OPTC Chapter 346 A Green Chicken-Crested Punk Wants to Steal Our Lollipops
Zhang Da Ye indulged in a moment of vanity before getting to the point. "Although I'm happy to hear you say that, I'll be blunt. With your current strength, becoming bounty hunters is far too dangerous. You could be killed by pirates at any moment."
"What… how can that be…" Johnny and Joseph felt their dreams shatter. They had finally worked up the courage to talk to their idol and confess their aspirations, only to be doused with a bucket of cold water instead of encouragement.
Their faces shifted from disappointment to stubborn unwillingness.
Seeing this, Zhang Da Ye continued, "If you still insist on becoming bounty hunters even after hearing that, then I can at least give you two some advice."
"What kind?" Johnny and Joseph stared at him with sparkling eyes. Was Mister Da Ye about to reveal the secret to rising to fame?
Zhang Da Ye grinned mysteriously, slinging an arm around each of their shoulders. "Where's the best place to learn swordsmanship? The Isshin Dojo in Frost Moon Village! If you're not learning swordsmanship this season, go to Frost Moon Village! We don't teach the sword—we only introduce people to the dojo…"
Tom sucked on a finger, feeling like his owner was up to something suspicious—but he had no proof.
"Thank you for your guidance!"
"We'll remember it!"
"Then there's no time to waste—let's head out now!"
"Right!"
After being talked into it by Zhang Da Ye, Johnny and Joseph decided on the spot to head to the Village and train before venturing out into the world. They also memorized the secret four-word formula he gifted them for becoming stronger: eat more, train more.
Watching them leave, Zhang Da Ye let out a quiet sigh of relief. In the end, he hadn't been able to bring himself to crush their dreams directly. Shattering the hopes of two hot-blooded teenagers felt cruel—especially since their aspirations weren't harmful.
Once they reached Frost Moon Village, Zhang Da Ye imagined two possible futures: either they'd be crushed by Kuina and Zoro's monstrous talent and accept living ordinary lives, or they'd refuse to yield, grow stronger through hard work, and truly learn solid swordsmanship. If it was the second outcome, they deserved congratulations.
Whatever happens next is up to them.
After seeing off his two little fans, Zhang Da Ye prepared to buy supplies. The shopping list came from Rui Meng Meng, whose current job was being the storage keeper of the Amber. She was never able to stop Tom and Artoria from raiding the food stores, but everyone understood.
Thankfully, Artoria had more restraint than Tom. She didn't steal too much and only struck after estimating the remaining provisions near the end of each island's journey. So far, no one had ever gone hungry mid-voyage—for now.
Loguetown's ingredients weren't anything too unusual, though sometimes rare fish from the Grand Line and the South Blue appeared, often at sky-high prices.
Zhang Da Ye ignored the Grand Line fish but bought up all the South Blue ones he hadn't tried before—he couldn't resist the sparkling eyes of the people around him or the cat on his shoulder.
Artoria asked, "Why are there fish from the South Blue but none from the West or North?"
Zhang Da Ye explained, "Strictly speaking, this planet only has two oceans divided by the Red Line. The East and South Blue are on the same side. Even though the Grand Line separates them, they're still connected, so it's not strange for fish to swim over occasionally.
"But the West and North Blue are on the opposite side of the Red Line. Fish aren't going to dive ten thousand meters down and swim through the Fish-man Island passage just to come here and get eaten."
As he spoke, a mental globe appeared above Tom's head, clearly showing the Red Line intersecting the Grand Line to divide the four seas. Tom looked up at it, nodded, and signaled that he understood.
Artoria glanced at Tom's mental projection as well—clean, simple, and easy to grasp.
Zhang Da Ye reassured them, "It doesn't matter if we can't buy them here. We'll definitely get to try them later on our travels."
Once they finished picking up supplies, Zhang Da Ye started heading back to the ship—until he passed a weapon shop.
