One Piece: SSS-Rank Haki at Age Seventeen

At the other side of Jaya Island, inside Mont Blanc Cricket's house—

Everyone had gathered together for a lively banquet.

"Ahh! The alcohol tastes great today!" Cricket said, gulping down a bottle of liquor.

"Come on, everyone—eat as much as you want! There's plenty more coming!" Sanji said enthusiastically as he carried dish after dish to the table.

Luffy devoured piles of meat, replenishing his energy.

Zoro and Chopper clinked cups together.

Nami drank juice while quietly thinking about tomorrow's plan.

Robin sat elegantly with a glass of red wine, reading a newspaper.

Meanwhile, Usopp sprinkled hot sauce on Masira's food—only to be chased around the house by an enraged Masira.

Suddenly, Cricket walked over to Robin, startling her.

"I saw gold in the right eye of the skull."

The room instantly fell silent.

"That was something Noland wrote in tears before his execution."

"In the right eye of the skull… I saw gold."

"That was written the very day Mont Blanc Noland was sentenced to death."

"But even after arriving on Jaya, I still don't understand what he meant."

"What is the 'right eye of the skull'?"

"Was he referring to some ancient city?"

"Or was it a metaphor for the death he was about to face?"

"Unfortunately… the remaining pages of the journal are blank."

"So we dive to the seafloor searching."

"Because our dream lies beneath the ocean!"

Cricket shouted before downing another huge gulp of alcohol.

"We're going to fly into the sky!" Luffy declared, stuffing a handful of dried fish into his mouth.

"Luffy, if you eat that much, will you even be able to fly?" Usopp joked.

Everyone burst out laughing.

The small house was filled with a warm, joyful atmosphere.

Cricket opened Noland's journal again.

"This is the log entry from the day he reached Jaya."

May 1st, Year 1122.

"After arriving at the island, we heard a mysterious bird call coming from deep within the jungle."

"And also… the sound of a bell."

"A very large bell."

"A gigantic bell made entirely of gold."

"The sound of its ringing spread across the land and echoed into the clouds."

"It felt as though an ancient city was proudly declaring the glory of its past."

"Yet even such a civilization—born from the vast sea—could not escape the passage of time."

"The rise and fall of the world…"

"Even for us sailors who had grown indifferent after decades at sea, the weight of that moment was indescribable."

"We stood there in silence…"

"Until the bell stopped ringing."

Cricket's expression became emotional.

"Ahhh!"

"So you actually like Noland, don't you?" Usopp teased with a mischievous grin.

"Look at this."

Cricket pulled out a small golden bell-shaped ingot.

"This is the huge bell?" Usopp asked, confused.

"Of course not."

"This is just a bell-shaped gold casting."

"We found three of them on the seabed," Cricket explained.

"And about the strange bird call mentioned in the journal…"

He took out a small golden bird statue.

"This bird is called the South Bird."

"They still live on Jaya Island today."

Cricket's expression suddenly changed.

"Wait—this is bad!"

"You guys need to go to the southern forest right now and capture a South Bird!"

"Catch a bird? Why?" everyone asked.

"Listen carefully," Cricket said seriously.

"Tomorrow you'll be riding the Knock Up Stream that shoots upward from the sea."

"It occurs directly south of this cape."

"But do you know how to navigate there?"

"So we need a South Bird to guide us?" Luffy asked with a grin.

"That's right."

"No matter whether it's on land or at sea, the bird's body always points toward the south."

"In short—without this bird, you're not going anywhere!"

Everyone left the house.

"I'll modify your ship a bit," Cricket said.

"You guys go capture the South Bird."

"Now that I think about it… we never even had time for a banquet tonight!"

"You're only saying that now?!" Usopp protested angrily.

"Alright! Let's go catch a bird!" Luffy shouted.

He stretched his arms and began leaping through the jungle like a monkey.

"Luffy! Wait for us!" Nami shouted—but he was already gone.

Soon the group ventured deep into the dark forest.

"Why does it have to be at night?" Usopp trembled.

"I feel like something terrifying is lurking here!"

"By the way… where exactly is the bird?" Zoro asked.

"How would I know?" Nami snapped.

"If we knew where it was, we wouldn't all need to search together!"

"So far we only know its appearance and its call," Robin analyzed calmly.

"Finding it in this forest is like searching for a needle in the ocean."

