OPTC Chapter 250 Searching for the Lost Tom
"This time you'd better come out no matter what! Summon, Chaos Beast!" Ye Yan shouted as he extended his hand.
The Chaos Beast was tough and durable, but its greatest weakness was water. In places near lakes or oceans, it was basically useless, refusing to show itself. But just like that time on Thriller Bark when Ye Yan's "signal was bad" and the summon appeared in the wrong place, this time it was the Chaos Beast's "bad signal." It didn't realize there was a river nearby and obediently landed on the shore. Its soft, round belly absorbed the impact of the Amber's crash, bouncing the ship safely into the river.
The Chaos Beast disappeared less than three seconds after appearing, sending Ye Yan a signal before it left—something along the lines of "you tricked me!"
Ye Yan didn't have time to care about its feelings. He had just endured a sudden stop, an instant turn, and then a freefall crash. Now he was sprawled face-first on the deck, completely flattened.
Aside from Artoria, who slumped into the chair by the helm while still managing to look somewhat dignified, everyone else had been thrown into a complete mess.
Zhang Da Ye had it the worst. Earlier, he had climbed the mast to tie the sky rocket. Now, he fell straight down from it. While in the air, he worried for a moment that his body might be so tough it would break the deck—but the result proved otherwise. The deck was fine. He was the one nearly flattened into a pancake.
"We're alive!"
"And the ship's safe!"
Despite their bedraggled appearance, the moment they confirmed they had landed safely, everyone cheered.
Zhang Da Ye peeled himself off the deck and rubbed his sore face. "Great… I feel like I'm turning into Tom the Second. Speaking of, where's Tom?"
Tom was calling for help.
When Zhang Da Ye looked up, he saw Tom's antlers stuck in the branches of a tall tree. He must have gotten snagged while falling with the ship. The tree had bent into an absurd arc, and if Tom wasn't clutching the ship's figurehead for dear life, he would've been flung away already.
"Why did you have to keep wearing those stupid antlers?" Zhang Da Ye muttered. He still couldn't figure out how Tom managed to fasten them so securely.
Then Tom realized something. All he had to do was take the antlers off!
He let go of the figurehead and reached for the antlers. But the moment his hands touched them, he froze. If his hands were grabbing the antlers now… then what was still holding onto the figurehead?
His eyes darted toward the statue's neck and saw faint dotted lines marking where his hands had been.
A chill ran through Tom. He flailed in panic, trying to grab the statue again. But the bent tree finally snapped back with brutal force and catapulted him into the sky.
"Tom!"
"Teacher Tom!"
"Mr. Tom!"
Rui Meng Meng poked Zhang Da Ye. "Boss, you got Teacher Tom into this mess."
"I saw that, Meng Meng," Zhang Da Ye groaned. "But hey, it's not entirely my fault. Tom's brain works in ways I'll never understand."
Meanwhile, the figurehead secretly exhaled in relief. Drops of seawater trickled down its carved head, almost like sweat after a harrowing adventure.
Zhang Da Ye clapped his hands. "Alright, stabilize the ship. Leave some people behind to guard it. The rest of us will search for Tom and scout out this island."
"I'll go," Artoria said immediately. "From above, I saw no signs of towns. We can hunt directly." She clearly had plans—find Tom, then hunt, then cook fresh prey on the spot.
"I'll come too. For searching and investigating, I've got the perfect helpers," Ye Yan added, then shouted over the rail. "You guys still alive down there? If you're not dead, get up here and help search!"
Six Flag Demons floated up in mist form. Only the Tide Shark showed a solid body, hauling the exhausted Jin Er Peng onto the deck. "Master, he's drained."
"Well done. Go rest in the Demon Flag. Without Jin Er Peng, we'll rely on Old Ma's nose to track Tom," Ye Yan said. He knew perfectly well that Jin Er Peng had carried the brunt of the work.
Truthfully, Zhang Da Ye's group had Tom's life card, so they weren't worried about finding him. Still, the Flag Demons scouting around would be useful.
