OPTC Chapter 161 Leading Thieves to Repent
"Boss, we caught two more thieves today, but unfortunately there's no bounty on them." Rui Meng Meng pointed to the yard, signaling that the culprits were tied up outside.
"I'll go take a look," Zhang Da Ye said as he headed toward the yard. "Oh, right, here's your cotton candy, and one for Shark Chili too."
When snacks were bought, everyone got a share. Tom and Artoria were happily munching away, one bite on the left, one bite on the right, grinning as they ate.
But Shark Chili refused. "This isn't dessert time. Extra sweets are bad for your teeth. That goes for you two as well—make sure you rinse your mouths afterward."
Everyone nodded together. Only Zhang Da Ye wanted to complain. Was it really necessary to apply human dental care rules to someone with steel teeth?
He pulled aside the curtain to enter the backyard. Two petty thieves were tied back-to-back, mouths stuffed so they couldn't make a sound. They had fallen into different traps.
One had stepped on a long nail, which was still stuck in his foot. The other had been caught in a mousetrap, leaving his foot swollen red—even with the shoe still on.
The two were in terrible pain, but strangely relieved, because in the corner they could see other traps: spiked caltrops, huge animal traps, and even a landmine.
Tom had once buried that landmine to protect cheese from Jerry. Of course, he'd ended up stepping on it himself.
The two thieves were on the verge of tears. Wasn't this overkill? Just because there's a little gold in the tavern, did it really have to look like a battlefield trench?
Zhang Da Ye squatted down in front of them. "Does it hurt?"
"Mmm! Mmm!" They nodded furiously.
Of course it hurt. Forget the mousetrap—those nails from Tom's world were bad enough that even Spike the bulldog couldn't handle them. He'd just sit and cry.
"You still dare to be thieves after this?"
Both of them shook their heads frantically. Whether they would quit stealing altogether was uncertain, but one thing was for sure—they'd never come near this tavern again. Today it was nails; what if tomorrow it was a landmine?
"Since you're showing a decent attitude…" Zhang Da Ye grabbed one thief's foot and yanked out the nail.
"MMM!" The man broke out in a cold sweat from the pain.
"Ah, sorry. I should have warned you first." Zhang Da Ye absentmindedly stuck the nail back in. He swore he wasn't deliberately torturing them—it was just that after spending so long with Tom, some of the influence rubbed off.
The poor thief nearly cried again. What kind of devil was this?
"Uh… maybe I should try again and really take it out this time?"
The man shook his head violently, eyes filled with desperate pleading. He clearly wanted to say, "Just let me go. I'll never dare again."
Feeling a little awkward, Zhang Da Ye turned to the other. "Then I'll take off your mousetrap?"
The second thief shook his head even harder, horrified. Wasn't tormenting one person enough?
"Ahem. Fine then. I'll just hand you two over to the sheriff later. Don't cause any more trouble."
Both nodded obediently, eager to get as far away from this devil as possible.
Another day, another lesson in morality, Zhang Da Ye thought as he turned away.
For petty theft without a bounty, there was no need to chop them down on the spot. A beating and a handover to the sheriff was normally enough. But after all this commotion, Zhang Da Ye felt awkward about even beating them. Better to leave it be.
Recently, the sheriff in charge of 59GR had been treating Zhang Da Ye extremely well. The petty thieves, shady merchants, and local thugs had all been scared stiff by him.
These troublemakers, who usually defied authority, suddenly began sucking up to the sheriff. Not only did that bring him some subtle side income, but it also gave him real political credit.
The sheriff was no fool—he knew exactly who to thank. Now whenever he saw anyone from the tavern, he treated them like family.
So after lunch, Zhang Da Ye made a call, and the sheriff hurried over to take the thieves away.
"I feel like I've become the local tyrant here. Even the officials treat me with fear and respect," Zhang Da Ye muttered as he watched the sheriff drag the thieves off.
"Mr. Tyrant, hand over the innocent maiden Artoria you abducted," came Vice Admiral Gion's teasing voice from the side.
Zhang Da Ye turned his head. "Eavesdropping isn't a good habit."
"Sorry, sorry, I just happened to overhear," Gion said with a wink. "Or maybe what I heard was Da Ye-chan's secret inner desire?"
"Who would ever have that kind of desire?" Zhang Da Ye sighed. "Please, come in."
Vice Admiral Gion casually greeted Shark Chili and Rui Meng Meng before plopping herself down right next to Artoria, chatting away like an old friend.
After hesitating, Zhang Da Ye finally asked, "Vice Admiral Gion, we want some Seastone handcuffs. Is there a way to get them?"
"Of course," Gion said brightly. "Join the Navy. With your potential, not only will you get handcuffs, but you can also apply for custom Seastone weapons."
Zhang Da Ye looked at her flatly. "You know that's not the answer I want."
"But it's the answer I want to give," she laughed, before dropping the joke. "Honestly, with my authority, I could give you a pair or two. But there has to be a proper reason. It's not my personal property—I can't just say I'm giving them to friends."
"A reason…" Zhang Da Ye thought. "What if I said we've caught a lot of wanted criminals recently?"
Gion frowned slightly. "That's part of it, but not enough. There are bounty hunters more diligent than you."
"Then what if I said that, to assist a certain Navy vice admiral, we provided crucial intel, and now the notorious Donquixote Family might be after us? We can't eat or sleep from fear. And since they're all Devil Fruit users, we really need a few Seastone handcuffs for protection."
He laid it on thick, mixing sarcasm with pity.
Gion immediately saw through his act. Pointing at Artoria, who was calmly wiping her mouth, and Tom, who was snoring on the table, she laughed. "And this is what you call not being able to eat or sleep?"
"Uh… well, since we can't eat properly, we need snacks. And since we can't sleep at night, we need naps during the day. Perfectly reasonable." Even Zhang Da Ye didn't believe his own words.
"Fine, fine, I'll give it to you." In truth, the moment he mentioned Doflamingo, she had already decided. The Navy's failure to capture the Donquixote Family could indeed bring trouble to Zhang Da Ye's group. A little Seastone was fair compensation.
"I'll send it over later. But if you really run into the Donquixote Family, try not to act rashly. Call us immediately."
"Got it, got it," Zhang Da Ye said happily. If they came for trouble, he'd be sure to tell them not to act rashly.
"So, Artoria…" Gion rested her hand on her sword, Kinpira. "Since I have some free time, how about a spar?"
"Sure. Where?" Artoria asked without hesitation.
"Since I need to head back to HQ soon, let's just do it here in the yard," Gion suggested.
"Alright," Artoria agreed.
Zhang Da Ye remembered the last time she sparred with Mihawk, when sword strikes went flying everywhere. "Hey, you're not planning to tear the tavern down, are you?"
"Relax, Da Ye-chan. It's just a spar, not a fight to the death. We'll hold back." Gion gave him a playful wink.
Zhang Da Ye wasn't charmed. He was only worried about the tavern.
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