"The old man said its cry is unique," Sanji said.

"How unique could it be?"

Just then—

"Jiu~!"

Several bird cries echoed through the forest.

"That's it!" everyone exclaimed.

"Let's split into two groups," Zoro suggested.

"Alright—Robin and Nami will come with me," Sanji immediately volunteered.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

In the end:

Group 1: Zoro, Chopper, Robin

Group 2: Sanji, Usopp, Nami

"First, we need to follow the sound," Sanji said calmly.

"Seriously… where did Luffy run off to?" Nami complained.

"He just ditched us! When I see him again I'm going to punch him!"

"Don't worry, Nami-swan! I'll protect you!" Sanji declared heroically.

"What about me?" Usopp asked expectantly.

"Who cares about you?" Sanji said coldly.

Suddenly Usopp pointed calmly.

"Nami… when did you catch that?"

"A spider is stuck to your skirt."

"AHHH! A SPIDER!"

Nami screamed.

Sanji and Nami instantly teleported into the nearby bushes—

Unfortunately…

Dozens of spiders began dropping from above.

"AAAAAHHH!!"

Both of them panicked.

"It's fine," Usopp said.

"I used to deal with them a lot when I was younger."

"As long as you don't bother them, they won't hurt you."

He carefully let one crawl onto his hand.

"THROW IT AWAY! WE'RE TERRIFIED!"

"So you're not afraid of the moths and centipedes beside you?" Usopp asked.

"Moths?!"

"Centipedes?!"

Suddenly countless glowing red eyes lit up in the darkness.

"WE ARE AFRAID!!!"

Sanji and Nami ran away screaming.

Meanwhile—

"I think I heard screaming," Robin said thoughtfully.

Suddenly Zoro drew his sword.

A centipede as long as his arm was instantly cut down.

"Don't just slash creatures randomly," Robin said.

"That's cruel."

"It attacked me first," Zoro replied calmly.

Then he turned and walked forward.

"Zoro… that's the path we came from," Chopper said.

Silence fell.

Zoro's face turned extremely dark.

At the same time, strange creatures began appearing everywhere.

Giant mantises the size of people.

Swarms of ladybugs.

Fearless centipedes.

They all seemed to be following the South Bird's command—

Attacking the intruders in the forest.

"Slugs! Sprinkle salt!"

"Come at me if you dare!"

"Fireflies—so pretty! Wait… those are cockroaches!"

There were even wild boars.

Everyone's scalps went numb.

Meanwhile, the cry of the South Bird echoed through the forest.

"Jiu Jiu!"

But locating it was far from easy.

Under the moonlit jungle—

Everyone eventually regrouped at the starting point.

"No luck," Zoro said calmly.

"Forget catching the bird—we didn't even see a feather."

"We saw it," Usopp said awkwardly.

"But we couldn't catch it…"

Just then—

"Look! I caught one!"

Luffy suddenly returned from the forest, holding a bird in his arms.

"Jiu Jiu!"

The South Bird cried helplessly.

"LUFFY!!"

Everyone shouted in surprise.

"You guys didn't catch one?" Luffy asked.

"We didn't even see a feather!" Zoro complained.

"So… Zoro, you don't use Observation Haki?" Luffy said bluntly.

Everyone froze.

Then they all turned and stared at Zoro.

"…Uh… yeah."

"I forgot."

Zoro had no excuse.

"ZORO!!!"

Everyone roared.

The Straw Hats left the forest.

Luffy still carried the South Bird—

But now there was a huge bump on his head.

"That's what you get for running off alone!" Nami shouted angrily.

"Do you know how scared I was?!"

"Spiders! Cockroaches! Ladybugs! Moths! Centipedes!"

The more she talked, the more upset she became.

No one dared interrupt her.

"Oh! You're back!" Cricket said.

"Old man! We caught the bird!" Luffy shouted proudly.

"Good."

"Your ship has also been modified."

"The rest… is up to fate now."

"Hehe! We'll definitely make it!" Luffy said confidently.

"Alright, get some sleep."

"It's late already."

"You're heading to Skypiea tomorrow."

Everyone returned inside to rest.

Cricket watched them leave and sighed.

"What a bunch of idiots…"

"Risking their lives for their dreams."

He turned to Masira and Shoujou.

"Tonight we work overtime."

"There must not be any mistakes."

"Yes, sir!"

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