One Piece, Volume 25

Chapter 227
The chapter begins with the Straw Hats fixing their ship. Usopp complains about the "orangutan" that destroyed his dear ship even more. Zoro comments on how crappy the ship became, and that they should get a new one, which enrages Usopp. Luffy tells Usopp that complaining will not do anything, and that since the Going Merry is their important crew member, they have to work hard and fix her up. Usopp says that Luffy is the only one who understands and cries at the warm statement, but at the same time, Luffy bangs the hammer too hard ending up breaking her even more. Usopp yells at Luffy and Luffy screams.

The Straw Hats arrive at their goal. Someone asks who they are looking for again. Robin seems to have come on board at some point, and says 'Mont Blanc Cricket'. Nami says "the man full of dreams, huh?". Luffy and Usopp are shocked/impressed at the castle they see, amazed at Cricket's house, until they discover that the "castle" is only a board in front of a small house. Nami asks Robin what kind of dream this man has, and she says she does not know much about it but the fact that there is a legend that in Jaya, that there is a large amount of gold hidden somewhere. This surprises the crew. Nami orders Chopper to dig with his horns and Luffy enters the house, much to Usopp's shock. Meanwhile, Nami finds a book called "Noland the Liar" and laughs, while Usopp comments that it is a very appealing title. Sanji hears this and says that he knows this title, while Chopper still digs where he was told to. Sanji says that everyone in the North Blue knows this story, revealing that he was born there. While Sanji explains about the story, Nami yells at Chopper that he is too loud and asks what in the world he is doing, much to his shock. There are a few pages on what the story is about.

At Mocktown, Bellamy and Sarquiss laugh when they hear that Cricket is Noland's descendant, saying how they remember the times back when they were young, people used to tell them that if they kept on lying, they would be executed like Noland. It is revealed that all of the Bellamy Pirates come from the North Blue. They all laugh at the fact that Noland's descendant is still looking for the gold from 400 years ago.

Back at the other shore, Nami adds a sentence to the story saying "...and the pathetic liar died without becoming a true warrior of the sea..." and looking at Usopp, to his shock. Luffy is staring at the water bubbling and suddenly, he falls into the ocean. Then someone comes out of the ocean, and it is revealed to be Mont Blanc Cricket, who is mad about the intruders around his house. Sanji tells Usopp to help Luffy. Cricket assumes their target is the gold and starts fighting Sanji. He takes out a gun and shoots Sanji which scares Nami and Chopper, but the bullet did not hit him. Zoro takes his swords and runs to help Sanji out, but Cricket collapses all of a sudden, to everyone's surprise. Usopp surfaces with Luffy and asks what he was doing, and Luffy replies that he thought there was a chestnut in the water and when he looked closer, the chestnut became a man who pulled him in.

In the house of Cricket, the Straw Hats find out that Cricket has dysbarism, which Chopper explains. Luffy is confused so he just calls it "mystery symptoms". Chopper says it usually goes away pretty quickly, but this man has been diving in a crazy way so that his body did not even have the time to properly heal. Nami wonders why he would do this, and Chopper says he does not know, but says that in some cases like this, this sickness can mean death. At the end of the chapter, there is a picture of Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou together.

Chapter 228
The chapter starts with Masira and Shoujou meeting up with each other. Shoujou is surprised that Masira is alive and Masira asks why, but Shoujou ignores him. They both heard the gunshot so they wonder if something happened to Cricket. They burst inside the house to find the Straw Hats nursing Cricket. The 2 are confused while Chopper, Nami, and Usopp panic and the others continue to do whatever they were doing. Masira and Shoujou shout, asking what they are doing. Luffy tell them to get lost since they are nursing the old guy, and Usopp and Chopper yell that wild animals do not properly listen to you, but the two cry saying that the Straw Hats are good guys, to Usopp and Chopper's shock.

