OPTC Chapter 284: The Most Beautiful Kingdom in the East Blue
After parting ways with the Amber Travel Group, Fullbody was interrogating the Walkon Pirates.
"A flying cat? You're telling me a little girl defeated all of you? Even sank your ship?"
"It sounds shameful, but that's exactly what happened," one of the pirates stammered, still pale with fear. "She could control tornadoes. A cute little girl? No way—she's a demon with an angel's face."
The soldier recording the interrogation was equally stunned. He had seen the blue-haired girl when they brought the pirates in—soft-spoken and adorable, the kind of child one instinctively wanted to protect. He never would have believed she single-handedly destroyed an entire pirate crew.
These pirates clearly had no idea what they were up against, but the marines had a hunch. The soldier hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Ensign Fullbody, could this be…?"
(A/N: Some readers pointed out that Fullbody is only eighteen, so his rank has been changed from lieutenant to ensign.)
"It can't be wrong," Fullbody replied, a bead of cold sweat rolling down his temple. "It must be that power—Devil Fruit power. And a particularly strong one at that."
Ordinary Devil Fruits couldn't possibly make a little girl this powerful. That much Fullbody was certain of.
The pirates trembled. "So she really is a demon…"
Fullbody had no patience to lecture them on what a Devil Fruit was. He was just glad he hadn't acted recklessly earlier. "Who exactly are these travelers?" he muttered.
The soldier suddenly remembered. "Ensign! I saw them in the newspaper last week—the one about Golden Lion!"
"What did you say?" Fullbody hurried back to his office and pulled out the old paper. The front page photo of the Amber was unmistakable, and there it was in print:
"The Navy expresses sincere gratitude to the Amber Travel Group and other civilians who risked their lives to assist in the capture of Golden Lion."
He had assumed they were just opportunists who helped out for a bounty. Now, he wasn't so sure. As a marine officer, Fullbody understood the art of bureaucratic language—this was likely headquarters downplaying someone else's contribution.
If those people could cross paths with Golden Lion himself, they weren't just bounty hunters—they were monsters in disguise. Fullbody poured himself a glass of wine with shaking hands. "Did I… 'tch' at him when we met?"
He downed the glass in one gulp, soaking his shirt front. "Is it too late to apologize?"
…
Meanwhile, Zhang Da Ye hadn't given the matter a second thought. To him, running into someone "familiar" was a mild surprise at best. As for Fullbody's attitude? It didn't matter. With his ability and brain, that man wouldn't rise very far. No trouble there.
And honestly, Fullbody wasn't hopeless—just someone who needed a few solid beatings to grow up.
Zhang Da Ye counted the bonus the marines had handed him. There wasn't an official bounty on that pirate crew, but since they'd sunk a pirate ship, the Navy had given them a small reward.
It wasn't much, so he gave the entire sum to Wendy along with some pocket money. "Buy whatever you want when we reach the next island."
Their days at sea went on as usual—constant training, occasional pranks. Tom still tricked Zhang Da Ye often, though sometimes Zhang would retaliate immediately, and other times he'd chase Tom across the ocean until both ended up shivering under the same blanket afterward.
"Land ho! Yohohoho! Land ahead!" Brook's voice came through the loudspeaker.
When he wasn't playing music or helping Shark Chili manage his lingering trauma, Brook sometimes took the lookout post.
Zhang Da Ye and Tom exchanged a glance, threw off their blankets, and ran to the bow.
Carla blinked at them. "What's with those two? How are they suddenly dry?"
Wendy gasped in amazement. "Brother Da Ye really is incredible."
Carla frowned. "Incredible? More like weird."
Perona snorted. "His powers are weird to begin with. But he always blames Tom for 'corrupting' him—like I'd ever believe that."
The others chatted idly as they joined the two at the front. This time, what they saw wasn't a small island but a vast stretch of land. As the Amber approached, tall walls and a range of mountains came into view.
Shark Chili peered through his binoculars, then relaxed. "Looks like the map's correct. Up ahead is the most beautiful country in the East Blue—Goa Kingdom on Dawn Island."
Indeed, Goa Kingdom was known as the East Blue's most beautiful nation. Even the Celestial Dragons occasionally visited for inspection.
Zhang Da Ye recalled a newspaper he'd seen months ago at Goodman's house—Celestial Dragons visiting Goa had been half a year ago. By now, Sabo had probably been taken away by Dragon. Ace and Luffy were likely still mourning… though come to think of it, Vice Admiral Gion mentioned Garp was on vacation. Those two were probably too busy to be sad.
"Prepare to dock," Zhang Da Ye said. "Leave a few flag spirits to guard the ship—or let them take shifts and explore. They deserve a little break."
Ye Yan made an OK sign in acknowledgment.
The Amber eased toward Goa's harbor. Before they could even drop anchor, armed soldiers shouted, "Identify yourselves! Where are you from and what is your purpose here?"
It was the first time they'd been questioned at a port. Even at Water Seven, no one had bothered them—perhaps Tom's Workshop or a Judiciary ship had vouched for them then.
Zhang Da Ye produced a document signed by Rear Admiral at Sabaody. "We're travelers from the Grand Line," he said calmly. "We arrived in the East Blue recently and wish to tour your kingdom. Here's our Navy-issued certification."
