Chapter 143 Gold in the sky

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

Cricket glanced at Bai Ye, puzzled by his claim to help, and asked, "Help me with what exactly?"

Usopp, curious and a bit skeptical, chimed in, "Bai Ye, do you actually know where the gold is?"

His question reflected a common disbelief. After all, the mystery of the gold had eluded the Mont Blanc family for nearly four centuries. How could Bai Ye, a newcomer to the tale, claim any knowledge of it?

Bai Ye responded confidently, "I might indeed know something."

This assurance piqued Cricket's interest immediately, despite his doubts. "Are you serious, kid?" he asked, his voice tinged with both hope and skepticism. The prospect of finding the gold was too tempting for him to dismiss Bai Ye outright.

Bai Ye nodded slightly, "I'm about 80% sure," he stated, choosing to understate his certainty to keep expectations in check.

Seeing Bai Ye's mysterious demeanor, Cricket grew impatient, "Come on then, tell us!"

But Bai Ye diverted the conversation for a moment to address something else, "Speaking of which, your house is quite unusual. It looks like it's only half a house."

Cricket, though momentarily distracted by the shift in topic, confirmed, "Yes, when I first arrived here, the house was already like this. It looked half-built, so I added the wooden board you saw from the sea."

Zoro and Sanji exchanged glances, each feeling a twinge of guilt. Their earlier disdain for the house's owner seemed misplaced now that they understood a bit more about Cricket's situation.

Bai Ye's revelation struck like a thunderbolt. "What if the house was initially whole and only appears half-finished because the other half has been lost?"

His idea resonated with a strange logic. "Consider how odd it is for anyone to intentionally build only half a house, especially so close to the shoreline. It's conceivable that this house was once complete."

As Bai Ye continued, the atmosphere thickened with anticipation. "Due to some extraordinary events, it's possible the other half of this house, along with a portion of the island, vanished."

Cricket sprang from his seat, his voice trembling with a mixture of excitement and disbelief. "What... what are you suggesting?"

The notion that the gold and part of the island might have vanished rather than sunk transformed despair into hope. Cricket, and his ancestors before him, had always assumed the treasure was lost to the sea's depths, an assumption made without any proof.

Bai Ye affirmed his hypothesis, "I believe Jaya Island is incomplete."

He pulled out the map Robin had sourced, pointing to their current location. "If we are right here, and my hypothesis holds, then originally..."

He traced a circle on the map, indicating where the rest of the island might have once connected. "There should have been more to this island."

Bai Ye then referenced Noland's logbook, a critical piece of their puzzle. Opening to a marked page, he quoted, "Gold, in the right eye of the skeleton."

With a few strokes on the map, Bai Ye sketched what he imagined the complete island might have looked like. "Based on this, Jaya Island might once have resembled a skull, and what we see today is merely part of its lower jaw."

Listening to Bai Ye unravel the mystery of the gold, Cricket was struck by a profound sense of awe. The puzzle that had baffled his family for four centuries seemed closer to being solved, thanks to the insights of this young priest. Overwhelmed, Cricket murmured, "It's truly remarkable."

Luffy, ever the enthusiastic one, burst into laughter, clapping Cricket on the back. "See, Uncle? I told you Bai Ye is awesome!"

Nami, whose interest was piqued by the mention of gold, quickly jumped in with a question. "Does that mean the gold sank with the other half of the island to the bottom of the sea?"

Bai Ye responded with a gentle shake of his head, dispelling that notion. "Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. Cricket has been salvaging these waters for years and found little more than debris. It's unlikely that the gold is beneath the sea."

Then, with a dramatic pause that captured everyone's attention, Bai Ye unveiled his conclusion: "I believe the gold was swept into the sky by a massive upwelling current!"

He continued, explaining his reasoning with a confident flair. "The Log Pose's behavior suggests there's an island above us—Sky Island."

Cricket listened intently, the gears turning in his head. Bai Ye's theory made sense, especially considering the legends of objects and even islands being lifted skyward by the Grand Line's bizarre currents.

In the original story, after Noland's departure, the island that harbored the Golden City and the Shandia tribe was indeed caught by a colossal upwelling current and displaced to the sky, where it was then isolated by the sky inhabitants. This event led to the Golden Belfry Bell, a symbol of friendship between Noland and the Shandia tribe, to cease ringing.

Mont Blanc Cricket, a descendant in a long line from Noland, fumbled with a cigarette, his hands shaking as he lit it. "Not in the depths of the sea, but up in the sky?" he muttered, his laughter starting as a chuckle and growing louder. Tears streamed down his face as he laughed heartily, "Noland, you old trickster, you never lied, did you?" He exclaimed, almost in disbelief, as he wiped his tears away, "I've lost this gamble!"

Holding a map and weeping openly, it seemed as if Cricket, a man in his forties, was finally closing a chapter that had stretched across four centuries. "Luffy, Bai Ye," he looked up at them with red eyes, "you're heading to Sky Island, aren't you? Could you do something for me?" Crushing the cigarette beneath his boot, he continued earnestly, "Please, ring the golden bell for me."

Pushing a pile of gold coins towards the Straw Hats, he offered, "Take all my gold as payment." Luffy, however, shook his head with a broad grin, "No need for that. This gold means more to you than to us." Adjusting his straw hat, he added cheerfully, "Just keep your gold and wait. Wait for the sound of the golden bell, which I'll ring for you!"

Luffy's promise seemed to lift some of the weight from Cricket's shoulders. Bai Ye then chimed in, "If you really want to, you could come with us to Sky Island." But Cricket shook his head, "I do want to go, but not now. The orangutan brothers are huge fans of Noland, and I'll take them with me some other time."

He explained further, "Besides, we'll need their help to launch the ship for your journey, so it won't work for me to join you this time." Bai Ye nodded, understanding the situation. Now, it was time for the final preparations before their grand ascent to the sky.