Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 87 KNOCKED UP

“He had Dysbarism,” Chopper said. “Looks like he was diving in the water by the hut. The problem is if you ascend too quickly, gasses are released into the body causing various issues. It looks like he simply passed out.”

We were in the man’s small hut. The large diver laid out on the bed he slept soundly. Sanji made a meal from the ingredients in the kitchen while we waited for him to wake. 

“Who are you?” The man asked as he sat up. “What are you doing in here?”

“The Straw Hats,” I said. “You fainted after a swim.”

“Ugh. Again?” He said. “Sorry. I get pretty out of it from diving.”

“Why are you diving into the ocean?” Chopper asked. 

“Treasure hunting,” he said with a small smile. “Jaya is a trove of hidden treasures. Hidden at the bottom of the ocean.”

“Treasure?” Luffy asked, perking up. 

“Well Jaya used to be,” the man said sadly. “My ancestor said it was where the city of gold was.”

“Gold?” Nami asked. 

“City?” Robin asked. 

“Yeah. Maybe you’ve heard of it,” the man said. “Noland the king of Liars talked about the city of gold.”

“I’ve heard that story,” Sanji interrupted. “It’s a children’s tale.” Everyone turned to him. “Noland was an explorer. He found an island with a city made of gold on it. He went back to his homeland and the king was so interested he came along for a return voyage. When they got to the island there was no city of gold. The king was so upset they had Noland executed. But he continued to talk about the city of gold. With his dying breath he said the island must have sunk.”

“Sunk?” Nami asked excitedly. “Is-is that why you’re diving? Was that island Jaya?”

The man nodded. “My name is Montblanc Cricket. My ancestor was Montblanc Noland. One truth that is passed down in my family was that the king of liars was a very honest man. I’ve made it my life’s mission to prove that he wasn’t a liar.”

“So you dive for treasures trying to find this city of gold?” Nami asked. Finding her new hero. 

Cricket nodded. “Yes. Over the years I’ve found a few.” Waving to a chest next to him I walked over. Opening it I found a trove of crap. There was an old spyglass. Some mugs. An old picture behind a cracked frame. Random cheap pawn shop finds. I did find something of note. A flat snail shell about the size of my palm. I knew it was a dial from Sky Island. 

Pushing the depression at the center, nothing happened. Frowning, I kept digging until I noticed the map on the chest lid. I pulled it off. A big smile on my lips as I read aloud the name on the map. “Skypiea.” 

The map was water damaged. But in good enough condition to be able to see the outline of an island. “Finally,” I said. “Sky island.” The others were soon rushing over gathering around the map. 

“Where did you get this Cricket?” I asked. 

“A chest at the bottom of the ocean,” he admitted. “A few months back.” He rubbed his head, embarrassed. “After I found it, an idea hit me. My ancestor thought the city of gold sank. What if instead of sinking it was blown up into the sky.”

“How could that happen?” Usopp asked. 

“There is an event that happens in the area, about 5 times a month. It’s called a Rising Current. Or Knockup Stream. Deep underwater caves fill with cold water. The hot earth around these caves heats up the water causing it to boil. When that happens it causes a huge geyser. One so powerful it shoots up to the clouds.” He let out a sigh. “If the city of gold was on top of one of these giant caves. Maybe it could have been knocked up into the sky. If there really is a sky sea. Maybe it’s just above us. Simply waiting for someone brave enough to go up there.”

For once Luffy was all ears. “Yosh! That settles it. Let’s get to this sky island!”

“Were you listening?” Nami asked. “It’s all theory. Even if it was true. There would be no way to get there.”

“Yes there is,” I said. I eyed Cricket. “We would simply have to ride one of these Knockup Streams.”

Cricket laughed loudly as Nami groaned. “I said the same thing,” the older man said. “That’s why the town makes fun of me. I was looking for a crew willing to go.”

“Oh yeah?” I asked. “Why? You want to go?”

“Of course,” Cricket said. “I want to prove my ancestor to be an honest man.” I nodded. I didn’t remember Cricket going with. But it made more sense than him wanting to skip proving his life’s dream. “I just needed a crew crazy enough to want to try my idea.”

Turning to the others Nami was pacing back and forth, Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy were still looking at the map. Zoro was asleep. Robin was digging through the chest of treasures, looking over everything. And Sanji was cleaning up in the kitchen. 

“I think you found the right crew,” I said. 

“Is that a good or bad thing?” Cricket asked. He too looked to the crew as they ignored us. I didn’t have an answer. 

“Alright! We ready to go to sky island?” I asked. 

“Of course. Which way is it?!” Luffy asked. 

“Nami, where is our Log Pose?” I asked. 

“Here,” she said. Pulling it from a necklace in her shirt the glass sphere was displayed for all to see. The red arrow pointing to our next destination. Practically straight up. 

“That way,” is said with a big smile. 

“Awesome,” Luffy laughed. “How do we get there?” I let out a sigh and dumbed down what Cricket just said. 

—

It was the next day when we finally set off again. We had been remodeling the ship a little. Adding wings to the sides and a tail at the back that could be used to direct the ship in the air. It was not the prettiest thing. 

“I’m so embarrassed to be seen in this,” Nami commented. “The Going Merry looks like a turkey.”

“Hey, we still have a cannon at least,” Usopp said. “We are a battle turkey.”

“Amen,” I said. “We all ready, captain?” Luffy sat on the ship's head at the front of the ship. 