Masira and Shoujou have a nice talk together with Luffy. In this talk, it is revealed that they are called the "Saruyama Alliance". Zoro and Usopp wonder why Luffy blended in the group, and conclude that they are all alike. Shoujou is impressed that such a little squirt like Luffy would be able to kick away Masira, and Luffy says it was pretty easy and Shoujou would probably be able to do it as well, so Shoujou kicks away Masira to see how easy it is, and agrees. Chopper comes to report that Cricket woke up, and Luffy goes to ask something. Cricket thanks them and said he thought they were gold-hunter idiots. Nami hears this and her eyes turn into belly signs, but Usopp tells her to stop. Luffy asks Cricket how to go to Sky Island, which he laughs about, making Nami want to punch him, but Usopp stops her, saying he is a patient. Luffy asks if Sky Island does not exist, and Cricket replies that he knows a person who said it exists, but that person was a famous big-time liar whose descendants all are the laughingstock of the world. At this, Luffy stares at Usopp who is shocked and denies him. Cricket says that there is a story called "Noland the Liar". Luffy looks at Usopp again, who denies him.

Cricket reveals he is the descendant of this Noland and that this is the place where the story took place. He explained that no one in his family ever hated Noland since he was actually a "very honest person". He says that even though in the book, his face looks stupid, Noland actually died crying sadly and desperately tried to make everyone believe him. Cricket furiously asks if they know how it feels like to be laughed by people you do not even know. He just wanted to become free from the mocking of everyone, and became a pirate. But 10 years later, he and his crew came across Jaya and Cricket decided to find the "gold" Noland talked about. Because of this choice, Cricket's crew went separate ways with him and he has been looking for the gold underwater since. He says that this is a duel with the person who messed up his life. Usopp cries at the story, and Luffy asks how he got to know the monkey people. Usopp says Cricket probably had another man-to-man drama with them, but Cricket says that they are just fans of the "Noland the Liar" book. Nami comments on the simple connection between them. Cricket explains how they formed the Saruyama Alliance 5 or 6 years ago, while the two men have a friendly fight outside. Luffy says that he just wants to know how to go to Sky Island, and Cricket hands Noland's log book for Nami to read. Nami and the others read excitedly and see that Noland wrote as if Sky Island normally exists. Everyone is overjoyed, and Cricket walks quietly out of the house to talk to the Saruyama Alliance. Cricket asks if they like the Straw Hats and they ask why. He says that the Straw Hats extremely wants to go to the Sky Island, and the two men comment that they would die on their own. The chapter ends with the Saruyama Alliance deciding to help the Straw Hats.

Chapter 229
The chapter begins with Mont Blanc Cricket telling the Straw Hats that he will tell them everything he knows about Sky Island. He tells them to believe whatever he says, which Luffy quickly replies okay. Cricket talks about how night suddenly approaches in the middle of the day. Luffy and Usopp responds by saying that they remember this happening before, and adds that a few gigantic shadows appeared with the night as well. Cricket puts aside the story of the monsters and continues, explaining that the sudden night is actually the shadow of a very dense cloud. Nami points out that the darkness was far more than any shadow of a cloud, and Luffy says that Cricket is an idiot since days that have lots of clouds are cloudy, which Usopp and Chopper agree to. At this, Cricket yells at them to shut up and listen. He explains what this cloud is called and how it is a cloud that never changes for thousands and millions of years, known as a "millennium cumulonimbus". Nami denies this and Luffy calls it a mystery cloud. Cricket says that the only place a Sky Island can be is on one of these clouds. At this, everyone celebrates that Sky Island exists and Luffy orders to go skyward, but Nami yells at them that they do not know how to.

Cricket explains about the Knock Up Stream, saying that it is the only way he knows of to go to the Sky Island, and that the Straw Hats have to be very lucky in order to even get there without dying. Usopp hears this and tries to cancel their trip to Sky Island, but Luffy insists everything will be ok. Usopp points out that their ship will not be able to handle such a disaster, but Cricket says they can count on Masira and Shoujou for the ship reinforcement. Nami tells Luffy that they will not make it since a Knock Up Stream only appears 5 times a month and in order to get to Skypiea, the Knock Up Stream has to be right below it. She reminds him that they only have a day before their Log Pose changes destinations. When Usopp asks Cricket when the next time this happens will be, Cricket answers that it will happen the next day at noon, much to Usopp's horror.

