OPTC Chapter 295: Become a Bounty Hunter, Ace
After breakfast, Zhang Da Ye set off for Mount Corbo. Tom and Artoria followed him for a picnic in the mountains, while Wendy and Carla went along to provide field medical support.
Perona wanted to accompany Wendy — and also to watch Zhang Da Ye get beaten up. Mostly to watch him get beaten up.
That little tsundere monster was always like this. When there was danger, she wanted everyone to stay safe. When there wasn't, she enjoyed watching Zhang Da Ye suffer misfortune.
Shark Chili decided to stay behind to watch the ship and study the new nautical charts they had bought. There were plenty, enough to keep him busy for a while. He wasn't very interested in Garp's lessons, and had little hope for learning Haki. As long as he trained his Fishman Karate well, it could produce an effect similar to Armament Haki anyway.
Rui Meng Meng felt they hadn't bought enough decorations before and planned to go shopping again. Brook didn't want too much contact with the Marines, so he decided to take a walk in the city.
After catching up on sleep, Ye Yan became motivated and stayed on the ship to train his physical fitness. He was tired of Zhang Da Ye mocking his weak physique all the time.
In the midst of everyone's busy routines, Zhang Da Ye still remembered to send a few Flag Demons to serve as Rui Meng Meng's bodyguards. Though together they couldn't beat Rui Meng Meng anymore, they were still useful for carrying bags and running errands.
Over the next few days, the beasts on Mount Corbo and the fish, shrimp, and crabs in the valley rivers truly suffered. Normally, Garp and his grandsons were already gluttons — a single meal could wipe out a whole wild boar. Now, with Zhang Da Ye's group joining them, it was a good thing the Corbo Mountains were big enough to handle the demand.
That noon, Zhang Da Ye's group and Garp's grandsons sat together by the river to eat. The place was the same as before, though the surroundings had been ravaged beyond recognition. The ground was covered in pits, and hundreds of trees in the nearby forest had been broken and toppled.
This masterpiece, of course, was thanks to Garp's fists — and the iron heads of Zhang Da Ye, Ace, and Luffy.
Now, the three unlucky ones with big bumps on their heads were gnawing on roasted venison while glaring angrily at the old man who was still trying to invite Wendy to join the Marines.
Over the past few days, Wendy had learned that although Garp hit his grandsons hard when scolding them, he was otherwise a cheerful, kind man — the sort of person who didn't get angry even if Perona smacked the back of his head while he was eating.
"Little girl, you really don't want to join the Marines?" Garp asked Wendy kindly.
Seeing Wendy's troubled expression, Perona stood in front of her with hands on hips and scolded, "You've asked her like ten times already, you smelly old man!"
Garp's eyes lit up with an idea. He said slyly, "I can take you to Sengoku's office to eat rice crackers!"
"That's not the problem here!" Perona jumped up, furious, and smacked him again. "Wendy already said no! Stop pestering her!"
Garp straightened up, picked his nose lazily, and said, "Then you can join the Marines. That's fine too."
"I don't want to! And what do you mean 'then you'? That's such a bad attitude, you hateful old man!" Perona fumed. How could this guy be a Marine hero?
While Garp was trying to recruit two little girls, Zhang Da Ye was busy reasoning with two stubborn boys. They'd spent several days together — fighting, eating, and getting beaten — so they had built some rapport. But persuading them wasn't going well.
Ace said with determination, "I'm going to set sail and live freely, doing whatever I want! I'll live a life without regrets!"
"Freedom?" Zhang Da Ye asked. "Does that include looting and killing?"
"Who would do that kind of thing?" Ace protested indignantly.
"That's what pirates are," Zhang Da Ye said calmly. "When they have no money, they rob others — not caring if the people they rob starve, or can't afford medicine for their families."
Ace had met pirates like that before. Bluejam, the man who burned the Grey Terminal, only cared about himself. Ace said firmly, "I'll never be that kind of pirate!"
"But eating for free and stealing food isn't much different," Zhang Da Ye said.
"I apologized!" Ace shot back stubbornly.
