OPTC Chapter 216: If You Surrender Your Weapons, I Promise You Glory for Life
Tom stood with his hands on his waist, face full of pride after receiving praise.
But angry shouts immediately came from the opposing ship:
"Bastard!"
"Shameless!"
"Attacking while our captain was speaking!"
"Scum!"
Zhang Da Ye rubbed his forehead. Being called scum by actual scum was ridiculous. Clearly, the only language they understood was cannon fire. "Once the cannons are loaded, keep firing!"
Another broadside followed. Two cannonballs exploded against the side of the pirate ship, leaving scars across its hull.
The pirates stumbled around from the shaking, and Foxy snapped awake. He grabbed another loudspeaker. "Listen here! Stop firing at once! As captain of the Silver Fox Pirates, I officially challenge you to a three-coin Davy Back Fight!"
From the Amber's lookout post, Brook's voice came through the intercom. "Mr. Da Ye, should we cease fire and accept the challenge?"
Zhang Da Ye sneered. "He says stop, so we just stop? What a joke. Keep firing."
Brook worried they didn't understand and quickly explained, "The Davy Back Fight is a game from a pirate amusement park long ago. The winner takes the loser's best crewmates, while anyone who breaks the rules is despised by all pirates, branded as the shame of the seas."
"Oh." Zhang Da Ye was uninterested. "Sounds like a game only idiots would play. We're not pirates. Why would we bother? Capturing him for bounty money and giving everyone a feast is way more useful."
"Ah…" Brook was speechless. True enough, he forgot this was a bounty hunter ship, not a pirate crew. He himself was just a dead pirate now—what pirate rules even mattered?
Still, the oath part unsettled him. "But this game requires swearing before the legendary deep-sea pirate, Davy Jones. He's said to be—"
"That makes it even less scary. We dismantled the Flying Dutchman not long ago. There was no Davy Jones on it, just Vander Decken and Hody Jones." Zhang Da Ye recalled that in Pirates of the Caribbean, Davy Jones was the Dutchman's captain.
"I even got a limited-edition souvenir coin from the dismantling. Want one?"
Brook stared up at the armory ceiling. What sort of group was this? Not only had they defeated a great pirate with a zombie army, they even tore apart the legendary ghost ship… Were all the tales he'd ever heard worthless compared to this crew?
"Yohohoho~ Very well. By Captain Da Ye's orders—continue firing!"
Artoria skillfully steered, keeping the ship at the most favorable angles. Brook and Ye Yan timed their shots perfectly.
Tom, meanwhile, was rolling around the deck with a cannonball in his arms until he crashed headfirst into the doorway. The ball rolled into Perona's lap.
"So heavy!" Perona toppled backward, groaning. She would've rather been holding Tom, but she couldn't just toss a cannonball. For now, she was stuck.
Foxy survived another barrage thanks to his ability and shouted, "What's wrong? Don't you dare accept my challenge? Are you cowards?"
He smirked. This trick always worked—simple-minded pirates would agree to anything if provoked.
His crew eagerly played along:
"Attacking while the captain speaks again—so despicable!"
"You don't deserve to be pirates!"
"Booo!"
Were they seriously just feeding him lines? Zhang Da Ye almost laughed. He leaned out the window and shouted, "Listen up, idiots! We're bounty hunters. We've got no time for your silly games. If you surrender your weapons, I guarantee you a lifetime of glory—pah! I mean, I guarantee we'll hand you over to the Navy in one piece!"
The pirate ship fell silent for three whole seconds. Then: "Captain, they're not pirates!"
Even Foxy was stunned. Not Marines, not pirates—so why did they open fire without a word? Shouldn't bounty hunters recklessly charge in for boarding, only to be trapped by his ability and hacked down by his crew?
Only now did the pirates finally notice the flag atop the Amber's mast—a grinning, grotesque cat face, mocking their captain's bowl-cut head.
Seeing no answer, Zhang Da Ye shouted again, "Hey, bowl-cut! Give me a straight answer! Are you surrendering or not?"
"Ohahahaha!" Hearing "bowl-cut," Tom grabbed a telescope, took one look at Foxy's head, and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Though his laugh wasn't loud, it reached Foxy's ears clearly.
Like he'd been cursed by a Negative Hollow, Foxy collapsed to his knees, muttering, "Bowl-cut… bowl-cut…"
Perona blinked, staring at her hands. She hadn't used her powers at all.
Since they wouldn't surrender, Zhang Da Ye ordered another broadside. Five cannonballs fired, two smashing into the hull, one flying toward the mast.
At that moment, a massive figure with an iron club swung like a baseball bat, knocking the cannonball away to explode in midair.
"Well done, Hamburg!"
"Captain, time to fight back, right?"
"They're just bounty hunters!"
Foxy snapped out of his gloom. "Prepare for cannon fire! Also, Kabaji, Pickles, show them your strength!"
"Leave it to us, captain! Sea battles are the domain of fishmen!" Kabaji, a swordfish fishman, boasted about his Fishman Karate and combat ability.
"We'll sink them in no time! Fufufu~ Fufufufufu~" The towering Pickles, a loach fishman giant hybrid, followed Kabaji into the sea, brimming with confidence in his power.
"Huh? Fishmen?" Shark Chili's eyes widened at the sight. He hadn't expected to meet fishman pirates here. But then he grinned. "Perfect. One normal size, one giant size. Just right for me!"
Shark Chili dove into the water, heading straight for the two fishmen.
Meanwhile, Foxy's ship finally began to return fire as it approached.
But their steering skill was nothing compared to Artoria's, and their shots were clumsy. Artoria constantly seized the upper hand, making it easy for Ye Yan and Brook to rain accurate cannon fire.
Brook especially felt the difference. If only they'd had a helmsman like Artoria back then, their battles would've ended very differently. Even with just cannon fire, their enemies would've been devastated.
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