Usopp suddenly accuses Cricket of lying about everything he just said, saying that they only met him just today yet he is being too nice. Luffy tries to stop him but Usopp just tells him to shut up and goes on talking about how everything is going too smoothly and that Cricket is lying since he is Noland's descendant after all. The two men and Sanji come out saying the food is ready. There is an awkward moment of silence. Cricket starts talking again about the next day's Knock Up Stream and night. He says that he is just happy to meet idiots like them, and tells everybody to come in the house and eat. When he calls Usopp a comrade, he starts to feel bad and asks Nami if he is a miserable coward. Everyone rushes to eat, and Nami replies by adding that he is a jerk as well and tells him he should apologize. Usopp hugs Cricket, saying that he is sorry.

The Straw Hats and the Saruyama Alliance have a big party as Robin sits in a corner and reads Noland's log book. Cricket says that "there lies the gold in the skull's right eye" was the last sentence by Noland and Cricket cannot tell what he meant by this. As they party some more, Bellamy's ship approaches Cricket's house.

Chapter 230
The chapter begins with Cricket acting out Noland's words on his logbook and everyone happily listening while eating. Cricket shows the Straw Hat Pirates his gold he found after searching for months. He stated that he has 3 of the same bell-shaped ingots, and tells Masira to show the Straw Hats the South Bird shaped gold. As the Saruyama Alliance explain what the South Bird is, they notices all the sudden that they forgot to tell the Straw Hats to go get a South Bird and panic. The Straw Hats ask why they would need a bird and Cricket explains that in order to get to where the Knock Up Stream will appear, they have to have a South Bird who always points south since the Knock Up Stream is south from where they are, and since it is in the middle of the sea, no Log Pose would work. Cricket tells the Straw Hats to hurry up and find one, much to their surprise.

The Straw Hats split up into teams with bug nets in the dark. They know what the South Bird was right away by hearing the "strange voice" Noland talked about in his logbook. The Sanji/Nami/Usopp team searched and encounters with many bugs to Nami and Sanji's horror, although Usopp did not mind them much. The Robin/Zoro team destroys any huge bug that gets in their way, and do not seem to get along well. The Luffy/Chopper team find rare beetles and are having a good time until the South Bird drops a bee's nest next to them, making them have to dash full speed as the hornets from inside chased them. Chopper notices that the South Bird is doing all of this and tells Luffy. Back at Cricket's house, the Saruyama Alliance encounters the Bellamy Pirates who came to steal their gold.

Chapter 231
In the forest on Jaya, Chopper and Luffy are running for their lives from some deadly mantises flying after them. The mantises attack, but Chopper and Luffy manage to dodge, though the tree behind them is cut in half. Chopper and Luffy look back and see one of the large mantises sitting on the tree, and run for it, as the mantis chasing after them and slicing up the net. Suddenly, Chopper notices a South Bird sitting and grinning up in a tree and guesses that the bird is commanding the bugs to attack them for some unknown reason. Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, three South Birds start singing, causing Usopp to wonder where the sound came from. Sanji also hears strange sounds, and looking up, sees what appears to be boulders rolling towards them. Usopp looks through his goggles and wonders the "boulders" are ladybug droppings, but Nami says that they are actually bugs. They get closer and appear to be huge seven-star ladybugs, so Sanji kicks one to get it away from Nami, while the South Bird laughs up in a tree. In yet another part of the forest, Zoro challenges some beetles who had been attacking him while Robin too notices a strange sound. Sanji, Usopp, and Nami then run into a slug and counter it with salt, while Luffy turns to fight some bees, only to be pulled away by Chopper, who tells him they are poisonous. More and more animals come, such as fireflies, cockroaches, and even boars as the sounds of the South Bird echo through the forest.

