OPTC Chapter 342 - Hurting the Enemy, Hurting Ourselves
They say good deeds are rewarded and bad deeds are punished. The result of teasing Tom was that Tom eventually got him back.
Zhang Da Ye, after all, had mastered Soru and Tekkai from the Six Powers, possessed basic Armament Haki, and carried both magical energy and a trace of the Watchman's true qi. Saying he was "impervious to blades and bullets" would almost be modest.
Yet somehow, he managed to get his foot scalded by nothing more than a pot of boiling water.
It all started when Tom, after eating too many sour oranges, drank all the tea and went to pour himself more—but failed to hold the kettle properly.
Clang! Splash! Sizzle—
"Ahhhh!!!"
"Ahhhh!!!"
The screams of Zhang Da Ye and Tom echoed through Bell-mère's house with identical timing and pitch, making the entire building tremble three times over.
Inside, the man and cat hopped around on one leg, clutching their burned feet, knocking over tables and chairs, smashing plates and cups in chaos.
Bell-mère and Fullbody stood frozen, staring blankly. This was the man who could catch Arlong's giant saw-blade barehanded—and he was losing his mind over a little hot water? Did that mean all it would take to beat the Arlong Pirates was a few kettles of boiling water?
After several rounds of hopping and screaming, Zhang Da Ye and Tom finally sat back-to-back on the floor, each lifting their injured foot and blowing on it with the same pitiful rhythm.
Tom's paw was red and swollen. Zhang Da Ye's shoe had puffed up like a balloon, equally red and painful. He was sure Tom hadn't done it on purpose—no way the cat would choose such a self-destructive way to get revenge.
Bell-mère snapped out of her daze. "I'll get some medicine!"
"No need, I've got it," Zhang Da Ye called, pulling out his own medical kit.
Tom reached behind him and pulled out an identical one. Both of them calmly applied burn ointment and wrapped their feet in bandages that looked more like plaster casts than simple burn dressings.
Leaning on a crutch, Zhang Da Ye said awkwardly, "We'll pay for the stuff we broke."
"Well…" Bell-mère wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but she couldn't bring herself to refuse. This time, the damage was… substantial. Without some compensation, they might actually struggle to afford food next month.
---
Bell-mère's orange grove was vast, but every tree was carefully tended—each one just the right height and shape, with neatly pruned branches.
Some had already been harvested, leaving only a few green fruits; others still hung full with bright yellow-orange ones.
At the moment, four little girls and a small white cat were running beneath the trees. Their hair came in pink, deep blue, light purple, orange—and… gold?
As everyone knows, the "Four Heavenly Kings" always end up being five. So it wasn't strange that the group of four little girls had a golden-haired addition tagging along. Artoria had heard there would be fruit-picking—an activity involving food—and somehow joined without even realizing it. At 154 cm, she blended in perfectly with the kids.
"I want this one! These oranges are the ripest!"
"Then I'll take this one—it's got the biggest fruit!"
Nojiko and Nami quickly picked their trees, each carrying a little basket as they climbed up. Raised by Bell-mère, the ex-marine-turned-rascal, the two were naturally mischievous—catching fish, climbing trees, and robbing bird nests came easier than acting ladylike.
"Be careful!" Wendy cupped her hands around her mouth and called up, playing the role of the responsible "big sister."
"Let's climb too!" Perona grabbed Wendy's hand and went to find their own tree—but things didn't quite go as planned.
For Wendy, a close-range mage from the Fairy Tail world, climbing trees was child's play. A small jump and she was already up among the branches.
But Perona—the self-proclaimed queen of laziness—was a different story. Every time Zhang Da Ye told her to train, she'd refuse, only doing the bare minimum. He told her to develop her ability to float properly; she called it too much work. Now, karma had come for her—she tried to mimic Nami and Nojiko but fell flat on her back after climbing barely a meter.
"Ow!" Perona rubbed her sore rear, eyes wide and teary as she looked up at Carla, silently begging for help.
Carla sighed like an exasperated parent, spread her wings, and lifted her onto a branch. "Honestly, you should listen to him sometimes. A little training wouldn't hurt."
Perona smiled as she picked an orange. "Next time I'll listen, promise!"
Carla gave her a weary look. She'd said the same thing last time when Wendy invited her to train, only to give up after a few days. Who knew when "next time" would be?
The four little "farmers" worked hard, quickly filling their baskets. Carla then ferried the oranges down to swap them out for empty ones.
A bit farther away, Artoria sat in a tree herself, basket strapped to her back, picking two oranges and eating one. By the time her basket was full, the ground below was already covered in peels—the only thing limiting her efficiency was how fast she could peel.
When Zhang Da Ye and Tom hobbled into the grove on their crutches with Bell-mère, the girls had already finished harvesting and were comparing who'd picked the most.
Seeing Zhang Da Ye and Tom's swollen feet, Wendy gasped. "Brother Da Ye, Tom—what happened?"
Zhang Da Ye gave Tom a look full of resentment. "A little accident. Got burned."
"I'll heal you right away!" Wendy said, rushing forward—only to trip over a tree root.
"Ah!" she yelped, pitching forward with her arms outstretched, body parallel to the ground before faceplanting spectacularly.
"Wendy!" Zhang Da Ye threw away his crutch, but even then, couldn't beat gravity to save her.
Carla smacked her forehead. "Not again…"
Before Perona and the others could rush over, Wendy had already stood back up, blushing and brushing off dirt. She was used to falling, but it was still mortifying to trip in front of two new friends.
"This kid… are you alright?" Bell-mère crouched to check the red mark on her forehead, having already developed a fondness for the gentle little healer.
