Transmigrated Into One Piece

"Screw that orangutan! After all the trouble I went through to fix up the Merry, and he comes on here and wrecks it again," Usopp ranted as they worked to repair the ship. The Straw Hats had started fixing the parts after escaping from the singing monkey man. "At this rate, she might not last long," he added, worry in his voice.

"Well, I can always use Clockwork to make it as good as new, but I'll hold off for now," Lucas thought to himself.

"Anyway, I think we reached our destination, guys," Lucas said, looking ahead.

"What was the name of the guy we're looking for again? Mount Racket?" Luffy asked.

"It's Montblanc Cricket!" Sanji corrected him.

"Whoa, look! It's a huge castle," Luffy remarked, his eyes wide with excitement.

"He must be really wealthy," Usopp speculated.

"Look from the side, you idiots," Zoro said, shaking his head.

"At least he really dreams big for a dreamer," Sanji said. Chopper looked at Zoro and then Sanji, not understanding what they were talking about until they got off the Merry and saw it for themselves.

"Whaaa! It's just a wooden board!" the three exclaimed, realizing the so-called castle was actually a fake.

"This person must have a lot of time on their hands to make something like this," Sanji said.

"Yeah, or maybe he's crazy. Anyway, just what sort of dream caused him to be chased from that town?" Nami wondered aloud.

"Apparently, he believes that there is a lot of gold hidden on this island," Robin said.

"What! Really? Gold!" Nami's eyes sparkled with excitement. "You hear that? There's a lot of gold here," she said, practically bouncing.

"Well, I'm not certain about the details..." Robin began, but Nami was already commanding Chopper to start digging.

"Hey! Don't just barge into someone's house!" Usopp yelled at Luffy, who didn't listen much to Robin and Nami's conversation but went to enter the house anyway.

"There's a picture book here," Lucas said as he scanned the outside area. "Noland the Liar," he read aloud.

"Oh, that takes me back," Sanji said, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"So you know it?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, it's a famous story in the North Blue. Although it's labeled as a fairy tale, it's actually based on a real-life person," Sanji explained.

"That's interesting," Nami remarked.

"Hey, Chopper, can you stop digging random holes? You're causing a ruckus," she said, as Sanji went on to explain the story. Chopper, overcome by gloom, stood there, feeling betrayed.

"Hey, Luffy, don't play too close to the water!" Sanji yelled after finishing the story. It was about an adventurer who set out to explore the seas. He always told stories of his journeys to the people of his kingdom. The stories he told were thought to be fables and lies by the people, although they couldn't disprove them. One day, Noland returned from his voyage and reported to the king what he had seen. He reported a place with gold so vast it was stacked as high as a mountain. The king, to verify Noland's claims, set out to the Grand Line with two hundred soldiers to verify this, but after they reached the island, there was nothing but a jungle. Noland was then sentenced to death for his lies, and his last words before he died were, "Well, I guess the gold must've sunk into the sea." And that's the tale of Noland the Liar.

"It sounds more like the king traveled there out of greed and, after not finding what he was looking for, executed Noland and spread rumors of him being a liar," Lucas said after hearing the story. "If he was known for lying so much, why then follow him in the first place? He could've sent scouts or something," he added.

"I've never thought of that. But it doesn't matter anyway; it happened long ago," Sanji said.

"Aghhh...!" The others turned to see what the noise was about. "Oh no! Luffy fell into the water!" they exclaimed. Suddenly, a person with a strange hairstyle emerged from the water.

"What the hell are you people doing here, huh? Barging into my house like that! I'll teach you not to mess with me," the person said, his voice filled with anger. Usopp hurriedly ran and jumped into the water to save Luffy.

"Are you Montblanc Cricket? We just came here to ask you a couple of things. Sky Island, have you heard of it?" Lucas said, trying to avoid a fight.

"Do you really think I'd believe you?" the person responded as he attacked.

"Oh no, Sanji!" Chopper screamed in worry, but Sanji dodged the attack. Before Sanji could do anything, the person collapsed to the ground.

"Don't kill him, you idiot!" Nami yelled.

"What! No, it wasn't me," Sanji said defensively.

"Quick, let's take him inside," Chopper said, his medical instincts kicking in.

The Straw Hats rushed in and gently placed Cricket on his bed as Chopper began examining him with a serious expression.

"Hey guys, look, it's those monkey guys," Luffy said, glancing around.

"What are the odds," Usopp muttered just as the two monkey bros barged in, making a commotion by the door.

"Boss! You okay?" they cried out, spotting Cricket lying by the bed and the Straw Hats around him. "You again!? Just what are you doing to our boss!" they yelled, their voices filled with anger and worry.

"Pipe down, can't you see we're taking care of the old man," Luffy replied calmly.

"Sniff, it-it seems we misunderstood you," the monkey bros teared up, calming down and stepping outside.

"They're dumber than Luffy!" Usopp remarked loudly. Luffy bashed his head in response, then went outside to explain things to the monkey bros.

"You guys must be really close, huh," Luffy said as he approached them, and the three got better acquainted with each other.

"Hey guys, you can come in now. He's awake," Chopper called from inside. They followed him in, seeing Cricket sitting up and taking a smoke.

"Acorn head mister, sorry for barging into your home earlier," Luffy said, stepping closer.

"It's alright. I also acted rashly, pulling you into the water like that. I thought you wanted to steal my gold," Cricket replied.

"So there really is gold, huh?" Nami's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Stop it. Don't provoke him," Usopp said, nudging her.

"We wanna go to Sky Island, and we heard you might know something about it," Luffy said, his voice earnest.

"Sky Island, eh?" Cricket remarked, remembering Lucas talking about it as well. "You were serious about that? I thought you were pulling my strings," he responded.

"It's been a while since hearing of that place. The last person speaking of it and existing is a man labeled as a liar in the eyes of the world," Cricket said, his gaze distant.

Luffy glanced at Usopp as if he were referring to him. "Stop looking at me like that. He's not talking about me!" Usopp reacted defensively to Luffy's gaze, causing the room to burst into a mix of laughter and tension.

The Straw Hats listened intently, feeling a sense of hope mixed with the uncertainty of their next adventure. They knew that finding Sky Island would be another step into the unknown, but they were ready to face it together.

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