OPTC Chapter 258 Who Tricked Me, and Whom Did I Trick
Vice Admiral Gion gave Zhang Da Ye one good piece of news and one bad.
The good news was that Marine Headquarters was taking the incident very seriously. They planned to make the rescue of civilians from the Golden Lion and his recapture the symbol of a new era for the Marines.
At least ten warships would be deployed — a force comparable to a Buster Call. Admiral Borsalino was already en route as the commander, with Vice Admiral Kuzan following closely behind.
The bad news was that since Zhang Da Ye's location was constantly moving, even the fastest Marines wouldn't arrive until nightfall.
Honestly, Zhang Da Ye didn't think the bad news was that bad — it just meant they'd need to stay hidden a bit longer. But the good news, that was what worried him.
Would they really bring that many ships just to prevent the islands from crashing into innocent people below… or were they planning to blow them up in advance?
He considered selling Shiki's location to the News Bird instead. "So, as long as we avoid being spotted until night, we'll be fine, right?"
"Yes, I'm counting on you," Gion said.
"By the way, isn't Fleet Admiral Sengoku coming? What about Vice Admiral Garp?" Zhang Da Ye frowned. He wasn't sure how reliable Kizaru would be — the man might just say, "Golden Lion Shiki, how scary," and raise his hand lazily.
"There must be one admiral stationed at Headquarters in case Shiki attacks. Since Admiral Borsalino is the fastest, he's the one dispatched," Gion explained. "As for Garp… Vice Admiral Garp is currently on leave visiting family. We can't reach him."
She'd accidentally used her affectionate nickname "Garp-chan" before quickly correcting herself. Admitting that the Marine Hero couldn't respond to an emergency because he was on vacation was a little embarrassing.
Zhang Da Ye didn't comment. If anything, he probably understood Garp's unreliability better than Gion did. It wasn't surprising at all.
Gion mistook his silence for concern about the Marines' strength. "Don't worry. Even if Kuzan is still a vice admiral, his strength is no less than an admiral's."
"That's not what I'm worried about," Zhang Da Ye said. "With Aokiji and Kizaru working together, a crippled Shiki with a rudder in his head shouldn't be an issue. The real problem is — have you decided what to do about all these islands and the people living on them?"
"Of course. Tsuru and Fleet Admiral Sengoku have prepared three possible plans. They'll decide which to use based on the situation. You just need to stay hidden."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Zhang Da Ye didn't hang up the Den Den Mushi and turned to his companions. "Alright, stay low. Any updates from the Flag Demons?"
Ye Yan nodded. "Yes. First, on this island — Shiki's exploration team is slowly moving inland. They've already captured a dozen animals.
The largest island is confirmed to be Shiki's main base. Old Ma is planning to sneak in and gather intel, but I've told him to return and let one of the professionals, like Sui Feng'er, handle it.
As for the other islands, the terrain and climate vary, but they all share one thing — a ton of ferocious beasts. Some are enormous, like that scorpion the size of a house. I'm not sure if it counts as a beast or an insect."
"Why would Shiki collect so many beasts?" Gion asked, puzzled.
Zhang Da Ye couldn't exactly reveal Shiki's true plans. He needed to sound like he was still investigating. "Whatever it is, it's nothing good. It's clear he moved Crown Island for its rare creatures. Maybe he's trying to form a 'Beast Pirate Crew' of his own."
Gion ignored that last comment and forwarded the part about the beasts up the chain of command.
"Is there anything I can do?" Zeoler asked. He wanted to help the animals somehow.
"If you're bored, just play cards or chess with the others. If you're hungry, eat whatever you want. In times like this, not causing trouble is already a big help. Look at Tom — he's having the time of his life," Zhang Da Ye said.
Tom was wearing a chef's hat and apron, preparing ingredients for a dish he called "Snail Stew."
Zhang Da Ye glanced at the table. "Where did you find such a big snail?"
Tom pointed upward, indicating that the snail had crawled onto the camouflage tarp above. He'd gone out of curiosity, seen it, and decided to bring it back.
"Nice catch. You're lucky to find one this—" Zhang Da Ye paused mid-sentence, staring closer. "Wait. That's not a snail… that's a Den Den Mushi!"
"A Den Den Mushi!?" everyone except Tom and Artoria shouted in unison — even Vice Admiral Gion on the other end of the line.
"Don't tell me you captured one of Shiki's surveillance Den Den Mushi?!" Gion said in disbelief.
"It's fine, don't panic," Zhang Da Ye replied calmly. "It hasn't come out of its shell, which means it's not transmitting. At most, they'll just see footage of a cat catching a snail."
He tapped lightly on the shell. "See? No big deal. It's perfectly normal for animals to prey on other creatures."
But then, the Den Den Mushi's head suddenly poked out. It looked at his tapping hand — and then stared him straight in the eyes.
"One-hit hammer!" Ye Yan shouted, smashing it on the back of the head. The Den Den Mushi went limp, eyes closing as its body slumped over.
No one felt relieved. They had just blown their cover in the dumbest way imaginable.
Zhang Da Ye grabbed Tom and shook him until his eyes spun into swirls. "Tom! Why did you bring that thing inside?!"
"What's happening now?" Gion asked, her voice tense. She could feel things spiraling out of control.
"The Den Den Mushi came out and looked right at me," Zhang Da Ye groaned. "We're exposed." He knew Tom loved tricking others — enemies, allies, anyone. But this time, the trap had sprung too fast.
"Boss, if you hadn't tapped its shell, maybe it wouldn't have reacted. You can't blame Teacher Tom entirely," Rui Meng Meng said fairly.
"Ahhh! We're doomed! Shiki's going to find us!" Perona screamed, her color draining.
"How terrifying! Da Ye, you're so unreliable!" Brook cried dramatically, clutching his skull. He'd already learned just what kind of monster Shiki was.
"…" Zhang Da Ye fell silent. So, was he the fool here? Maybe he'd have been better off letting Tom cook it after all.
…
"Lord Indigo! One of our Visual Transmission Den Den Mushi just went offline. The last image it captured was this — there are other people on that island!"
Shiki had already returned to his quarters to rest. Exploring new islands and catching beasts were trivial matters he left to his subordinates.
"Were they people who happened to be on the island when Lord Shiki activated his power?" Indigo muttered, staring at the image — Zhang Da Ye's face filling the frame far too close to the lens.
"Send orders to the exploration team. Capture him immediately. Our preparations aren't complete yet — we can't let anyone leak this information!"
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