OPTC Chapter 344: Loguetown
Because of Zhang Da Ye's "well-intentioned lie," Wendy had been conflicted for quite a while. In the end, she decided that Zhang Da Ye had a point—having Perona train more wouldn't hurt—so she chose not to tell her the truth for now.
However, Wendy wasn't good at lying. Every time she accompanied Perona in training, her expression would become slightly flustered without her realizing it.
Fortunately, Perona was too absorbed in her dream of training hard and beating up Zhang Da Ye to notice Wendy's odd behavior. Still, no one knew how much longer the secret could last.
Recently, Ye Yan had been visiting Wendy for treatment more often since he began learning the Six Powers. Despite Zhang Da Ye's advice, Ye Yan stubbornly ignored the safer Iron Body technique and insisted on learning Shave instead. But Zhang Da Ye, being generous, still shared all his experience with him.
Even so, Ye Yan kept getting hurt—sprained ankles, bruises, bumps—you name it. But he could endure pain well. Determined to grow stronger, he kept training hard.
Zhang Da Ye thought that if Ye Yan would just stop wearing those ridiculous outfits during training, his progress might actually improve. But as an artist, Ye Yan was unyielding about his creative impulses—when inspiration struck, he had to stay true to it, unless his life was in danger.
Eventually, everyone got used to the sight of a whale as tall as a man charging around the deck of the Amber with reckless abandon.
"Ship spotted ahead! Looks like a merchant vessel from its flag," Rui Meng Meng's voice called from the lookout. Since it wasn't a pirate ship, she figured Ye Yan was probably still asleep and didn't bother using the loudspeaker.
"A merchant ship? That's rare." Zhang Da Ye moved to the bow and squinted. The flag wasn't black and had no skull or bones—just an ordinary merchant's emblem.
He glanced toward Artoria, who was fishing with Tom. Seeing her calm expression, he concluded there was no danger. "Just stay on course," he said. "No need to bother with them."
The two ships sailed toward each other. The other vessel soon slowed and adjusted its course slightly, seemingly to yield the right of way—an unspoken gesture of peace.
When they got closer, the merchant captain stood at the bow with a few guards. He looked young. "Excuse me, are you from the Amber Travel Group?"
"Yes," Zhang Da Ye replied casually. "And you are?"
It wasn't surprising that they'd been recognized. The Amber Travel Group had become something of a celebrity team in the East Blue—especially after their capture of the Arlong Pirates. Arlong, with his 20-million-Berry bounty, was considered a "big-name" pirate despite his short time in the East Blue.
Since that victory, the number of pirates chasing them for the treasure of Wu Nan had sharply dropped. Occasionally, some foolhardy newbies appeared, but they usually didn't even survive the first cannon exchange. Those hapless souls had unwittingly provided the crew with excellent target practice for their gunnery games.
"Hello, I'm Wright, president of the Shining Gold Trading Company. It's an honor to meet you!" the man said, though a little sheepishly. "Though I call it a company, it's actually just this one ship. We're still far from being a true merchant guild."
That name rang oddly familiar to Zhang Da Ye—like something you'd read on a signboard in a martial arts novel. He offered a polite word of encouragement. "Keep at it. You'll be a great merchant one day."
Wright's eyes lit up. "Thank you for your kind words! Honestly, this is the first encouragement I've received since setting sail half a year ago. Even my family didn't support me like this—I'm truly grateful!"
So this was one of those ambitious young men who left home to chase a dream despite family pressure. What touched Zhang Da Ye most was that Wright hadn't chosen piracy. Considering how harsh the trading world could be, he asked, "It must've been tough, huh?"
"It has, yes. I've faced many challenges, but I've persevered. Otherwise, I'd have gone home, married my childhood sweetheart, and inherited the family business." Wright sighed. "It's thanks to you all capturing so many pirates that trade routes have gotten safer. Without that…"
Zhang Da Ye didn't hear a word after "married my childhood sweetheart and inherited the family business." Suddenly, he didn't feel like talking anymore.
He muttered polite replies, excused himself, and left that walking embodiment of good fortune behind.
Back at Tom's side, he stroked the cat twice from head to tail to calm down. Then he thought about it—he was also doing fine in life. And unlike Wright, he had a cat. That realization restored his peace of mind.
Stretching out on a beach chair, Zhang Da Ye sipped his orange juice and enjoyed the sea breeze. Life was good.
Tom blinked at him, spread his paws, and silently asked, What's gotten into you now? Then he gripped his fishing rod again as if nothing had happened.
…
Several more days passed in that busy-yet-peaceful rhythm before they finally saw the distant outline of Loguetown.
Ships came and went from every direction. It was the last island before the Grand Line—a vital supply stop for anyone heading in or out.
Since Smoker hadn't yet taken command, the Loguetown naval branch wasn't strong enough to stop every pirate. Sometimes they even had to turn a blind eye to stronger crews.
But when it came to weaker East Blue pirates, letting them through actually saved the Marines the trouble.
Of course, it wasn't just pirates who came here—many were merchants, like Wright. As the "Town of Beginning and End," Loguetown was a land brimming with opportunity. Hauling a load of goods here was a guaranteed profit, so long as pirates didn't rob you blind.
The Amber eased into port, its cat-face flag fluttering proudly in the wind, drawing plenty of attention.
