Following Tom's directions, Rui Mengmeng rode the bike around several fish shops on Island 59. But none of them had fish that caught Tom's interest—either they weren't fresh enough or he'd eaten them too many times before.
"Let's head over to Grove 58," Zhang Da Ye suggested. "Didn't Old Bob have a buddy who opened a seafood shop there? We can swing by the shore too and see if we can buy some fish fresh off the line."
Tom remembered the six old men fishing there, and how fun it was to borrow their rods. He nodded in agreement. As for being beaten up by fish last time, he chose to conveniently forget.
Artoria recalled how delicious Tom's grilled fish had been that day and had no objections to going again.
They soon arrived at the same small bay as before, where Rui Mengmeng parked steadily.
Sure enough, the six old men were there. Zhang Da Ye hopped off the bike. "Mengmeng, ring the bell twice."
"Oh, okay."
Ding-ling, ding-ling—the crisp chime drew the elders' attention. Old Bob turned, his face quickly shifting from cloudy to sunny. "Well if it isn't young Da Ye!"
"It's Da Ye, finally paying us a visit!" The other five beamed as well, quickly propping up their rods and heading over.
Zhang Da Ye felt a bit overwhelmed. Since when was he this popular with them? Should he bow or shake hands?
Then the six elders walked right past him and surrounded Tom. Tom glanced around at them—none of these old men seemed simple.
"Come, come, we had a good catch today! Take a look and pick whatever you like!" They scooped Tom up and set him by the buckets of fish.
Zhang Da Ye stood awkwardly in place. So… why did you all shout my name if the welcome wasn't for me?
Artoria had already followed along, since she knew sticking with Tom guaranteed a good meal.
Rui Mengmeng poked Zhang Da Ye. "Boss, I think… they weren't actually greeting you."
"…I know, Mengmeng." Zhang Da Ye felt a sharp sting in his chest.
Meanwhile Tom was already making a fire. Even though they had just eaten, no cat could resist fresh fish.
The elders helped clean a few fish before finally chatting with Zhang Da Ye. "So, lad, here to dig up some information again?"
"Nothing like that today," Zhang Da Ye replied. "We're just out shopping. Tom wanted some fresh or unusual fish. Since we were passing by, we thought we'd stop to say hi."
"Fresh fish? Aren't they right here? My whole bucket's for Tom."
"Take mine too, don't be polite."
They were incredibly generous. Zhang Da Ye tried to decline. "You worked hard catching them. If I take them all, what will you eat?"
Old Bob chuckled, watching Tom flip fish over the fire. "We don't fish for food. Most of the time we just share with neighbors. Besides, what we give Tom has nothing to do with you!"
"That's right!" the others echoed.
"Boss, I think they're kind of… dismissing you," Rui Mengmeng whispered.
"…I know, Mengmeng." Zhang Da Ye resisted the urge to dock her pay. Why hadn't he noticed her sharp tongue when she watched anime?
Soon a small fire crackled, with ten fish roasting above it. The nine of them sat in a row, watching Tom perform.
The fish were of different sizes and types, but Tom managed each one perfectly—flipping them at just the right times, sometimes slicing small cuts and sprinkling seasoning.
The savory aroma drifted out, making Bob swallow hard. "By the way, is this young lady a new hire?"
"Yes," Zhang Da Ye nodded. "Business has been good lately, so I brought her on."
That gave Bob's friends a chance to rib him. "See that? Knows how to run a business. Bob, retiring was a waste of such a good spot!"
"You guys aren't any better than me!"
They bickered back and forth until the restaurant owner among them turned to Zhang Da Ye. "You mentioned special fish. Come by my shop—I just got a big Elephant Tuna last night. A South Blue specialty. Rare around here."
He slipped in his advertisement, then turned back to the quarrel without waiting for an answer.
Zhang Da Ye knew of Elephant Tuna: a fish with a nose like an elephant's trunk. The Straw Hat crew once had one, and Luffy ate it down to the bones. In reality, they were ornamental fish, but here it seemed they were edible and tasty.
The arguing only ended once Tom handed out the grilled fish.
"Such great grilled fish… what a shame we don't have wine." The restaurant owner sighed while gnawing on his portion.
Bob grinned, pulling out a small flask from his pocket, sipping with a smug look that instantly made the others want to smack him.
"Old man, share the good stuff!"
"Yeah, no fun drinking alone!"
Bob smirked. "Oh? Weren't you all mocking me just a moment ago? And now you're craving my wine?"
The restaurant owner sniffed and could tell it was fine liquor. He quickly changed his tone, buttering Bob up for a sip. The others followed suit, and soon the old men were squabbling again like children.
Meanwhile, Zhang Da Ye and the others just focused on eating. Artoria, in particular, ate with elegance yet alarming speed.
Tom, knowing her appetite, had set aside the largest fish for her. Even so, she had already eaten half in just a short while.
When the fish were finished, Zhang Da Ye stood and said, "We'll be off then—going to check out that Elephant Tuna at the shop."
At the elders' request, Tom picked a few favorite fish to bring along.
Zhang Da Ye thanked them on his behalf, though the old men acted as though they'd come out ahead.
Once the fish were loaded, Tom hopped back into the basket. Zhang Da Ye mounted the bike, while Artoria hopped off the other side at the same time. The motion was so smooth it looked like a chemical replacement reaction.
Wait… was that disdain for me?
"What's wrong?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
Artoria stared out toward the sea. "A ship is coming."
"Really? There's a shadow growing larger!" Rui Mengmeng pointed.
Shading his eyes, Zhang Da Ye peered into the distance. Tom climbed atop his head, striking the same pose.
"Can't see clearly. I might need a telescope."
Just then, a pair of binoculars dropped into his hands from above. He raised them. "Thanks."
After a few seconds, he lowered the glasses and looked up—straight into Tom's gaze.
"When did you get up there?"
Tom spread his paws and hopped back down onto Zhang Da Ye's shoulder, as if to say: standing higher lets you see farther.
But there were more pressing matters. "It's a white flag… I can't make out the emblem. The sails say 'Black Merchants Guild.' Is that what a merchant ship looks like?"