OPTC Chapter 286: Who Else Came Out from the Grand Line
"Artoria Pendragon." Out of courtesy, Artoria reported her name.
"Artoria?" Ansettley Fuo frowned, unable to recall any noble family with that surname—especially since, in this world, the family name usually came first.
After a brief hesitation, Fuo smiled. "Would it be possible to invite the young lady for a cup of coffee?"
Zhang Da Ye studied his eyes, wondering what would happen if a conflict broke out. If he punched a noble, what kind of trouble would that cause? He glanced at Tom. Maybe it was better not to do it himself—he could just have Tom pretend to be a stray cat and scratch him.
The butler behind Fuo looked uneasy. The Ansettley family was a middling noble house. To rise higher, they needed a marriage alliance—with a greater noble or perhaps even royalty.
Every butler in town knew the names of the noble families by heart, and clearly, "Artoria" wasn't among them.
He didn't want Fuo getting involved with a woman of unknown origin, no matter how flawless her looks or demeanor seemed. But since Fuo had already made his invitation, it was too late to stop him now. He'd just have to find a chance to remind him later and hope the young master hadn't already been dazzled by beauty.
"Coffee?" Artoria had no special fondness for coffee—and this man didn't seem interested in friendship. She declined politely. "Thank you for the offer, but we still have things to do."
Yet Fuo didn't step aside. His face held an arrogant smile. "Not a fan of coffee? That's fine. Then tell me what brings you here—perhaps I can help? Even in front of the king, the Ansettley family has a say."
The butler silently scoffed. Sure, every noble could "speak" before the king—the question was whether the king listened.
Artoria turned toward Zhang Da Ye, wondering why he'd been so quiet. Normally, he would've stepped in by now.
If this was just a casual approach, she'd brush it off. But if the man kept pushing, maybe a little "lesson" wouldn't be so wrong. Zhang Da Ye whispered something to her.
Artoria blinked, then nodded slightly.
Clearing his throat, Zhang Da Ye said, "It's nothing serious. The young lady's just been having trouble finding a restaurant that suits her taste today, so she hasn't had lunch yet—and naturally, she's in no mood for coffee."
Tom tilted his head. No lunch? He touched his belly. Not full. Guess that's true—but something still felt off.
Shark Chili shot Fuo a sympathetic look. The boss was clearly setting him up. Hope the guy's wallet was deep enough.
Brook remembered the incident on the warship. Come to think of it, Miss Artoria hadn't been eating properly for days. He twirled his cane with a grin but said nothing.
Fuo smiled warmly. "Ah, I see. Then allow me to treat you! There's an excellent restaurant nearby."
Zhang Da Ye pretended to hesitate. "That might not be proper. The young lady's meals tend to be rather… expensive."
"I told you, I'm the eldest son of the Ansettley family. A mere lunch is nothing." Fuo frowned, clearly insulted that his wealth was being doubted.
Zhang Da Ye didn't care. Let him glare all he wanted—so long as he didn't cry when the bill came.
Artoria nodded slightly. "Then I'll accept your offer."
And so, Fuo proudly led them to a lavish-looking restaurant.
On the way, he kept probing about Artoria's background.
Zhang Da Ye played along, saying they just ran a small business—not nearly on the same level as the Ansettleys. That seemed to soothe Fuo's vanity a bit.
When it came time to order, Fuo wasn't stingy. He picked the most expensive dishes and filled the table—not because he guessed Artoria's appetite, but simply out of extravagance. Waste didn't bother him; the beauty across the table was worth the price.
The butler quietly warned him again about her unclear origins, but Fuo brushed him off. It wasn't like he planned to marry her anyway.
"No need to hold back—enjoy yourselves. Later, you can come to my house for dinner. My chef's far better than this place's."
While Fuo went on and on about his family's greatness, Artoria was already eating heartily. Wasting food was a crime!
The dishes were different from those in Central Street—beautiful, delicate, and flavorful—but far too small. One plate took Artoria three bites, Tom one, and sometimes he even swallowed the plates.
The waiter was horrified. "Your—your cat swallowed a plate!"
Zhang Da Ye said calmly, "That's fine. We'll pay for it."
"That's not the point! Are you sure your cat's alright?" The waiter was on edge. If something happened to a noble's pet, his job—and maybe more—was finished.
"No worries. Just bring the next course faster," Zhang Da Ye said.
"What an amazing cat," Fuo laughed, though uneasily.
But soon, the laughter died.
Twenty minutes later, a new full table of food arrived.
Tom was lounging contentedly, already full. The others stood aside like proper attendants. Only Artoria kept eating.
Twenty minutes after that, Fuo's face had gone pale. Zhang Da Ye asked the waiter to bring every dish they hadn't tried yet.
Another thirty minutes later…
Fuo realized watching a beautiful woman eat for two hours could be enjoyable—unless you were the one paying.
Artoria finally stopped—not because she was full, but because the restaurant had run out of ingredients. Even the chef was exhausted.
Normally, Fuo would've thrown a tantrum, but now he felt like he'd been pardoned. With shaking hands, he signed a check—he didn't carry that much cash anyway.
The butler quietly suggested they just walk out, but Fuo refused. How could the eldest son of the Ansettleys dine and dash?
"Well… um… it's getting late…" Fuo stammered now, completely drained.
