novel bin Chapter 149 Noland, the Big Liar!
Chapter 149 Noland, the Big Liar!
Picking up where we left off, after defeating the Blackbeard Pirates, the Straw Hat crew, following information gathered by Robin, traveled to the other side of Jaya Island to find a dreamer named Montblanc Cricket, hoping to glean clues about Skypiea from him…
After everyone logged in, they found a house that was only half full, and next to it was a book called "Noland, the Great Liar". Wutian was intrigued and immediately opened it to read.
The book records: "A long, long time ago, about 400 years ago, in a certain country in the North Sea, there was an adventurer named Montblanc Noland. He would always exaggerate his adventures when telling them to the villagers, but the villagers didn't know whether what he said was true or false..."
"Once, after Noland returned to the village, he immediately went to the palace and told the king, 'I discovered a place on an island where gold was everywhere.' Upon hearing this, the valiant king immediately ordered him to lead the way to the place Noland had described to investigate..."
"However, after enduring countless hardships, crossing treacherous seas, and battling sea monsters, only the king, Noland, and fewer than 100 soldiers remained. Upon arriving at the destination Noland had described, they discovered nothing but jungle. Consequently, Noland was sentenced to death for deceiving the king..."
"On his deathbed, he still tried to convince the world that, 'I know now, all those mountains of gold have sunk into the sea!' However, by then people no longer believed him. Seeing that he was still lying on his deathbed, they called him the great liar Noland."
After reading the story, Goten looked at Usopp, sighed, and then said sarcastically, "This guy is a fraud. The ending is tragic, it's really heartbreaking. So pitiful, he didn't even become a warrior of the sea..."
Upon hearing this, Usopp immediately retorted to Goten, "Don't confuse him with me!"
While Goten was teasing Usopp, Luffy suddenly fell into the sea. Goten immediately went to rescue him, but a man with a chestnut on his head suddenly emerged from the sea and loudly questioned the Straw Hat crew: "You guys, how dare you break into someone else's house without permission, what do you want to do!"
After the man finished speaking, he prepared to attack the Straw Hat crew, but he suddenly collapsed after taking only two steps. Usopp rescued Luffy, who was still in shock, saying, "The seawater kept bubbling, then suddenly a chestnut appeared, and then I was dragged into the sea..."
After Chopper healed the man, he learned from him that the man was Montblanc Noland's descendant, Montblanc Kurike. Upon hearing that the person in front of him was Montblanc Kurike, Luffy's eyes lit up and he excitedly said, "We've come to find you and want to know about Skypiea."
Kulikai looked wary, then scoffed, "So there are other idiots willing to tell me about the Sky Island story. Oh, I see. You guys are just after the gold nuggets too..."
Luffy immediately retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about? I just want to go to Skypiea, so tell me if you know how to get there..."
Upon hearing this, Kulikai burst into laughter and exclaimed, "You guys still believe in sky islands...?"
Upon hearing Kurike's words, Luffy immediately asked, "Are there really no Skypiea?"
Kulikai continued, "I don't know either, but there was someone who believed it, only that person became a world-famous liar, and his descendants will never be able to hold their heads high again..."
Upon hearing this, Luffy immediately looked at Usopp and exclaimed in surprise, "Eh!" Usopp, seeing this, immediately retorted, "It wasn't me!"
Kulikai continued, "People from the North Sea should all have heard that story, the story of the great liar Noland..."
Upon hearing this, Luffy looked at Usopp again and uttered the same sound—"Hey!" Seeing this, Usopp emphasized again—"I already said it's not me, we don't even have the same last name!"
At this moment, Sanji noticed: "Speaking of which, I remember Noland's last name is Montblanc, and yours is too..."
Kulikai stated definitively, "He is my great-great-great-grandfather's... I don't know how many generations removed, but it's a very distant and complicated relationship, perhaps even to the point of having no blood relation..."
Kulik continued, "When the entire Montblanc family was expelled and could never hold their heads high again, not a single person in the family resented him, because everyone knew he was the most honest man in the world..."
Upon hearing this, Goten raised a question: "Then what about him in the picture book...?"
Kulik continued, "That picture book depicts Noland's dying words—'I know now, all that gold piled up has sunk into the sea!'—and portrays him as silly, but the truth is he died in tears and resentment..."
Kulikai continued, "And he believed until his death that what he saw on Gaya Island was real, not a fantasy. He also claimed that the gold had sunk to the bottom of the sea because of tectonic movement. But no one was willing to believe him anymore, and he was eventually executed amidst people's ridicule."
The Straw Hat crew fell silent upon hearing this. Kureha continued, "After that, his descendants went to sea one after another, trying to find the Golden City to prove his innocence, but they all disappeared without a trace. I have always been ashamed of such a family, which is why I went to sea and became a pirate."
Upon seeing this and hearing this, Luffy couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What? Uncle, you're a pirate too?"
Kureha continued, "Actually, I didn't want to either, but in order to break free from Noland's curse, I decided to set sail, became a pirate, and gained a crew. I entered the Grand Line and began my adventure. Unexpectedly, 10 years ago, by chance, our pirate ship arrived here..."
As he spoke, Kulikai's tone became heavy: "I never thought that I, the one my family hated the most, would end up here. There is nothing on the island that can prove the existence of the Golden Land in the picture book. I can't help but feel that this is fate. I can't run away anymore."
Kulik continued, "To settle things, I parted ways with the crew here. Regardless of whether there is a Golden City or not, I'm not trying to prove Noland's innocence. This is a duel between me and the guy who ruined my life. Before I die, I want to get to the bottom of things..."
Upon hearing this, Luffy asked again, "Uncle, I just want to know where Skypiea is. I don't care about such boring things!"
Upon hearing this, Usopp immediately flicked Luffy on the forehead, indicating that he shouldn't ruin the atmosphere at this moment!
Upon hearing Luffy's words, Kureha dismissively tossed Noland's nautical log to Nami, saying, "Go and see for yourselves, if you can find it..."
After Nami read Noland's logbook, she actually found a clue to the way to Skypiea. Upon hearing this, Luffy and the others immediately became excited and started dancing with joy, preparing to head to Skypiea...
(End of this chapter)