OPTC Chapter 283: Iron Fist
As Zhang Da Ye and his crew turned their ship around, the pirate ship adjusted its course as well.
When pirates encounter another ship on the open sea and confirm it's not a navy vessel, what do they do? Naturally, they charge in and rob it.
"Captain, they're heading our way!" the lookout shouted.
The captain barked, "Perfect! Everyone, stay sharp and prepare for battle!"
"But Captain," one of the crew hesitated, "they're not running away. Could they be bounty hunters?"
The captain grinned. "Even better! We'll crush them, make our name known across the seas! We'll be the pirates no one dares to mess with—and then, we'll have anything we want!"
"Ohhh!" The pirates were easily riled up.
Drawing his sword and resting a boot on the railing, the captain roared, "Full speed ahead! Prepare the cannons!"
As the two ships drew closer, two cannon shots thundered. Boom! Boom! Two splashes erupted barely ten meters away from the Amber, their aim laughably off.
Pirate gunners were rarely accurate, but for ordinary targets, this was enough. In the East Blue, cannon fire was more for intimidation—to scare victims into surrendering. If the targets refused, only then would they board for close combat. Ammunition, after all, was scarce.
"What awful aim," Zhang Da Ye muttered as he steered. "Not even worth calling Artoria out of the lookout room."
Ye Yan added, sneering, "Look at that wreck of a ship. Twenty men crammed on a boat smaller than ours. I'd bet it's some ninth-hand junkyard scrap they bought for spare change."
Zhang Da Ye squinted. The bow and the flag were unfamiliar—clearly some nameless little pirate crew.
After another wildly off-target volley, the pirates started yelling across the water. "You there! We're the Walk-On Pirates! If you value your lives, hand over all your valuables! Resist, and you'll die screaming!"
Brave words, Zhang Da Ye thought, barely holding back a laugh. He cupped his hands and shouted back, "Pirates over there! We're part-time bounty hunters! Better resist with everything you've got—because after this, you won't get another chance!"
"Bastard! Mocking us?!" Captain Walk-On bellowed. "Boys! Ready the grappling hooks! Bring me that loudmouth—I'll slice off his tongue myself!"
"Ohhh!!" The pirates' morale soared. The enemy ship didn't look strong—easy prey today.
A few of them spun their grappling hooks with excitement, eager to be the first to board. The first to climb onto the enemy ship always got a larger share of loot, after all.
Then someone froze. "W-wait… what's that?"
"It's flying toward us! Is that… a bird?"
"No, it's a cat—and a person? Why is a cat flying with someone?!"
Hooks clattered to the deck as jaws dropped. Some pirates even smacked each other in the face with their ropes by accident.
Carla was already soaring above them, clutching Wendy's shoulders.
Zhang Da Ye still couldn't quite tell if Carla was actually gripping Wendy's clothes or using some kind of flight magic. Maybe her paws worked like suction cups.
Under the stunned gazes of the pirates, Carla and Wendy descended.
Wendy spread her arms, small magic circles glowing around them as twin whirlwinds coiled around her hands. "Sky Dragon's… Wing Attack!"
With a sweeping motion, the whirlwinds shot downward like a dragon's wings slamming into the deck. Five pirates were immediately knocked out cold, and several others staggered back, shielding their faces from the violent gust.
"What the—?!"
"A demon?!"
"What kind of attack was that?!"
Panic rippled through the crew. A flying cat, a little girl, and wind strong enough to crush them—none of it made sense.
"Don't panic! It's just a kid!" Captain Walk-On barked. "Shoot her down!"
He drew his pistol and fired. Bang! Bang! Every shot missed.
Carla dipped and weaved effortlessly through the air, bringing Wendy closer.
Wendy's next spell was already prepared. "Sky Dragon's… Claw!"
Wind swirled around her leg as she kicked upward—her heel slamming into Walk-On's chin. His teeth clacked shut with a crack, blood flying as he crashed backward, his pistol skidding across the deck.
"Captain!" The remaining pirates finally reacted, raising their guns and firing wildly.
Wendy inhaled deeply. "Sky Dragon's… Roar!"
A blue magic circle flared before her mouth, and a tornado erupted from her lungs, roaring across the deck.
"You've got to be kidding me!" the pirates screamed as the storm swallowed them. Bullets flew backward, guns wrenched from hands, and the men themselves were swept away by the raging wind.
Their already weathered ship didn't stand a chance. The mast snapped, the hull split, and seawater poured in as the vessel began to sink.
"Wendy's that strong?" Perona gaped. It was her first time seeing Wendy fight, and she hadn't imagined the quiet girl who trained with her every day could destroy an entire ship in seconds.
"You've never seen her practice magic?" Zhang Da Ye asked, unfazed. He'd seen all these moves before.
In his memory, the Fire Dragon King Igneel's breath could vaporize mountaintops. Grandeeney, who had taught Wendy, specialized in healing and support magic—less destructive, perhaps, but still easily capable of blasting through a mountain. For Wendy, taking out a mid-sized ship was nothing.
