OPTC Chapter 231 Artoria, You've Changed
The honorable duty of guarding the ship was handed to the seven Flag demons. The intelligence expert, Swift Ear, was sent out to gather news. Zhang Da Ye even gave him some pocket money for expenses, making the others drool with envy. "Having a special skill really makes a difference!"
Zhang Da Ye comforted them. "Don't be jealous. Tomorrow we'll leave the ship in Tom's Workshop's care and let you all take a holiday. How about some team-building?"
"Thank you, boss!" The Flag demons beamed with joy.
"Don't just thank me. Whether you get to go out depends on Ye Yan's approval." Strictly speaking, the Flag demons were employees of Zhang Da Ye's employee.
Immediately, the shameless demons clung to Ye Yan's leg.
Ye Yan looked disgusted. "Get lost. Don't mess up like last time. You were supposed to guard the ship, and instead you managed to put a giant hole in the deck!"
The Flag demons thumped their chests and swore. "If we're on the ship, the ship is safe!"
Nobody believed them. With their level of integrity, if danger came, they'd run faster than rabbits.
Once the others left, Ma Lao Wu and Lu Dashan were beaten by their fellow demons, since the last ship-guarding disaster had been their fault. Because of them, everyone got scolded and almost lost their holiday. Naturally, they had to pay the price.
…
The first step of exploring Water 7 was renting some bulls—Brus, to be exact—as transportation. These Brus had nothing to do with Brook the skeleton. They were also called Yagara Bulls.
They had long necks, horse-like heads with reins, slightly wide bodies with mounted seats, four short fins for swimming, and a tail trailing behind.
At first glance, Zhang Da Ye thought of the classic game MapleStory, where they resembled the aquatic dragon—or plesiosaur.
Each two-person Bru cost 1000 beli per day. Pocket change for them.
Still, Rui Meng Meng complained. "So expensive! A bubble car in Sabaody only cost 500 beli."
"Close enough. Maybe feeding the Bru is included in the price." Zhang Da Ye patted its head. The Bru, docile and friendly, nudged his palm gently.
"Oh, that makes sense." Rui Meng Meng nodded, helping Perona aboard. She followed the owner's instructions to start moving the Bru. "We'll head out first. See you later."
"Bones, hop on! The pro driver's ready to go!" Ye Yan was far bolder than Rui Meng Meng, racing off at high speed.
Brook clutched his hat with one hand, laughing joyfully. "Yohohoho~"
Seeing their fun, Zhang Da Ye took the front seat and grabbed the reins—only to feel a tug at his shirt. Turning back, he found Tom clasping his hands together, blinking his big eyes, pleading.
Those pitiful eyes were impossible to resist. Zhang Da Ye sighed and gave up the seat.
"Fine, fine, you drive. But listen, no messing around. Be careful. If we crash, it'll be others who take the hit, and this cute Bru is innocent."
Tom nodded eagerly, even pulling out a notebook to jot down every word. As long as he got to play, he agreed to anything.
Tom's Bru set off smoothly. Shark Chili, on the other hand, nearly capsized right away.
The poor Bru had been floating calmly, but when Shark Chili boarded, its body sank alarmingly under the sudden weight. Only with frantic paddling did it stay afloat.
Shark Chili looked embarrassed. "Maybe I'm too heavy?"
The Bru circled slowly and let out a few cries, signaling it was fine.
Artoria stroked its head. "Let me steer. That should ease the strain."
"Alright." Shark Chili had no objection, watching as she guided the Bru skillfully. He decided to treat it to an extra meal later—maybe even gift it some toothpaste.
The shop owner, meanwhile, had shown remarkable composure. A cat sailing a boat and a robot passenger didn't faze him at all—clearly, he'd seen it all before.
They cruised through the waterways, sometimes under bridges, sometimes meeting oncoming boats. Zhang Da Ye worried constantly, fearing Tom or Artoria might suddenly start racing.
Only after a long while, seeing both of them behave responsibly, did he relax.
In truth, he worried for nothing. Most of Artoria's attention was on spotting food along the shore. She had no time for speeding.
Their first discovery was Water 7's famous Water Meat—or perhaps it discovered them.
One moment Tom was calmly steering, the next he floated into the air, eyes closed, drifting forward like he was being carried by some invisible force. The bewildered Bru was left behind with Zhang Da Ye sighing in exasperation.
Looking closely, a strange gas had taken the form of a hand. It pinched Tom's nose, lifted his chin, then hooked its fingers to reel him in.
"After him!" Zhang Da Ye leapt forward, seizing the reins to chase.
He didn't need to tell Artoria—Tom's drooling mouth already made it obvious there was food ahead.
When they arrived, they saw a man holding a chunk of meat… with a cat dangling from it. No matter how he shook, Tom clung stubbornly. "What's with this cat?"
Zhang Da Ye hurried forward, scooping Tom up. "Sorry, sir. My cat doesn't know better. I'll buy the meat."
The butcher pointed behind him. Zhang Da Ye turned, saw Artoria with another chunk of meat in her mouth, and turned back, his face stiff. "…We'll buy all your meat. Cook the raw cuts too."
Half an hour later, the four of them left with bags of grilled Water Meat. The butcher whistled happily, counting his thick stack of bills.
"You two…" Zhang Da Ye sighed. "Even if the food smells amazing, at least greet the owner and pay first."
Tom only grinned sheepishly before stuffing more meat into his mouth. Artoria looked a little guilty. "I saw you talking with the owner. I thought you'd buy it anyway…"
Shark Chili chuckled. "Rare to see you so out of character, Artoria. Though this barbecue is delicious, we've had better before."
Artoria explained, "It's because we've been sailing so long. The meals have been good, but the ingredients were limited. Seeing something completely different made me lose myself. Sorry."
Zhang Da Ye wasn't bothered, but thought to himself, Artoria, you've changed. You're no longer the king who could live off mashed potatoes alone.
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