OPTC Chapter 220 Nothing Can Stand in the Way
"Tom."
Snap! Tom stood upright and saluted.
"Perona."
"What?" Perona looked confused.
This girl had no sense of fun. If little Bayer had been here, he would have instantly copied Tom's salute.
Suppressing a sigh, Zhang Da Ye said, "I'm appointing you two as a treasure-hunting team. Go check Foxy's ship to see if there's anything valuable."
"I'm not your subordinate. Why should I listen to your orders?" Perona complained.
Zhang Da Ye blinked. "If you find treasure, I'll buy you a plush toy at the next island."
"…Fine." Perona hesitated for a moment. "But I'm only going because I want to keep Tom company, not because you told me to."
"Yes, yes, go already." Zhang Da Ye only wanted to give her something to do. A treasure hunt had just the right kind of excitement.
Tom practically flapped his arms as he darted into the cabin.
"Wait for me!" Perona chased after him. She wanted a teddy bear—better yet, one that could move on its own.
"If anyone else wants to go, feel free." Zhang Da Ye noticed the Flag Spirit, Wind Ear, rubbing his hands together in excitement.
"Thank you, Boss. I'd like to study the structure of a pirate ship. That's valuable intelligence." Wind Ear scampered into the cabin.
The other Flag Spirits weren't interested. After hauling up and tying down the pirates, they slipped back into the Flag.
"Boss." Rui Meng Meng came running over with the transponder snail. "The Navy says we should try firing a signal flare."
Zhang Da Ye had told her to call the Navy using their emergency line. The nearest naval branch had answered. With so many pirates here, it was best to let the Navy handle them. The problem was Rui Meng Meng couldn't clearly describe their exact location—only that they were on the route from Sabaody to Water 7.
So the Navy suggested firing a flare. If that didn't work, they'd request the Intelligence Division to trace the snail's signal.
"A signal flare, huh? Convenient, we've got one."
Before Zhang Da Ye could say more, Shark Chili had already fetched it. They'd seized it from Moria, and it was top quality—effective even in the dense mists of the Florian Triangle.
"Whoosh—bang!"
The flare shot into the sky, bursting in a brilliant red glow.
On the other end of the line, shuffling noises came as another snail connected. After a moment, the contact officer said, "Please remain where you are. A World Government ship is nearby. It will reach your location in one hour."
Zhang Da Ye frowned. "A World Government ship? Do they even handle bounty exchanges?"
The officer explained, "Ordinary ones don't, but this is a judicial ship from Enies Lobby. Please wait patiently."
"I see." Hanging up, Zhang Da Ye fell into thought. A judicial ship… this might turn into something big. Just a few days ago, he'd read the news about the Sea Train tracks being completed.
Was the ship headed to Water 7, or returning from it?
If it was en route to Water 7… Zhang Da Ye touched the cat statue on the Amber's prow. Their ship had been built by Dan, younger brother of Master Shipwright Tom. Out of respect, he couldn't just sit by and let Tom's name be tarnished.
Still, he needed to wait and assess carefully. No rash moves.
While they waited for the judicial ship, Foxy slowly woke. Looking around at his bound crew, he was struck dumb. His mighty pirate crew had been defeated just like that?
"Hey, butt-head, where were you planning to go?" Zhang Da Ye asked after confirming Foxy's oddly split skull wasn't a hairstyle but his actual head shape. The world really was full of strange sights.
"B-butt-head…" Foxy deflated instantly. Only after Zhang Da Ye pressed him did he explain his goals.
Foxy knew his own limits. He didn't dare venture into the New World yet, so he stayed in the first half of the Grand Line, building strength by stealing crew through Davy-Back Fights. His plan was to grow stronger first, then head to the New World to seize top-quality crewmates.
So despite their clownish behavior, his crew actually had a clear plan and direction.
But lately, Foxy had heard that one of the Warlords, Moria, had died. He thought maybe he could recruit some of Moria's officers or subordinate pirates.
That hope had carried them toward the Florian Triangle—only for it all to collapse here.
"Men, it's all my fault. As captain, I've failed you!"
"Captain! Don't say that! We're the ones who failed—you, our captain!"
Moved to tears, the pirates wept bitterly, making Zhang Da Ye feel like the villain. "If you regret it that much, stop being pirates, you idiots!"
"Shut up, you vile bounty hunter!"
"We'll never regret answering the call of the Jolly Roger!"
"That's right! Nothing can stop a man's longing for the sea!"
The pirates' mouths were stubborn. Just moments ago they'd been half-dead, but somehow they found the strength to shout insults.
Zhang Da Ye's head throbbed from their noise. He knocked the noisy ones unconscious. "Nothing can stop you? Well, I just did. Dreams? Since when do pillaging and killing count as dreams?"
"You bastard! What did you do to my precious crew?!" Foxy roared, powerless with his Sea-Prism cuffs.
"They cursed me. Of course I hit them. What's wrong with that?" Zhang Da Ye shut Foxy up as well. He'd even bandaged the badly injured earlier out of basic decency, but now the more he thought about it, the angrier he felt.
"Boss, about those two fishmen… should we tell Jinbei?" Shark Chili asked. He felt uneasy using Fishman Karate, taught by Jinbei himself, against fellow fishmen.
"Jinbei isn't so sentimental that he cares about every fishman. They chose to be pirates—getting caught is on them. But if it bothers you, contact him yourself."
Shark Chili ended up calling Jinbei. As expected, Jinbei didn't mind at all and even comforted him warmly.
Truth was, Jinbei couldn't even remember who those two were. He'd beaten up plenty of fishmen in his time. How could he remember every single one?
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