"What? From the Grand Line?!" the soldiers gasped. They hurried to verify the document.
The crowd around them murmured in awe. To ordinary folk, anyone who came from the Grand Line was a big deal.
"The ship and flag pattern match. The stamp looks genuine… but the Sabaody Naval Branch…?" The soldiers frowned. They'd never heard of such a place.
"Sorry," one of them said politely, "we'll need to confirm this with our captain. Could you wait a moment?"
Zhang Da Ye nodded, holding Tom back. "Go ahead."
One soldier ran off, while the other remained behind. The crew disembarked, looking around curiously.
The locals stared back, whispering. The adorable cat and little girls didn't draw much attention, nor did Zhang Da Ye or Ye Yan despite their looks. Artoria and Rui Meng Meng, however, caused quite a stir with their beauty—though even they couldn't outshine a walking skeleton and a robot shark.
"Is that… a moving skeleton? From the Grand Line?"
"Forget that—the shark robot is way cooler!"
"As expected from the Grand Line!"
The onlookers buzzed excitedly, though none dared approach under the soldiers' watch.
Zhang Da Ye passed the time chatting with a nearby soldier. "Tell me, what are the must-see sights in your kingdom? Any rules we should know about?"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier instinctively straightened before realizing how overformal he sounded. He cleared his throat. "Technically, this is the capital. At the top of the central plateau is the royal palace. Below that lies High Town, where the nobles live. Surrounding it is the central district, and this port area is considered the Lower Town."
The structure was simple enough: sea to the west, towering walls on the other three sides. The closer to the palace, the higher one's social standing.
"This city is spotless," the soldier added proudly. "Visitors always enjoy their stay. As for rules—don't trespass into noble property, and after sunset, please avoid walking the streets."
Zhang Da Ye nodded grimly. He knew exactly how this "spotlessness" was maintained.
All the "trash" was removed beyond the city walls—including the homeless and the poor, who were treated as garbage. The nightly street curfew existed because that was when the "cleaning" took place.
Those outside the walls fought over scraps from the cities—sometimes even killing each other over an apple core. Day after day, the garbage piled into mountains, and the people living there called it the Grey Terminal.
Goa wasn't unique in this cruelty. In Wano Country, under Orochi's rule, the wealthy thrived in the Flower Capital while the destitute survived in Ebisu Town, scavenging the nobles' waste—another Goa in disguise.
Those in the Grey Terminal had only two ways to escape: set sail into the sea or cross the dangerous Korbo Mountains. Both were nearly suicidal for commoners.
The sea was deadly without navigation skills or a proper ship, and the mountains were home to bandits and beasts—even young Luffy's trio had nearly died there, and Garp himself had been injured as a child.
So most people outside the walls simply survived day by day, if they could call it that.
Half a year ago, when the Celestial Dragons visited, the king had ordered the entire Grey Terminal burned down to "beautify the city." Dragon had rescued most of the survivors, but by now, new heaps of garbage and misery were surely forming again.
After some casual conversation, the soldier returned with his captain.
"Apologies for the wait," said Captain Keptin, the harbor patrol leader. "Your credentials check out. Here's a temporary pass—please enjoy your stay."
He handed Zhang Da Ye the pass. In truth, he'd only confirmed its authenticity after contacting a Navy acquaintance. The Sabaody Branch was a mystery to him too.
Zhang Da Ye accepted the papers and discreetly slipped twenty 10,000-Berry bills beneath them. "Thank you for the trouble, Captain. Our ship will be docked here for a few days. Please take care of it."
Feeling the thickness of the cash, Keptin tucked it swiftly into his sleeve and beamed. "Of course! It's my duty, sir. If you encounter any trouble, come straight to me."
"Much appreciated," Zhang Da Ye said with a polite nod, then led his group toward the city.
A few onlookers, eyes gleaming with greed, quietly tailed them.
Keptin, meanwhile, used the distraction to slip two bills to his men. "You know what to do."
"Yes, sir!"
As soon as he was gone, the two soldiers grinned. "Big spender this time, huh? Captain's loaded."
"Who cares—let's just guard the ship. Anyone that generous has to be a big shot."
…
"Wow!" Perona, Wendy, and Carla gasped as they entered the streets.
Clean roads, spotless buildings—the city truly was, as Keptin said, "immaculate."
They strolled leisurely, the girls and cats marveling at everything around them, with a startled Brook occasionally joining their exclamations.
"Yohohoho! As expected of the East Blue's most beautiful kingdom!" Brook said, delighted.
But Artoria didn't share his cheer. She frowned at Zhang Da Ye. "Why did you do that?"
She was referring to the bribe. It wasn't her way.
"I think Boss Da Ye did the right thing," Shark Chili said, ever pragmatic. "Just consider it paying for extra security. Sure, our flag spirits can guard the ship, but not every problem can be solved with force. We're just here to enjoy ourselves—not to cause trouble."
"Exactly," Zhang Da Ye agreed quietly. He didn't like it either, but half a year running a tavern had taught him hard lessons about people and the world.
(A/N: Oda once drew a sketch of young Garp holding a massive water pipe in one hand, a treasure chest in the other, riding a tiger with scars on his head—likely from the Korbo Mountains. So yes, even Garp got scratched up there. Meanwhile, Oden killed a giant bear at age four by throwing a boulder. Truly, the man was on another level.)
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