"This isn't about apologizing!" Zhang Da Ye groaned, feeling it was impossible to reason with this problem child.
"Wuuuu…" Luffy raised his hand, wanting to speak, but he couldn't swallow the food in his mouth. He choked, thumped his chest hard, but it didn't work — his face turned red.
Tom glanced over, then casually smacked Luffy on the head. Luffy's neck compressed with the impact, and then popped back out as the food slid down his throat.
"Ah… saved!" Luffy exhaled in relief, grinning. "Thanks, kitty!"
Tom waved a paw as if to say "don't mention it." He was used to this by now.
Zhang Da Ye and Ace stared at Luffy, curious what he was going to say.
Luffy said confidently, "We didn't eat for free! I left an IOU! When I become the Pirate King, I'll pay it back with treasure!"
That kind of reasoning was… unique. He really was like one of those lazy authors who promised to "update tomorrow."
Zhang Da Ye sighed. "And what if you never find the treasure?"
"I will find it!" Luffy said, punching the air.
"I mean *if* you don't."
"I will! Because I'm going to be the Pirate King — the man who finds the greatest treasure in the world!"
Zhang Da Ye rubbed his temples. Dealing with these two was exhausting. No wonder Garp kept beating them — they deserved it.
He took a breath, trying to stay calm. "You don't have to be pirates to be free, you know. You could just sail under a normal flag like we do and travel the world."
Ace shook his head. "I'm not setting out just to travel. I want to be a great pirate known across the seas. Even if people hate me or reject me, I'll make them see me for who I am!"
After several days of talking, Zhang Da Ye had a good grasp of Ace's motivation: part of it was to prove his own existence, part to chase freedom, and probably part to honor his promise with Sabo. After the incident where Sabo was attacked by the Celestial Dragons, there was no way these two would ever join the Marines.
Zhang Da Ye rephrased his advice. "Being a bounty hunter isn't a bad choice either. I mean a pirate hunter — someone who targets pirates."
"That's freedom too. You'd gain fame by defeating powerful pirates, earn bounty money, never have to dine and dash again, and you'd be respected by others. But if you become a pirate… even if you don't want to hurt anyone, innocent people will still suffer because of you."
Even though Zhang Da Ye's reasoning made sense and seemed to offer Ace the same dream, Ace refused to listen. He had been preparing to set sail for so long that nothing would change his mind now.
"Don't say any more," Ace said firmly. "No matter what, I'll become a pirate — the freest man on this sea!"
"I will too!" Luffy chimed in enthusiastically.
So that's how people with Conqueror's Haki think, huh? Zhang Da Ye gave up for now. He had said all he could. Since Garp had taught him quite a lot these past few days, he figured he'd help the old man out a bit. "Fine then. When you two get bounties on your heads, I'll come catch you. I'm a part-time bounty hunter after all."
Ace said proudly, "You'll never catch me!"
"Yeah!" Luffy shouted, pumping his fist. "Ace said it! Our goal will make us enemies with lots of people — even Grandpa! So we have to be ready to risk our lives!"
"Is that so? You're prepared to risk your lives already, huh…" A shadow loomed behind them. Garp's voice rumbled like thunder, and his knuckles cracked ominously.
Ace and Luffy froze. Sweat poured down their faces as they sat trembling on the ground.
"Then let me see your resolve!" Garp roared, bringing down a fist the size of a cooking pot. It slammed into the ground, leaving a crater and spiderweb cracks. Ace and Luffy screamed and scrambled away.
"Luffy, you idiot! Why did you say that!?" Ace yelled.
"Why are you yelling at me? You said it first!" Luffy protested tearfully.
"That was something Grandpa wasn't supposed to know!"
Garp charged after them. "What's this about things I'm not supposed to know!?"
The three of them — grandpa and grandsons — dashed into the forest, the sound of explosions echoing between the trees.
Artoria calmly continued eating her food. She was used to this — they talked, they fought, they napped, and then they fought again. As long as they didn't knock over the cooking pot or grill, she didn't care.
"Tom, help me make something later, okay?" Zhang Da Ye said. When Garp came over earlier, Zhang Da Ye had wisely hugged Tom and hidden away. He hadn't eaten enough yet, so he'd come back for "extra credit" later.
