Chapter 79 Luffy points to the sky and says the Golden Land is on Skypiea.Zoro and Usopp grumbled from the sidelines, "How could we possibly dig anything out of this lousy beach?!"
Luffy, seeing the two nervous monkeys, pointed to the sky above. "Don't worry, our goal is Sky Island. We have no interest in the gold on the ground."
"Hahaha, Sky Island? You bunch of idiots actually believe Sky Island exists?"
A middle-aged man wearing a chestnut-shaped hat, smoking a cigarette, emerged from a dilapidated house, his face full of mockery.
It was none other than Kurik, a direct descendant of the legendary conman Noland.
Luffy's smile faded, and he looked at Kurik seriously. "Don't you even want to know where the Golden Land is?"
Kurik's heart skipped a beat, then he scoffed disdainfully, "Hmph! That's just a colossal lie fabricated by that big liar. Because of that one sentence, we descendants will never be able to hold our heads high again!"
Everyone turned to look at the long-nosed Usopp.
Usopp: "..."
╯︵┻━┻!
"Why are you all looking at me! I didn't lie!"
"Eh? Is it the story from that picture book, *Noland the Liar*?"
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, speaking with a touch of nostalgia.
Kurik nodded, his eyes filled with melancholy: "Anyone born in the North Blue should have heard this well-known fairy tale."
The spotlight shone on Usopp's face once again.
Usopp, exasperated, yelled, "I told you it has nothing to do with me! We don't even have the same surname, you bastard!"
Luffy laughed heartily, looking directly into Kurik's eyes, and said firmly, "I believe that legend isn't fabricated, and I know for sure where the Golden City went."
Kurik suddenly looked up, staring intently at Luffy: "Noland's dying words were that the Golden City sank because of continental crustal movement. Did you find it at the bottom of the sea...?"
Luffy shook his head.
The light in Kurik's eyes dimmed instantly, a hint of disappointment flashing across them.
However, the next second, Luffy smiled and pointed a finger directly at the sky above: "The Golden City is in the sky!"
Kurik froze on the spot: "What do you mean?"
"This strange sea area has extremely peculiar, towering currents, right?"
Luffy kindly reminded him.
Kurik, who had been diving and salvaging here for a long time, was instantly shocked: "You mean?!"
"That's right, the original Golden City portion of Jaya Island was forcibly washed ashore on the Sky Island by that terrifying ocean current!"
Luffy's tone was firm and unquestionable. "And the reason we've come to visit is to seek your expertise in modifying our ships, finding the largest upwelling current, and sending us to the Golden City!"
In the New World, a place teeming with monsters, the existence of the Sky Island wasn't a top secret.
If traveling by normal route from the Western Peak, one would pass several Sky Islands along the way.
But to reach Enel's divine realm, apart from the original Sky Island inhabitants, outsiders could only pass through the deadly "Monster Current."
Otherwise, in the past four hundred years, Roger and Luffy wouldn't be the only ones to have successfully reached this place.
The treasure of the Golden City wouldn't have survived to this day, becoming raw materials for Enel's ark, the "Words."
This is also why Luffy must find Kurik.
Only by navigating the towering ocean currents can they ensure everyone reaches their destination safely.
Although Luffy doesn't know the specific dangers of other routes, he absolutely refuses to gamble with Nami and the others' lives.
Looking at Luffy's unwavering gaze, Kurik's long-extinguished flame of hope for clearing his ancestors' names was rekindled.
"Alright! I'll help! We'll help you strengthen the ship!"
To fly ten thousand meters into the air, the Saruyama Alliance's full assistance is absolutely essential.
Having spent so long navigating these waters, they are intimately familiar with the area's unpredictable weather.
Most importantly, they can use their ape-like unique ultrasonic waves to accurately detect which rising ocean current truly leads to the heavens.
These are all indispensable conditions for reaching Skypiea.
At this moment, the gorillas and apes, upon hearing that Luffy was going to help their father find the legendary Golden Land, were all like they'd been injected with adrenaline, eagerly rushing towards the Going Merry.
"Hey! Luffy, are you out of your mind? Are you really going to listen to that old man's crazy talk and fly up into the sky on a water column?"
Nami, tears streaming down her face, desperately tried to dissuade the enthusiastic Luffy.
Just moments before, after Crick explained the only "possibility" of landing on the island, Nami had vehemently opposed this purely suicidal method.
Vivi was also nodding frantically beside them, her face deathly pale.
This plan to use high-pressure ocean currents to propel themselves tens of thousands of meters into the air sounded like a collective suicide.
On the contrary, C.C., upon hearing this absurd idea, looked excited.
Although Lelouch's world's technology tree was haphazardly developed, even including satellites, this kind of wondrous natural phenomenon, completely defying scientific logic, was something she had never witnessed before.
Just like when she crossed the Reverse Mountain, it filled this thousand-year-old ageless witch with immense wonder.
"Don't worry," Luffy reassured her, patting his chest, "I'll hold the sky up if it falls. Even if the ship is destroyed, I can bring you all back from the sky unharmed."
Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp, in perfect unison, retorted, "So you only care about the lives of these girls, you idiot!"
"The upwelling current only happens five times a month, the probability is so low, even if we ride it, we might not survive to reach Skypiea... Waaah, maybe we should just give up."
Usopp's legs trembled violently, like cotton.
Luffy gave a thumbs-up, flashing a bright white smile: "Don't worry, I believe in your character and luck."
Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp roared again: "Even we don't believe it ourselves, you bastards!"
Night fell.
The group held a grand open-air feast in front of Crick's dilapidated hut.
The gorilla used echolocation technology to bring over a large group of plump saury.
Sanji brandished his legendary cooking utensils, preparing a sumptuous farewell feast for these foodies.
"This beautiful lady, how about you join me for a while?" Crick, flushed with alcohol, invited Nami.
The next second, a shoe sole landed squarely on Crick's face.
Sanji roared possessively, "You think you can woo Nami? Go get a number for the future first!"
C.C. sat quietly beside Luffy, gently feeding him sushi.
Currently, among the women, only C.C.'s memories have been altered by the system, replacing Lelouch with Luffy.
Moreover, the timeline is after the movie *Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection*, meaning that in C.C.'s heart, Luffy is already her partner.
Chopper was currently racing Karu to drink juice, and soon their stomachs were bulging like two round balls.
Robin sat quietly in the shadows of a corner, carrying a plate of delicate food, flipping through Noland's yellowed 400-year-old nautical log.
Although she outwardly claimed to be Luffy's woman, the door to her heart wasn't fully open.
"Gold can be seen in the skull's right eye..."
Robin looked thoughtfully at the last note Noland had left behind.
She took out the sea chart from Jaya Island and carefully compared it by the firelight.
Luffy leaned in, chewing on meat, and chuckled, "How about it? Doesn't it look more and more like half a skull?"
"It really does!"
Kurik leaned in for a look, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
"I always thought Noland was alluding to his own death, that the legendary city sank to the bottom of the sea. Now it seems most likely it was swept into the sky along with that missing piece of land!"
"Then you won't have to dive so hard every day anymore, Uncle," Chopper said happily, waving his hooves. "Your diving sickness is really bad now; working at such high intensity will really kill you!"
"Hahaha, in the end, the idea that the Golden City is on the Sky Island is just your speculation. Until there's solid evidence before me, I'll continue fighting against that liar's ghost!"