OPTC Chapter 239 A Strange Encounter
Who would have thought the little bar owner was so resourceful? When asked about the merchant ship that came in July, he rattled off a whole string of names, with Business among them.
Shark Chili pressed for more details about Business.
The bar owner answered fluently, describing his looks, his clothing, the size of his trading company, and even the mark on his ship. It left Zhang Da Ye doubting if this man was a professional informant.
Once they were sure the owner wasn't making things up, Shark Chili followed up. "So where did he go afterward?"
"Afterward?" The bar owner lowered his voice. "Someone saw him being taken away on the street by a few men in black suits. They said it was an investigation into smuggling and tax evasion."
Black suits? Could that have been CP5? Zhang Da Ye remembered how he had casually framed Business once. Those two CP5 investigators had looked excited at the time—did they really go and arrest him?
Zhang Da Ye quickly asked, "Any news after he was taken? Do you know where they brought him?"
"Where, I don't know. But no one's seen him on this island since. You understand, for a man like him, if they dig into smuggling or taxes, they'll always find something."
The way the bar owner spoke so confidently made Zhang Da Ye suspect the man himself had dodged more than a few taxes. Honest businessmen like Zhang were rare indeed.
The owner went on, "But I think that was just an excuse. Either he offended someone, or somebody had their eye on his money. I heard he was released later though—likely stripped of a good chunk of his wealth."
The trail went cold again. The owner didn't know where Business had been held or where he was released. After all, no one would stalk World Government officials just for gossip.
"Spandam's really incompetent. Arresting was one thing, but why release him after? Still, since he had nothing to do with Pluton, maybe losing money was his only punishment." Zhang Da Ye recalled that Spandam loved money—in fact, in the Golden City movie, he'd been bribed by Tesoro.
After chatting a while longer and confirming there was no more useful intel, Zhang Da Ye and Shark Chili paid the bill and left.
Tom, now completely round, had to be carried out by Zhang Da Ye and Ye Yan, one in front and one behind. In this state, hugging him was impossible.
Maybe he'd simply eaten too much, because Tom was digesting unusually slowly today.
"What a pity the judicial ship already left. We could've asked that old judge to check with CP5," Rui Meng Meng sighed, before shaking her head. "No, better not. He's probably still troubled over the last case he judged. We shouldn't add to his worries."
Zhang Da Ye said, "We'll stay on this island two more days, then head to the next two islands for more leads. If we still find nothing, we'll go to Alabasta. No need to confront Crocodile directly—just catching another senior agent will do. For example, the vulture and sea otter that escaped last time."
Truthfully, Zhang Da Ye wondered why Crocodile was so timid. Logically, the vulture and sea otter should've already reported his face. Why hadn't Crocodile sent people to retaliate, especially after they had already eliminated three senior agents?
He didn't realize that his offhand warning to the Marines at Sabaody about Baroque Works had caused Crocodile endless trouble. Yet Crocodile still considered recruiting him a first option, only delayed by his busy schedule.
…
The next two days were spent at a local inn, during which the group turned Gourmet City into a paradise for food lovers and a nightmare for chefs.
Every chef who dared challenge their bottomless appetites and lightning speed at eating ended up collapsing in the kitchen.
"To fail at filling a customer's stomach is a disgrace to any chef!" one passionate cook declared.
And so, from that day on, many chefs called November 9th to 11th the Days of Shame—an annual reminder to train themselves to cook tirelessly for three days and nights straight.
Of course, Zhang Da Ye and the others knew nothing of this. By then, they had already boarded the sea train and arrived at the next stop after Pucci Island: Saint Poplar, also known as Carnival City.
Today the island seemed to be hosting some kind of festival. Many people wore bizarre costumes, masks, and headgear, giving the place a strong Halloween vibe.
In such an atmosphere, Perona's little princess outfit looked ordinary, but Shark Chili and Brook became instant favorites.
People kept asking where they had ordered their robot armor and skeleton suit—it was too realistic.
Shark Chili laughed, telling them he was really a robot, drawing gasps of amazement.
Brook, however, felt conflicted. Being admired should've been joyful, but this was not the kind of attention he wanted. With his personality, he couldn't lash out at well-meaning strangers, leaving the usually cheerful skeleton weighed down by gloom.
Ye Yan smacked his chest in regret. "If I'd known, I would've taken the sea train back to fetch my costume. To miss out on such fun is a crime!"
"With so many people dressed as monsters and demons, you could've played the role of a night watchman. Authentic, slaying spirits and demons." Zhang Da Ye offered a ridiculous suggestion but backed it up with his own reasoning. "Art comes from life. And playing yourself is the hardest role."
"Even though I know you're spouting nonsense, it somehow sounds philosophical." Ye Yan shook his head. "But this world doesn't even have night watchmen, and art shouldn't stray too far from reality."
They strolled on, watching chaotic performances and occasionally joining small street games like ring toss or hammer strength contests. It was a little unfair to the locals.
But after realizing the locals had rigged the props, their guilt vanished. Winning extra prizes now felt like an act of justice.
Ye Yan sent out the Flag Demons to gather intel, but after half a day, they found nothing useful. Zhang Da Ye was ready to write the day off as a loss—until he spotted two strangely familiar figures among the costumed crowd.
One was over five meters tall, decorated with flamboyant feathers, with two red markings painted on his face and a red cloak on his back.
The other wore yellow, wrapped in two chains, with hair evenly sticking out in all directions like a fan. When he grinned, his teeth bore a childish drawing of a clown's face.
Tom's eyes lit up at the sight of them, as if struck by sudden inspiration. He changed into a tribal chief's outfit, grabbed a spear, and smacked his mouth while letting out a bizarre war cry. "Oooooooohhhhhh!"
(End of Chapter)
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