One Piece: Power-Power Fruit

Chapter 41 Legend VS Legend

Chapter 41: Legend VS Legend

“My lord, Locas is right. I have had the honor of witnessing that towering ocean current firsthand. It is truly a force beyond human comprehension!”

Hill Bott's eyes, behind his gold-rimmed glasses, shifted with each passing memory, until a flicker of fear crossed his face.

"Phew! Brother Mu, although this old man has never seen that towering ocean current with his own eyes, I have certainly heard the legend that circulates along the Grand Line. The Golden Land, where gold is everywhere, is perhaps just a lie from four hundred years ago!"

Schidek exhaled a puff of smoke, leaned back in his chair, and slowly began to speak. He, too, didn't truly believe in the existence of any sky islands.

"Hahaha! How can you say Sky Island doesn't exist without going up and seeing for yourself? You need to understand that everything that exists on this magical sea has its reason! You don't believe Sky Island exists? What if I told you that the One Piece, which the Pirate King spoke of, doesn't exist either? How would you feel then?"

Mu Chong's words were undoubtedly a bombshell, especially the last sentence. For Hill Bot and Locas, who had only set sail because of the One Piece, this was a huge challenge; they had never before doubted the existence of the treasure.

"This, this..."

Locas stared intently at Mu Chong with wide eyes, desperately wanting him to say something like, "What you just said was all a joke."

"Hmph! My esteemed hero, your words have put me in a truly difficult position!"

Hill Bott slightly adjusted the rim of his gold-rimmed glasses, his expression becoming relatively calmer, but his rapid breathing betrayed him.

"Hahaha!! If those great pirates heard what Brother Mu said, it's hard to imagine what would happen!!"

As a former naval officer, Schidek wasn't as obsessed with the One Piece as these two, but he was certainly well aware of its significance on the high seas.

Regardless of the circumstances, this great era we live in today was ushered in by that man's single sentence.

"Hahaha! Everyone, putting aside whether Pirate King Roger's words were true or not, doesn't that so-called One Piece seem a lot like the Golden City from four hundred years ago? Countless pirates are rushing to the New World these days, all believing in the existence of the One Piece. So why can't I believe in the existence of Skypiea? Is it just because too much time has passed? Hahaha!!!"

Mu Chong's voice was like a long alarm bell, shaking the cabin lounge for a long time. The three people stared in astonishment at Mu Chong's smiling face.

Is this principle difficult to understand? Is it hard to think of? No, it's very easy to understand and even easy to think of. Perhaps some people have already thought of it, but to this day, no one has said it so directly.

"Phew!! Brother Mu, this..."

"But sir, why must the Golden Land be on a sky island? Why not at the bottom of the sea?"

At this moment, Locas was somewhat incoherent. The questions he asked were beyond his own awareness; subconsciously, he had already placed the Sky Island in the sky.

“Locas, if we follow the hero’s idea, I’m more inclined to believe that the Golden Land is on a sky island, rather than at the bottom of the sea…”

At this moment, Hill Bott, who had been deep in thought, picked up where Locas left off and murmured...

"Oh?"

"What? Hill Bot, what did you say?"

"Hehehe, what an interesting little guy..."

"Go on!!"

Hill Bott didn't react to the other two people's words, but when he heard Mu Chong's words, he raised his hand to adjust his gold-rimmed glasses and continued...

"Locas, you should know that there's a very special person on the other side of Jaya Island, that chestnut-haired Montblanc Kulik. That man has been diving into the waters near Jaya Island day and night, searching for the Golden City, but decades have passed and he still hasn't found it. That's the Golden City! Even if it's sunk to the bottom of the sea, it's still about half the size of a small town!"

A glint of intelligence flashed in Hill Bott's eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses as he looked up at the ceiling of the lounge and continued speaking.

"If the Sky Island truly exists, I'm even more convinced that the Golden City was swept into the sky by that massive, towering ocean current!!"

"How can this be..."

As soon as Hill Bot finished speaking, Locas immediately interrupted, but he swallowed his words halfway through, his face turning bright red, because he was powerless to refute the other's statement.

For a moment, the entire cabin lounge fell into an extremely quiet atmosphere. Everyone was deep in thought, except for one person who was looking at Hill Bot with a curious gaze.

Mu Chong stared at the handsome man with gold-rimmed glasses and greyish-white clothes, frantically recalling scenes from the original story. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find this man. This treasure... he'd stumbled upon it!

"Hahaha!! Instead of racking your brains here, why don't you come with me and go up with the surging current to take a look? So, everyone, are you brave enough to take this risk??"

Sensing the oppressive atmosphere in the ship's lounge, Mu Chong felt it was time, and so, without anyone being prepared, he extended an invitation to ascend to heaven.

"What?! Following the surging ocean current?!"

"Hehehe, are we going all out on the voyage right from the start? Everyone's getting excited!!"

"Hahaha! Brother Mu is always giving this old man a hard time!"

Seeing the three people's reactions, Mu Chong smiled slightly and spoke again, but his words were anything but funny.

"So, everyone, would you like to witness history with me? If Sky Island exists, then the legend of the past four hundred years will become a reality. We will witness history. If it doesn't exist, we will perish! As the captain of the Freedom, I won't force you to do anything. So, make your choice, everyone!!"

"Hahaha!! I never thought that I would be so fortunate as to participate in such a great thing in my old age. As the shipwright and helmsman of the Freedom, this old man is more than capable of doing it!!"

Schidek lit another cigarette, and surprisingly, his aged body radiated an incredible vitality.

"Witnessing history? Hehehe, how interesting! Never before has there been such a thrilling voyage. This is a rare opportunity! So, my esteemed hero, please accept my humble contribution!"

Without hesitation, Hill Bot, while adjusting his eye sockets, voiced his thoughts: for him, ascending to heaven was secondary; following in the footsteps of the chivalrous Mu Chong was paramount.

"Hu! Hu! Hu!"

After taking three deep breaths, Locas slowly raised the longsword in his hand, holding it flat in front of his chest with both hands, and said in a deep voice.

"A sword can only be truly sharp when it goes forward without hesitation. As someone who wields a sword, how can I not be prepared to face life and death? What difficulty is there in ascending to heaven? Please, sir, take me with you!"

Locas sat upright, placing his hands on his razor blade in front of his forehead, responding slowly as if making a vow.

"Hahaha!! Good, good, good!"

Mu Chong listened carefully to the attitudes of the three men, and was immediately overjoyed. Leaving aside the old man, a temporary crew member, he had personally brought the other two aboard. Their character and loyalty had to be tested.

Now, faced with the elusive, floating island and the perilous, towering ocean currents, the two were willing to disregard their own lives to follow him. What reason did they have to refuse?

"Hahaha!!! The Liberty is a ship that moves forward without restraint, welcome to the new ship!"

Mu Chong extended an inviting hand to Hill Bot and Locas, his face beaming with a happy smile.

Hill Bot and Locas exchanged a smile, then gripped Mu Chong's hand tightly.

"Hahaha!!!!!"

"Ha ha ha ha!!!"

From this moment on, the chief strategist and the world's greatest swordsman of the Freedom are in place!