OPTC Chapter 297: Departure and the Encounter
Zhang Da Ye thought for three seconds about whether to step in and divide the supplies for them, but he gave up on the idea. Even if he did, once he left, they would still end up fighting over it again.
"Da Ye, you look troubled," Artoria observed, having seen everything unfold. She didn't think Zhang Da Ye had done anything wrong.
"A little. But it's fine. I just wanted to do something for these poor people. Now that it's done, let's go." Zhang Da Ye thought these people were both pitiful and hateful. Perhaps what they lacked wasn't food, but a good king.
That, however, wasn't something he could fix. He wasn't reckless enough to overthrow a kingdom out of pity. If anyone needed to worry about this place, it should be Garp.
After returning to the ship, everyone made a final check on their supplies. They confirmed that everything was sufficient—especially food, which had reached full capacity—before officially setting sail.
Before they left, the patrol captain personally came to see them off, joined by two soldiers, sincerely inviting them to visit again.
As they sailed away from the Goa Kingdom, Zhang Da Ye still couldn't stop thinking: "That little noble we messed with is really disappointing. It's been days, and there's still no sign of revenge?"
Ye Yan replied, "He just made the papers recently. Anyone who looks into us would know we're not easy to mess with. The fact that he didn't retaliate immediately shows he has at least some brains. It's normal that he wouldn't make a rash move."
Carla, lounging in Wendy's arms, said, "Why does it sound like you're hoping someone would come for revenge?"
"I am! I kind of wish they'd hire some pirates or something to come after us. Then we could earn some bounties—and I could get some practice in." Zhang Da Ye smirked. After being beaten up by Garp for so long, it was about time he got to beat up some small fry in East Blue.
Unfortunately, the day passed peacefully from departure until nightfall. Zhang Da Ye could only practice his Armament Haki and dark energy on the ship, punching sandbags and wooden dummies.
Sometimes, he acted as Ye Yan's sparring partner at the latter's request. Ye Yan's next training goal was to be able to make Zhang Da Ye—while using Iron Body—actually feel pain.
The training was both painful and thrilling for Ye Yan, his expression often twisting into a strange grin that made Zhang Da Ye uneasy.
"You didn't awaken some weird kink, did you? I'm not doing this anymore!" Zhang Da Ye decided to stay away from him. Ye Yan, being an artist at heart, had a mindset Zhang Da Ye found impossible to comprehend.
"Don't go! I'll pay extra!" Ye Yan tried to persuade him. When else would he get to beat up his boss with legitimate reason?
"You're broke! Pay me with what?"
"I'll teach you the Watchman techniques! You'll have qi someday anyway, so you might as well learn it now."
And so, Zhang Da Ye gained another subject in his already-packed training schedule: Armament Haki, dark energy, Wendy's healing magic, Ye Yan's Watchman skills, swordsmanship, physical conditioning, and Moonwalk from the Six Powers.
"Wasn't this supposed to be a world-traveling journey? Why am I getting busier the more we travel?" Exhausted after a long day, Zhang Da Ye fell asleep as soon as that thought crossed his mind.
Tom tilted his head, wrapped himself in a small blanket, and lay beside him. He reached over to switch off the bedside lamp, then fell asleep as well.
Every morning began the same way: giving Tom a little "boost" (literally).
Each time he inflated the balloon-like Tom, he would say sorry under his breath.
After catching the floating Tom and watching him return to normal with a dumbfounded look, a new day began.
While Zhang Da Ye was leading the two little girls and a small cat through morning exercises, waiting for breakfast, a News Bird circled down toward the deck. Upon seeing Carla, it jumped back warily, ready to flee at any moment.
Zhang Da Ye slipped a coin into its box and gently calmed it before taking the newspaper.
"'Heavenly Demon' Donquixote Doflamingo joins the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
It was the first time Zhang Da Ye saw Doflamingo's full photo: short blond hair, sunglasses, a pink feather coat, black pointed shoes, cropped pink trousers—a tall man with a sinister smile.
The article didn't explain much about how Doflamingo became a Warlord. Most of it focused on his pirate crew and background.
It was likely that the World Government didn't want to admit that he had extorted them by stealing the Heavenly Tribute. It would make them look weak—and worse, inspire copycats.
"Who's that? A bad guy?" Wendy and Carla asked curiously.
They had seen mentions of the Warlords of the Sea in a handbook (a guide the group made for newcomers to learn about the world, first used by Ye Yan). Although they couldn't understand why the World Government would allow "legalized piracy," they simply categorized the Warlords as villains.
"He's a very ambitious pirate—a pure bad guy. Him becoming a Warlord is going to cause chaos. Also, we've captured some of his subordinates before, so he might come after us." Zhang Da Ye wasn't surprised Doflamingo had become a Warlord—just that it happened so soon.
According to the original timeline, Doflamingo's scheme in Dressrosa was supposed to happen two years later. His Warlord appointment came before that, but not this early.
Maybe he pushed things forward because of Diamante and Buffalo? That was Zhang Da Ye's best guess.
As for retaliation, Zhang Da Ye wasn't too worried. The only thing he'd need to be careful about would be not killing Doflamingo publicly. It would be better to make him disappear mysteriously—just like Moria—and maybe even find someone else to take the blame.
And indeed, his guess was right.
At that moment, Doflamingo was in the New World, waiting to receive Diamante and Buffalo. But his mood was terrible.
His original plan was to first establish ties with underworld figures across the New World, then a year later rob the Heavenly Tribute to force the government's hand and earn the Warlord title.
