Tom once dreamed of becoming a rich cat. He wanted to sleep on piles of money, eat endless delicacies, drink expensive wines, and have pretty little she-cats massaging his shoulders and legs.
But now that Tom actually had money, he didn't know what to do with it.
Buy food? Every day at home they already ate whatever they wanted. Four cookbooks plus Artoria's food notes were waiting for him to try.
Buy wine? Their home was literally a tavern, and with how much his master spoiled him, he could drink whatever he liked.
Find pretty she-cats? Forget it. If Tom wanted massages or grooming, he could just ask his little apprentice Rui Mengmeng, and even Artoria wouldn't refuse to stroke his fur if he asked.
As for romance, after being burned too many times, Tom didn't want to bother with shallow cats anymore. He believed that one day, he'd meet someone gentle, sweet, and truly devoted to him.
So in the end, Tom spread all his money—over a thousand bills—across his little bed and tried sleeping on it, just to see what it felt like.
That night, when Zhang Da Ye saw Tom buried in a pile of cash, he couldn't help but laugh. "A pile of paper can't be very warm, can it?"
He placed a blanket nearby. Covering Tom directly might make the bills uncomfortable, but this way, if Tom got cold, he could just reach out and grab it.
The next morning, Zhang Da Ye woke up to find neat stacks of bills placed by his bedside. Tom was curled up under the blanket in his own little bed, fast asleep.
On top of the bills was a note in Tom's handwriting: "I have no interest in money."
Zhang Da Ye chuckled as he put the money away. "Silly cat. Let me hold onto this for you. When you're older, I'll use it to get you a wife."
The truth was, Tom had woken up in the middle of the night. Sleeping on money was awful—the edges poked him, it was cold, and it even smelled bad.
So he tidied up the bills and returned to his warm blanket. The blanket smelled of sunshine and his master. Tom burrowed happily into it and decided he'd sleep in.
Zhang Da Ye quietly turned off the alarm, didn't draw the curtains, and slipped out of the room.
"Morning, Boss." Rui Mengmeng had just washed up.
"Morning," Zhang Da Ye yawned. "Let's make breakfast today. Let Tom sleep a little longer."
"Sure. What do you want to eat?"
"Fried dough sticks with tofu pudding. Too bad I have no idea how to make them…" He sighed. Dough sticks were doable, but tofu pudding? He wouldn't even know where to start.
"I can fry dough sticks," Rui Mengmeng said, "but I don't know how to make tofu pudding. How about soy milk instead?"
"That works. Go soak the soybeans. I'll help after I wash up."
"Should we ask Artoria?"
"No need. She eats anything."
…
Making soy milk is simple: soak the beans, put them in the soy milk machine, add water, press the button.
The problem? They didn't have a soy milk machine.
While Zhang Da Ye was puzzling over how to grind the beans, Artoria stepped forward. "If it's for food, leave it to me."
He gave her a doubtful look. Aside from cutting vegetables, he had little faith in her kitchen skills. Was she going to slice the beans into atoms with swordsmanship?
Artoria placed the soaked beans and water in a metal basin, covered it with a glass lid, then raised her hand. "Invisible Air!"
The basin turned transparent. She frowned. "No, the wind needs to go inside and crush the beans."
The basin shimmered again, and inside, beans and water whirled violently.
The beans were shredded by fine wind blades and water currents, turning the liquid milky white.
"Not enough. Faster, more chaotic!" Magic surged in her hands. "Wind King Soy Milk Machine!"
Zhang Da Ye's jaw dropped. This looked like training a Rasengan!
Within minutes, the whirling stopped. Artoria lifted the lid. "Done! Can we drink it now?"
"Ah—no, it still needs to be boiled," Rui Mengmeng quickly said, taking the basin to cook it.
Artoria left the kitchen, proud. Today, they'd eat something she had helped make! Even if it was just a step, she felt fulfilled.
When Tom woke, breakfast was ready: a big plate of fried dough sticks, a pot of soy milk, and some side dishes.
There was even a little bowl of sugar so everyone could sweeten their soy milk to taste.
Tom happily tried the new food. Zhang Da Ye savored the nostalgic flavor.
Rui Mengmeng didn't feel anything special—it had only been a few days since she came, and her own eating habits were different.
Artoria ate with delight, not because she was picky, but because she had taken part in making it.
As for the milk delivery that morning? Nobody touched it. Zhang Da Ye put it in the fridge. Somehow, fried dough sticks with milk just felt wrong.
…
Later that morning, Zhang Da Ye sparred with Rui Mengmeng and, for once, won.
Of course, it was mostly because she was holding back. She was faster and stronger, but hitting her boss? That was something she just couldn't bring herself to do.
Artoria had already begun teaching Zhang Da Ye how to sense auras—a power similar to Observation Haki. It wasn't easy, but that was normal.
In the afternoon, they bought a massive fridge, even bigger than Tom's.
It was clearly designed for long voyages, able to store food for many days. Some even came with custom features—like Sanji's fridge, which had a password lock to keep Luffy out.
Zhang Da Ye didn't need that. If Tom wanted to raid the fridge, let him. After some lectures, Tom no longer wasted food. He'd even tidy up afterward.
That evening, customers gossiped about recent events. The lawless zone had been especially chaotic, with a big fight just that morning.
And there was another rumor: a certain tavern owner and his employees had taken down a pirate crew of dozens.
The reactions were loud:
"Brother Da Ye is too strong!"
"He actually beat a pirate worth tens of millions!"
"Treat us, Brother Da Ye!"
Zhang Da Ye grinned at their rowdiness. "Even if you flatter me, I won't be happy, you bastards!"
The line sounded oddly familiar…
But it didn't matter. Just a little praise and they expected free drinks? Dream on!
(Trivia: Sanji's fridge password is 7326—Nami and Robin's birthdays (Nana = 7, idk where the 3 is from, 2 = Ni(co), 6 = Roku))