OPTC Chapter 248 Does Tom's Cat Fur Coat Keep Him Warm?
"I can't really say how many times I could use it." Rui Meng Meng tried hard to recall the state she had been in. "That move was just me swinging my sword with all my strength, using the sword skills Artoria taught me. But since it was my first time releasing power like that, I couldn't control it at all. If I practice properly, maybe it can become a regular technique."
So it wasn't a big ultimate move, just a little skill?
Artoria said, "That wasn't simply swordsmanship, nor was it this world's Haki. It was a kind of power I've never seen before."
"Yohohoho~ Truly amazing, Miss Meng Meng, could you—"
Zhang Da Ye interrupted, "Meng Meng can't control her power well right now. If she hits someone, who knows what might happen. I suggest you think twice before asking, bonehead."
"Yoho… yohohoho…" Brook's laughter became strained. "My bones will break, won't they? How terrifying!"
Perona hugged her teddy bear tightly, muttering under her breath, "She's gotten scary too… what do we do, Kumashi…"
"She's become more reliable." Shark Chili, standing nearby, corrected her.
Ye Yan sighed. "So on this ship, I'm really the only ordinary person left?"
Before Zhang Da Ye could reply, Tom snatched Ye Yan's Soul-Calming Gong and struck it hard. "Gong!"
A shockwave rippled from the gong through Tom's arm, then visibly spread across his whole body. The cat shook violently until his feet left the ground and his tail stuck straight up.
Clang! The gong dropped to the floor, and Tom collapsed beside it, little stars spinning over his head.
The others were startled by the sound, but felt no harmful effects.
Zhang Da Ye picked Tom up and tried moving his arms and legs, but they just went limp. He rubbed Tom's cat face.
Tom struggled to raise a paw, slapped away Zhang Da Ye's hand, pointed at Ye Yan, then gave Zhang Da Ye a look.
Zhang Da Ye interpreted, "Tom means Ye Yan isn't ordinary. After hitting the gong, he felt terrible."
Ye Yan bent down and picked up the gong. "In the hands of an ordinary person, this gong is no different from a regular one. But someone like Tom striking it and only hurting himself instead of others… that's the first time I've seen that."
"I think it's hard to say whether that effect came from the gong or from Tom himself." Zhang Da Ye sat down, setting Tom on his lap and starting a massage.
First the octopus ordeal, then cooking until he was exhausted, and now this self-inflicted shock… Tom really had it rough.
"These days while standing watch in the lookout, pay extra attention. If you see any small islands, don't pass them by—we'll need supplies." Zhang Da Ye reminded the crew.
According to the Straw Hats' route, they went from Alabasta to Jaya, Sky Island, Long Ring Long Land, and then Water Seven. But those islands weren't all in a straight line.
Zhang Da Ye's group, however, was following a permanent log pose pointing directly to Alabasta, so they likely wouldn't encounter those islands.
Strictly speaking, even the Straw Hats probably didn't follow their original route after Alabasta, since their log pose was reset by Sky Island and they had to rely on the Saruyama Alliance's permanent log pose to reach Jaya. Whether Jaya was even on their original route was uncertain.
So from here on, they couldn't rely on the manga storyline. They might encounter unknown islands, or perhaps sail straight to Alabasta. It was impossible to predict.
"Also, just in case, everyone should do some fishing or catch sea beasts whenever you have free time."
Back when he first arrived in this world, Zhang Da Ye and Tom had gone five days with irregular meals, sometimes starving. Because of that, any sign of dwindling food reserves made him uneasy.
…
Rui Meng Meng's sudden growth gave Zhang Da Ye a sense of urgency. Being the weakest in the tavern might have been bearable for months, but deep down he still wanted to improve.
Daily physical training was strengthening his body and stamina, but not as much as before.
So lately he shifted focus to swordsmanship. His strength, endurance, and recovery were all decent, and he even had a burst skill, but he lacked a truly powerful offensive technique.
With Artoria present, learning swordsmanship was the best choice.
Unfortunately, even after months of training, he still relied on using magical energy to cut iron or launch flying slashes.
These kinds of skills required personal insight—no amount of teaching could shortcut it. So Zhang Da Ye decided to imitate Zoro, fastening weights to an iron bar and using it to train his swings. He firmly believed enough hard practice would eventually pay off.
So in the following days, he swung his sword in the lookout, swung his sword while fishing with Tom at the stern, swung his sword while supervising Perona copying school rules, and only refrained from swinging his sword at the bow while watching the course and permanent log pose.
If he tried to imitate Zoro while navigating, he feared he might steer them straight to Raftel.
Because of the recent food shortage scare, everyone took measures. Brook and Artoria often fished, while Ye Yan had his flag spirit summon tide-calling sharks to hunt alongside Shark Chili.
After a few days, they lacked only fresh vegetables and fruit, but had plenty of fish and sea beast meat.
One day, Zhang Da Ye and Ye Yan were training in the dojo.
During a break, Zhang Da Ye rummaged through his inventory, pulling out items one by one—candies, fairy lights, and a pair of decorative reindeer antlers.
Ye Yan asked curiously, "What's all this? Times are tough so you're setting up a market stall?"
"No, it's almost December. I'm checking what we're missing for Christmas so we can buy them on the next island."
"You actually celebrate Christmas?"
"Not me, but Tom does. He probably cares about it a lot, right?" After all, Tom was a Western cat. Zhang Da Ye felt he should be considerate.
"Then why didn't you celebrate Halloween?"
Zhang Da Ye froze. "When's Halloween?"
"November 1st. The most important day is the evening before."
"Ah… I think there's also something like Easter, but those never felt as important as Christmas. I don't even remember the dates." Zhang Da Ye sighed. "Anyway, let's do Christmas properly this time."
He kept pulling out more items—Santa costumes, ribbons, bells—until he had a small pile. "I used to have a Christmas tree too, but I gave it away. Remind me to cut down another one."
Ye Yan gave an OK sign, then tried the reindeer antlers on his head. "Let me borrow these for two days. I think I've got some new inspiration."
"They're yours." Zhang Da Ye waved it off. "Oh, and when Christmas Eve comes, are you going to play Santa Claus?"
"Being Santa at Christmas is too cliché. Better to be a reindeer… or even the sleigh itself."
So two days later, Zhang Da Ye found Ye Yan dressed in a full reindeer costume, with Tom wearing the reindeer antlers on his head.
"What are you two doing? And where did you get that outfit?"
"This is my performance art—the hornless reindeer. As for the costume, Tom altered it for me. I don't know where he got the clothes. His fee was your antlers and a big fish my tide-calling shark caught."
Ye Yan struck several "melancholy" poses. "Do you feel the sadness and gloom of a reindeer that lost its antlers?"
"All I feel is my blood pressure spiking. That coat you used is the new one I just bought!" Zhang Da Ye's face twisted in disbelief. "This wasteful cat… trading my coat for my antlers? What am I supposed to wear when it gets cold? Skin a cat for a fur coat?"
Tom had somehow fixed the antlers firmly to his head. Walking around, he felt majestic, though oddly chilly.
[Powerstones plz...
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 for 50 chapters ahead
If you like this novel, check out my other novels in my profile!]