He recognized the owner immediately: the man with a strange hairstyle shaped like a pair of black wings. Wasn't this the same blacksmith who would one day give Zoro the Sandai Kitetsu and the famed sword Yubashiri? Zhang Da Ye decided to take a look.
"Welcome, customers!" Ipponmatsu greeted energetically. "This is a weapon shop with two hundred years of history. You'll definitely find a weapon you're satisfied with!"
Loguetown had not yet been cleaned up by Smoker, so, many pirates and bounty hunters came here to buy weapons. Ipponmatsu only had time to greet Zhang Da Ye and his group before returning to deal with other customers.
Tom looked around curiously, especially admiring the horned helmets on the wall.
Artoria examined the knight-style spears, swords, shields, and armor.
Zhang Da Ye drifted toward the corner where the cheap, low-grade swords were stacked. He flipped through every blade but didn't see the Sandai Kitetsu. Maybe the owner hadn't acquired it yet?
Not that it mattered—he wasn't used to that kind of sword anyway. He already had the black blade Shusui. He was just looking out of curiosity.
Because the East Blue was a mess thanks to his interference, and Nami was already part of their group, Zhang Da Ye wasn't even sure if Zoro would make it to Loguetown. Wado Ichimonji was certain to go to Kuina. Would Zoro end up only using ordinary blades?
Thinking of Nami, Zhang Da Ye glanced at the finely crafted pistols on the shelf. Maybe he should buy her a self-defense gift?
Just as he was choosing, a loud voice boomed, "Boss, how much for these swords?"
"Oh! Excellent eyes, customer!" Ipponmatsu praised. "These swords are of superb quality—almost comparable to 'famed blades'. Each one is only 500,000 Berries. You picked three, so the total is 1.5 million. I'll even throw in three whetstones!"
The loud man frowned. "Too expensive. How about three swords for 300,000?"
Zhang Da Ye almost dropped the gun in his hand. What kind of bargain-hunting genius was this? Truly fearless—worth learning from.
Ipponmatsu looked troubled. "Customer, that price is far too low. If you only have 300,000, you can look at the lower-grade swords over there."
"Then how about this?" The loud man drew one of the swords and held it against Ipponmatsu's neck. "I'm Loudmouth Laude, wanted for 1.5 million. I still need money to buy supplies for the Grand Line. Are you asking me to use my head to pay for these swords?"
Laude was a pirate with principles—he generally wouldn't steal things he could pay for. Unless he felt the price was too high. He had principles, just not many.
Zhang Da Ye felt disappointed. He'd expected some bargain-master secret, not robbery. So the ultimate bargaining technique was… cutting people?
Laude and his pirates grinned smugly. Bargaining like this was simple and effective—so long as the shop owner…
Their smiles froze.
Because at some point, the sword in Laude's hand had ended up in Ipponmatsu's hand—and its blade was now pressed to Laude's neck. "Customer, bargaining like this really causes problems."
"Three swords for 1.5 million Berries. No whetstones because of your rudeness. Deal?"
Laude gulped and whispered, "O-okay…"
Ipponmatsu sheathed the sword into Laude's scabbard with a swift motion. "Cash only. No credit."
Damn—this uncle was impressive. Running a weapon shop in Loguetown for two hundred years and dealing mostly with pirates meant his family definitely had techniques passed down. Otherwise he would've been robbed into bankruptcy long ago. That sword skill alone was enough to handle mountain-bandit-level trash.
Zhang Da Ye fell into despair. How could this uncle be so effortlessly cool while every time he tried to act cool, something went wrong? It wasn't fair.
The pirates paid obediently and slunk out—but immediately puffed up again the moment they stepped outside. Judging by their direction, they were heading toward the docks…
Zhang Da Ye asked, "Boss, do you buy second-hand swords? Ones that are basically brand new?"
