OPTC Chapter 343: With a Bit of Effort, There's Hope
Because of his injured leg, Zhang Da Ye temporarily stopped his evening training and was now passing time by sorting through the photos taken by the Flag Demons.
As Ye Yan's Flag Demons, they had a knack for shopping, fashion, performance, and photography. After Zhang Da Ye discovered their potential, he bought several cameras and photo Transponder Snails for them to record interesting moments during their travels.
Of course, most of their photos revolved around Ye Yan, capturing plenty of "artistic performances."
Today was no exception. During Ye Yan's performance at the banquet, the Flag Demons faithfully documented it, and one of the photos happened to capture a large white-haired old man holding three skewers of meat in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.
"When did that old guy sneak back in?" Zhang Da Ye muttered, annoyed. He had clearly seen Rayleigh and Hachi rowing away.
Tom shook his head—he had probably been too busy gnawing on a pork knuckle at the time.
"What a ripoff! That old man didn't just skip paying, he even stole our stuff!" Zhang Da Ye grumbled in disbelief. Ever since opening his tavern, no one had ever gotten away with cheating him this badly. Even Hawkeye, who once drank for free, at least gave Tom a hat on his way out. Rayleigh, though—utterly shameless.
Zhang Da Ye made a silent vow: if Rayleigh didn't come back to pay up, next time he'd take Artoria to Shakky's bar and eat for free.
…
"Rayleigh, where are we heading?" Hachi asked. His wounds had been bandaged, and after eating, he had recovered some strength. The two of them were now rowing across the sea in a small boat.
"To Twin Capes," Rayleigh replied, sipping from his bottle. "To greet an old friend."
"An old friend? Another pirate?"
"You could say that," Rayleigh said with a faint smile. "He's more of a lighthouse keeper now—a doctor, actually. We used to sail together long ago."
Hachi blinked. "Nyu~ but what about the promise we made to that man? If we just leave like this…"
Rayleigh paused mid-row, then chuckled. "Ah, right. In that case, we'll find a few unlucky juniors first."
And so, strange incidents began to occur across the East Blue. Several pirate crews suddenly fainted for no reason, and when they awoke, all their treasure was gone—including a few prized bottles of liquor.
Rumors spread that they had been attacked by sea demons who used inaudible sounds to knock them out before stealing their loot.
However, Captain Fullbody of Marine Branch 77 publicly dismissed the rumor, explaining that it was likely the work of a treasure-hunting team using sleeping gas. He urged the public not to spread wild tales.
It just so happened that Branch 77 had an incredible streak of luck—within three days, they had captured two pirate crews without any resistance. The Marines jokingly called it the "Three Days, Two Catches" miracle.
…
After a few days of rest, Zhang Da Ye and Tom finally removed their thick bandages and regained mobility.
The moment Tom was free, he happily did twenty backflips in a row before attempting a high dive to stretch his muscles—only to forget it was low tide. He dove headfirst into the sand and started "swimming" with his eyes closed.
Zhang Da Ye was sure of one thing: no matter how good Rayleigh was at swimming, he could never match Tom's talent for sand-swimming.
At least Tom could circle the beach and shake sand out of his ears afterward.
The first thing Zhang Da Ye did after recovering was grab Perona and flick her forehead repeatedly. The little girl had gotten bolder lately—pulling his hair while he was immobile, putting mustard in his tea, and squeezing orange peels to squirt juice into his eyes. Unforgivable.
So Zhang Da Ye decided it was time she learned the meaning of "settling the score later." After a few rounds of head flicks, Perona ran off clutching her head and pouting miserably. But her suffering was far from over.
For the next three days, Zhang Da Ye mostly lounged on a deck chair, watching the villagers rebuild houses and clear rubble. He drank tea, read the paper, and fished—a picture of retired peace.
Meanwhile, the truly retired old man, Brook, had been unusually diligent—polishing his violin, writing down old songs he once played for Laboon, and practicing them daily.
Ye Yan, wanting to help ease Brook's melancholy, crafted a whale costume and paraded around in it, calling the act "The Loneliest Whale in the World—52 Hertz." Whether he meant to comfort or tease Brook was anyone's guess.
Artoria was busy too. Taking advantage of their stay in Cocoyasi Village, she found a cookbook titled "108 Ways to Eat Oranges" in the library and dragged Tom and Rui Meng Meng into the kitchen to experiment—Rui Meng Meng did the cooking, while Tom, in his little wheelchair, provided expert guidance.
Judging by her cheerful mood, Artoria was thoroughly enjoying herself. The local orange farmers were even happier.
Shark Chili had been giving Nami private lessons these past few days. The bright girl impressed him more and more, though her talent also made him feel pressured.
Meanwhile, Wendy, Carla, and Perona spent their days running around with Nojiko—and sometimes Nami joined too. Their favorite pastime was teasing Genzo. Wendy was too polite to go too far, but Nojiko and Nami were masters at it. Sometimes, when Genzo got angry and went to scold them at Bell-mère's house, he'd just end up getting teased by Bell-mère too and leave red-faced.
