OPTC Chapter 180: Birds of a Feather
Soaked from the rain, the group went back to wash up and change clothes. Tom, who had been bouncing around trying to grab Ye Yan's pennants, was dragged away by Zhang Da Ye.
"That's a pennant demon, not a cat toy. I'll make you a toy stick later, alright?"
Tom shook his head. He wasn't some kitten who cared about toys like that.
Shark Chili led Ye Yan to pick a room and left two pennant demons standing guard outside.
On the way, Ye Yan kept poking at Shark Chili. "Didn't notice before, but now that I look, your design is pretty good. It feels natural, like you're really a robot. But why the clothes over the outside? Kind of ruins the look."
"I am a robot. B-series unit number nine: Shark Chili." Shark Chili brushed his hand away proudly.
Ye Yan's eyes widened. "A real robot? Robots in this world are that advanced?"
"Guess every world has its own quirks," Shark Chili replied. "Like how I can't understand why your world has so many demons."
"Fair point, robot bro." Ye Yan latched onto him with a grin. "Since we've got time, tell me what kind of people everyone else is."
"Sure," Shark Chili agreed, and gave him a rundown of the crew. Then he added with a smile, "Actually, there's one thing everyone has in common. You'll see in a bit."
Half an hour later, Ye Yan sat slack-jawed in front of a mountain of empty plates.
"You're serious with this? Just how big are your stomachs?" It was impossible not to notice the "common trait." Sure, he'd seen people eat more, but those were reincarnated demon kings. These people… they were all human, right?
Zhang Da Ye was picking his teeth with Tom in matching poses. Hearing Ye Yan, he laughed. "Small scene. Almost every strong person in this world is a big eater. In a way, appetite even shows a bit of strength. With that tiny stomach, you've got some catching up to do."
Shark Chili explained the concept of "life return" that Zhang Da Ye had mentioned before.
At first Ye Yan didn't care. Watchmen weren't fighters by trade. His body was already much stronger than a normal person's, though nothing extraordinary among his peers. But the more he thought about it, the more useful it seemed.
Recovering stamina just by eating, speeding up recovery—this was ridiculously practical. Ye Yan grew tempted. "So how do I learn this skill?"
"Simple. Eat more, train more, fight more… and maybe take more beatings. You'll figure it out on your own." Zhang Da Ye remembered that Luffy had learned it that way—classic Garp-style training. Those tough enough thrived. Those not tough enough died.
"You're messing with me, right?" Ye Yan narrowed his eyes. Why not say a hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups every day would make him invincible?
"Well, there's also meditation," Zhang Da Ye added. "They say you can send your consciousness into every corner of your body—even your organs and hair. Then speeding up digestion and recovery becomes child's play." That was something CP9's Rob Lucci once mentioned, and Chopper had read about in books.
Problem was, no one actually knew how to meditate properly, so Ye Yan would just have to figure it out himself.
Shark Chili reminded them, "Once you've rested, we should scrub the deck. Uncle shipwright told us to do that regularly, especially after storms."
On a forty-meter ship, the deck covered several hundred square meters. It wasn't as easy as mopping a floor. With too few hands, it was exhausting work.
Zhang Da Ye turned toward Ye Yan with a kind smile.
Ye Yan immediately went on guard. "What? You planning to squeeze the new guy already?"
"Not at all," Zhang Da Ye said, smiling even wider. "I just meant—don't your pennant demons usually have a lot of free time?"
At that moment, the two on guard dissolved into smoke and slipped into their flags. One of them called out before disappearing, "Boss, time for shift change! Lu Dashan's got the size and strength for heavy work—perfect for this!"
"They can hear us from outside?" Zhang Da Ye blinked. One had been on lookout in the crow's nest, the other at the bow.
Ye Yan explained, "That one's called Swift Ear. Used to be in intelligence—nothing better than eavesdropping. The other is Golden Eye, sharper sight than an eagle. Perfect for sentry duty."
Artoria looked impressed. She hadn't sensed anyone listening in at all. Sure, most of her attention had been on food, but still, from deck to cabin wasn't far.
Rui Meng Meng gasped. "That's like clairvoyance and supernatural hearing!"
"Don't flatter them," Ye Yan scoffed. "They're just two creeps with peeping and eavesdropping habits." His relationship with his pennants was a mix of master-servant and old friends bickering. "You six, stop pretending to sleep. Out. Work."
Six more pennants released smoke, forming upper bodies shaped like genie figures.
The six floated before Zhang Da Ye, arranging themselves in an intimidating formation. One with an especially long tongue sneered. "Back in my day, I was a great demon king feared far and wide. And you dare order our master to make us do such things? Too arrogant!"
The others joined in. "That's right! Just a mortal, don't get cocky!"
The air grew tense.
But Zhang Da Ye wasn't fazed. "I'd watch your tone. Or I'll dock your boss's wages."
The pennants froze, then instantly bowed low. "Boss, have mercy! We'll get to work right away!"
"Damn those traitors Swift Ear and Golden Eye!"
"Next time, let's beat them up together!"
"Till even their master won't recognize them!"
Grumbling, the pennants marched out. Fierce and mighty as they looked, in reality they were just as shameless as their master. Truly, birds of a feather flock together.
Tom curiously watched the pennants slip in and out of the flags. He'd thought they were ghosts and been scared at first, but now… it actually looked fun.
He reached out a paw, grabbed the pennant Swift Ear had just entered, and shook it with all his strength until he was sweating. Then he tossed it to the floor, confused why no one had fallen out.
Ye Yan patted his head kindly. "You're not a watchman. Even if you grab a pennant, it's useless. Inside is a special space. No matter how hard you shake, they won't feel a thing."
But the moment he picked it up again, Swift Ear tumbled out, stumbling and retching.
"Ugh… Boss, if you needed me, you could've just called. Why shake me like that? My head's spinning…"
"What nonsense? Pennants don't get shaken out like that," Ye Yan muttered. It went against everything he knew.
But Swift Ear didn't look like he was faking. That left only one possibility…
Slowly, Ye Yan turned to look at Tom.
Tom spread his paws innocently. This had nothing to do with him. Ye Yan was the one who said shaking wouldn't work
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