OPTC Chapter 275: This Sister Must Be an Unmatched Powerhouse
Aside from keeping his promise to Grandeeney about secrecy, Zhang Da Ye explained everything else — the crew members, the current situation, and the basics of this world.
As a result, poor Wendy's small brain seemed to short-circuit. She tried her best to process the important points: first, her companions were all safe, which was the most important thing. Then, there was news of Grandeeney, followed by contracts, another world, pirates, and the navy…
The poor girl's eyes were spinning like mosquito coils.
Fortunately, Carla was much more reliable. She calmly asked, "Then what's the price? To transport us from that situation and give us a chance to grow — what must we give in return?"
Zhang Da Ye looked at her in surprise. On the surface, Carla looked like Wendy's pet, but in reality, she acted like an older sister, taking care of and protecting her. It was… such a familiar dynamic.
Wasn't it just like the all-capable Tom and his completely useless owner? At least Wendy was cuter than Zhang Da Ye.
Wait, no. Wendy's problem was personality. His problem was ability.
A personality could be trained over time, but no amount of effort could make him stronger than Tom.
Pushing those stray thoughts aside, Zhang Da Ye said, "The price is simply to help me within your ability when needed. Specifically, Wendy, you're good at healing magic, right? We happen to not have a doctor on board."
In truth, Grandeeney hadn't explained the contract details clearly — probably assuming Zhang Da Ye already knew. He could only silently curse his unreliable 'system.' Even contracts should come in duplicate copies!
But since everyone else's contracts followed a similar pattern, just with different conditions, he figured Wendy's was the same.
"Alright! If it's healing magic, I can do it! I'll do my best!" Wendy clenched her little fists, psyching herself up. She had just arrived in a strange place, surrounded by strangers, in a place she'd be living for quite a while. Of course she felt nervous.
Carla still looked wary. Everything sounded fine, and if it was arranged by Grandeeney, it must be for Wendy's good — but she preferred to see things with her own eyes before trusting fully.
Zhang Da Ye was about to continue when Perona stepped in front of him, hands on her hips. "Hey, boss, I think you've talked enough, don't you?"
She must have picked up the habit of calling him "boss" from Rui Meng Meng. But where Rui Meng Meng made it sound like she was reporting to her superior, Perona made it sound like she was ordering food at a street stall.
"I've said the necessary parts. Why?" he asked, too lazy to correct her anymore. The longer Perona stayed aboard, the more mischievous she became — often teaming up with Tom to cause trouble.
Like a few days ago, when Perona distracted Brook while Tom secretly put salt in his tea. The two of them then hid behind a wall, laughing so hard they rolled on the floor watching Brook's reaction.
How did Zhang Da Ye know? Because watching the chaos was hilarious.
"Wendy and Carla just woke up," Perona said, pushing him toward the door. "They need to take a bath and change. Out!"
As he reached the door, Zhang Da Ye leaned back in and told Wendy, "If Perona bullies you, tell me. I'll deal with her."
"You're the only one who bullies people!" Perona slammed the door shut.
He dodged in time, but Tom — who had been peeking through the crack — got his head flattened. It took a great effort to pull it back out, after which he sat on the floor blinking innocently.
A little later, Perona came out holding some clothes and snacks. She found Tom. "Tom, can you resize these clothes for me?"
Tom glanced at the clothes, then at the snacks, crossing his arms and pouting. Too little.
"But that's all I have today," Perona said helplessly. "My clothes can fit Wendy, but Carla's won't without resizing."
Yes, Carla normally wore clothes — sometimes school uniforms, sometimes cute dresses, even her tail had a little bow tied on it.
Tom's ears twitched. Confirming that the request was for Carla, he happily grabbed the clothes and dashed off to his room. Then, a long arm stretched back around the corner — snatching the snacks from Perona's hand.
Before she could react, Tom was already back, proudly presenting five miniature outfits.
"That was fast!" Perona said, stunned. "And they look identical to before — not a single seam out of place! Amazing!"
Tom nodded proudly.
Zhang Da Ye noticed food crumbs on Tom's mouth, meaning he'd managed to finish tailoring and snacking at the same time.
Perona flipped through the clothes, puzzled. "Wait, I only gave you three sets. Why are there five?"
Cutting down big clothes could leave extra fabric to make more — that made sense. But then Zhang Da Ye realized two of the sets looked familiar.
"Tom! You used my clothes again!" Zhang Da Ye grabbed Tom's shoulders and shook him. "Last time you traded mine to Ye Yan for fish, and now you're using them to impress a girl!"
Tom looked guilty and tried to slip away, but couldn't escape the scolding. Zhang Da Ye wasn't really angry about the lost clothes — he just worried that one day Tom might get carried away and start cutting the ones he was wearing.
Perona quietly tiptoed away, deciding not to get involved. The clothes were already resized — no way to turn them back now.
After roughhousing with Tom for a while, Zhang Da Ye gave up chasing him once the cat started using the furniture to escape. The risk of property damage was too high.
The Amber sailed on, following its planned course. If all went well, they'd reach the island marked on the simple map by afternoon.
Before long, two little girls with twin tails — one pink, one blue — came out of the cabin, with a small cat following them.
At Zhang Da Ye's request, Perona hadn't worn twin tails for days. She only styled her hair that way today to match Wendy.
Under everyone's gaze, Wendy gathered her courage for her first formal introduction.
She took a step forward — and tripped.
There was nothing on deck to trip over, but Wendy still fell flat, arms stretched forward.
Everyone stared. Carla covered her face in embarrassment.