But their capture had disrupted everything. Doflamingo had always called Diamante his "family," and Buffalo's flying ability was crucial for future plans. He had no choice but to act sooner than intended.
He also couldn't wait too long—Fleet Admiral Sengoku's retirement and the appointment of new Admirals were around the corner. If he robbed the Heavenly Tribute after that, the new leadership would want to assert their authority by hunting him down relentlessly.
He had gambled during this brief transition period—and luckily, he won. It was the smoothest victory he'd had since leaving Sabaody.
But now, thinking about it, all his troubles seemed to begin after crossing paths with that little tavern—oh right, now it was a travel group. Slave trades gone wrong, the Tesoro incident, his derailed plans… all had that group's shadow behind them.
"The Amber Travel Group, fufufufu…" Doflamingo sneered. He really wanted to fly over and crush them—but after learning that they were the ones who defeated Shiki, he didn't dare act rashly.
Better to bide his time. Killing someone didn't always mean doing it yourself.
…
After reading the news, Zhang Da Ye and Ye Yan started drafting a list of contingency plans for ambushes and body disposal.
Tom, who was listening nearby, rubbed his hands together with an evil grin. From the sound of it, that flamingo guy didn't seem that strong. When the time came, he'd definitely help—he was, after all, an expert in grave-digging, burying, carving tombstones, offering flowers, and even dancing on graves. He'd make sure it was done beautifully.
With that future preparation in mind, life returned to its usual busy rhythm.
"Brother Da Ye," Wendy called out as Zhang Da Ye was about to jump into the sea for a swim, "the weather's changing."
"Changing?" He looked up at the sky—some scattered clouds, nothing serious. Still, he never ignored Wendy's intuition. "You can predict weather?"
Wendy nodded. "Yes. I can feel it in the air. This… feels like a storm is coming."
"Impressive!" Zhang Da Ye was delighted. It was just like Nami's gift. Wendy's magic came from the air, so her sensitivity to atmospheric changes was extraordinary. She could likely predict the weather even better than Nami once she learned about ocean currents.
And for that, they had Shark Chili. If he and Wendy worked together, they'd be the ultimate navigator duo.
"What are you spacing out for? Wendy's forecasts are always right. Shouldn't we start preparing for the storm?" Carla urged.
"I'm just happy!" Zhang Da Ye patted Wendy's head. "From now on, you're in charge of weather alerts."
"Okay!" Wendy said brightly.
"Ahem…" Zhang Da Ye called out, "Everyone listen up! It's going to thunder—bring the laundry in!"
Wendy and Carla froze. Was that really the priority?
Apparently, yes. Storms on the Grand Line had been much worse, so East Blue's couldn't be that bad. The only real concern was not losing freshly washed clothes to the wind.
After some bustling about, the Amber set sailed through the storm safely.
"Why is it raining instead of snowing? It's winter," Perona complained. The Four Seas weren't as chaotic as the Grand Line, and she'd been hoping for snow—only to get rain instead.
"Rain in winter isn't unusual. We're probably too far south," Zhang Da Ye replied. "Alright, go change and dry off before you catch a cold."
"Yeah yeah, nag nag." Perona mumbled and went back to her room.
"Tom, let's make something hot. How about hotpot for lunch?" Zhang Da Ye suggested, realizing it was about that time.
Tom patted his chest confidently—no problem.
Boom! A cannonball exploded in the sea not far from the Amber, sending up a massive splash.
Then came another, and another. Water surged as explosions surrounded them, the ship rocking violently. The hotpot pot on the table wobbled dangerously, soup threatening to spill.
Zhang Da Ye frowned. "Who the hell is that? We're just eating hotpot, not singing karaoke—why are we being attacked?"
The attackers were pirates on a large ship. Their figurehead, fittingly, was a black cat's head, and their flag bore a skull with cat ears.
At the helm sat a slick-haired man in a suit, pushing his glasses up with the base of his palm. His eyes gleamed with intelligence.
This was Kuro, known as "Hundred Plans" Kuro, a man infamous for his devious strategies and meticulous planning.
This attack was no whim. His lookout had spotted a mid-sized ship enduring the storm, and Kuro had ordered his men to monitor it just outside the storm's range.
In his mind, the target would surely be exhausted by the time it exited the storm, letting down its guard. That would be the perfect moment to strike.
Their own ship was a large vessel, stronger in both firepower and manpower. The enemy was small, fatigued, and unprepared, while they were fresh and ready—victory was inevitable.
"Fire! Fire!" Zango, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and heart-shaped sunglasses, shouted as he directed the gunners. He was the ship's first mate—also a hypnotist and dancer.
"As expected of the captain! That ship didn't even see it coming!"
"Yeah! The captain's plan is flawless!"
"Our captain's the best!"
A chorus of fools cheered, showering Kuro with praise.
Idiots. Kuro pushed his glasses again and smiled smugly.
Once the enemy realized what was happening, they'd surely try to flee. But their ship couldn't outrun his. A few well-placed shots during the chase would crush their morale, and then he'd finish it with a boarding assault.
A perfect plan. With his strategies, even a crew of idiots could reign supreme on these seas.
Although the Marines had been chasing him more frequently lately, he'd always managed to outwit them—and while that used to be thrilling, he was starting to find it tiresome.
Maybe a few more years of piracy, and then he'd execute a plan to retire from this life altogether.
"Captain! Bad news, Captain!" a crewman shouted, panicked. "Something's wrong with the plan!"
Impossible! Kuro stood abruptly. "What happened?"
"They're not running—they're charging straight at us!"
Kuro stared at him like he was an idiot. Charging forward wasn't a problem—it just made it easier to kill them.
Why panic?
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