Tom suddenly found the dessert in his paws tasteless. A one-hundred-percent accurate prophecy? That meant he was going to die! He bit his paw, trembling all over.
Princess Otohime and Jinbei looked at Tom with pity. What a poor little cat, scared into such a state.
When a cat is frightened, a responsible owner should hold and comfort it—especially when you raise a cat that doesn't even need you to clean its litter box. In times like these, there's nothing much you can do except offer a little comfort.
But this time, Tom's trembling was out of the ordinary. He shook so hard that even Zhang Da Ye, who was holding him, shook in sync, the vibrations running all the way to his hair.
So everyone saw Zhang Da Ye holding Tom while his voice trembled as he asked, "Excuse me… when you say 'die,' what exactly do you mean?"
Shyarly spoke the cruel truth. "Your body will be pierced through. With such a gaping wound, there would be no point in even trying to save you."
Rui Meng Meng and Artoria exchanged a glance, then calmly went back to what they were doing. Even Camie didn't react with surprise.
After all, they had already seen Tom sliced into pieces by Mihawk. A pierced body? Indeed, there would be no point in first aid.
"Then do you know who the enemy is?" Zhang Da Ye casually pressed Tom's soul, which had nearly floated out, back into his body. The motion was so natural that everyone else thought they had imagined it.
"Sorry, I don't have any detailed information," Shyarly replied. The visions she saw couldn't be adjusted for angle or zoom, so she couldn't provide any more clues.
"What about the others? Can you see which companions are with me? How are they doing?" Zhang Da Ye cared more about the situation of his comrades, and also who might join in the future.
Shyarly frowned. "I can faintly make out several figures fighting by your side, and there's a youth with a build about the same as yours. But…"
Zhang Da Ye immediately felt the dread of a twist coming. "But what?"
"I also saw another vision appear at the same time. You were alone, carrying a bag, walking among towering skyscrapers, swallowed by endless crowds. Countless people squeezed into cramped spaces day after day.
"I was sure it was you, yet at the same time, I felt like it had nothing to do with you."
This was the first time Shyarly had encountered such a strange result—not a distant future, but two futures happening simultaneously.
Zhang Da Ye was silent for a while, then looked at her with newfound respect. She must have glimpsed what gamers would call an IF route.
The others may not have understood, but to him, it was obvious—wasn't that just what life would've been like if he hadn't crossed over? After graduation, walking alone in a familiar yet foreign city, crushed by the morning and evening rush, shoving into buses or subways…
How could a prophecy with no flashy special effects hit this hard?
"Thank you for your divination, Miss Shyarly," Zhang Da Ye said politely. Pity the clues were too few—no hint of who the enemy was or who his future comrades would be.
"You don't blame me for frightening your pet with such a dreadful prophecy?" Shyarly suddenly realized that the futures she foresaw were almost always grim. Maybe she should stop offering readings to others.
"It's fine. Tom's easy to cheer up." Zhang Da Ye lifted a plate of heart-shaped pastries. "Here, Tom, eat this. Even if someone pierced your heart, you wouldn't die."
Tom pointed at the dessert, then at himself, giving Zhang Da Ye a suspicious look, as if asking: Really?
Zhang Da Ye nodded firmly. "Really. If I lie, I'm a dog."
Of course he knew Tom wouldn't die—because he wouldn't die whether he ate it or not.
Tom stared at his sincere eyes and was instantly convinced. He opened his mouth wide and swallowed the dessert whole.
Zhang Da Ye struggled to pull his hand back from Tom's mouth, but the plate didn't come with it.
Tom's neck stretched long, the plate's shape bulging clearly in his throat. He was trying to swallow it, but he choked.
"Not good, the plate! Make him spit it out!" Shyarly shouted in panic.
Tom clutched his throat and shook his head violently. This was his lifeline—no way he was spitting it out. A sudden idea struck him: with his right hand, he smacked himself hard on the top of the head.
With a gulp, the plate slid down smoothly, dropping all the way to the tip of his tail before bouncing back into his body.
Tom collapsed on the table, wearing a relaxed expression. Much better.
Shyarly was frantic. "He actually swallowed the plate! What do we do?"
Zhang Da Ye calmly reassured her. "Don't worry. We'll compensate you for the plate."
"That's not the problem!" The usually composed Shyarly bared her sharp teeth and roared, losing her graceful demeanor entirely. Just what was wrong with this man?
"Easy, easy. Believe in your own prophecy. He hasn't been pierced yet, has he? He's not going to die." Zhang Da Ye tried to soothe her with her own logic.
And it worked. In the original timeline, Hody Jones planned to execute the royal family and destroy Fishman Island, but Shyarly had stepped forward to declare that her prophecy said it would be Straw Hat Luffy who destroyed the island, not Hody. Thus, Hody would fail.
Reasonable, convincing.
Sure enough, Shyarly calmed a little at his words.
Princess Otohime and Jinbei were steadier, though still concerned. "Is he really alright?"
"He's fine. Forget swallowing a plate, he could swallow a lump of iron and be fine." Zhang Da Ye urged them not to worry.
And sure enough, a few seconds later Tom perked right up, tongue lolling as he picked out his favorite sweets. No one knew where the plate had gone inside him.
Princess Otohime and Shyarly both sighed in amazement. "Truly incredible."
Jinbei nodded. "The sea is vast. It's no surprise such strange beings might exist."
No, no, no. No matter how vast the sea, you'd never find another creature as bizarre as Tom.
Taking a sip of coffee, Zhang Da Ye turned serious. "Actually, I'd like to ask Jinbei… sir, for some help."
For a moment, he didn't know the right way to address Jinbei, so he went with "sir." Safe enough.
"Please, speak freely." To Jinbei, anyone who saved Princess Otohime was already a benefactor to Fishman Island. He welcomed the chance to repay the debt.
Zhang Da Ye explained, "I'd like to ask if you could see whether Shark Chili can learn Fishman Karate."
"Shark Chili?" Jinbei looked at the robot that resembled a fishman. Teaching a machine Fishman Karate?
Shark Chili himself was puzzled. His last round of sleep-learning hadn't included martial arts like this. Still, in his original world he already knew judo, karate, and sumo. Was Fishman Karate really that different?
"Fishman Karate is a martial art unique to fishmen. Mastered properly, it allows one to strike at the water within an opponent's body with shockwaves." Jinbei summarized its essence.
Even without Armament Haki, he could injure someone like Luffy, despite his rubber body.
Beyond close combat punches and kicks, Fishman Karate also included techniques like Water Shots and Gun Waves, powerful ranged attacks. It was one of the most versatile martial arts in the seas.
"Fishmen with webbed hands have an advantage, but even without them, it's possible to learn. However… Shark Chili's hands…"
Jinbei stared at Shark Chili's stubby hands, each with only a thumb. How was he supposed to punch? And with a steel body, could he ever master the control needed to manipulate water itself?
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