"I'll stay to check the ship," Shark Chili offered. "After such a rough impact, we need to make sure nothing broke." He had learned a lot about ships back in Sabaody, hanging out with the shipwrights, and in Water 7 with Franky.
Rui Meng Meng chose to stay and help Shark Chili. Brook and Perona were still shaken and not ready for island exploration, so they stayed as well. It wasn't that they didn't care about Tom—they simply figured the worst he'd face was being bullied by wild animals. And when Zhang Da Ye's group found him, those animals would likely end up roasted with cumin, chili, or pepper salt.
…
So Zhang Da Ye, Artoria, and Ye Yan each grabbed a bottle of water and set off into the forest.
"You're not changing clothes?" Zhang Da Ye asked, noticing Ye Yan still wore the antlerless reindeer outfit.
"Why would I? Only in the forest can I truly embody the spirit of a reindeer." Ye Yan was dead serious. This wasn't for laughs—it was art.
Zhang Da Ye sighed. One day, he'd introduce Ye Yan to an actual reindeer on Drum Island so he could "experience its spirit" properly. "Fine. Just watch out for hunters mistaking you for a real one."
"That would only prove their respect for my art," Ye Yan replied.
As the two joked, only Artoria kept her focus sharp, watching the forest with vigilance.
Suddenly, she stopped.
"What is it? Trouble?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
She nodded. "A grove of fruit trees."
Of course. Zhang Da Ye wasn't surprised. "Don't recognize them. Safe to eat?"
"Peel the skin and they're fine. Tastes like pineapple—sweet and sour. The encyclopedia calls them…" Artoria began explaining.
Zhang Da Ye finally understood why she spent so much time with plant and animal encyclopedias. It wasn't boredom—it was recipe hunting.
Convinced by her, they sampled a few fruits, planning to harvest more later if the island seemed safe.
They continued, stopping often to test roots and fruits. The island was rich with resources. Ye Yan even released Old Ma to sniff out edible plants and mark them on a hand-drawn map.
But ten minutes later, Old Ma realized with despair that his nose was no match for Artoria's instincts. He reluctantly sketched notes while the young girl effortlessly sniffed out delicacies.
After a while, Artoria froze again.
"Another fruit?" Ye Yan asked. His stomach was already full.
"Not food," she said. "Someone—or something—is coming. Listen."
Zhang Da Ye perked up. Sure enough, a faint rumbling echoed.
Old Ma crouched and pressed his ear to the ground. "This sound… at least hundreds of beasts stampeding. Could be an earthquake, or maybe migration."
"Whatever the cause, they're heading straight for us," Ye Yan warned, feeling the ground tremble. "We should move."
"Follow me," Artoria said, leading them to climb a tree. From there, they could avoid the coming horde.
Moments later, a black wave of beasts thundered past. On closer look, they resembled those invincible black critters from Super Mario. And in front of the horde, a man dressed like an explorer was sprinting for his life.
"Wow, look at him go. Olympic champion speed right there," Ye Yan muttered.
"Now's not the time for commentary," Zhang Da Ye snapped.
The runner noticed them in the tree and waved frantically. "Help! Help me!"
"I'll handle this," Zhang Da Ye said. Since the man hadn't lured the beasts toward them, he deserved saving.
He pulled out a rope with a loop at the end.
[Tom's Cowboy Rope: A mysterious rope that lets you live your cowboy dream.]
Spinning it like Tom would, Zhang Da Ye aimed and threw. "Go!"
The loop flew, but the man had already run past, and it was about to miss.
"Really? You can't even aim?" Ye Yan mocked.
"I can!" Zhang Da Ye insisted. With a flick of his wrist, the rope loop curved midair as if guided, and dropped right over the explorer.
But instead of saving him, the rope tightened around his neck.
The poor man's body went limp mid-run, flopping flat before crashing to the ground with a thud.
"Uh… I might've just killed him," Zhang Da Ye winced. The beasts were seconds away from trampling the man. His only option was to haul him in fast. If he moved quickly, there was still hope.
He swore to apologize later—and next time, he'd be more careful with Tom's tools.
[Powerstones plz...
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 for 50 chapters ahead
If you like this novel, check out my other novels in my profile!]