Meanwhile, back at the Saruyama Alliance's headquarters, Bellamy admires a golden statue of the South Bird. Mont Blanc Cricket, bleeding on the ground, states that they have no right to take the gold, but Sarquiss questions him and attacks with a Falcon Slash, which Masira takes to protect Cricket. Sarquiss laughs and says that because they are stronger, they have every right to take the gold from the Saruyama Alliance. Shoujou tells Cricket to run, and unleashes a Wail of Destruction, hurting Bellamy's crew. Sarquiss moves to attack him, but Bellamy says to let him take care of it, and Cricket says that the power of the Bane Bane no Mi is going to be used again. Bellamy turns his legs into springs and attacks Shoujou with a Spring Sniper. Cricket tells Shoujou to run, but Bellamy hits Shoujou, knocking him clean through the house of the Saruyama Alliance, leaving him floating in the water. As Cricket thinks about the fun times he had with Shoujou and Masira, Bellamy gets on his ship, telling Cricket to grow up, and that the golden city was all Mont Blanc Noland's imagination. His crew laughs, and Bellamy states that fantasies never comes true as Cricket continues thinking about Masira and Shoujou telling him that the golden city exists. Suddenly, Cricket tells Bellamy to hold it and lights a cigarette, saying that chickens like Bellamy who cannot even fight dreams should not be lecturing someone on how to be a pirate. Bellamy turns around, asking Cricket what he said.

Back in the forest, the Straw Hat Pirates have reunited and compare the results of their journeys. None of them have managed to catch a South Bird, and Luffy states that because of all the bugs, they could not catch one. Usopp then notices a South Bird up in a tree and Chopper translates the bird's sounds for the crew. As it turned out, the bird had actually only come there to taunt them, and asks them if they caught anything. The crew is enraged and moves to strike it down, but Robin merely sprouts a pair of hands on the bird and knocks it to the ground, cutting short its laughter. The Straw Hats then head back to the Saruyama Alliance headquarters.

Arriving there, the Straw Hats discovers Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou beaten up, and the Going Merry ruined. Sanji and Chopper wonder who did this, and help Shoujou out of the water, while Luffy asks Cricket what happened. Cricket says that they have to enhance the ship before dawn, and tells Luffy not to worry about it. Cricket asks if they have a South Bird, and as they reply yes, Nami tells them that the gold was taken. The crew is stunned, but Cricket tells them that that is something to forget about. Usopp then interrupts him, saying that Cricket spent ten years finding the gold and even lost his health to do so. However, Cricket says that it is not a problem, and says that with the entire Saruyama Alliance, they will be able to fix the ship and send them to the sky, no matter what. Usopp is surprised, but Zoro suddenly notices and shows Luffy a mark on the side of a tree, which Nami recognizes as Bellamy's symbol. Zoro asks if Luffy needs help, but he declines, and Nami says that they need to stop fooling around, as there are only three hours before dawn. Luffy then asks Robin if he can reach Mock Town by running along the shore, and she tells him yes. Cricket tries to stop him, but Zoro says that he will need a sword to do so. Luffy departs, saying he will be back before dawn.

Chapter 232
A local drunkard is taking a leak in the ocean, before noticing a new bunch of bounties coming in. Looking through the wanted posters, he finds two that he immediately recognizes: Luffy and Zoro, who were publicly humiliated only this afternoon before at their mention of Sky Island. However, when he sees how high Luffy's bounty is, he is struck with horror, as it is not 30,000,000 anymore, but 100,000,000!

Meanwhile, with Nami's warning about Sky Island's deadline ringing in his ears, and the memories of Cricket flashing through his mind, Luffy dashes towards Mock Town to get Cricket's gold back.

In Mock Town, the Bellamy Pirates are celebrating their find, as well as mocking the Saruyama Alliance, until the drunkard rushes in. When he spots Bellamy, he warns him that he needs to get out of town at once before he is killed. When Bellamy asks who would dare to threat him, the drunkard tells the entire bar of the bounties. This is enough to strike them with terror, as both of them have bounties higher than Bellamy's 55,000,000 bounty.

However, this only makes Bellamy laugh. Then, he berates the entire bar, as he believes that the posters are forgeries made by them in order to scare them. This causes the bar to calm down, until the enraged call of Luffy shocks them again.

Bellamy walks out to see who is calling, until he sees Luffy on a building. When Luffy tells him that Bellamy is to return the stolen gold, Bellamy uses his Bane Bane powers to get up on the roof as well. He tells him that since he stole the gold, it's rightfully his, but Luffy tells him that he's stealing it back.

