It was obvious that Cricket had become wary of Takumi.
Even Buggy was stirring things up from the back, shouting, "That's right, this whole Skypiea nonsense doesn't exist! You brat, if you want to risk your life proving it, do it on your own! Don't drag us along to die with you! And no way am I lending my ship to someone as suspicious as you!"
"S-suspicious?" Cricket blinked in surprise. "Wait… you're really not on the same team?"
"Huh?" Buggy looked at him like he'd said the dumbest thing in the world. "Are you kidding me? Who in their right mind would team up with a death-wish kid like him?"
Takumi remained silent.
Cricket glanced back at Takumi, seeming to understand something. After a moment of contemplation, his tone softened a little. "Kid, are you really set on going to Skypiea? Even if it means risking your life by riding the Knock-Up Stream?"
Takumi gave a calm nod.
Cricket let out a resigned sigh. "I can indeed calculate the time and location of the next Knock-Up Stream based on the appearance of the Emperor Cloud, but I can't guarantee that the stream will take you to where you want to go. And I'm not even sure Skypiea exists. You know how dangerous it is to rely on the Knock-Up Stream, don't you? If anything goes wrong—whether the stream's strength isn't enough or my calculations are off—you'll be in serious danger."
He paused, studying Takumi's expression. "Are you absolutely sure you want to gamble everything on reaching this so-called Skypiea?"
Takumi remained silent, but nodded again.
Cricket could only shake his head. "You're a strange one, kid. I've never met anyone like you. Fine, if you trust me that much, I'll tell you when the next Knock-Up Stream is likely to appear."
Looking out toward the endless ocean, he continued, "If the position and time of the Emperor Cloud you mentioned are accurate, then the next Knock-Up Stream should appear around seven or eight in the morning tomorrow. The stream will most likely form in the southern seas. If you're dead set on going, I recommend catching a Southbird in the forest behind the island. In the Grand Line, it's impossible to tell directions once you're out at sea, but Southbirds will always point you to the south. That'll be very useful for you tomorrow."
Takumi considered the suggestion carefully. Though he had his system navigation, it only guided him to his next mission location—it didn't help him with directions like north, south, east, or west. Considering the direction Cricket had pointed out, it seemed like the Knock-Up Stream's location wasn't exactly aligned with his next mission site. So, catching a Southbird was essential.
But Takumi had no intention of catching the bird himself.
Knowing Buggy's personality all too well, if Takumi went off alone to catch the bird, Buggy would almost certainly take the opportunity to sail off with his crew. Without a ship, Takumi wouldn't be able to reach Skypiea, and if he didn't reach Skypiea, he wouldn't be able to complete his mission.
In other words, he had to either drag Buggy along to catch the bird or make Buggy's crew handle it.
After thinking it over, Takumi chose the latter.
"Go catch it," Takumi said, looking at Buggy nonchalantly.
"Huh?" Buggy tilted his head, nearly tripping over himself in disbelief. "You brat! Do you even know who you're talking to? I'm Captain Buggy! No one orders me around!"
Buggy's crew exchanged glances, whispering among themselves.
"Is that kid really planning to go to some fairy tale place like Skypiea?"
"And riding a Knock-Up Stream to get there? That sounds insane! I've never seen a Knock-Up Stream, but it sounds dangerous. What if we fall from the sky? We'd be smashed to bits!"
"But they seem serious. Could Skypiea actually exist?"
"I don't know… but the way they're talking, it almost sounds real."
Cricket smiled faintly, hearing the murmurs from Buggy's crew. "Whether Skypiea exists or not, I can't say for sure. But I can tell you one thing: if you ride the Knock-Up Stream, you'll either reach Skypiea or die trying. The odds of success are less than 0.01%."
Buggy's crew went pale.
"Less than 0.01%?! That's insane!"
"Risking our lives for some island we're not even sure exists? No way! Captain Buggy, let's get out of here!"
"Yeah, Captain, don't let that kid drag us into this mess. We're not betting our lives on some fairy tale!"
Buggy was also starting to lose his cool. He had no interest in risking his life on a gamble.
After all, he'd been to Skypiea once before when he was younger…
And that near-death experience was not something he wanted to repeat.
"Hahaha, of course not! Only an idiot would want to go to Skypiea!" Buggy laughed, turning to head back to his ship. "What Skypiea? If you're so keen on dying, do it yourself, kid."
As soon as he said this, Takumi placed his hand on his katana. After a brief thought, he drew his wooden sword, Lake Toya, instead. Holding the hilt in one hand, he ran his other hand over the wooden blade's intricate grain.
Suddenly, an immense wave of sword energy burst out from him, radiating outward.
Everyone present, including Cricket, felt their chests tighten under the pressure, struggling to breathe. A few of the weaker-willed pirates collapsed to the ground, their eyes rolling back in unconsciousness.
Though Buggy remained standing, cold sweat trickled down his face as he was reminded of the terrifying pressure he'd once felt from Roger and Rayleigh…
Who is this kid? Buggy thought as he nervously glanced at Takumi.
Then, Buggy noticed the sword in Takumi's hand.
A wooden sword?
Did that kid release all that sword energy using just a wooden sword?
Takumi withdrew his energy and gave Buggy a cold, emotionless glance.
Buggy gulped, quickly turning to his crew and barking orders, "What are you all standing around for? Go catch that Southbird!"
"Huh? C-Captain Buggy, are we really going to do this?"
"Yeah, what just happened? That was terrifying…"
"Don't argue! Let's just go! If we don't listen to that kid, we're dead!"
"Even Captain Buggy is afraid of him… That kid's a monster."
Without further hesitation, Buggy's crew rushed off toward the southern forest to catch the bird.
Cabaji and Mohji, however, were still pale and anxious as they approached Buggy.
"Captain Buggy, are we really going to risk our lives to go to Skypiea with Takumi?" Mohji whispered.
Buggy's face darkened. "Hmph! Only a fool would risk their life. For now, we'll play along with the kid, but once night falls, we'll sneak off using one of the smaller boats."
"Really?" Mohji asked, surprised. "What about the rest of the crew?"
Buggy smirked. "Survival is up to fate. We can always find more lackeys later. But if we die, then it's all over. So here's the plan: when night comes, load all the treasure onto the spare boat. Once everyone's asleep, we'll make our escape!"
Mohji and Cabaji exchanged glances and then grinned wickedly. "Understood, Captain!"
******
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