crew.
On me.
"Monkey D. Luffy," he said calmly. "And his companions. I order you to surrender peacefully."
"SURRENDER?!" Luffy shouted. "NEVER!"
Aokiji sighed. "That's what I thought."
He raised his hand.
Ice began forming around his arm.
"Then I'll have to—"
GROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!
A massive roar echoed.
The water began to boil.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Usopp screamed.
Nami checked her watch. "NOON! IT'S THE KNOCK UP STREAM!"
Beneath us, the ocean exploded.
A colossal jet of water—hundreds of meters wide—shot skyward with unimaginable force.
And the Going Merry was carried with it.
WHOOOOOOOOSH!
We ascended.
At insane speed.
Aokiji's face below went from calm to stunned in a fraction of a second.
"What…?" he murmured as we vanished into the clouds.
TOWARD THE SKY!
The Merry rose. Higher. Higher. Higher.
Water roared around us. Wind howled. The ship shook but held firm thanks to Cricket's modifications.
"THIS IS AWESOME!" Luffy yelled, arms raised.
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Usopp screamed.
"HOLD ON!" Nami shouted at the helm.
SCP-1867 clung tightly to SCP-999. "WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURE!"
SCP-999 chirped joyfully, seemingly thrilled by the deadly ride.
We broke through the clouds.
Then—
The water jet dissipated.
The Merry floated for a moment in midair.
Silence.
Then we began to fall.
"WE'RE FALLING!" Chopper screamed.
But the South Birds spread their wings.
FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!
They carried us.
Gently. Gracefully.
Toward a sea.
A sea of white clouds.
We landed softly on the strange surface—soft, yet solid.
The Merry floated.
On clouds.
At 10,000 meters altitude.
"We… we made it…" Nami whispered, stunned.
"WE'RE IN THE SKY!" Luffy shouted. "THIS IS SO COOL!"
SCP-1867 looked around, eyes shining. "Sky Island… we are finally here…"
I smiled.
The City of Gold.
Shandora.
And probably… more anomalies.
The adventure continued.
[END OF CHAPTER 45][ANOMALIES CAPTURED: 19][SCP-1867: LORD BLACKWOOD, THE ADVENTURER SLUG (SAFE, TEMPORARY MEMBER)][LOCATION: SKY ISLAND (SEA OF CLOUDS)][ENCOUNTER AVOIDED: AOKIJI (MARINE ADMIRAL)][ENCOUNTER AVOIDED: BLACKBEARD (FROZEN BY AOKIJI)][MERRY: MODIFIED AND REINFORCED][CRICKET: HOPE RESTORED][CREW + SCP-999 + SCP-1867: ALL SAFE][NEXT STEP: EXPLORATION OF SKY ISLAND][OBJECTIVE: FIND SHANDORA, THE CITY OF GOLD][POTENTIAL ANOMALIES: AWAITING DETECTION]