OPTC Chapter 186 - Yohohoho~
"A Flare?" Everyone crowded around, staring at the empty wooden barrel.
"Brilliant. That means his people won't take long to show up." Just yesterday, Zhang Da Ye had been grumbling that Moria, that shut-in, was always working from home and way too inefficient.
Who knew today he'd deliver himself right to their door? Not bad at all.
Artoria, however, looked rather disappointed. She'd read enough newspapers and books back at the tavern while drinking tea and eating pastries to know that this kind of barrel was usually a tribute to the Sea God. Normally, it would have food or, at the very least, good wine inside.
According to tradition, if someone ate the offering, they had to refill it with new food and let it drift again. It was basically a food blind box. She'd been looking forward to it, but instead—bam! It turned out to be a disguised trap.
Moria was becoming more and more detestable. Artoria's anger meter: +100.
Tom casually pulled off the flag tied to the barrel, waved it, and then tossed it away. A ragged flag that couldn't summon even a ghost was no fun at all.
"So are we supposed to just sit here and wait?" Rui Meng Meng asked nervously, though a bit excited too. Their next opponents would be zombies, after all. Super scary, but she was really curious whether they really hopped around with outstretched arms like in the stories.
Yesterday, she had asked the boss whether they should prepare peachwood swords, sticky rice, or black dog's blood. To her surprise, he told her to just use salt or seawater. Fighting zombies with salt? Weird. But the boss wouldn't lie about this sort of thing…
Ye Yan said, "Of course we can't just sit still. We need to keep moving like normal. If we can make it look like we're running away, even better—otherwise, the enemy will see through it instantly."
"No, Ye Yan, you're overthinking it," Zhang Da Ye said. "It doesn't matter what we do. These guys don't think like normal people. Either they lack the brains, or they think they're too strong to need them."
Villains like Moria were exactly the kind Zhang Da Ye liked. First, he sent the zombie minions. Then came the zombie generals. After that, the officers. Finally, the boss himself stepped in.
So much better than those shady, overcautious types whose motives were always unclear.
Shark Chili spoke up, "Then let's just keep moving forward. We're not fast, so they'll find us easily enough. No need to act it out."
Before long, a large sailing ship drifted past the Amber in the fog. From sails to hull, it was ragged and broken—eerily similar to Van der Decken's worn-out ship.
In this thick, misty sea, such a ship suddenly appearing was unsettling, especially with the strange singing coming from aboard:
"Yohohoho~ Yohohoho~"
Following the sound, they could just make out a skeleton with an afro leaning against the railing.
"A ghost ship?" Rui Meng Meng whispered, frightened. But Tom and Shark Chili were even worse.
Tom clapped a paw over his mouth, trembling, while Shark Chili dramatically clutched his head and bolted below deck, screaming, "Ahhh! Don't sing! Don't sing! I hate singing!"
"What's wrong with him? Doesn't look like he's scared of the 'ghost ship.' Is there something strange about the singing?" Ye Yan asked, puzzled. He had always thought Shark Chili was reliable. This was the first time he'd seen him panic like this.
Zhang Da Ye thought long and hard before finally remembering Shark Chili's weakness. "Right, when his creator built him, that doctor loved singing—except he was tone-deaf. Disaster-level tone-deaf. He'd sing and dance while building Shark Chili. It left a massive psychological scar on him…"
There was even an episode where the contest for the Peace Star involved singing. The moment Shark Chili heard the topic, he ran off in terror. Must've been a prenatal trauma issue.
Everyone fell silent. Just how bad must that singing have been to scar a kid for life?
"We'll have to help him get over this someday," Zhang Da Ye muttered, thinking of Scratchmen Apoo from the Supernovas. If they ever fought him and Apoo broke out into a rap, Shark Chili would drop on the spot. Too tragic.
This world was full of weirdos. Running into a few who fought while singing wasn't impossible at all.
"Boss, what about that skeleton over there? He's still watching us," Rui Meng Meng asked, pointing at the ship.
Tom peeked out, trembling, one paw clutching garlic, the other holding a cross, ready to ward off ghosts.
"Relax. He's a person," Zhang Da Ye said, recognizing the afro and the voice. "That's Brook, no doubt."
"A person? But he looks like a skeleton. Is he from some kind of 'skeleton tribe,' like fishmen or long-arm people?" Rui Meng Meng asked.
"A skeleton tribe, huh… didn't know you were that creative." Zhang Da Ye chuckled. "If you're curious, we can just invite him over and ask."
"Leave it to me. Handling monsters and spirits is my specialty," Ye Yan said, clearly intrigued by Brook. With a wave, eight Flag Spirits floated into the air. "Flag Spirits, advance!"
The spirits, half-solid and half-mist, hovered behind him. Each looked fierce and imposing.
On the other ship, Brook saw the eight smoke-like figures drifting his way. He collapsed in a panic. "G-Ghosts! Don't come any closer!"
"Ghost your head! We're proper spirits—the Ye family's Flag Spirits, got it?!" roared Lu Dashan, the biggest of the bunch, towering four or five meters tall in both height and waistline. He had joined the Ye family willingly and wore the title of Flag Spirit proudly.
"Spirits are scary too! My heart's about to jump out—though I don't have a heart, yohohoho~"
Brook's cold jokes failed to amuse the Flag Spirits. To outsiders, they kept their aura icy and dignified. "Enough nonsense. Our master and boss invite you aboard. Coming on your own, or do we have to drag you?"
Brook chose to go himself. Something told him these spirits would start swinging if he refused. Besides, he'd been drifting alone for decades—he longed for company.
"Yohohoho~ A pleasure to meet you all. I am Brook, who died and was left with only bones. Please treat me kindly." He tipped his little top hat with one hand and leaned on his cane with the other, looking every bit the gentleman.
"This height's a bit much. Are you human? You said you died and came back as just bones? So are you half-dead or fully revived?" Ye Yan circled him curiously. The first native of this world he met turned out to be a skeleton.
"Ah yes, I'm human. I died once and then came back to life, yohohoho~" Brook answered cheerfully.
Rui Meng Meng couldn't resist asking, "Another Devil Fruit power?"
"Exactly. I once ate the Revive-Revive Fruit. After death, my soul returned from the underworld, and I lived again," Brook said, pausing as his gaze fell on Rui Meng Meng and Artoria. "Ah, I hadn't noticed before—two beautiful young ladies are here. Forgive my rudeness, but might I have a look at your…"
Zhang Da Ye clenched his fists. This pervy skeleton clearly needed discipline.
"…your pan—"
"Get him!" Before Zhang Da Ye could act, the eight Flag Spirits surged forward, pummeling Brook with fists and kicks.
"Ahhh! That hurts! My bones are gonna break!"
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