Leaving the Marine base, Zhang Da Ye felt the weight of both the cash in his hands and the responsibility on his mind. As an ordinary college student, he had never held so much money before. Eight million Berries—enough to buy 80,000 Chobas!
Tom perched happily on Zhang Da Ye's shoulder, rubbing his paws together in excitement. He had little sense of the local economy, but this amount of money surely could buy a lot.
Seeing Tom's gleaming eyes, Zhang Da Ye took a deep breath. "Tom, don't let a bit of money tempt you. Eight million Berries… I could earn that in 81 months of work."
He patted his chest, speaking earnestly: "I have… no interest in money!"
Tom looked at him skeptically. If your voice doesn't tremble when you say that, maybe I'll believe you, he seemed to say.
Carrying such a pile of cash felt surreal. Zhang Da Ye wanted to hug it close, even sneakily run back home with it like a thief.
Reason, however, told him not to. Stay calm, walk normally.
He tried to ask Tom for help storing the money, but the cat was unreliable at critical moments. Hiding a few bills was fine, but a whole bundle was impossible.
So Zhang Da Ye decided to buy some things along the way, carrying a few extra bags to make it less conspicuous.
He also took the opportunity to pick a few gifts for the Goodman family, a small token of gratitude.
Half an hour later, satisfied, Zhang Da Ye returned with his wallet and several gift boxes. Tom held Choba's favorite cotton candy.
He felt more at ease, but still couldn't fully calm down. At least he forgot there was a local item called a Bubble Bag that could free his hands.
Arriving at the Goodman residence, the house was empty. Zhang Da Ye placed the items on the bed and lay down, thinking about future plans.
If he were to leave the Sabaody Archipelago, where should he go? The New World was out of the question—he'd rather stay in Sabaody. The first half of the Grand Line islands were mostly pirate territory, hardly safe.
Even venturing to the Four Seas required careful planning.
The North Sea was chaotic, with the Germa Kingdom and Donquixote Family still there. Drake would likely leave it alone for now. Members of the Worst Generation like Hawkins and Law were from the North Sea, offering no sense of security.
The West Sea was home to Red-Haired Shanks. Capone Bege was likely running a gang on some island, and Robin had spent 20 years fleeing before joining the Straw Hats. She would now be around eighteen or nineteen, still wanted, and the West Sea was unstable.
Zhang Da Ye had liked Robin but wasn't foolish enough to approach her—either she would swiftly defeat him, or the World Government would arrest him.
The South Sea had Sengoku and Aokiji's birthplaces. Zhang Da Ye's stronger impression was of Eustass Kid, who had a higher bounty than Luffy upon reaching Sabaody for harming civilians. Zhang Da Ye didn't want to become one of those civilians.
The East Sea, home to Garp, was the weakest sea, thanks partly to Garp's protective presence.
The last Celestial Dragon inspection of the East Sea had been some time ago, so it should be relatively peaceful.
To get to the East Sea from Sabaody, two options existed:
1. Cross the Calm Belt directly, unless he hitchhiked on Garp's ship, he'd need to row like Dracule Mihawk. The Calm Belt was home to massive Sea Kings, and no one dared cross it lightly.
2. Travel via Red Line, submit a government application, take an elevator, walk near Mariejois, then descend to the New World or the Four Seas.
The Celestial Dragon who bombarded Sabo likely took this route. Ships couldn't yet hide their presence with Sea-Prism Stone.
Zhang Da Ye realized only the Red Line route was feasible, but it was too dangerous. The Celestial Dragons might see him and enslave him.
He read in the newspaper that Fisher Tiger caused chaos at Mariejois two years ago, and guards were now more vigilant. Any misstep could be fatal.
After calculating, Zhang Da Ye reluctantly concluded that staying in Sabaody was the safest option.
If he stayed, he needed a place to live and ways to earn money; simply spending his current wealth would deplete it quickly.
As evening approached, Zhang Da Ye heard someone returning. He went out with the gifts.
"Oh, Da Ye, you're here!" Mrs. Molly closed the door, speaking mysteriously. "Did you hear? Today a murderer and his thirteen henchmen were captured!"
She vividly recounted rumors she had heard, praising how fearsome Desword was and how strong the person who caught him must have been.
Zhang Da Ye felt déjà vu but with a distorted twist. Wait—that was me! And thirteen people? I wasn't that impressive!
Before he could explain, Byle ran in, short legs tumbling with excitement. "Mom! Brother Da Ye! Did you hear? A villain was defeated by a hero! The hero, handsome and strong, wielding a magical staff, single-handedly defeated Desword and over thirty henchmen! Amazing!"
Mrs. Molly couldn't believe it: "Thirty people?"
Byle nodded confidently: "Grandpa Bob said so!"
Tom listened, heart in paws, full of admiration.
Zhang Da Ye laughed and cried internally. How did this story get so exaggerated? And Tom, you were there—don't let them mislead you!
At that moment, the door burst open. Goodman entered, looking lively, holding a bottle of wine. "Molly, prepare some food and glasses! Let me tell you about today's big event!"