Bellamy continues to mock Luffy, as the drunkard is more and more distressed, but Sarquiss tells him to knock it off, starting to doubt that even Luffy's 30,000,000 bounty was real. Bellamy wonders how Luffy is supposed to fight, or if he's just going to stand around like their last encounter. When Luffy tells him that the last time was different, Bellamy starts off the brawl by using his powers to jump off the building and crack the tower in two.

Bellamy lands on another building, and readies his Spring Snipe to do Luffy in. He hits the top of the tower, which sends Luffy crashing down on the ground. As Luffy gets up, Bellamy uses his ultimate move, Spring Hopper, which people comments was exactly the same move he used against Roshio.

As Bellamy continues to bounce around, he continues to mock Luffy, as well as mocking all the dreamers as well. This enrages Luffy, recalling when Bellamy asked him if he knew how to throw a punch, while cracking his knuckles. As Bellamy moves in for the kill, Luffy punches him with extreme force, knocking him out with only one punch and leaving an imprint of his fist on Bellamy's cheek.

Chapter 233
In Mock Town, Luffy had just defeated Bellamy with a single, powerful punch. Onlookers are stunned to see the mighty Bellamy taken out so easily. As Bellamy lies unconscious with a fist imprinting in his face, Sarquiss tells him to get up and fight. Luffy however, simply stands over Bellamy, who does not move. Sarquiss yells again, telling Bellamy to not be stupid and to give off the usual show. He says that he is the super rookie with a bounty of 55,000,000. Just then, a piece of paper blows into Sarquiss' face, which is then shown to be Luffy's bounty poster detailing his bounty of 100,000,000. The man who had told the Bellamy Pirates that both Zoro and Luffy has higher bounties than Bellamy says he is right, making everyone afraid of Luffy. Luffy then asks for Cricket's gold back. However, most of the pirates, having seen Luffy's real strength, runs away, screaming about Bellamy's defeat.

Back at the Saruyama Alliance headquarters, the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates works with the Saruyama Alliance to fix the Going Merry and prepare it for the journey to Sky Island. Nami asks Zoro why he did not accompany Luffy, but Zoro simply asks why Nami is changing her mind on whether Zoro and Luffy should fight so much. She says that Zoro was defeated before, but Zoro simply replies that the Bellamy Pirates did not want to get in his way, and that a fight that you will feel sorry about afterwards is painful. The crew then starts arguing and get back to work on the ship.

Back in Mock Town, Luffy, having found the stolen gold, walks out of a bar. Sarquiss, thinking that Luffy just got lucky, challenges Luffy, saying that he would not lose to a dream-chasing idiot. He asks Luffy where he is going, but when Luffy turns around, Sarquiss falls to the ground in fear. However, Luffy simply points up and says "sky" indicating that he is going to Sky Island.

The day before, at noon, on an unknown island, Buggy and his crew are in a cave looking for treasure left behind by a legendary pirate. Mohji asks Buggy if they are at the right place, and Buggy says that it is correct. He adds that wherever there is treasure, there are bound to be guardians and traps for it. He is saying that they must be prepared to lose their lives, when a light suddenly comes on, revealing several miners who are coming down the tunnel. Buggy, Mohji, and Cabaji start chipping away at the rock, saying that sweating is such a pleasure. However, when the boss of the miners says that the rum will taste good when they are done, Buggy explodes in a fit of rage, asking what kind of sweat he wants them to shed.