"Ow…" Wendy quickly got up, dusting off her clothes like this was normal. "Hello, everyone! I'm Wendy. I've been invited by Big Brother Boss to join as the ship's doctor. Please take care of me!"
"Big Brother Boss? Seriously?" Zhang Da Ye muttered, glaring at Perona. Such an odd title — clearly her influence.
Perona blinked innocently. She thought she'd been behaving quite well lately.
Everyone greeted Wendy and Carla warmly, except Brook, who Ye Yan quickly dragged away — worried the perverted skeleton might say something inappropriate to the little girl.
Wendy shyly greeted her new crewmates. Carla, on the other hand, seemed more composed but still cautious. Brook's appearance had startled them both, so Zhang Da Ye took the chance to explain about Devil Fruits.
"How amazing!" Wendy said — even though her own world's magic was far more mysterious.
"Oh, by the way, how are your injuries? Is it okay for you to walk around already?" he asked, remembering they'd been hurt when they arrived.
"I'm fine now," Wendy said. "Moving around is no problem at all."
"That's good," Zhang Da Ye nodded. No surprise — a close-combat mage from Fairy Tail had ridiculous vitality.
"Excuse me, but what's with this cat?" Carla asked, pressing a paw to Tom's face to keep him from leaning closer.
Even though she was smaller than him, her one hand held him effortlessly in place while his four legs flailed uselessly.
Perona picked up Tom and introduced him. "This is Tom. He's an amazing cat — he can cook, play the piano, and makes the best hot cocoa. He even tailored your outfit, Carla!"
Hearing himself praised, Tom immediately jumped down, stood tall, and grinned proudly.
Carla looked down at her clothes, then at the now slightly more serious-looking Tom. "Th-thank you," she said shyly.
Tom beamed — and immediately tried to approach her again.
But Carla floated into the air, white wings sprouting from her back as she drifted to Wendy's other side, leaving Tom to faceplant.
Tom stared up, dumbfounded, clearly not expecting a flying cat.
"Why do you keep getting so close?" Carla frowned.
"He probably just likes you," Zhang Da Ye said, patting Tom's head. "But listen — you can't approach girls without permission. It's rude."
Tom bit his finger in confusion. That's how he'd always done it — get close to whoever he liked, act cool, maybe give a gift, then confess directly. Sure, it never worked, but he didn't see the problem.
"L-likes…" Wendy's face flushed red.
"Don't say weird things to people you just met!" Carla scolded, tugging at Wendy's cheeks. "And you — why are you blushing? I'm the one he was talking about!"
"I-I'm sorry, Carla, but…" Wendy mumbled, covering her face.
After that little comedy, the tension finally eased. Zhang Da Ye planned to show Wendy and Carla around the ship, but Perona eagerly volunteered instead.
Seeing no objection from Wendy, he let her go ahead — and used the time to continue Tom's education.
"Tom, it's fine to chase girls, but don't go overboard. You need to be respectful. First, you should… then later…" He paused halfway through, realizing something. "Wait, I'm a single man teaching a single cat how to flirt. What am I doing?"
Tom silently handed him an umbrella and slipped away, sensing the storm cloud forming over his master's head.
Instead of pestering Carla, Tom headed to the pantry, choosing ingredients carefully to make a grand lunch. That couldn't possibly count as overstepping, right?
By lunchtime, everyone was satisfied — especially Carla, though Artoria seemed even happier.
It was also during this meal that Wendy and Carla learned just how enormous the appetites of their crewmates were.
Zhang Da Ye explained seriously, "Out here on the sea, strong people always eat a lot. Guys like Ye Yan who get full after a few bowls of rice are weaklings. If you want to get stronger, Wendy, start by eating more!"
"Okay!" Wendy nodded vigorously. She completely believed it — after all, Natsu, her idol, ate tons and was super strong. She didn't really know how to become a great Dragon Slayer, so she might as well start there.
Carla frowned slightly. Something felt off, but eating more couldn't hurt — Wendy was still growing, after all.
"Hey, did you have to insult me while explaining?" Ye Yan protested.
"I'm just telling the truth," Zhang Da Ye grinned. "You're the perfect example. How about a little sparring this afternoon? It's been a while."
"Fine, bring it on!" Ye Yan said. He'd improved a lot lately — enough that he thought he could finally hold his own.
"We'll see who's crying later."
"I never cried! At most I begged for mercy!"
Wendy and Carla watched them bicker, feeling like they were seeing a repeat of Natsu and Gray. If this ended in a full-blown brawl involving the whole crew, they'd really feel at home.
Half an hour later, Wendy's belly was round and full, and she collapsed adorably onto her chair. "Can't… eat… anymore…"
"Wendy, are you okay?" Perona asked worriedly, glaring at Zhang Da Ye like he was a conman. "Why did you tell her that?!"
Still eating, Zhang Da Ye said casually, "That's how Dragon Slayers train — eat more, fight more, grow stronger. I didn't lie."
At least that's how Natsu trained — and since Dragon Slayers were basically destined protagonists, the harsher the method, the faster they improved. As long as Wendy could handle it, this was the right path.
Wendy wasn't in any danger, just overly full. Right now, she was gazing at Artoria with sparkling eyes. This kind-looking sister must be incredibly powerful!
Later that afternoon, Zhang Da Ye kept his word and beat Ye Yan until he begged for mercy again. Just as he was about to start another round of exercise, Rui Meng Meng's voice came through the loudspeaker:
"Everyone, everyone! I see an island!"
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