"I'm fine." Wendy shook her head and went on to treat Zhang Da Ye and Tom.
But the soft green-blue glow around her hands faded quickly, and their feet didn't heal at all.
"Huh? What happened? Why isn't my healing magic working?" she asked in confusion.
Zhang Da Ye's face fell. He tugged at Tom's cheek and sighed in despair. "We're doomed. This must not be a normal burn. Who knows how long it'll stay swollen…"
"How can that be? I'll try an antidote spell!" Wendy tried every healing spell she knew—but nothing worked.
"I'm sorry, Brother Da Ye…" she said tearfully, voice trembling. "It's my fault for not being strong enough to heal you."
Zhang Da Ye patted her head with a reassuring smile. "It's not your fault. The problem lies with Tom. If he decides not to recover, not even the gods can help."
Tom spread his paws helplessly. Burns just take time to heal—wasn't that common sense?
"I… see." Wendy thought for a moment. Given how strange Tom could be, it actually made sense.
Bell-mère couldn't make sense of Zhang Da Ye's logic, assuming he was just comforting the kid. Either way, it made her feel more at ease about Nami traveling with them.
Watching from behind, Perona blinked. Her boss had injured feet and couldn't move easily. Maybe this was her chance to play a harmless little prank?
"Alright," Zhang Da Ye said, reclaiming his crutch. "Let's check your harvests."
The girls proudly showed off their baskets and compared sizes.
"Wow, Perona, you actually picked a lot. I'm impressed."
"Hmph!" Perona crossed her arms, smiling secretly. Fine, she thought, I'll go easy on you—for now.
Zhang Da Ye turned to Bell-mère. "You've picked too much. I should pay for them at market price."
"No way!" Nami protested. "We said we'd give them to you as a gift!"
Zhang Da Ye muttered to himself, refusing money? Impossible. That couldn't be the real Nami.
Bell-mère smiled warmly. "It's fine. They're just oranges. It's all we have to give. Please accept them."
Thud, thud, thud—heavy footsteps approached. Artoria emerged from the grove, carrying a basket on her back, peeling an orange as she walked.
Everyone froze.
She looked as stunning as always in her white and blue outfit and black thigh-high boots, casually peeling fruit—but that wasn't the shocking part.
The shocking part was the mountain of oranges stacked behind her. How the hell did she get them that high? Did Tom possess her body?
Artoria waved cheerfully. "Da Ye! You're here. I found a few trees with especially sweet oranges, so I picked a bunch for you."
"Th-thanks…?" Zhang Da Ye tried to be moved—after all, a foodie sharing food was a rare honor—but he couldn't shake a sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, when he glanced past her, the grove behind her was carpeted in orange peels. Dozens of trees had been stripped bare.
Bell-mère's smile stiffened. "Wait, didn't I plan to invite them to dinner later…?"
Nami and Nojiko, oblivious to the devastation, were still asking how she'd stacked the oranges so perfectly.
Artoria handed a peeled orange to Tom, but the cat turned away. He was done with oranges for now.
Zhang Da Ye rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I'm paying for this."
For the sake of their future navigator's health—and to prevent Bell-mère's family from starving—Zhang Da Ye paid the highest local price for every single orange Artoria had picked. He even introduced Bell-mère to two new buyers: Kaya's household, which dealt in farm produce, and the Baratie restaurant, where oranges were a prized ingredient at sea.
---
For various reasons, Bell-mère didn't dare repeat her offer to host dinner, so everyone returned to the Amber to eat.
Since Tom's foot was still healing, the cooking duty fell to Rui Meng Meng. After months of learning, her cooking was still behind Tom's, but well above average—especially since she had endless stamina and didn't tire easily.
During dinner, Brook was unusually quiet. Not even his beloved skeleton jokes could cheer him up.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Da Ye asked. "Don't tell me you're depressed because no one wants to show you their panties?"
"No, Mr. Da Ye," Brook replied seriously. "I just realized… our next stop is Loguetown. Then it's Reverse Mountain, right?"
"Yeah," Zhang Da Ye nodded, already guessing his thoughts.
"That means… I'll be seeing Laboon soon." Brook looked up at the ceiling, voice trembling slightly. "Laboon must have grown so big by now. But what if…"
His voice faltered. "What if he doesn't recognize me?"
Everyone fell silent. After forty years apart, both had changed. What if they no longer knew each other? What if it hurt more than either could bear?
"You've still got that afro," Zhang Da Ye said with a grin. "Your face may have changed, but your voice hasn't. You still have that sound shell with your old recordings. And if all else fails, just play a song for him."
Then, with mock gravity, he added, "Have faith in your bond. No matter how many decades pass, no matter how much you both change, that connection between you—no one can cut it."
He hadn't expected the line to hit so hard. When he looked up, nearly everyone's eyes were misty. Wendy had her hands clasped to her chest, tears welling up.
…Was it really that moving?
"Yohohoho… You're right, Mr. Da Ye! Laboon will definitely recognize me!" Brook cheered, his spirits lifted. After finishing his meal, he bowed slightly. "Everyone, excuse me."
They watched as Brook let out a small burp, lifted his rear, and—
Pffffft~
A terrible smell spread through the room.
Everyone groaned and pinched their noses. Ye Yan, sitting beside him, turned green and punched his skull. "You really are asking for it!"
---
At the entrance to the Grand Line—Twin Capes.
A whale the size of a mountain bellowed into the sea. "Wroooaaaar~~~!"
An old man on a deck chair twitched his newspaper and smiled at the massive creature. "You're in a good mood today, Laboon."
The whale's huge eye shifted, and it called again with the same joyful tone. "Wroooaaaar~~~!"
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