Back on board their ship, Mohji tells Buggy that they cannot find the treasure, and Cabaji tells Mohji that Buggy must have mistaken the island for another. Cabaji says that Buggy must be upset, and does not want his face to turn red, making Buggy become enraged again. Mohji says that two of the Straw Hats have bounties of 100,000,000 and 60,000,000, and they are already famous pirates on the Grand Line. Buggy says that there is nothing to worry about, and says that witches fatten the kids before eating them. Mohji then realizes that the higher Luffy's bounty is, the higher Buggy's bounty will be when he defeats him. To celebrate the intelligence of their captain, the crew decides to party until nighttime, but Alvida tells the crew not to be so noisy, and says that if they cannot take care of Luffy if they do not know where he is. Buggy tells her not worry, and when an unknown person says that he can provide information, Buggy turns to him. Buggy then realizes that he does not know who the person is, and asks of his name. The figure, who is revealed to be Portgas D. Ace, says that he was attracted by a strong scent is sorry for interrupting the party. Buggy asks him who he is, and that he does not care about his overly inflated ego, but some of his crew members then inform his that Ace is the infamous "Fire Fist Ace", commander of Whitebeard's second division. Ace is happy to hear that they know about Whitebeard, but then suddenly falls asleep, surprising the crew. Mohji encourages Buggy to attack Ace, saying that if he does, they will become famous, but Buggy is against the idea, saying that they cannot fight against Whitebeard's men. Buggy says that Whitebeard is the only who tied in a fight against Gold Roger, and is the strongest man in the world and the one closest to One Piece. Buggy says that Whitebeard hates his friends getting hurt, and when Alvida comments that Buggy knows him well, Buggy states that when he first entered the Grand Line, he met him head-on. Ace then wakes up and says that it is cool that Buggy knows Whitebeard personally. Ace asks if it is a party, and Buggy, seeing the rare occasion, throws a big party. Ace then has Richie jump through a ring of fire.

At the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, it is revealed that Shanks had sent a messenger to Whitebeard, creating tension in the World Government. The Five Elders discusses the issue of Shanks, saying that he is not one to change the world single-handedly, and that they need to find a successor to Crocodile's position in the Seven Warlords of the Sea in order to maintain the balance of power. A Marine reports that they have summoned the Seven Warlords for this matter, but are not sure how many will come, as one of the Five Elders states that Luffy cannot be forgiven either for defeating Crocodile. Marine Headquarters then alert Mary Geoise that two of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma and Donquixote Doflamingo have arrived.

Chapter 234
At Mary Geoise, two Marines are fighting. One states he has no control of himself, and that his hands are moving by themselves. Vice Admiral Tsuru tells the Warlord Doflamingo to stop. After being asked to stop with his antics, Doflamingo takes matter further by having the two Marines draw their swords ready to kill each other.

Just then, Sengoku walks into the room and states that he is being formal but refers to Donflamingo as "sea scum", which Kuma agrees is right on target for the comment about Donflamingo. Surprised that 2 of the 6 remaining Seven Warlords of the Sea came, he starts the meeting. Doflamingo and Sengoku exchange comments on the success of pirating. Just then, Mihawk arrives, commenting on the behavior of the Marines and other Warlords he has heard from outside the room. Doflamingo states Mihawk was the least expected person to show up and Mihawk replies he is merely a bystander as this meeting is about pirates of interest to him.

Just then they are interrupted by another person, a silhouette of a man is seen greeting himself as a observer also, but stating he wishes to take part in the meeting. He is identified by Vice Admiral Tsuru as Laffitte, a policeman who was renowned for his violent ways and exiled from the West Blue. He states he wishes to put forward his captain's name for nomination of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Somewhere in the Grand Line, on board a ship belonging to Whitebeard, a guest arrives. Rockstar greets himself as a rookie, but asks a member of the Whitebeard Pirates if he had ever heard of the pirate Rockstar, to which he receives the reply of "no". Whitebeard tears up a letter for him from Shanks, Rockstar's captain. Whitebeard is angry Shanks sent him a letter and tells Rockstar his captain must come in person and bring plenty of good rum.

Elsewhere, Shanks talks on a Den Den Mushi to Rockstar. Shanks laughs about how the old man has not changed a bit. He denies Rockstar the chance to redeem his honor against the Whitebeard crew and is ordered back. Benn Beckman questions his captain over whether they should go to Whitebeard or not. Shanks replies, the crew should prepare for battle.

At the Marines' and Seven Warlords of the Sea's meeting, the name of "Teach" is put forward by Laffitte. He is told that because he is an unknown pirate, he is of little value to them. But Laffitte states they are working on that and to remember the name of the Blackbeard Pirates.

At Mock Town, Blackbeard and his crew makes their move. Sarquiss knocks into Teach and rudely tells him off for it, to which Teach replies by slamming his head into the ground. They state they've been waiting for someone worth 100,000,000 to chase for a while.

