Zhang Da Ye politely declined T-Bone's offer to have Marines escort them out. Instead, he and his companions chose to leave on their own ship.
He and Rui Mengmeng managed the sails while Artoria took the helm.
In truth, once the sails were raised and secured, there wasn't much left to do—everything depended on the helmsman. With Artoria's riding skills, steering any kind of vessel came as naturally to her as horseback riding.
Zhang Da Ye even suspected that, with the right winds, she could drift a sailing ship across the waves.
As for Tom, he had already scampered up to the lookout perch, one paw shading his eyes as he surveyed the sea, looking entirely at home in the role of watchman.
The shipyard at Grove 59 wasn't far. They arrived quickly, though only after Artoria had taken them on a playful detour around the sea for fun.
They didn't dare venture too far, since leaving the Sabaody climate zone would cause their bubble-car to break down.
The shipyard resembled a naval harbor, with a dedicated water channel leading inside. Beyond it lay a neat crescent-shaped bay, though it was unclear whether nature or the shipyard owner's axe had shaped the Yarukiman mangrove trunks into this form.
Ten docks were evenly spaced within, each busy with vessels—some under construction, others being repaired, and one dock reserved solely for scrapping ships.
Zhang Da Ye had often jogged past the shipyard before but never dared to enter, not wanting to disturb Goodman's work. This was his first time stepping inside.
"Dock here, dock here!" someone on shore shouted directions the moment they entered.
Artoria obeyed, steering the ship in, while Zhang Da Ye and Rui Mengmeng dropped anchor and tied down the sails.
Tom, eager to descend from the lookout perch, leapt—but his right foot caught on the edge. He flailed helplessly and plummeted headfirst toward the deck.
"Tom." Zhang Da Ye calmly stretched out his arms, eyes sharp enough to never miss.
Tom also trusted him completely. His panic vanished in an instant; he flipped in midair, one arm propped casually behind his head, legs crossed, ready to lounge gracefully into his master's embrace.
He even had time to light a cigarette and puff out a perfect smoke ring.
Just as expected, Zhang Da Ye caught Tom's head and feet with perfect precision. The problem was… the middle of Tom's body hit the deck with a thud. -_-
"Teacher Tom!" Rui Mengmeng shrieked.
"Tom!" Even Artoria, who prided herself on composure, was struck dumb by the sight.
Zhang Da Ye, though somewhat prepared for oddities, still gawked in disbelief. He had seen Tom flattened, stretched, inflated like a balloon—but split neatly into three pieces? That was new.
Tom lay there, eyes rolling upward to catch their stunned expressions. Then he looked back at his own state in puzzlement.
(Please read this next sound as if inhaling.) "Hhhuuuhh~~"
With a gasp, Tom's head and legs sprang out of Zhang Da Ye's hands, scrambling clumsily to reattach themselves. He then wrapped tape around the seams for good measure.
Rui Mengmeng stared, speechless. "That… that's it? He's fine?"
Tom nodded confidently. The pain was gone, so he figured he was good as new.
Still uneasy, Artoria ran her hands over him from head to toe, testing his breathing. Everything seemed normal—as if nothing had happened.
Zhang Da Ye fetched a travel water flask from the bubble-car and handed it over. "Drink this, let's see."
Obediently, Tom took a swig. Moments later, thin streams of water squirted out through the gaps in the tape, trickling onto the deck.
"This defies all logic…" Rui Mengmeng's worldview shattered yet again.
Artoria was growing numb to it all. Da Ye's claim that Tom was immortal no longer sounded like a joke—but this version of immortality was far stranger than she had imagined.
Tom stared at the water leaking from his own body, shocked. Was he… a leaking cat?
Zhang Da Ye patted his head gently. "Stay calm. Give it some time. Once you stop leaking, you'll be fine."
"Hey, isn't that Boss Da Ye from the tavern?" The shipyard worker who had been shouting directions earlier seemed to recognize him.
Luckily, he hadn't seen Tom shatter and tape himself back together, or else he wouldn't be this calm.
Zhang Da Ye waved from the ship. "It's me. Is Uncle Goodman around?"
"Of course. Hold on a sec." The worker turned and bellowed, "Goodman! Someone's here for you!"
His booming voice made Zhang Da Ye nostalgic—it reminded him of his school days, when kids would holler down the hallway to fetch classmates.
"Coming!" Goodman's reply was just as loud.
"Thanks. Stop by the tavern sometime—I'll treat you to a drink!" Zhang Da Ye promised with uncharacteristic generosity. Perhaps today's earnings had put him in a good mood.
"Sounds great," the worker grinned before heading back to his tasks.
By the time Zhang Da Ye and his companions disembarked, Goodman had already arrived.
"Da Ye, my boy! Long time no see!" Goodman greeted warmly.
"Yeah, and how come you never drop by the tavern? Is Aunt Molly keeping too tight a leash?" Da Ye teased.
"She couldn't leash me in a hundred years!" Goodman barked proudly. "She just nags that you never come over to visit."
"Haha, I'll come by in the next couple of days," Da Ye chuckled, then asked, "How's little Bail? Didn't you say you were taking him on as an apprentice?"
"I gave him the day off. Kids need some freedom." Goodman looked slightly bored—he hadn't yet found an excuse to brag about his youth. "So, what brings you here today? And what's the story with this ship?"
Da Ye recounted everything honestly, making sure to emphasize the number of pirates—thirty-four, not three thousand four hundred.
At this point, Da Ye figured spreading a bit of reputation would be useful. Better that word got out, so petty thugs would think twice before coveting his cat.
Keep too low a profile and you end up like a pig pretending to be weak, only to be bullied by actual rats. Truly annoying.
"So anyway, this ship is no use to me. I'll sell it. Give me a fair price—I'm not hurting for money."
Goodman swallowed hard. Thirty-four pirates, one with a bounty over ten million… He admitted their shipyard crew could've handled such a group—but Da Ye had done it with just three people and a cat.
"You've found yourself some extraordinary companions," Goodman said with awe.
Da Ye nodded. Of course they were extraordinary. After all, in his tavern, he was the weakest one there.