OPTC Chapter 254 If an Island Took Flight
"Are we really charging straight in? There are hundreds of horn eaters down there. Shouldn't we at least try to lure them away first?" Zeole felt his benefactors were being reckless.
Zhang Da Ye said, "It's fine. They won't be able to stop Artoria."
"Roar~" The qilin lion let out a low sound.
Crow Asa translated, "The king says, 'Though it sounds cruel, he doesn't want to hurt the horn eaters either. Please allow us to lure them away, and then you can deal with the one controlling them.'"
"Lord Batra, there are people up on the cliff!"
"Hm?" Batra's gaze immediately locked on Zeole. "You're still alive? And you brought help? Tch… wait, that one…"
His eyes suddenly widened when he spotted the qilin lion's gleaming golden horns. "That's it! Such magnificent horns! That must be the secret to becoming a king!"
"Bring that beast to me!" Batra pulled out a violin and began to play.
The sharp music spread through the valley. The grazing horn eaters all raised their heads, quickly clustering together before surging toward the cliff like a black flood.
"They're charging straight up!" Zeole cried in alarm.
"Don't panic. Taking care of those three without harming the horn eaters isn't that hard." Zhang Da Ye yanked Ye Yan out from where he was pretending to be a reindeer. "Release Ye Yan!"
Crow Asa flapped and shouted, "What are you planning to do to this poor reindeer?!"
Zhang Da Ye fell silent. These animals were so naïve. Even if Batra didn't kill them today, someday someone else would.
"The truth is, I'm no hornless reindeer. That was just performance art! My real identity—Ye Yan the Night Watchman!" He struck a pose with his soul-calming gong.
The animals all looked impressed, though Zhang Da Ye was pretty sure they didn't understand a word of it.
"Stop showing off and get moving. Go down before they get too close, so we don't get caught up in it!"
Ma Lao Wu, in his flag spirit form, quietly gave Zhang Da Ye a thumbs up.
This time Ye Yan didn't mess around. He dashed down the slope and struck his gong. With a resonant clang, hundreds of horn eaters froze in place. If they could tell friend from foe, this ability would be the ultimate crowd control.
Zhang Da Ye had to admit, if this guy were dressed normally, that move would've looked downright heroic.
"What? Why aren't they moving?!" Far below, Batra frantically dragged his bow across the strings, but no matter how he played, not a single horn eater responded.
The animals on the cliff stared in shock before erupting in cheers. Crow Asa cried out, maybe translating, maybe just saying what he truly felt: "Well done, reindeer!"
"Ama… amazing!" Zeole was finally beginning to realize just how strong these people were. He shouted down, "Batra, stop this! It's over!"
Batra tossed his violin aside, pulling out an axe. "Do you know who you're talking to? I am Count Batra—the genius inventor, genius zoologist, genius treasure hunter, the greatest genius in the world!"
The burly man beside him bellowed, "And I'm the Hotdog General, self-proclaimed strongest man alive!"
The tall, thin one chimed in, "And I am the Serpent President, self-proclaimed most handsome man in the world!"
"That beast's horns are the treasure that makes kings! You think the likes of you can stop us—" Batra froze. "Wait… what just passed by?"
The three of them turned. Artoria's sword shimmered faintly before fading away in her hand. She whispered, "Already done."
"When…?" *3
At the exact same moment, blood blossomed across their chests. All three collapsed lifeless to the ground.
"They… they're defeated?" Zeole stared in disbelief. To him, the horn eaters were an unstoppable force. But hundreds of them had been halted with a single gong strike, and three terrifying men had been slain with a single sword? Just how strong were these people?
The animals were equally stunned. Crow Asa's glasses even slipped off his beak. He thought, "Did I speak to them too loudly before…?"
The qilin lion roared at the horn eaters. Ye Yan struck the gong again, releasing them from its hold. The beasts lay flat on the ground, as if admitting their mistakes.
Zhang Da Ye was just as astonished. "Since when did Artoria learn Brook's swordsmanship?"
"No," Artoria said with a frown. "It doesn't feel right. Brook's technique isn't that simple."
Ever since arriving in this world, she had spent her free time studying sword styles—Mihawk's, Vice Admiral Gion's, Commander T-Bone's, and now Brook's as well.
She might not perfectly mimic their moves, but each one gave her new insight. Mihawk's swordplay was the sharpest, but Brook's… the strangest.
Zhang Da Ye almost joked she was just missing Brook's scabbard, but then thought—if she ever carried one, she wouldn't be Artoria anymore.
With the crisis on Crown Island averted, the qilin lion ordered the horn eaters to dig graves and bury the fallen animals and their horns.
As for Batra and his two men, they were tied up. But the animals weren't sure what to do with them, so they turned to their benefactors for advice.
"May I take them?" Zeole asked. "I want to return with them and have them judged under the kingdom's law."
"They tried to kill you more than once," Zhang Da Ye reminded him. "What if they come back stronger next time?"
"I understand. But under the kingdom's law, attempted murder is enough to imprison them for life," Zeole replied. "To execute them without due process would…"
Zhang Da Ye shrugged. "Do what you want. They won't be a threat to us anyway. Just don't let these animals down again."
"Thank you for understanding!" Zeole bowed and went to explain things to the qilin lion, which seemed to go smoothly.
Not long after, a pig with a trumpet-shaped snout trotted out of the herd and squealed strange sounds into the sky.
Crow Asa explained, "That's a messenger pig. The king has ordered him to inform the whole island that the enemies are defeated. Everyone should gather food and prepare a feast to thank our benefactors."
"A feast, huh? Sounds good," Zhang Da Ye said. "Can I call the others to join?"
"Of course."
Before long, Rui Meng Meng, Shark Chili, Brook, and Perona—who had stayed behind on the ship—arrived, led by the very parrot that had once chased them away. The parrot, cane in wing, apologized shyly, but no one held it against him.
And so, the Amber Travel Group, joined by an animal scholar, held a grand feast with the creatures of the island. For everyone present, it was an unforgettable experience.
The animals, however, came away with a strange new understanding: humans could eat an astonishing amount.
But just as the banquet reached its peak, something unexpected happened.
The ground trembled beneath them. The entire island shook violently, sending both people and animals sprawling as fruits and food rolled everywhere.
When the shaking finally subsided, everyone looked around in shock—only to see the sea growing farther and farther away.
Unbelievably, the island itself… had taken flight.
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