Chapter 235
Nami is frustrated that Luffy hasn't returned, indicating that he's 46 minutes late and they won't make the Knock Up Stream in time if he doesn't hurry. She resolves that he's probably late because he didn't think about how carrying the gold would affect his time, but Sanji and Usopp are in agreement that calculating time is something Luffy would never consider. Chopper suggests that he could have been beaten, to which Nami replies she'd never forgive him for even if he was on time. Just then Luffy returns, proudly holding up a hercules beetle (that he aptly named Hercules), confusing everyone present. He is then awestruck at the newly refitted Going Merry, furthering Nami's annoyance with him. After returning Mont Blanc Cricket's gold to him, he urges the Straw Hats to hurry to the ship. Luffy tries to thank him for the ship, but Cricket tells him to thank Masira and Shoujou instead. Luffy does so and offers them Hercules, much to their appreciation. They however also urge him to hurry to the ship, as time is limited. As Luffy runs to the ship, Cricket reflects on all the times that the "City of Gold" has been laughed off as his ancestor's imagination. He then shouts to the Saruyama Alliance not to screw this up, and to give it their all for Straw Hats. Luffy smiles at this, and finally boards the ship to set sail. As they prepare to head off, Cricket tells Luffy that one thing is certain: No one has ever proven that the City of Gold and Sky Island do not exist. He then wishes the Straw Hats a safe adventure, and they finally depart.

Aboard the Blackbeard Pirates raft, they are still in search of Luffy. Blackbeard mentions how Luffy indicated he's going to Sky Island, and that they must catch him before then or it will be tough to track him down.

Masira and Shoujou remind everyone that is 7:00 a.m., and they should be reaching their destination around 11 a.m. Reiterating how the Knock Up Stream's exact location is different every time, they emphasize that they must get there early to search for its exact position. They try to explain further how Luffy's tardiness impacted this, but they notice he is not paying attention, fooling around with the south bird. He keeps turning the bird's head to see if it will stay in a different direction other than south, but to his amusement, it keeps springing its neck to face south. It gets highly annoyed at Luffy's antics and tells him (translated by Chopper) that he will turn a different direction to throw the pirates off. He turns north, but he is clearly straining himself to do so, and eventually has to face south again, causing more laughs from Luffy and Usopp. Luffy's carefree attitude about their schedule annoys them slightly, but they agree that worrying about it will do them no good and they press on.

3 hours later, they notice the Millenium Cumulonimbus cloud approaching them from the southwest. It is an hour early, but the Saruyama Alliance takes the necessary action regardless, and sends their scuba divers in to search for the stream. Shoujou uses his sonar ability to evaluate their surroundings. There is a strong sea current directly ahead (12 o'clock), a Sea King directly to their right (9 o'clock), and slightly to the northwest (10 o'clock) there are giant waves, indicative of a large whirlpool. Masira exclaims that is it, and tells them to steer in the 10 o'clock direction. He states that the whirlpool and huge waves are a sign of the pending explosion that creates the Knock Up Stream. The tumultuous waters instantly concern the Straw Hats, and Robin asks Nami to check the log pose. Like before, it is pointing straight up to the clouds. Shoujou and Masira both comment on how perfect the conditions are for the Knock Up Stream, and Luffy asks if they can get there. They assure him they can, and begin pulling the ship in the right direction themselves. The whirlpool has now become extremely large, as the brothers tell them that they actually have to make it to the center. This generates mixed reactions from the crew. Nami instantly freaks out, as it was never explained to them that they'd have to travel to the center of a gigantic whirlpool. Chopper seems excited at the prospect of their ship flying through the air, Robin simply comments on the size of the whirlpool, and Sanji promises to protect the ladies. Usopp is freaking out as well and wants to turn back, but Zoro tells him it is too late, as Luffy is extremely excited to finally make it to Sky Island.

