Neptune readily agreed to lend them the ship that Queen Otohime had last taken to Mariejois.
It was the finest vessel in Ryugu Palace, pulled by a large sea creature strong enough to outpace most Sea Kings.
Neptune asked, "Are you sure you don't need a few merfolk to accompany you? At the very least, they could help you communicate with the sea eel."
"No need. We've already traveled with Queen Otohime on that ship before, and we're on good terms with the eel," Zhang Da Ye declined politely.
The main reason was that Artoria had confirmed her riding skill worked perfectly with this kind of animal-powered craft. In fact, she found it easier to handle than most ordinary ships.
As for lifeguards, they weren't necessary. If trouble came, Shark Chili was their walking insurance policy—a giant shark-man. Everyone only needed a bubble coral to breathe.
Once they boarded, Neptune had already instructed the guards at Fishman Island's exit to let them pass without hindrance.
"Da Ye, how do you plan to find them?" Artoria asked as she steered the vessel into the vast, dim waters. Searching for someone in the deep sea was no easy task.
"I've got two unreliable ideas we can test first. If those don't work, we'll figure out something else," Zhang Da Ye said.
Shark Chili and Rui Meng Meng stared at him wordlessly. How could he say "unreliable" with such confidence?
Only Artoria followed up. "What's the plan?"
Zhang Da Ye lifted his foot, took off his shoe, and handed it to her. "Here, toss this."
Artoria froze, staring at the sneaker in her hand, dumbfounded.
The others: …
Was this something a normal person would come up with?
Tom, however, looked impressed. To him, this was brilliant. When he got lost, he usually tossed a stick—since he rarely wore shoes.
Zhang Da Ye coughed lightly. "You've got Luck A, right? I figure the success rate's pretty high. With no leads, we need to pick a direction anyway."
"Boss… are you serious?" Rui Meng Meng looked at Artoria holding a size 43 sneaker, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"Just try it," Zhang Da Ye urged.
Expressionless, Artoria tossed the shoe into the air. Thankfully, Zhang Da Ye kept his feet clean—otherwise, the entire crew would've dropped dead on the spot.
The sneaker landed with a thud. Zhang Da Ye immediately barked, "Alright, full left rudder! Let's go!"
They didn't even need to touch the wheel; the sea eel below obediently shifted direction and surged ahead.
Though everyone found Zhang Da Ye's method absurd, they had no better option. They spread out across the deck, keeping watch in all directions.
The dim light of the deep sea made it hard to see. They had only the ship's lamps, and even Artoria's sensing ability couldn't extend far.
For nearly half an hour, they searched without luck. Zhang Da Ye even thought to himself that if Vander Decken would kindly toss them another love letter—or even a knife—it would save them a lot of trouble.
"Boss, I found something!" Rui Meng Meng suddenly shouted. "There's a ship over there!"
Everyone gathered, peering where she pointed. Sure enough, a broken vessel drifted along the current without a bubble membrane, slowly sinking.
Zhang Da Ye briefly wondered why the wooden wreck wasn't floating upward, then gave up on the thought. "Bring us closer!"
"I'll check it out first." Shark Chili leapt out of the bubble and swam over.
Moments later, he returned. "The ship's been violently destroyed. The cabin's a mess, like it was looted. There are corpses inside—recent ones."
"That's a lead!" Zhang Da Ye's eyes lit up. "Who else would rob people in a place like this but Vander Decken? Maybe he just stole those gold bangles."
"I can't believe this actually worked…" Rui Meng Meng muttered, even though she was the one who spotted it.
Artoria nodded. "That means they're likely still in this area. Let's search here."
At that, Rui Meng Meng silently removed her own shoe and handed it to Artoria.
Artoria's ahoge: ?
"Luck isn't omnipotent. Even for me, this much is already stretching it." She shot a slightly annoyed glance at Zhang Da Ye, silently telling him she refused to make shoe-tossing their standard method of investigation.
"Ahem. Then let's just follow the current's trail," Zhang Da Ye said quickly, pointing in the opposite direction of the drifting wreck. "The ship must've come from that way."
"Leave the current to me." Shark Chili hopped to the front, sitting atop the eel's head. Reading the sea was second nature to him.
An hour passed with nothing to show for it, except one deep-sea fish about seven or eight meters long that had the misfortune of attacking Shark Chili and getting itself killed.
At least it provided some grilled meat for the group and a snack for the hard-working eel.
"I'm full. But we can't just wander aimlessly forever, Boss Da Ye," Shark Chili said while pulling out his giant toothbrush.
After a week on Fishman Island, he had already sampled every brand of toothpaste they sold. He was eager to compare them against the varieties in Sabaody Archipelago. This, to him, was serious business.
"Yeah, Boss, didn't you say you had a second plan?" Rui Meng Meng asked.
"The second one needs a rare item, and it might not even work," Zhang Da Ye admitted reluctantly. "How about Artoria tosses a shoe again?"
Artoria didn't speak. She simply tore off a chunk of meat from a skewer, glaring at him while chewing with deliberate intensity.
"Alright, alright! Second plan it is." Zhang Da Ye surrendered. "Shark Chili, lend me your compass."
"Sure." Shark Chili pressed a spot on his waist. His jaw popped open like a drawer, revealing a navigator's compass inside.
Unlike when he opened his mouth normally, this storage compartment in his shark head was just a simple pocket—no space magic, just a small area where he kept his toothbrush and odds and ends.
He had bought the compass to practice navigation. While useless in the Grand Line's magnetic chaos, it was essential in the Four Seas.
Naturally, as soon as it came out here, the needle spun wildly from interference.
"Tom, hand me Vander Decken's photo."
Tom reached behind himself and, with a magician's flourish, produced a picture.
Nobody questioned why he had a photo when they had already given the original to Neptune for copying.
Zhang Da Ye placed the compass and the photo together, then pulled out a rare item from his inventory:
[Star of Peace (Fake): While it cannot grant wishes, attaching it to an ordinary object allows the object to manifest mysterious powers. Once the energy is spent, it crumbles into dust.]
These fake Stars of Peace usually enhanced items based on their owner's wishes. For example: sneakers that never missed a shot, a golf club that always hit a hole-in-one, or a fishing rod capable of catching a Kabuda giant.
Which meant that, sensing Zhang Da Ye's strong desire to locate someone, the compass would most likely transform into a super-tracker.
"Come on, goddess of luck, bless me!"
"Artoria, bless us!"
"White-senpai, bless us!"
TL/N: I have a new fanfic. A mix of DC/Marvel/The Boys and many other shows, anime or movies. It's a unique type of fanfic ngl. [Homelander? Who Cares! I'm Superman's Doomsday!]
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
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patreon.com/GuessMyName33 for up to 40 chapters ahead]