OPTC Chapter 260 Tutu Tutu Tutu Tutu
"I'm afraid if I hit too hard, I might accidentally knock out or cripple one or two of them. Better to let them kneel for a bit so they can still chase us later," Zhang Da Ye said quietly, making sure the exploration team couldn't hear him. "That way we can lure them farther away."
"You're a Devil Fruit user? Damn brat, stop right there!" The exploration team's captain recovered first and turned around shouting angrily.
"Who are you calling a brat? So rude! Negative Ghost!" Perona, running ahead, turned back and hit him with another ghost.
The captain immediately fell to his knees. "Someone as rude as me deserves to be trampled!"
When he came back to his senses, he saw his teammates surrounding him, some lifting their feet like they were ready to stomp, others hesitating awkwardly.
"What are you all doing?!"
"But Captain, you just said you wanted to be trampled…"
"Nonsense! You just said you don't deserve to breathe!" The captain roared and smacked the back of the man's head. "Chase them!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The unlucky one rubbed his head and followed, silently vowing never to speak first again when his superior was angry.
Dozens of people chased the Amber Group toward the edge of the Rare Beast Island. The captain gave the order: "Fire!"
Bang! Bang! Gunshots rang out.
Zhang Da Ye twisted aside, narrowly dodging a dart of tranquilizer. Rui Meng Meng turned and sliced through a net that was about to capture Perona.
Ye Yan used his Soul Drum as a helmet to block a bullet, while Shark Chili's tail swept aside several darts with a loud whoosh.
Zhang Da Ye couldn't help but wonder if tranquilizer darts even worked on Shark Chili in the first place.
Artoria simply tilted her head slightly — the bullets couldn't even touch a strand of her hair.
Tom sat on Zhang Da Ye's shoulder because of his injured foot, but sitting quietly was never in his nature. Seeing none of the attacks land, Tom turned around, stuck out his tongue, and made faces at the enemies. "Bleh~!"
If his foot wasn't injured, he'd probably add a mocking butt slap to complete the taunt.
When it came to provoking enemies, Tom was a professional. The explorers' faces turned red with fury, and they doubled their rate of fire.
More than twenty people wielding rifles and tranquilizer guns fired so fast it looked like a rain of bullets, though most of it was aimed at Tom.
Unfortunately, with their anger clouding their aim, they barely grazed the air — which meant Zhang Da Ye, who was closest to Tom, had to take the brunt of it.
With a chair in one hand and a frying pan in the other, Zhang Da Ye ran while blocking bullets behind him. "Tom! You're getting me killed again!"
Tom spread his paws innocently, ducked just in time to dodge a bullet, and then raised his paws again to show it wasn't on purpose.
Tom's antics made Zhang Da Ye's run a bit harder, but it also drew attention away from the others. As long as they avoided stray bullets, the rest were almost relaxed — a true "sacrifice the master, save the crew" moment.
As they ran, the unluckiest of them, Brook, got hit — though the bullet simply passed cleanly through the gap in his ribs, leaving only two small holes in his clothes.
Outraged, Brook jumped up and shouted, "That's so rude! They didn't say anything, but I can *feel* they're mocking me for being all bones! Da Ye, may I counterattack?!"
Zhang Da Ye nodded. "Yeah. Take out the ones with guns first. They're annoying."
"Leave it to me." Brook stopped, turned around, and drew his cane sword, walking calmly toward the pursuing group.
Tom, upon hearing "counterattack," quickly pulled out a half-meter-long firework tube.
He aimed, lit the fuse, and with a series of rapid "tutu tutu tutu" sounds, colorful fireworks burst out like a machine gun.
Zhang Da Ye could actually feel the recoil shaking Tom's body on his shoulder.
The fist-sized firework balls hit every single person holding a gun squarely in the face, leaving them scorched and sprawled flat on the ground.
Brook had just finished striking his pose. "Sonata of Wine—Eh? Tom!"
Watching the gunmen all fall, Brook's expression turned pitiful. It was supposed to be *his* moment.
The remaining explorers were speechless. "Fireworks? What kind of cat is that?!"
The last gunman panicked and quickly hid his gun behind his back, forcing a smile.
Tom pointed his firework tube at him — only for it to suddenly stop firing. The man grinned in relief, his expression oddly similar to Tom's when caught doing something wrong.
But justice would not be denied. Tom shook the tube hard, and six more firework balls sputtered out.
The man dropped his gun and ran, but the fireworks chased him like guided missiles, curving through S-shapes and corners until they finally caught up to him hiding in the treetops, exploding right on his backside.
Brook, watching the scene, sheathed his sword. He wasn't angry anymore. In fact, he kind of pitied the guy — though he mostly wanted to laugh.
"Tom truly is a magical cat, yohohoho~," Brook said cheerfully, spinning his cane as he jogged after the group.
Seeing what happened to their comrades, the remaining explorers gulped nervously. "Do… do we still chase them?"
The captain gritted his teeth. "Of course we chase! Look, that cat's thrown away the firework tube — it's out of ammo!"
Zhang Da Ye praised Tom heartily this time. Winning through trickery like that was perfect. Showing too much power too early would only draw Golden Lion's attention. Tom's way was just right.
Meanwhile, Indigo, who had been watching Tom's performance through a Den Den Mushi, immediately gave an order: "Capture that cat at all costs. It's clearly the most extraordinary and research-worthy creature on this island."
Even though the explorers lacked confidence, they had no choice but to obey. Fortunately, reinforcements were already on their way — surely they'd catch them soon?
Half an hour later, the explorers, still chasing at full speed, were close to collapse. "How… how can they run this fast?!"
Rare Beast Island had little flat ground — just hills and forests — and after sprinting through it for half an hour, they still only saw the group's backs in the distance.
"Slow down a bit. They're almost done. Where's their reinforcement?" Zhang Da Ye said, his breathing steady despite the long run. "Crazy Runner Da Ye" wasn't just a nickname.
The only one unable to run anymore was Perona, now being carried by Rui Meng Meng. Her weight probably didn't even match the heavy alloy sword on Rui Meng Meng's back.
Ye Yan still had stamina but was panting. "Their reinforcements are in Melviu. Maybe twenty minutes before they reach us."
"Good. Then we'll finish off this bunch first, and later we'll go greet their reinforcements in Melviu."
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