Chapter 236
As the crew gets closer to the center of the whirlpool, a Sea King emerges to attack them. Even he quickly succumbs to the power of the whirlpool however, terrifying Nami, Chopper, and Usopp while Luffy looks on unfazed. Masira and Shoujou wish the crew luck, as Usopp and Nami frantically try to get them to bring them back away from the whirlpool. They notice that the whirlpool is actually sucking them in now, and then turn their complaints to Luffy. They try to convince Luffy that the whirlpool alone is deadly enough and the Sky Island is just a fantasy, but to their horror, this only excites Luffy further. He tells them that if they were to miss an adventure like that, they'd regret it for the rest of their lives. As they sulk in acknowledgement of their failure, Zoro points out what has been happening during their fruitless efforts: the ship is now completely airborne, and about to plummet to the center of the whirlpool. Just as it falls however, the whirlpool seemingly disappears.

While they wonder how a whirlpool that large could just disappear, Nami notices something: the whirlpool has actually gone into the seabed. As they contemplate this new revelation, Usopp, Luffy, and Zoro notice the Blackbeard Pirates approaching them from the rear. Nami remembers him from Mock Town, while Sanji doesn't recognize him. Blackbeard announces that he's here to collect Luffy's 100,000,000 bounty, while the Saruyama Alliance ponders who he is from a distance.

Blackbeard wonders why it is only dark where they are, while a puzzled Luffy is questions this bounty, which confirms Blackbeard's suspicions that he was unaware of it but nonetheless reveals Luffy's bounty increase while also announcing Zoro's bounty. Usopp looks through his binoculars and confirms, informing Zoro that he's become a wanted pirate as well. Sanji asks Usopp to look again in hopes that there is one for him too, but he coldly tells the cook there isn't one, greatly disappointing him. Luffy is overjoyed at the new bounty, while Zoro casually smiles at his, wishing the amount was larger. Nami herself wonders what role Arabasta's events played in this, and tells Luffy and Zoro not to get cocky. Shoujou and Masira yell for them to stay focused, as the Knock Up Stream is approaching. Just then, the water beneath the Going Merry begins to swell and rise. Blackbeard is confused, and the Straw Hats all frantically look for a place to hide or something to grab on to. There is a massive explosion beneath them, and the Knock Up Stream finally emerges. It immediately blasts the Going Merry into the air but utterly destroys the Blackbeard Pirates' raft in the process.

Mont Blanc Cricket watches the Knock Up Stream from a distance, and breathes a sigh of relief. The stream is shown to extend all the way into the sky, above the clouds.  The Straw Hats are still struggling to brace themselves as they ride the stream upward, while Shoujou and Masira cheer them on to Sky Island. The Straw Hats are confused by what is causing them to sail vertically upward, and Nami wonders if it is the wind. Sanji notices that the ship is slowly losing contact the with the stream itself, and points out that they will eventually get blown off if this continues. The crew isn't sure what can be done about this, as they are having enough trouble just holding on to the ship. To make matters worse, the Sea King from earlier emerges from the stream and falls towards them, among other debris that had fallen victim to the stream's power. Sanji further deduces that they will end up like that sooner or later if they don't do something, setting off a flurry of mixed reactions from the crew. In the midst of the chaos, Nami tells the crew to release the sails. They are confused by this, but Nami explains that this is no mere stream that they are sailing on: this is the sea itself, and they are riding a current, it just so happens to be going vertically upwards. She continues to explain that the water vapors from the explosion below are actually creating an updraft of air for them to ride. Since their opponents are the wind and sea, they will conquer them sailing by on in their faces. She concludes by reminding them all who's the crew's Navigator, reaffirming their trust in her ability.

Nami directs the crew to align the ship to be parallel to the stream itself. Sanji tells them to use the wind to help align the ship, but also actually picks Luffy up and throws him in into the deck of the ship for additional momentum. Chopper however points out that the ship has almost lost contact with the stream, and is falling. He implores Nami to come up with another plan, but she says there is no need. The Going Merry completely drifts off the Knock Up Stream, but with the sails released, and new wings as part of its refit, the ship begins to fly along the stream. The crew is amazed at the ability of the ship and Nami's navigation skills, with Sanji fawning excessively. Nami states that as long as they follow this wind and stream, they can make it anywhere. Luffy asks Nami when they'll make it there. She isn't sure, but the crew is finally approaching the Millenium Cumulonimbus cloud, and she believes it should be beyond there. Luffy wonders what will be on top of the cloud when they get there, as the Going Merry finally begins to enter the clouds.