One Piece 189

[Kraco]

It was an interesting, and sad, flashback arc. The Norland history doesn't actually have any concrete meaning to the events occuring in Luffy's timeline, indeed, everything would make pretty much sense even if we had never learnt about Norland. However, it really makes a strong background story to the setting and many characters and the situation in general.

There was one thing that doesn't make much sense though: It was 100% obvious the king wanted to rob all the gold from Shandria, made even more evident by the fact he filled the ship with his soldiers. Yet Norland took that invasion force willingly to the island of his friend. Past actions had proven Norland wasn't gullible, so why did he agree to take the king there?

If he had refused to take the king to the island, they might have taken it as a sign the island didn't actually exist, but probably wouldn't have executed him for that.

[BioAlien]

well.. normally if you were to lie to a king, it would be normal to be executed or be put in a crappy dungeon..

but ya... Norland was stupid to accept the condition of the king so that he could go back there... it was indeed obvious the king just wanted the gold, still the way he died.. and that asshole fake crewmember guy...in Norland, i would have went Berserk, and kill everyone that would have said i was a liar, then steal a ship and take my old crew back (or not) then head to back to see my friend, but that just me...

[Kraco]

well.. normally if you were to lie to a king, it would be normal to be executed or be put in a crappy dungeon..

That's true, but it wasn't a completely normal situation: Norland already had a strong reputation of telling high stories, which nobody could judge to be true or not. That was told in the story. And he was famous. Even if he went straight to the king, it would have probably ended up being just one more of his stories, if he had refused to take the king there. After all, up till that point he was just a famous man of the sea and an explorer. The masses might not have taken well his execution. But after he took the king to the island and there was nothing to be found, the situation of course changed. He wasn't just a harmless story teller anymore, but a man who purposefully tricked the king.

[BioAlien]

ya but still.. it is not his fault if the island went sky high.. but that he don't know, i would have liked to see the face on Calgara face when he learned about Norland execution, even if that would have been sad..

[Assertn]

I'm kinda wondering about that huge vine that was there before the island landed. Is it linked to the blue sea? If so.....then does that mean there's a small island down there that's following the path of the cloud island?

[BioAlien]

maybe there was already a small piece of "vearth" up there, and that "vine" was on it

[Kraco]

That must be the only answer, because otherwise the most safe way up there would be to climb the huge vine. Although they did mention there was another way up there, but as the vine would clearly be the safest way, it wouldn't fit the description that using that way only a fraction of the expedition would survive (using the geothermal stream it was all or nothing).