"Hey, that flag… could it be… them?"
"It's them, no doubt! I knew they'd head for the Grand Line eventually!"
"Don't talk nonsense. They're returning to it—they came from there!"
Listening to the nearby sailors gossiping made Zhang Da Ye want to laugh. "Them, them"—they made it sound like he was "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." The Amber Travel Group stood for justice, not dark lords!
Then he glanced up. Oh—skull flags everywhere. Fair enough.
He scanned the dock again—plenty of pirate ships were moored there, brazenly. "Guess we'll have to warm up a bit before going ashore," he said.
"Should we capture them all?" Rui Meng Meng asked.
"Of course," Zhang Da Ye grinned. "Might as well sweep the pests out while we're here—and earn a little pocket change."
Artoria frowned; she could already smell food from the market streets. "Then let's make it quick," she said, gripping Excalibur.
"But some of those pirates are probably in town," Ye Yan cautioned. "If we sink the ships, civilians could get hurt. Better to leave the ships as bait."
Zhang Da Ye nodded. "Good point. Let's do that."
"Over there! One ship's trying to leave!" Perona's ghostly form drifted over.
"Leave it to me!" Shark Chili shouted, diving into the sea and racing toward it.
Zhang Da Ye dropped the anchor carefully while Rui Meng Meng and Ye Yan secured the sails.
The crew fanned out from the Amber, each picking a target.
Ye Yan chose a ship farthest away to avoid friendly fire. A strike of his Spirit Drum froze every pirate on deck in place before he knocked them out one by one.
The pirates stared in horror as the flag-covered youth smashed skulls with a hammer.
Shark Chili caught up to the escaping ship and leaped aboard. "Fishman Karate!" he roared, delivering blow after blow. None of them could even withstand a thousand-Watt Punch. He didn't even need to use his transformation.
"Yohohoho~!" Brook dashed over the water, hopping onto a ship and drawing his sword-cane. "Cup Song Waltz: Chain Thrust!"
A pirate with a 33-million-Berry bounty forty years ago, Brook was like a max-level player revisiting a beginner's zone. With his age, calling this "grandpa spanking the kids" wasn't an exaggeration.
Perona, despite her training, still wasn't suited for melee combat. Her spirit drifted forward, pretending to be a wailing ghost before unleashing a swarm of mini specters. "Mini Ghost Bombs!"
Wendy, carried by Carla, landed on a ship and gathered wind around her arms like wings. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Then she spun and struck again. "Sky Dragon's Fang!"
The pirates panicked the moment they saw them flying. They hadn't expected a little girl to beat an entire crew senseless from the air.
Rui Meng Meng jumped high, slamming her greatsword onto the deck. "Dance of the Broken Wings! Charge forwa—ah! Why do all the names my boss gives sound so cringy?!"
Embarrassment aside, she swung wildly, sending pirates flying left and right.
The poor pirates were speechless. If you're that embarrassed, stop shouting the names! Blame your boss, not us!
Artoria darted between foes gracefully, her skirt-armor swaying with each step. Her sword flashed as she muttered, "Fried tofu, spring rolls, tempura, grilled lamb…"
Each time she identified a scent from the market, her sword grew faster.
The pirates she chased nearly cried. Was she chopping them up to make those dishes?
Meanwhile, Zhang Da Ye and Tom's fighting style looked more… conventional. Sort of.
The East Blue pirates had never seen someone duel with folding chairs before—especially one made of solid gold. Nor had they seen a cat wielding a revolver with infinite ammo.
What were these people?
"We didn't even do anything!" a pirate wailed. "Why are you attacking us?!"
"Start the ship! Hurry!"
"No, wait! There's a shark monster out there!"
"I just joined this crew! Don't kill me! I had dreams!"
"Mom! I want to go home!"
The pirates sobbed, but no one paid attention. The Amber crew was busy—some were eager to shop, others hungry to eat. The faster they finished, the sooner they could go ashore.
Civilians at the docks were stunned. They'd heard stories of this ten-person crew defeating a thousand pirates, but seeing it firsthand was something else.
Even the bounty hunters hidden among the crowd were dumbfounded. Weren't bounty hunters supposed to use stealth, traps, or ambushes? Who just ran in and wiped out whole crews alone?
Two young men, however, watched in awe, eyes sparkling. One had the word "Sea" tattooed on his right cheek, the other "Pirate" on his left. Each carried a giant machete on his back.
"Joseph!"
"Johnny!"
"This is our idol!"
"One day we'll be the kind of bounty hunters that make pirates tremble!"
"Yeah!"
…
At the Loguetown Marine Base, Colonel Rust's office door swung open.
"Come in!" Rust said calmly, sipping his coffee.
A soldier entered and saluted. "Report, Colonel! Patrol team just confirmed—the Amber Travel Group has arrived at the docks. They're currently fighting nearly twenty pirate crews!"
"Pfft!" Rust spat coffee all over his desk. "Who did you say?!"
"Sir! The Amber Travel Group!"
Rust swallowed hard. "Twenty pirate crews…"
He wasn't worried about their safety—he was worried about his food stores.
Capturing that many pirates would call for a celebratory feast. But if he invited them to dinner…
Rust clutched his chest. His heart hurt already.
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