Tom nodded obediently. It wasn't difficult.
After finishing his meal, Zhang Da Ye stood up and looked toward the noisy forest. "Wendy, go train on your own for a bit. Don't hold back your magic for me."
He'd been relying on her healing a lot lately and felt guilty for interrupting her training. Though Wendy said it was good practice for her healing magic, Zhang Da Ye knew she was the type to help others even at her own expense — so he wanted to spare her where he could.
When Zhang Da Ye reached Garp and his grandsons, the two boys were already lying on the ground, eyes rolled back. That was the fastest defeat yet — Garp must have really been mad this time.
Zhang Da Ye didn't pity them. Brats deserved their beatings. He straightened his stance. "I'll be in your care again this afternoon, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Garp cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Come on then!"
He was starting to like Zhang Da Ye more and more. Even though Zhang Da Ye's idea about Ace becoming a pirate hunter wasn't what Garp wanted, he could tell the kid genuinely cared about Ace's future. A good lad, that one.
As soon as Garp finished speaking, Zhang Da Ye used Soru to appear beside him, punching at his ribs.
At Garp's level, this speed was no threat — he easily blocked it with his wrist and countered with a punch to Zhang Da Ye's chest.
With a loud thud, Zhang Da Ye flew backward, crashing into a tree. He stood up, rubbing his chest. "I used Iron Body with magic reinforcement… didn't get hurt, but that still stings."
"Not bad," Garp said. "You've already mastered Iron Body this fast."
"That's not what I wanted to learn…" Zhang Da Ye grimaced. He had only wanted to master Armament Haki. Iron Body was too rigid — if there was even the slightest chance to dodge in a real fight, he'd never use it. This time was an exception; without it, he'd probably have coughed blood.
He charged again — and got sent flying again. After a few cycles, he was covered in dirt as usual.
"This doesn't make sense! It felt right this time!"
"Kid, stop overthinking it. Don't focus on forcing Haki. Just use every bit of strength you have. Let all your weird energies out at once!"
"Got it!" Zhang Da Ye took a breath, clenched his fists, and rushed forward.
Bang! Their fists collided. A shockwave burst out between them, blowing both their clothes backward.
After a brief stalemate, they both stepped back. This time, Zhang Da Ye didn't feel pain in his fists or arms — instead, he felt three distinct forces erupt inside him at once. It felt… incredible.
He looked at his arm in amazement. If this wasn't a perfect Kirin Arm, then it was definitely some new power awakening.
"Hmm?" Garp looked at his fist curiously. He had felt pain — something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
"You okay?" Zhang Da Ye asked in concern. Had he accidentally hurt Garp?
"Puhahaha! Me, hurt? Don't be ridiculous! Congratulations, you just learned Armament Haki!" Garp laughed heartily. "Remember that feeling. Keep training until you can control it freely!"
"Really?" Zhang Da Ye's face lit up, though he quickly frowned. "But… I can sense my magic, sure. Which one of the other two is Haki though…"
"You've got some weird stuff in you, kid," Garp said with amusement. "Three different kinds of energy, and two of them feel similar to Haki. Never heard of anything like it."
And one of those energies could even make his Armament-coated fist sting…
It clearly wasn't Armament Haki itself — Zhang Da Ye's newly awakened Haki was far too weak to hurt him, even if he tried.
Garp had already seen his magic and knew it could be as strong as, or stronger than, Haki if used right — much more versatile, though still raw. He wondered if it worked on Logia users… His eyes drifted to unconscious Luffy. Maybe they could test that later. If it worked, that would be huge.
So the decisive power from earlier was probably the third, unknown energy — or maybe the three combined had triggered something new entirely.
As he pondered, Garp folded his arms, tilted his head slightly upward — and started snoring, complete with a hanging snot bubble. zzZ…
Zhang Da Ye: …
Seriously? I thought you were analyzing with me! Guess that was too out of character for Garp after all.
[Powerstones plz...
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 for 50 chapters ahead
If you like this novel, check out my other novels in my profile!]