OPTC Chapter 185: The Sea God's Treasure
"What do I plan to do…? Of course, I'm going to deal with him." Zhang Da Ye couldn't stand Moria's methods, and judging by the faces around him, neither could anyone else. It wasn't as if Moria was some unbeatable foe.
"You look like you've got some concerns," Ye Yan asked. "Is Moria really that strong? Are we no match for him?"
"Not at all. In fact, I think he's probably the weakest of the current Warlords of the Sea," Zhang Da Ye replied. "The real problem is that if we kill a Warlord openly, it'll cause us a huge amount of trouble. That's why I'm thinking of taking him out quietly, without anyone knowing."
If they were just "passing through" the Devil's Triangle on a sightseeing trip and Moria just happened to "drop dead from illness," who would believe it?
At that moment, Jin Er Peng, who had gone scouting, returned and reported: "This fog bank is massive. At our ship's speed, it'll take two or three days to get through it. I've been observing from the sky for a long time—even with the weather this clear, the fog shows no signs of dispersing."
"Looks like we really are in his waters," Shark Chili said grimly. For a rookie navigator like him, navigating such a vast fog bank was a daunting challenge.
Still, he wasn't panicking. Experience aside, he had other methods—he could dive ahead to scout the sea himself, and if necessary, even pull the ship with his Shark Giant form.
"Then let's go," Zhang Da Ye said. "We'll keep moving forward slowly. My guess is, Moria will come looking for us himself."
Rui Meng Meng asked, "Boss, have you figured out how to deal with the aftermath?"
"Of course. According to the assassin's code: if you eliminate everyone who sees you, then it's a perfect assassination. As long as nobody sees us fighting Moria, it's fine."
Ye Yan thought it over. "That's going to be difficult. There must be a lot of people nearby who've had their shadows stolen. It'll be hard to avoid witnesses."
"That's where Artoria's senses and your Flags come in," Zhang Da Ye explained. "If you spot someone with a camera, knock them out immediately. As for others… even if one or two people see something, we just deny it completely. Or we could even pretend we're victims too."
It was a rough plan, but Zhang Da Ye's biggest concern was running into someone like that flame-photographer guy again.
With Artoria's sharp senses, Jin Er Peng's keen eyes, and Sui Feng Er—the Flag who was trained in intelligence gathering—they had three layers of protection. That should be enough.
"I understand. I'll be extra cautious," Artoria promised. She had no desire to become a wanted criminal feared everywhere like other pirates.
"Did you all hear that? Whether we live as fugitives or continue traveling as carefree tourists depends on you," Ye Yan said, patting Jin Er Peng on the shoulder with a friendly smile.
"Yes, master!" Jin Er Peng answered quickly. The last thing he wanted was to get punished for messing up.
After "encouraging" his Flag, Ye Yan turned back to Zhang Da Ye. "Still, your plan feels too hasty. I think we need to research it more carefully."
…
Before long, the Amber slowly entered the thick fog, heading deeper into the sea of legends where monsters were said to lurk.
"This fog… it's way too thick." Zhang Da Ye stood on the figurehead shaped like Tom, squinting into the white haze. He could barely see the ship's stern.
It hadn't even been that long, yet his hair was already damp from the mist.
Splash! Shark Chili surfaced beside the ship and shouted, "Course is clear! Keep going!"
In this weather, standing at the lookout tower was useless. Shark Chili had already started diving below the surface from time to time to check for reefs or other dangers.
Cautiously, they pressed forward for half a day. Dusk began to fall.
In this dense fog, it was always dark. This was precisely why Moria had chosen this area as his domain—the fog shielded those without shadows from sunlight, ensuring they wouldn't burn to ash.
After all, if the owner of a shadow died, the shadow itself would vanish too. That was a huge loss for Moria.
What Zhang Da Ye couldn't understand was why Moria let those people roam free instead of locking them up. Now they were constantly plotting revenge, trying to defeat him and reclaim their shadows.
But philosophy aside, people still needed to eat. No one dared test Artoria's patience on that.
That night, as always, they enjoyed a lavish dinner. Afterward, Zhang Da Ye asked, "Do you need someone to keep you company on watch tonight?"
"Please don't question my professionalism. Only immature watchmen need company during night patrols," Ye Yan answered with a smug look that made him look like he needed a smack.
Zhang Da Ye just nodded and didn't press the issue. It wasn't as if Ye Yan was going on a dungeon raid alone. As long as he could alert the others in time, it would be fine.
When night fell, the rest finished some light training before heading to bed, saving their strength for the tough battles ahead.
Ye Yan sat alone on deck. He opened his "manual" and stared at it for four minutes and thirty seconds. Any longer and he risked falling asleep.
"So much inspiration, yet no way to tailor new clothes… the path of pursuing art is always full of hardships."
"But even without tailoring, I can draw inspiration from my surroundings. For example…" He picked up his telescope and put it to his eyes. "Performance art—the Watchman in the Fog."
"Night vision only lets me see in the dark. It can't pierce fog." He released four Flags. "Each of you, guard one direction."
"Yes!" The four Flags rushed to claim spots. The stern, out of Ye Yan's line of sight, was especially popular.
Near dawn, just as Jin Er Peng was preparing to end his shift, he spotted something floating on the water.
It was a wooden barrel with a flag stuck into it. On the flag were five characters written in Chinese: "Sea God's Treasure Ahead."
Jin Er Peng didn't understand the local custom of offering barrels to the Sea God for safe passage. All he saw were the words "God" and "Treasure." It had to be something good! Excited, he snatched it up and hurried to Ye Yan like a child presenting a gift.
"Master, look what I found! It feels heavy—maybe it's treasure? Weren't lots of pirates supposed to have disappeared here?"
"There's no such thing as free treasure. If you're curious, open it, but do it far away from me." Ye Yan glanced at the barrel and pointed. "Over there. If it's a bomb, I'll pull you back into the Flag banner for treatment."
Jin Er Peng was so touched he almost cried, then obediently carried the barrel off and carefully pried it open.
Fwoosh—Bang!
A small firework shot out of the barrel and exploded high above, scattering bright red sparks in the sky.
"A… flare?" Jin Er Peng muttered, relieved it had gone off inside the fog. Otherwise, his eagle eyes might have been ruined. Then his face fell. "Master… did I just cause trouble?"
Ye Yan clapped him on the shoulder. "No—you did well."
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