"I was too busy training my Devil Fruit powers!" Perona groaned. "Ugh… no matter how hard I try, I'll never match Wendy!"
"Your powers focus on different things," Zhang Da Ye said, trying to console her. "No need to compare raw power. Maybe you can develop them in other directions."
Meanwhile, two lucky pirates who'd somehow avoided the attack clung to the railing, too terrified to move.
"This is insane… I swear I saw a dragon's breath."
"How can a little girl have power like that?! She's a monster!"
Carla glanced down at the wreckage. "That was easier than expected."
Wendy hesitated. "Did I… go too far?"
"Probably not?" Carla said uncertainly. "I mean, compared to our guildmates blowing up whole streets during missions, sinking one ship isn't so bad."
Just then, Shark Chili surfaced beside them. "Good work, everyone. I didn't know Wendy's magic was this powerful."
"I just copied what I saw," Wendy said shyly, scratching her head.
Originally, Wendy had only mastered the Sky Dragon's Roar. The Wing Attack and Claw were imitations of Natsu's techniques—and they seemed to work quite well. For the first time, she felt a spark of confidence in her strength.
Carla asked, "So, what do we do with these guys?"
"Restrain them and call the navy to pick them up," Shark Chili said. Turning to the two trembling survivors, he asked, "Who's your captain, and what's his bounty?"
"T-that one," they stammered, pointing to the unconscious Walk-On with several missing teeth. "As for bounty… uh, we're still working on that."
"Still working on it?" Shark Chili blinked. "So… no bounty."
That meant no payout. The broken ship wasn't worth salvaging, and their weapons wouldn't fetch enough for a meal. A total waste of effort.
He hauled the unconscious pirates into a dingy, then dove to scavenge the wreck. No treasure. They were broke.
When he brought the two survivors before Zhang Da Ye, they had to deliver the bad news themselves.
Zhang Da Ye took it calmly. "I figured as much. The East Blue is full of pirates this weak."
The lack of a bounty didn't surprise him—what did surprise him was how thoroughly Wendy had inherited Fairy Tail's "property damage" gene. Still, he praised her earnestly.
After confirming the pirates' names and identities, Zhang Da Ye called the naval rescue line, reaching the nearest East Blue Navy Branch 77. They promised to send a patrol ship within an hour.
Zhang Da Ye agreed immediately—he was even considering asking for a meal aboard their ship later.
That thought vanished when he saw it. "That's… the navy ship? It's tiny."
It was the smallest warship he'd ever seen—barely half the Amber's length. At best, it was on par with the Merry.
Carla frowned. "It's about the same size as the ship Wendy just sank. Are all navy ships this small?"
"They're not," Zhang Da Ye replied. "The big ones are several times larger than ours. Guess East Blue runs on a budget."
The small warship stopped beside them, and a pink-haired, dark-skinned officer in a striped suit stepped forward. He gave the Amber a disdainful once-over before speaking.
"I am Navy Headquarters Ensign—Iron Fist Fullbody. I've been ordered to take custody of the Walk-On Pirates. You must be the Amber Travel Group?"
Him? Zhang Da Ye studied the man's hands, which were covered in metal knuckle guards. So this was "Iron Fist Fullbody," the man supposedly comparable to Garp? And yet, an Ensign? He must've been demoted to the East Blue for a reason.
Zhang Da Ye hid a smile and nodded politely. "Yes, I'm Zhang Da Ye of the Amber Travel Group. All twenty pirates are accounted for."
Because of the ship's height, Fullbody had to look up to speak, which annoyed him further. He noticed Zhang Da Ye struggling not to laugh—and Ye Yan's lifeless eyes didn't help either.
Suppressing his irritation, Fullbody motioned for his men to detain the pirates.
The soldiers whispered among themselves.
"I saw a skeleton and a robot on their ship!"
"Seriously? A robot?"
"That's not the point! There were only a few of them, and they took down a whole twenty-man pirate crew!"
"Even we'd have trouble doing that… must've been the robot!"
They quickly concluded the robot did everything.
Fullbody clenched his fists. "It's nothing special! They just have a bigger ship and heavier guns. Get back to work and stop gossiping!"
"Yes, Ensign!" the sailors barked, saluting before hauling the pirates aboard.
Zhang Da Ye couldn't hear what was said, so he brought up the topic of bounty posters. "Ensign Fullbody, do you have the current East Blue bounty list? We're new here and would like to get familiar with the area."
How dare this bounty hunter speak to him so casually? Fullbody's jaw tightened. He also caught Ye Yan's dead-eyed stare, which, to him, looked mocking.
Of course, he didn't know that Zhang Da Ye always spoke politely to everyone—from admirals to kings—and that Ye Yan's eyes simply always looked that way. But Fullbody felt insulted nonetheless.
Grinding his teeth, he waved for a soldier to fetch the posters, mentally noting their faces. One day, he'd pay them back.
As the navy ship left, Ye Yan said, "I feel like that guy has a problem with me."
"Yeah," Zhang Da Ye replied. "Strange, isn't it?"
Neither of them could figure out why.
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