The butler wiped his sweat. This was the worst day of his ten-year career. He'd definitely be scolded later.
Zhang Da Ye smiled politely. "You're right—it's getting late. By the way, do you have any dinner recommendations? You mentioned your family's chef was amazing."
Fuo broke into a sweat. "Ah… I—uh…"
He didn't dare invite them again. What if she ate him out of house and home?
Thankfully, the butler jumped in. "Young master, you forgot—you have a ball tonight."
"Ah, yes! The ball! I must prepare. My apologies!" Fuo hurried off.
Zhang Da Ye finally broke into laughter.
"Boss Da Ye," Shark Chili said, "don't you think that was a bit much?"
"Think about it," Zhang Da Ye replied. "If someone invited Tiana for coffee, and after she politely declined, they still wouldn't back off—wouldn't this kind of payback be fair?"
Shark Chili's expression hardened. "You're right. Maybe we should've gone harder."
Brook tilted his head. "If he couldn't afford it, why didn't he just refuse?"
"Because nobles care too much about face," Zhang Da Ye said. "He was afraid of losing it in front of others."
Brook touched his skull. "Can't relate. I have no face to lose—yohohoho!"
"How was it? Enjoy your meal?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
Tom patted his belly and gave an OK gesture.
Artoria nodded. "It was delicious. But won't this cause trouble?"
"We didn't force him to pay. He'll probably hire some small-time thugs for revenge. No big deal," Zhang Da Ye said. "Even the king in this sorry kingdom has to hire pirates to do his dirty work. This guy's probably only good for hiring street punks."
After leaving the restaurant, they went straight to the bookstore to buy nautical charts and books on East Blue's currents and climate. The trip had been worthwhile after all.
Meanwhile, Fuo, still fuming, felt something was wrong. Could anyone really eat that much without their stomach even bulging?
"Find out who those people are," he ordered. "Were they sent to mess with me?"
"Yes, sir!"
…
By evening, the crew regrouped. Instead of heading back to the ship, they booked rooms at a nearby inn.
Zhang Da Ye and the others brought back bags full of books, while Rui Meng Meng and the girls carried piles of clothes and decorations.
"Did we buy too much?" Wendy asked nervously.
"These are all necessary expenses," Zhang Da Ye reassured her. "Besides, you don't grow much, so the clothes will last."
Ye Yan lifted two bags. "We got the lights, candies, and gift boxes too. All we need now is a tree."
Charla tilted her head. "I've been meaning to ask—why are we buying all this? Is there a holiday coming up? And what's with the tree?"
"It's for Tom's Christmas," Ye Yan explained. "You guys don't have Christmas here?"
"Never heard of it," Wendy and Charla said blankly.
Brook and Perona were also puzzled. Although Bartholomew Kuma's book mentioned a "Bible," and there was a secret agent named Miss Merry Christmas, few in this world cared about that holiday.
Artoria knew of it because of the Holy Grail War. Shark Chili and Ye Yan naturally did too.
Rui Meng Meng's world was like modern society—it even had an Anti-Human Alliance, so Christmas existed there as well.
When Tom heard "Christmas," he excitedly flipped through the inn's calendar. It wasn't marked, but the date was close.
"It's kind of a religious holiday, but that part doesn't matter," Zhang Da Ye said. "We just want an excuse to have fun. On Christmas Eve, we'll decorate the Amber, make lots of good food—and hang stockings on the bedposts. Then Santa Claus will come down the chimney and leave presents."
"That sounds amazing!" Perona and Wendy clasped their hands, eyes sparkling.
"Santa's gifts, huh? I'm looking forward to it—yohohoho!" Brook laughed.
Zhang Da Ye sighed. "You're too old to be acting like a little girl."
Charla frowned. "But our rooms don't have chimneys."
"…Then just don't lock your doors that night," Zhang Da Ye said after a pause. Good thing she mentioned it.
After some discussion, they decided to explore town tomorrow and then go outside to cut down a tree.
Ye Yan went to bed first. The night watchman also wanted a normal sleep schedule, but since he always felt wide awake at midnight, he figured he might as well rest early when he could.
Everyone returned to their rooms. Zhang Da Ye shared a room with Tom as usual. Before bed, he pulled some training gear from his inventory, worked out a bit, then fell into a deep sleep.
In the haze of dreams, he thought he heard footsteps outside—but assumed it was part of the dream.
The next morning, they left the inn carrying all their bags.
"Did anyone notice noise last night?" Rui Meng Meng asked. "It sounded kind of chaotic."
"It was like soldiers chasing a fugitive," Artoria said, "but something felt off."
Ye Yan yawned. "I sent Swift Ear to check. We'll talk when we're back on the ship."
"Alright. Let's unload our stuff first," Zhang Da Ye said, already guessing what had happened.
As they passed through the streets, a merchant shouted, "Come take a look! Goods straight from the Grand Line! Rare treasures you won't see again for ten years!"
Zhang Da Ye froze. "You've got to be kidding me—did someone rob our ship?"
Ye Yan quickly used telepathy to contact the Flag Demon guarding the Amber. The reply came fast: everything was fine. They'd kept watch all night—not even a mosquito had made it aboard.
Everyone exchanged looks. Could it be that someone else had come from the Grand Line too?
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