“Yosh. I’ve been ready all day!” He said. 

“How did you talk me into this?” Nami asked. 

“I think you secretly want to go,” I said. “Picture it Nami. An island in the sky. Somewhere that might have a city of gold on it.”

“If there is no gold. I’m blaming you,” Nami said. 

“There will be gold. Trust me. And if I’m wrong and we fall out of the sky, I’ll make sure we don’t die… somehow.” A lot had changed from the canon. I hoped we could latch onto Luffy’s luck to get to Skypiea in one piece. 

“That’s reassuring,” Nami mumbled. “How are you okay with this, Robin? I thought you were a sensible person.”

“I am an archeologist,” she admitted. “Of course I want to try to find a place that disappeared hundreds of years ago. There might be some interesting artifacts if it’s real.”

“Cricket! Walk me through how this works again,” Nami cried out. 

Cricket moved away from the railing at the lower deck and headed up to the helm. “The Knockup Stream happens about 5 times a month. Since I found that map I’ve been timing them and checking locations. I think there will be one a few miles outside of town. We will know we are close if the sky darkens over a small area. We need to get there and go to the center. If we can’t get there in time we won’t be pushed up the geyser.” 

“This is crazy!” Nami whined. “We should be dodging this stream. Not going for it.” We came around the island. The big town on Jaya appeared in the distance. 

“Come on Nami. Where’s your sense of adventure!?” Luffy yelled. Standing on the sheep’s head as he did. 

“Adventure for you all is suicide for everyone else,” she spat. “Usopp how are you so calm?”

“It’s simple,” Usopp said. “There is no guarantee this Knockup Stream will happen.”

“I don’t know about that,” I said pointing ahead. Far in the distance was a darkening of the clouds. Everywhere else was a clear blue sky. 

“Nami, turn us around!” Usopp cried out. 

“Nami, straight ahead!” Luffy yelled. 

I noticed her hand start to shake on the helm as she internally struggled with what to do. Walking over I set my hand on hers. 

“We are going to make it,” I said. 

“How can you be so sure?” She mumbled. 

“I just am,” I said. “You’re the best navigator in the world Nami. If anyone can fly a ship in the sky. It’s you. Use that Navigator Sense skill of yours to see us through.”

“Don’t put it all on me,” she said. 

“It’s not. We will be here to help.” I could tell it wasn’t working. “How about our normal wager?”

Nami cracked a smile. “How come whenever we make a bet, I feel like you know the outcome?”

“Because I do,” I said. “I bet we will make it.”

“Why would I make a bet I know I’ll lose?” She asked. 

“Fine. You bet we will make it. Use all your skills to make it happen. And at the end of it all. You win the bet.” 

A big grin split her face. “Deal,” she said. Then she began issuing orders. We were soon scrambling around the deck. Pulling sails this way and that as we made our way to the darkened sky. 

There was an electricity in the air as we got closer. Anticipation for what was to come. The fear of failing was ever present. Even I didn’t know if we would make it. And for once I was glad not to know. It was one thing to read it in a story. But I was living it. The mere idea of it was crazy. Getting thrown through the air until we would supposedly land on a physical cloud that would let us sail on it. 

“It’s romantic,” Cricket said. Standing at the railing as he stared at the dark horizon in front of us. 

“It’s an adventure,” Luffy said. 

“It’s balls to the wall crazy. I love it!” I yelled. “We need a musician for times like this.”

“Hell yeah,” Luffy said. 

“There,” Robin said. Unable to hide the excitement in her voice. Straight ahead was a dip in the water. About 100 feet in diameter the water lowered down about 10 feet from sea level. 

“Okay people!” Nami yelled. Getting serious. “Hold on to something. We are going to circle around it!” Nami turned the boat to skirt the edge of the dip. It began to cyclone below us. The force of it directing the ship around the depression slowly. Then more quickly as the cyclone sped up. 

“It’s coming!” Nami yelled. Somehow able to sense it as the cyclone expanded out. Raising up. I held onto the railing for dear life. 

“Way hey and up she rises!” I yelled. Luffy repeated it and soon we all said it. Whether a whisper or a yell as the crew held on for dear life. All the while Cricket laughed with tears in his eyes. 

Then a conclusive force hit the ship. We were immediately turned vertical and shot up into the sky. I was on the greatest roller coaster ever invented as the G-Force caused me to be pulled back and back. 

I heard a yell beside me. Robin lost her grip. Working on instinct I let go as well. We fell past. The furled sail scrunched up, I grabbed her as we passed the mast. We continued to fall but I grabbed the railing of the upper deck. Right in front of Nami at the helm. 

“You alright?!” I yelled to Robin as I held onto her. 

She nodded as more hands sprouted from her body. Grabbing onto me. 

“You’re doing it Nami!” I yelled. She had been smart and tied herself to the helm. Her hands still on it as the wind roared in our ears and we continued to fly straight up. “You’re flying the ship!”

“I’ll kill you!” She yelled. But there was a genuine smile on her face. 

“After you win the bet!” I yelled. Looking straight ahead the clouds became thicker. The geyser of water was dying down in strength as water cascaded down onto us. But we had the wind. The wings were soaring us up and up. 

As I counted heads again and again I knew we were going to make it. Then as if an invisible wall was in front of us we all rocked forward. Our momentum gone as we slammed into the bottom of the sea in the sky.