OPTC Chapter 280: Is There Even One Normal Person on This Ship?
Zhang Da Ye cleared his throat. "Ahem, I just wanted to tell you all that this sword really is an ordinary sword. It can't cut through iron or anything like that…"
"Heheh… oof…"
"Oh-ho-ho-ho!"
"Yo-ho… yo-ho-ho-ho…"
Perona accidentally burst out laughing, but quickly covered her mouth, terrified of retaliation. Her eyes watered from trying to hold it in.
Tom, however, showed no such restraint. He clutched his stomach and laughed so hard that even Brook was infected by his laughter.
The others tried their best to hold back, out of respect for Zhang Da Ye. The disciples of the dojo didn't even dare to breathe too loudly, constantly reminding themselves: He's a guest. He's a guest. Don't be rude!
Seeing their faces, Zhang Da Ye's ears turned red. "I'm doing something serious here! Stop laughing!"
"Pfft~"
"Pffhahaha…"
"Pfft—cough, cough!"
The crowd couldn't hold it anymore. Brook tried to suppress his laughter, but Tom laughed even louder.
Finally losing his temper, Zhang Da Ye grabbed Tom and tossed him over the wall before readjusting his stance with the sword.
A whistle sounded. Zhang Da Ye looked up to see Tom hanging off the top of the wall, smiling and waving at him cheerfully. Apparently, Tom's upper body strength was impressive—he was hanging there with one arm, perfectly balanced.
Zhang Da Ye took a deep breath and wiped his face. It's my cat, don't get angry, don't get angry…
Forcing himself to ignore Tom's antics, he focused again. With one clean motion, he brought the sword down. The iron ingot on the ground split neatly in half.
"It's cut!"
"He really cut it!"
"Amazing!"
At last, the air filled with admiration. Zhang Da Ye felt slightly comforted. Finally, a normal reaction. Maybe I can have some dignity as a master for once.
After all the training and hard work he had endured, he finally got to show off—only to have it almost ruined by laughter. What a tragedy.
Tom began clapping from atop the wall, even adding a few cheering whistles. He had reflected on his mistake: clearly, being thrown out earlier was punishment for laughing. So now he was determined to show full support.
Tom was a natural mood-maker. With his lead, the dojo disciples joined in, clapping and cheering as well.
Zhang Da Ye started to bow but froze halfway, his face twisting in despair. "I'm not performing, Tom! Give me back my dignity as a master!"
Despite the chaos, his demonstration achieved its purpose. Kuina and Zoro were visibly awestruck.
Though his strike wasn't as exaggerated as Artoria's, it was still at a level they could only look up to—a clear goal for them to aim toward for a long time.
Zhang Da Ye said earnestly, "See? Once you reach this level, you can set sail."
In truth, that level of strength was enough to handle the first half of the Grand Line—as long as they didn't provoke the mighty Buggy the Clown.
…
Zhang Da Ye and his group left before lunch, sparing the dojo's food stores any further harm.
On the shore, Kuina hugged Wado Ichimonji and watched their ship sail away, her expression distant.
Koushirou, watching his daughter, guessed her thoughts. "Kuina, were you thinking about going with them?"
Kuina didn't deny it. "I'm still too weak. I'd only slow them down."
Ever since being defeated by Artoria, she'd been inspired. Powerful, graceful, beautiful, confident—those were the impressions Artoria left on her.
If she traveled with them, she could learn from Artoria every day. Her growth would surely skyrocket, bringing her closer to her dream.
But then she remembered Artoria's blunt critique—"Your moves are stiff. Your strength and speed are lacking." That made her hesitate. Was she really qualified to board that ship?
So in the end, she only asked, "If I go to sea, can I become stronger?" instead of, "Can I go with you?"
Koushirou could see the disappointment in her face. "If you'd asked directly, Zhang Da Ye might not have refused."
"At the very least, I have to reach that level first." Kuina made up her mind. She would train harder, then set sail to find them—and her dream.
"It'll be tough to reach that level," Koushirou warned. "Zhang Da Ye must've trained for years to achieve that."
Kuina gripped her sword tightly, eyes shining. "That's fine. Aiming to be the world's best swordsman was never meant to be easy."
Koushirou was silent for a moment before smiling wryly. "I guess I have no choice. Both my daughter and my students are so stubborn. Fine then—I'll train you and Zoro properly, and teach you everything I know about the sword."
"Father?" Kuina looked up in surprise.
After what happened yesterday, Koushirou had realized something: even if he stopped Kuina from going to sea, she could still face danger anywhere. Better to let her chase her dream—at least growing stronger would help her protect herself.
"To follow those people's footsteps won't be easy. Prepare yourself. Training starts now."
"Yes!" Kuina replied firmly, then grinned. "But we should find Zoro first, or he'll say you're playing favorites!"
Koushirou looked around for a flash of green hair, sighed helplessly. "Lost again, huh…"
Would that boy master the art of cutting steel first—or get lost forever? A worrying thought.
…
Meanwhile, aboard the Amber, the sea was calm, and the weather fair. The crew gathered around to study the treasure map.
Zhang Da Ye frowned. "Shark Chili, any luck?"
"None at all." Shark Chili sighed. "The map doesn't even label any islands. I've been comparing it to sea charts, but I can't find any matching shapes."
Tom spread his hands helplessly. He'd already combed through the map inch by inch with a magnifying glass, but still found nothing.
