"Hey, hey~ Why not come take a look with us?" Aeridar grinned broadly.
Truth be told, Aeridar didn't mind having one more strong hand aboard, especially one who happened to be a pretty skilled shipwright.
Cricket bared his jagged teeth in a roar. "Idiot! It's all or nothing, live or die! I'm not gambling on luck like that!"
"Then how about you help me refit my ship?" Aeridar said, clapping Cricket on the shoulder with a smile. "I've got a few shipwrights on board too."
"If you're dead set on going, I'll lend you a hand," Cricket replied, brushing Aeridar's hand off and smirking. "But you'll need to catch a South Bird from the southern forest first, it'll guide your way."
"Noland mentioned in his journal... that there's a great golden bell that rings with a beautiful sound... and birdsong that echoes through time."
"Cricket, if we find the Golden City in the Sky Island," Aeridar said, staring at him with utter sincerity, "I'll ring that Golden Bell. I'll make sure you hear it from down here."
Cricket blinked, surprised. He took a step back and bowed deeply. "If the Golden City truly lies in the sky... then I beg you, ring that bell."
If the sound of the Golden Bell rang out across the sea, it would prove Noland, his ancestor, had told the truth. That he hadn't been a liar. And all the truth Cricket had chased for so long would finally be his.
"Bwahahaha!" Aeridar laughed heartily and hauled Cricket into a hug.
"Captain, let me take care of catching that bird." Arlan stepped forward as the two men finished talking.
"Ah~ I'll count on you then," Aeridar nodded.
Arlan took the sketch of the South Bird that Cricket had drawn, gathered a crewmate, and headed off. He planned to return to the ship, grab a proper team, and track down the bird in the southern forest.
Meanwhile, to thank Cricket for his help, Aeridar had the Chris brought over and stocked up on supplies from the local town. That evening, Arlan returned with the South Bird in tow.
And just like that, a feast erupted.
The crew partied well into the early morning, eating, drinking, laughing till their sides hurt. Some didn't hit their hammocks until four or five in the morning.
The Chris was massive—127 meters long, 33 meters wide, 21 meters tall, with a four-meter draft. Modifying it to soar through the skies by catching the wind and riding its currents wasn't going to be a quick or easy project. It would take more than a few days. So while the ship was under heavy modification, Aeridar took the chance to properly rest and heal.
At dawn the next day, Cricket led several shipwrights from the Chris Pirates to begin design and reconstruction. The South Bird, now caged and well-fed, had been named by Millie and Mina: "Diu Diu."
Aeridar nearly choked when he heard the name. Diu Diu? If it actually got lost, wouldn't that be the most cursed name ever? (Diu Diu is Lost-Lost)
Ten days passed in a flash.
Strangely, things in Mock Town remained unusually quiet, as if CP9 had left Jaya altogether. No signs, no shadows, no agents in black.
One morning, in front of a wooden cabin, Aeridar sat shirtless on the lawn, legs crossed. Millie and Mina knelt beside him with scissors and knives, carefully removing his bandages.
Ten days of rest had done wonders.
His injuries had all but healed. The wounds were closed, his body whole again. He was still young, after all, his physique monstrously strong. While the blows he'd taken had been serious, the effects of the Impact-Impact Fruit had dulled most of Syrons' raw power. What had seemed like a brutal beating had mostly left surface injuries, some shock damage to the organs at worst.
In a world like One Piece, where strong bodies recover at absurd rates, this was no surprise. With proper rest and a meat-heavy diet, even near-fatal wounds healed in days. For someone like Aeridar, unless he was literally on death's doorstep, a full recovery within a month was practically guaranteed.
"Man, it feels great to be healed up," he said, stretching as the last bandage was peeled away. His bones crackled with a satisfying pop-pop-pop as he flexed.
"Captain!" a voice called in the distance. Arlan came sprinting over.
"What's going on?" Aeridar blinked, puzzled.
Arlan came to a halt, his tone grave. "The port. Someone... major just arrived."
Two men had disembarked.
One was a towering figure, nearly seven meters tall, with a flaming scallion-shaped hairstyle and a face like a demon. Horns jutted from the sides of his forehead. His ears and teeth were sharp. Stitch-like scars crossed from his head down his neck. He wore a gothic ensemble, including a bat-collared shirt and vampiric outerwear.
The other man had a lion's chin, literally. Though stitched on at the seams like a doll's. He dressed flamboyantly, wore a top hat, spherical earrings, a buttoned shirt, tall boots, and a high-collared trench coat.
"Master... are you sure this is where we're restocking?" the lion-chinned man asked, leering at the sparse handful of women wandering the docks. He nearly drooled.
"Kishishishi... this island's the only one nearby with a town. And unless you want to dive into the sea and fish, we've got no food left," replied the towering monster with a sickly grin, turning to look out at the water.
"Well then, Master," the lion-chinned man quickly changed his tune. "I'm sure we'll find plenty of supplies here!"
"Kishishishi... I'm counting on you." The big man chuckled, waving a hand.
The lion-chinned man's face fell. "Master, if you'd just lend me a few zombies, I could get the whole job done in no time..."
"Kishishishi... maybe Hogback needs to tweak your body some more," the giant said, his voice darkening. "And we'll need more zombie soldiers. Stronger ones."
His eyes gleamed with manic rage.
"We'll make the ultimate zombie soldier... and then kill him. Kill Kaido, that bastard."
Nearby, many pirates collapsed to the ground in fear.
"T-That's... That's a big deal...!"
"W-Why the hell is he here?!"
"Warlord of the Sea, Gecko Moria!"
"That guy... why now of all times?!"
Aeridar stood up in shock, staring at Arlan.
"I was planning to go after him after we finished Sky Island... But now that I'm finally healed, he shows up here?"
"Captain, do we move now?" Arlan asked, fists clenched, eyes burning.
Aeridar grinned, teeth bared like a beast.
He turned, voice booming.
"Gather everyone. Tell them, this is a gift from the heavens! We take him down!"
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