OPTC Chapter 235 First Time on the Newspaper
When Tom said he wanted to catch a Bru, what he really meant was sneaking into the rental shop and stealing one.
Obviously, he knew it was wrong—otherwise, he wouldn't be creeping around like that.
Ye Yan couldn't possibly let Tom go through with it. Instead, he decided to keep Tom busy with a chat. Since he couldn't sleep anyway while keeping watch, he figured he might as well talk about his favorite subject—performance art. Maybe this strange cat would even understand.
"Tom, do you know about Amway?" Ye Yan asked eagerly. "Performance art isn't just about changing clothes. You have to throw your whole self into the work…"
Tom listened, bewildered, for half an hour as Ye Yan rambled about his theories. Eventually, his eyelids began to fight against each other.
"Already sleepy, huh?"
Tom nodded without thinking.
"Alright then, good night."
Tom nodded again, zombie-like, shuffled back into the room, and collapsed into his little bed.
A few seconds later, he got up again, walked to Zhang Da Ye's bed, and carefully tucked in the blanket corners before yawning and returning to his own spot.
Half-asleep, Zhang Da Ye felt Tom fuss with his blanket and murmured, "Thanks, Tom."
Without turning back, Tom just waved his paw and curled back into his own blanket, soon snoring softly.
…
The next morning, Zhang Da Ye woke to find Tom lying in his little bed with his chin propped up, lost in thought.
"Tom? What are you thinking about?"
Tom shook his head. He vaguely remembered wanting to eat something yesterday, but after a night's sleep, he couldn't recall what it was.
"Don't worry about it," Zhang Da Ye said. "We're heading to the City of Food today. With so many choices, why stress over just one?"
Tom nodded. That made sense, and he quickly followed Zhang Da Ye to wash up.
After breakfast, just as everyone was about to leave, a News Bird swooped down and landed.
Zhang Da Ye tossed a coin into the box and exchanged it for a newspaper.
Sure enough, today's headline was all about the world's number one shipwright, Tom. The article praised him to the skies, but the second half focused heavily on how the old judge, ten years ago, bore immense pressure and changed his ruling for the sake of Water Seven's citizens.
The piece was clearly trying to show how wise and people-loving the World Government's officials were. If Water Seven thrived again, half the credit would supposedly belong to them.
"Hmm… well, I guess a report like this makes sense," Zhang Da Ye muttered, scanning it for errors. But every line was technically true.
Finally, he sighed. "Whoever wrote this is good. Really good."
Rui Meng Meng tilted her head. "How good?"
"About four or five stories high," Zhang Da Ye replied casually. Nobody got his joke.
At that moment, Tom's eyes lit up. On the back page, he spotted himself. He snatched the paper from Zhang Da Ye and proudly showed it off.
It turned out the back page covered CP5's failed attack on the judicial ship. Thanks to the angle of the photo, the Amber was captured in the shot.
The Tom figurehead at the bow and the flag bearing Tom's face on the mast were front and center, while the people in the middle of battle weren't shown clearly.
Of course, this article was mostly spin. CP5 might have a useless commander, but no way could a small travel group defeat them.
The "official truth" was that the judicial ship's firepower overwhelmed an entire "civilian fleet." Under Captain Soisos's brilliant leadership, the Amber Travel Group not only survived but even contributed a little to the fight.
The World Government then praised their bravery, disciplined CP5, rewarded Captain Soisos by recommending him for promotion to Commodore, and even issued a commendation.
"Well damn, looks like Spandam really took the blame for this. Captain Soisos, meanwhile, walks away with the credit. No wonder the compensation was so generous. To anyone reading this, it looks like we were the helpless ones being protected, only lucky enough to help the Navy a little."
Rui Meng Meng frowned. "That's ridiculous! Twisting the truth like that—shouldn't we expose them?"
Shark Chili was more relaxed. "The World Government is the ruler. It's not strange for them to polish their image. Some countries even rewrite history to serve their goals."
Zhang Da Ye gave him a look. "Was that… self-deprecating?"
Ye Yan shrugged. "It's fine. Let people underestimate us. Playing the weakling and striking later—that's a classic move."
Then his real thoughts slipped out: "Besides, they paid us plenty of hush money. Who cares about a bit of reputation?"
"Yohohoho~ Too bad my face wasn't shown. Not that I even have a face anymore…"
Zhang Da Ye patted Tom's head. "Looks like you're a star cat again. Even if your name wasn't mentioned, your image will stick in people's minds."
Tom immediately fantasized about strutting down a red carpet, paparazzi snapping photos, cash raining down, and two model cats clinging to him.
Reality, however, was harsher. Most people only glanced at the headline and ignored the tiny back-page story. That's why everyone fought so hard for the front page.
Even those who noticed it just laughed at CP5's stupidity before moving on. Only acquaintances were likely to recognize the Amber.
For example, Vice Admiral Gion. At a glance, she recognized the Tom figurehead and flag. "So, they've already reached Water Seven. Took out over thirty warships? If it's them, I'm not surprised."
As for the official claim about the judicial ship's firepower, she didn't believe a word. She knew better than anyone what kind of weapons those ships had.
Though she regretted that Artoria hadn't joined the Navy, seeing her help protect a judicial ship still brought relief.
"Gion, you're smiling so much—what's the good news?"
"Sister Tsuru, do you remember that tavern in Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Vaguely. I heard they caught a lot of bounty hunters there, but lately, nothing much."
"Well, this is their news." Gion handed her the paper.
After scanning it, Vice Admiral Tsuru chuckled. "So that rascal wasn't lying about not joining the Navy. He really is out traveling—and still doing what he can to help."
She remembered the last time she visited that tavern. Some thugs picked a fight, foolishly provoking her. Instead of stepping in, Zhang Da Ye just stood aside, grinning as he watched the show. That was why she called him a rascal.
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