"This thing's hand-drawn," Zhang Da Ye said. "Probably not accurate. Even the maps Koushirou gave us can only serve as rough references. The island shapes may be totally wrong."
Not everyone who drew maps was named Nami, after all. With a treasure map like this, the fact that it was legible was already a blessing.
Ye Yan suggested, "Maybe we should try heating it or soaking it in water?"
Brook nodded. "Yo-ho-ho-ho! Some treasure maps are drawn with special ink that reacts to heat!"
"Not a bad idea. Risky, but let's try." Zhang Da Ye took several photos of the map with his camera before holding it up. "Alright, let's heat it."
Tom immediately struck a match and held it underneath the map.
Everyone leaned in, watching closely. "It's changing!"
A small black spot appeared in the center of the map—and in an instant, the entire thing went up in smoke, crumbling to ash.
Everyone froze. Zhang Da Ye still held his hands in the same position, while the tiny match burned slowly between his fingers.
Tom flicked the match into the sea and smiled awkwardly.
Perona scooped up the ashes and hurried to Wendy. "Wendy! Quick, fix the map!"
Wendy backed away, flustered. "I—I can't do that kind of magic!"
"Tom~" Zhang Da Ye smiled sweetly.
Tom quickly put on his chef's hat and gestured that he was going to cook lunch, then darted into the kitchen. The hat spun in the air before a furry paw snatched it away.
Artoria stepped in front of Zhang Da Ye. "Da Ye, Tom knows he did wrong. Let's forgive him this once?"
Zhang Da Ye looked into her eyes. "Are you defending him because he's sorry… or because you're hungry?"
Artoria averted her gaze, mumbling, "O-of course because…"
"Got it. Good thing I took pictures beforehand." Zhang Da Ye lifted his camera. "But if the secret was hidden in the paper itself, we might've lost the treasure for good."
Artoria tried to comfort him. "It's fine. It's just some gold, right? We're not short on funds anyway."
So she was that hungry, huh—using finances as an excuse now.
"Money's not the issue. The treasure might not have been gold—it could've been a Devil Fruit, or a rare cooking recipe."
Cooking recipe? Artoria's hair tuft twitched. She'd caught the key word.
Rui Meng Meng asked curiously, "I can understand Devil Fruits, but who hides a recipe as a treasure?"
"Plenty of weirdos in this world," Zhang Da Ye said. "You'd be surprised." He was pretty sure even Octopus Hachi once found his takoyaki recipe from a treasure map.
"We have to uncover this secret!" Artoria clenched her fist, eyes blazing. "Please, Wendy, heal the paper!"
"E-even if you say that, I can't!" Wendy cried. "I can heal people, maybe animals—but not paper!"
Carla sighed. "And here I thought Lady Artoria was the most reliable one here."
After pestering Wendy for a while, Artoria finally took the photos from Zhang Da Ye, deciding to study them seriously. What had started as curiosity had now turned into determination.
They only paused when Tom and Rui Meng Meng brought lunch to the table.
"This is delicious!" Wendy and Carla said together.
Yesterday they thought the food was only that good because they were starving—but today proved Tom really was that skilled. Compared to the dojo's food, his cooking was leagues above.
"If you like it, eat more," Zhang Da Ye said, passing Wendy a chicken leg. "You'll start training with us this afternoon. It'll be tough."
"Okay! I'll do my best!" Wendy bit into the leg eagerly. She still remembered Zhang Da Ye's words: to get stronger, you have to eat well and train hard.
Carla, however, began to worry—if Wendy kept eating like this, would she still be able to carry her in flight later?
Zhang Da Ye nodded approvingly. Cute, obedient girls really were the best. He turned to Perona and added some greens to her bowl. "You should eat more too."
"I don't like vegetables!" she complained.
He added a carrot next. "Then eat this."
Perona puffed her cheeks. Seriously? I said I don't like greens, and you give me carrots? Do you think my problem is with the color?
"Kids need balanced nutrition," Zhang Da Ye lectured. "You can't live on hot cocoa and doughnuts forever."
"You're so annoying," Perona muttered, but reluctantly ate it.
"I agree with the boss," Shark Chili said. "Perona's been eating too many sweets. Here—some special kids' toothbrushes and toothpaste. I even brought extras for Wendy and Carla."
Perona knew Shark Chili well enough not to refuse. If she did, he'd start lecturing about dental hygiene for hours—worse than Zhang Da Ye's nagging—so she accepted quietly.
Wendy thanked him sincerely, while Carla looked down at the toothbrush set, puzzled. "Why do you even carry these at the dining table?"
"Because dental care waits for no one," Shark Chili said proudly, brushing his teeth as he walked off.
"What's wrong, Carla?" Wendy noticed her expression.
Carla sighed. "Nothing. Just remembering when I first joined Fairy Tail… Everyone there was weird too. I thought this new crew would be normal, but…"
Her gaze swept over the group—Zhang Da Ye and Tom fighting over food, Artoria devouring a mountain of dishes, Rui Meng Meng looking like two different people in and out of battle, Ye Yan still dressed like a candied-haw seller, plus a skeleton, a robot, and a ghost girl…
Carla rubbed her forehead. "Nope. No normal people here either."
Wendy only smiled brightly. "Isn't that a good thing? Feels like another guild!"
Carla thought about it and chuckled. "You're right. It actually makes it easier to fit in."
Maybe she was the strange one after all.
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