OPTC Chapter 168 A Well-Behaved Tom Never Gives His Master Trouble, Right?
"Everyone! Island spotted ahead, prepare to land!"
"Oh!"
Three pirate ships bearing the same emblem sailed toward the Sabaody Archipelago, occasionally echoing with cheers from the pirates.
In the Grand Line, discovering an island was always a reason to celebrate—it meant they had safely completed another leg of their journey.
But this time, their luck might be running out. Ahead of them was a small boat.
Looking closer, it wasn't really a boat, but a small wooden raft, with a blonde girl sitting on it, fishing.
What would pirates do when they encounter a lone boat at sea? Of course, they would row over, see if there's anything to steal, and if not, sink it.
These pirates thought the same. But to their shock, the girl set down her fishing rod and began running across the water toward the middle ship. Silver-blue armor appeared on her body, and a long sword materialized in her hand.
"She's a Devil Fruit user! Fire at her!" the captain ordered, but it was too late.
"Ha!" Artoria swung her sword, golden light flashing, cutting a pirate ship cleanly in half.
"What is this!?" The pirates screamed in terror. Some clung to railings to avoid falling overboard; others lost balance and tumbled into the water.
"Damn it! Everyone, aim at her and fire!" another pirate captain shouted, adjusting the cannon.
"But captain, there are our own people there!"
"Stop complaining! That's someone who can stand on water! If we don't deal with her, we're doomed! Go!"
"Yes!"
"Don't think you can sneak attack!" Rui Meng Meng swung her sword at the main mast of the ship. The tall mast fell along the cut, crushing pirates scrambling on the deck.
"When did this woman even get on board?"
"Don't care! There's only one of her. Everyone attack and take her down!" The pirate captain barked, leading over thirty men toward Rui Meng Meng.
"Uh… this is too many people! Oh my goodness!" Rui Meng Meng's previous confidence vanished. She dodged clumsily, a frightened child among swinging blades.
"Hahaha, now it's too late to be afraid—huh?" The captain was confused. The little girl had been pursued, yet his men were vanishing.
Why do you shout in fear but slash so fiercely?
"Fighting enemies like you, even with a broken sword, I can… ah, too embarrassing." Rui Meng Meng lightly parried a large blade, cutting down one pirate, then sidestepped another attack.
She danced among the pirates with increasing confidence, even trying out the ridiculous lines Zhang Da Ye had taught her.
Meanwhile, Zhang Da Ye wasn't idle either. His target was the third ship.
"Captain! Another person standing on the water!"
"What?"
Actually, Zhang Da Ye stood on the shark giant's head. With terrified pirates watching, he swung his sword, releasing a golden slash nearly identical to Artoria's.
"Dodge! Dodge!" The pirates scrambled toward the bow and stern, remembering the destructive power of the slash.
Boom! The slash hit the ship, and the pirates braced to fall into the water—but nothing happened.
"What's going on?" They looked at the ship and saw some scratches, enough to leak water, but not split a ship.
The pirate captain released the railing in frustration. "Check the cabin, everyone else fire!"
Bang bang! Shark Chili controlled the shark giant to rise, shielding Zhang Da Ye from the first wave of bullets. "Boss Da Ye, your slash isn't nearly as powerful as Artoria's, right?"
"Ha… yeah… still getting the hang of it. Let's go board them instead." Zhang Da Ye admitted, slightly embarrassed.
"Good, but let me ram first. Hold tight!" Shark Chili charged the pirate ship with the shark giant, which had been equipped with a safety seat and seatbelt for testing stability.
Zhang Da Ye held onto the shark fin with one hand and Tom with the other. As they leapt onto the deck, the shark giant's dorsal fin tore a large hole in the ship's bottom. The ship shuddered.
Water poured in, but Shark Chili wasn't trying to dismantle the ship. He opened the cockpit and jumped onto the deck, eager to practice Fish-Man Karate.
Once steady, Zhang Da Ye and Shark Chili joined the pirates in combat.
Tom jumped down and dashed into the cabin. No one noticed him; in such a chaotic fight, who would care about a wandering cat?
Bored and seeking amusement, Tom decided to play on his own without bothering his masters. He eyed a cannon, targeting Rui Meng Meng's ship, a perfect distance to practice.
He adjusted the cannon, gave a thumbs-up, and ignited the fuse with a match under his paw—a process he knew well.
Tom tossed the match and rubbed his paws excitedly, not noticing it hadn't gone out and had bounced into a dangerous spot.
Boom! Boom! Bang!
Tom barely understood what happened before a series of explosions sent him flying.
The chaos wasn't limited to Tom; the deck erupted. Explosions tore through the cabin, deck, and mast, hurling pirates into the air.
Zhang Da Ye and Shark Chili were also thrown, Zhang Da Ye flipping in midair, faintly hearing pirates shout about the ammunition exploding, finally realizing what occurred.
Another question arose: how did the ammo explode on its own?
Zhang Da Ye finally understood midair when he grabbed Tom, also airborne.
The reason? Tom's current appearance was extreme—front intact, but back completely burnt, pink skin exposed with tiny burnt stubs, some areas blackened.
Six whiskers curled from the heat, and his bewildered expression added a comical touch.
"Tom, what did you do this time?" Zhang Da Ye sighed. "I leave for a moment, and you set off someone's ammo?"
"Wuuuuu…" Tom glanced at his missing fur, tears welling up, clearly distressed.
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