"Brand new? Don't tell me you plan to…" Ipponmatsu glanced at Zhang Da Ye, then at Tom fiddling with a horned helmet, and suddenly understood. "Ah—you're…"
Zhang Da Ye flashed him a bright smile. Better to sell the swords himself than hand them to the Marines for free.
Ipponmatsu laughed. "Of course I buy them! If they're truly in perfect condition, I'll give you a good price."
"Great. I'll bring them later." Zhang Da Ye selected two pistols and one rifle. "How much for these?"
They were gifts for Nami's family—he could mail them later through a News Bird or even ask the Marines for help.
"Ten thousand Berries. You can pay the rest with the swords you'll bring back. I'll even throw in some high-quality ammunition." Ipponmatsu trusted the Amber's reputation.
Tom tugged on Zhang Da Ye's clothes, pointing at the horned helmet—he wanted it.
It was totally useless. No one on the ship needed such armor. But Zhang Da Ye glanced at Tom and said, "Buy it. Add it to the bill."
Whether or not it was useful didn't matter. If Tom wanted it, he'd buy it—pure indulgence.
Then Artoria tugged his sleeve—but her hands were empty.
"What is it? What do you want?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
Artoria said, "I also want one, but can you convert it into ice cream instead?"
Zhang Da Ye: "…"
…
When they returned to the Amber, Zhang Da Ye pushed a cart full of goods while Artoria cheerfully pushed another—on top of hers sat an ice cream machine.
The horned helmet Tom wanted was pricey, and converting it into the equivalent amount of ice cream was ridiculous. Zhang Da Ye calculated the cost and decided it was cheaper to just buy the whole machine. They'd already collected a cotton candy maker and popcorn machine from Buggy's crew—adding an ice cream machine wasn't a big deal.
Once the machine was brought aboard, Perona, Wendy, and Charle circled around it with Artoria, eager to try it out.
"You all came back early," Zhang Da Ye said. "Did you run into any trouble?"
Wendy looked a little embarrassed. "Trouble… we ran into a little. We beat up two people."
"Hm? What happened? Who bullied you? Did you kill them? Did you finish the job?" It sounded harsh, but knowing Wendy's personality, she would never pick fights first. If she fought back, they must have deserved it. Anyone who bullied a cute little girl wasn't a good person.
"It was some green chicken-crested brat who tried to steal our lollipops!" Perona's proud expression made it clear she'd won the fight. "He turned out to be a Devil Fruit user, but I still defeated him beautifully!"
A green chicken-crested Devil Fruit user? Zhang Da Ye thought for a moment. Could it be that hardcore Straw Hat fanboy? Before setting out to sea he used to mix around the underworld in Loguetown, and now he was trying to steal lollipops from little girls?
"That guy's ability was tricky," Charle explained, "but it was useless against Perona."
Now Zhang Da Ye was sure—it was Bartolomeo, the Barrier-Barrier Fruit user.
The previous user of the Barrier Fruit and the previous user of the Clone Fruit had both been under Orochi in Wano. Seven or eight years ago, during the battle between Oden and Kaido, the Clone Fruit user transformed into Momonosuke to distract Oden, causing him to get knocked down by Kaido's club.
After the battle, Kaido, being a man of rigid principles, killed her for interfering. The Barrier Fruit user tried to protect her and died as well. That was how Bartolomeo got the fruit.
The Barrier Fruit was extremely strong—capable of blocking slashes, punches, explosions. Even a four-thousand-tile Fish-man Karate punch would only break the attacker's arm. The devastating King Punch couldn't penetrate it either.
But the flaw was that the user had to maintain a specific hand sign. Perona's Negative Ghosts had no physical form and could pass through any wall-type barrier, making her a natural counter. Bartolomeo was doomed the moment he provoked her.
Once hit by the Negative Ghost, Bartolomeo collapsed, unable to maintain the hand sign. His barriers disappeared, and Perona unleashed all the results of her recent training on him.
Zhang Da Ye asked, "So how did you deal with him in the end?"
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