"Yo, Da Ye's back!"
"Isn't that Brother Da Ye?"
"Little boss, when's the tavern reopening?"
Zhang Da Ye and his group walked down the street with bags slung over their shoulders, greeting familiar faces along the way.
"Yeah, we're back."
"Hello there."
"After a short rest, we'll reopen."
Zhang Da Ye replied one by one.
In truth, he hadn't actually decided when—or even if—the tavern would reopen. The gold they had gained this time, if sold, was enough to buy a fine ship. But selling off gifts that had just been given to them didn't feel right.
Besides, everyone seemed to cherish their presents. Telling them outright that he planned to sell them would likely make them reluctant.
Especially Tom. The golden statue of himself—life-sized—he insisted on carrying personally. If his arms grew tired, he hugged it; if hugging wore him out, he slung it on his back; if that became too much, he hugged it again. Round and round, exhausted yet overjoyed.
Shark Chili had already stashed his golden toothbrush safely in his shark-head locker, right beside his regular toothbrush.
Rui Meng Meng's golden sword and Artoria's golden armor had been carefully placed by Zhang Da Ye into a secure cabinet within his item space, along with his own golden folding stool.
He'd tried sitting on that stool—hard, cold, and awkward. Using it to hit someone might be a better idea.
Artoria didn't care much for her armor anyway. She wasn't Gilgamesh, strutting around in flashy golden plate for no reason.
So the question of whether to sell the gold for a ship or keep it as mementos would have to be settled after a discussion with everyone.
The bell hanging from the tavern door jingled brightly, welcoming its owners home.
"Ahh, I'm exhausted." Zhang Da Ye dropped his bag on the table. In truth, he wasn't tired at all. But after a week-long trip, sinking into his chair at home, the words slipped out naturally.
The one truly drained was Tom, who had carried his statue the entire way. The poor cat was barely standing. He set it down carefully, opened the bag from time to time, and grinned at it with delight.
Artoria was already boiling water, making tea, and setting out snacks with practiced ease. She still hadn't had her fill of Fishman Island sweets.
Shark Chili took the toothpaste he had bought on Fishman Island and stored it neatly in his room.
Rui Meng Meng grabbed a rag and mop, planning to clean up.
After sitting a while, Zhang Da Ye decided to sort through the souvenirs and gifts they had brought back. Seeing Tom still clutching his statue, he said,
"Tom, why don't you carry the statue upstairs? Leaving it here in plain sight, someone might steal it."
Tom hesitated. He'd wanted to show it off downstairs—he was not the low-key type—but the thought of it being stolen was too painful.
"How about I store it away for you? I'll bring it out whenever you want to see it." Zhang Da Ye used the classic parent-trick of "keeping the red envelope safe."
But Tom was too clever for that. He shook his head furiously, picked up the statue, and bolted upstairs.
Zhang Da Ye let him be. Knowing Tom's short attention span, he'd probably forget about the statue after a few days.
"Two bottles of Ryugu Castle's wine for Uncle Goodman, this coral ornament looks nice for Aunt Molly, and these photos—after I have them developed, I'll send a few copies too. For little Bayer… maybe some of Fishman Island's sweets?"
He casually took two boxes of sweets from the bag Artoria had placed on the table.
Stare—
Artoria's eyes locked onto his hands.
Zhang Da Ye blinked, moving the box left and right. Her head followed. He drew a figure-eight in the air with the box; her head tilted along, the ahoge atop her head bouncing as if she might pounce to protect her food.
"I'll deduct this from my share, alright?" Zhang Da Ye said helplessly.
Her cheeks reddened slightly—just an unconscious reflex. "It's fine. I don't mind. You could even give away my golden armor if you wanted."
Zhang Da Ye smiled and shook his head. Golden armor might be negotiable, but sweets? She'd glare him into the ground.
Hopeless.
"Boss, we've been gone for quite a while, but there's no dust in the house, and the rooms don't have that stale, shut-up smell." Rui Meng Meng came downstairs with a mop.
"Uncle Goodman and Aunt Molly probably came to clean. I left them a spare key. Knowing Aunt Molly, she's the type to tidy up often."
Rui Meng Meng nodded. "So kind of them. I'll go buy some groceries then. Need me to pick up anything else?"
Zhang Da Ye handed him a few large bills. "Bring back the past few days' newspapers. Let's see if anything big happened while we were away."
"Alright." Rui Meng Meng pocketed the money and headed out, only to return moments later.
"Boss, there's a letter in the mailbox. Looks like it's for Artoria."
"Hm?" Artoria quickly swallowed what she was eating, wiped her hands, and accepted the envelope.
"Who sent it?" Zhang Da Ye was surprised. He himself had never received a single letter. Why Artoria?
Both he and Rui Meng Meng suddenly thought of Vander Decken—surely it wasn't a love letter?
"It's from Vice Admiral Gion."
"Oh, her?" Zhang Da Ye frowned. "What's she writing for? Trying to recruit you into the Navy?"
"No." Artoria skimmed the letter and shook her head. "Remember how she said she wanted to spar again when she had time? She came by a few days ago, but since we weren't here, she left this note."
Zhang Da Ye recalled the time Mihawk left, and Gion had shown up after. "Ah, right. She mentioned it back then. I thought she was just being polite."
"She says she'll visit again in a few days. She also complained about having a rough time recently—chasing some pirate she couldn't catch." Artoria summarized the rest, handing the paper over.
"Bet it's Doflamingo again. We gave her one of his men's transponder snails last time."
But the moment Zhang Da Ye saw the letter, he felt a chill. The cutesy "dear" and "sweetie," the playful tone, the little heart doodles at the bottom…
The thin paper even smelled faintly of lilies.
How did Artoria read through it so calmly?
Gion was definitely up to no good!
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