Still, Wendy always made time to train, and Nami diligently studied her books. Perona, on the other hand, was completely wild—playing when others played, still playing when others studied, and when no one played with her, she made trouble for Zhang Da Ye. Since he still limped a bit, she would prank him and dash off laughing her signature "Hohohoho!"
As an adult, Zhang Da Ye assured himself that what he did next was definitely not revenge.
Whether it was making her read, forcing her to train, or limiting her snacks "for motivation," it was all, he claimed, for her own good.
One morning, the postman—yes, Cocoyasi had postal service—delivered a large package addressed to Zhang Da Ye.
Inside was a box of crumpled Berries, a few gold coins, and a note scribbled in messy handwriting: "For the damage to the houses and the injured villagers. —Hachi."
"At least he's honest," Zhang Da Ye said, counting the money. After estimating the gold's value, he handed it all to Genzo, asking him to divide it among the villagers based on their losses.
With that settled, the Amber raised her sails once more.
Bell-mère and her family stood on the shore, waving their arms in farewell. The villagers shouted "Goodbye!" and "Safe travels!"—some even crying genuine tears of reluctance.
Zhang Da Ye keenly noticed that the ones crying hardest were the orange sellers. Their tears, he knew, were pure sincerity.
Genzo stood among them, smiling faintly as the Amber drifted away. The windmill on his hat spun softly in the breeze. Life without pirates was peaceful and beautiful.
The only odd thing was when a furry paw suddenly reached down from the ship and plucked the little windmill right off Genzo's hat.
The villagers were stunned, jaws dropping. But those who had witnessed Tom's abilities burst into laughter.
…
"Dragon Roar!"
Zhang Da Ye puffed out his cheeks and blew hard, mimicking Wendy's technique. And thus, he had "learned" his first spell from her.
Maybe his learning aptitude really was incredible—because his "magic" managed to make Tom's windmill spin even faster.
Alright, maybe not. He hadn't learned a thing—he was just blowing air. He couldn't even ruffle Tom's hair.
Frustrated, he asked, "Wendy, how do you actually learn to use magic?"
"Even if you ask me that…" Wendy looked troubled. "I don't really know how to explain."
Carla sighed. "It's like asking how we learn to breathe. You inhale, then exhale. For mages, using magic is just as natural—once you can sense it, you should be able to use it."
"Breathe, huh…" Zhang Da Ye said dryly. "Well, I heard some babies can't breathe when they're born. Someone has to hold them upside down and smack their butt. So, since I have magic but can't use it, does that mean someone has to hold me upside down and smack me too?"
Wendy's imagination immediately betrayed her—her face went crimson in an instant.
Carla flew over and tapped her head. "Stop thinking weird things."
"Y-yes…" Wendy stammered, though steam was already rising from her head.
Carla sighed. The girl's imagination was hopeless—and her embarrassment threshold, even worse.
But the mention of "smacking Zhang Da Ye" suddenly energized Perona. "I'll do it! I can help!"
Zhang Da Ye flicked her on the head. "Why are you even volunteering? Did you finish today's training?"
"But this is important too!" Perona protested. "You told me in the Student Code Rule 9—to care for companions and find joy in helping others! I'm just being helpful!"
If only she used that clever brain for studying. "That was a metaphor," Zhang Da Ye said dryly. "It just means I might need a bit of stimulation to awaken the power. And even if I let you try, could you really lift me with one hand and smack me with the other?"
Perona put her hands on her hips, indignant. "Don't underestimate me! Let me try!"
Zhang Da Ye eyed her small frame skeptically but humored her. "Sure. If you can lift me with one hand, I'll let you do it."
"You said it!" Perona cheered, grabbed his shirt—and pulled with all her strength.
Nothing. Not even a twitch.
She tried grabbing the back of his collar. Still nothing.
Good fabric, Zhang noted. And this kid's upper body strength? Pathetic.
Perona slumped against Wendy, crushed. Wendy gently patted her shoulder and comforted her—she'd just need to train more.
"Alright," Zhang Da Ye declared. "Since Perona attempted mutiny but failed due to lack of strength, your training will be doubled today."
"Nooo!" she wailed dramatically.
Zhang Da Ye grinned. "But remember what I said—if one day you really can lift me with one hand, I'll let you hit me."
Perona's eyes blazed with determination. "I'll start training right now!" she shouted, sprinting toward the dojo.
Zhang Da Ye sighed. This girl was incorrigible.
Wendy hesitated. "Are you serious, Da Ye?"
"Of course," he said with a sly smile. "But only if she can actually lift me."
Wendy tilted her head. Zhang Da Ye probably weighed around sixty kilos. A bit of training, and Perona could definitely lift that, right?
Then Zhang Da Ye casually pulled his hands from his sleeves—each holding a metal weight engraved with "100 kg."
Carla deadpanned. "How did you even hide those in your sleeves? And are you seriously cheating against a little girl?"
Wendy's eyes went wide in shock. This wasn't the kind and honest Da Ye she knew—this was a cunning schemer!
Zhang Da Ye tucked the weights away and raised a finger to his lips. "Shh. It's just to motivate her. And come on—two weights plus me? That's not even three hundred kilos. If she works hard, there's hope."
[Powerstones plz...
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 for 50 chapters ahead
If you like this novel, check out my other novels in my profile!]