Zhang Da Ye had, without realizing it, thrown a jab at Donquixote Doflamingo from afar—and he might be doing it quite often in the future.
Even if he knew, he would just act a little more discreetly. He might be cautious, but he wasn't scared enough to completely avoid Doflamingo's name.
He knew that in the lawless territories, countless human trafficking operations had ties to Doflamingo. As long as his actions weren't too flashy, Doflamingo probably wouldn't bring his whole crew over for a fight.
And if only one or two lieutenants showed up, well, that would just make for a fun bounty-hunting opportunity.
For the next few days, Zhang Da Ye maintained a normal routine: opening the tavern, training, lottery draws, and running errands.
Compared to going out to cause trouble, he now preferred waiting for the people who wanted him dead to come to him.
To give them a chance, he deliberately chose morning jogging routes that passed through secluded areas.
Unfortunately, nobody came to ambush him.
"Maybe I should go out alone next time, give them an opening?" Zhang Da Ye thought. Perhaps the enemy hesitated because he always went out with a group, thinking they couldn't handle it.
"That's dangerous, isn't it? Even if you lure them out, wouldn't it be worse if boss got captured?" Rui Meng Meng worried.
"Feels like you're implying my fighting skills aren't up to par," Zhang Da Ye frowned. "I know there's risk. How about this: I go out shopping, and Artoria follows invisibly?"
Artoria nodded. "We can try."
So Zhang Da Ye grabbed the shopping list Tom had prepared and rode his bubble vehicle out of the tavern.
He went from stall to stall, picking items off the list, acting just like a regular shopper.
But occasionally, when passing snack and pastry shops, Zhang Da Ye felt a light tug on his clothes.
He immediately understood, pointing at the goods on display: "This, this, this, and this…"
The shopkeeper laughed, recognizing a familiar face—and a big client to boot. "Ah, it's you, Da Ye! I get it, I get it. You don't want these? Ten kilos of everything else, right?"
Zhang Da Ye paused, feeling a bit taken advantage of.
The shopkeeper weighed the goods while chatting: "Why are you shopping alone today?"
Zhang Da Ye replied casually, "They're busy with other things today."
The shopkeeper frowned a bit. "I understand if they're busy, but why not bring Tom along?"
Zhang Da Ye raised an eyebrow. "You just really like Tom, huh?"
"Who wouldn't like such a smart little kitty? I even got him some dried fish." The shopkeeper pointed to a bag under the counter.
"Oh," Zhang Da Ye said calmly. "I'll take the dried fish for him."
The shopkeeper chuckled. "You? You'll have to pay for it."
Zhang Da Ye gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll pay!"
After finishing in the 59GR market district, Zhang Da Ye naturally rode toward 58GR.
Along the way, he passed through a desolate area, hoping for some action.
"Did I just get tricked?" Zhang Da Ye glared at the bag of dried fish in his basket. "Cheater!"
By the time he returned to the tavern, not a single person had jumped out to confront him, despite plenty of ideal hiding spots along the route.
"Why didn't they take the bait? Was I too obvious?" Zhang Da Ye wondered, thinking nobody could have guessed he had invisible ink for "cheating."
Artoria suggested, "Maybe their target isn't you—it's Tom."
"Still, that doesn't add up. If Tom is the target, wouldn't they strike the tavern while I was away?"
Rui Meng Meng reminded him, "In their eyes, the boss is gone, but Artoria and I are still here."
"Oh, right. Maybe they don't see me as a threat," Zhang Da Ye said. "But that's weird too—if I'm weak, shouldn't they kidnap me to force you two to hand over Tom?"
The group couldn't figure it out and assumed that the enemy simply hadn't noticed Zhang Da Ye was acting alone today.
Meanwhile, the "Unlucky Duo" were perched atop a red tree, faithfully performing their task: watching the tavern and reporting if a mermaid appeared.
Since no mermaid showed up, they moved from tree to tree, remaining on reconnaissance—these two were professionals.
By evening, they returned to report, submitting sketches showing Zhang Da Ye "shopping alone."
Mr.5 burst out laughing, accidentally spraying his red tea into Mr.13's—or the sea otter's—face.
The little otter didn't care. He quietly took out two shells, each springing four sharp blades, glaring at Mr.5.
"Why didn't you report immediately when the little boss acted alone?" Mr.5 slammed the table. "If we'd caught him, we could've forced him to hand over the cat and the mermaid!"
The little otter lowered his head, retracting his weapons, knowing he had failed.
His partner, the bald eagle, nudged him for comfort, though she had also made mistakes.
"Hahaha, the 'Unlucky Duo' responsible for punishing others messed up—wonder how they'll punish themselves!" Miss Valentine remarked, enjoying the scene.
In truth, these clever animals were not well-liked in the organization—they were enforcers, after all.
"Don't get excited, Mr.5," Mr.3 said calmly. "Our purpose is to wait for the mermaid. Forcing him to hand over information is a last resort. Some people would risk their lives for friends. The best way is to let the mermaid appear voluntarily."
"What if another opportunity comes up? Should we let it go to waste?" Mr.5 asked. "You said we should avoid unnecessary fights. Acting while he's alone would be ideal, right?"
Mr.3 sipped his tea, smiling confidently. "You think it's the best opportunity, but maybe they're the ones fishing. He just used the wrong bait. Heh… also, you need enough strength to fish properly. Otherwise, if you hook a Sea King, you're dead."
…
"Let's have Sea King for dinner tonight!"
Zhang Da Ye dug through the pile of goods he had bought and pulled out a huge slab of meat. "Finally, the shop has stock. I almost missed it."
The frustration from a failed plan could only be soothed by a good meal. Everyone at the tavern agreed enthusiastically.
Sea King meat was delicious!