OPTC Chapter 310 - Murder That Cuts Deeper Than Death
Buggy's treasure map was different from Zhang Da Ye's. It was a detailed map of the Golden Island's terrain, with a cryptic message written on it: "The greatest treasure of the great pirate Uhnan lies here. From the southern hill, when the whale faces west, its tail will…"
The rest of the inscription had been damaged beyond reading, but it probably meant the treasure was hidden in the direction of the whale's tail. The "whale" was likely a distinct geographical formation or a manmade structure on the island.
Zhang Da Ye happily tucked the map away and carried the treasure chest back to distribute the spoils among the group.
The night passed peacefully. When Zhang Da Ye saw Buggy's crew again the next morning, they all had swollen faces and bruised noses—even the lion, Richie, had a huge bump on his head.
"What happened to all of you?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
Lu Dashan cracked his knuckles with a grin. "These guys weren't behaving. Some of them tied fake knots last night and tried to sneak away, so we gave them a little lesson. Hope we didn't cause any trouble for you, sir?"
"…Not really. They do deserve a beating, but it's a pity—they look too battered to perform now. Could've squeezed a little more value out of them." Zhang Da Ye sighed regretfully.
"We were reckless. Shouldn't have hit their faces," said Jin She Langjun—the Tongue Lord—solemnly. "But you can just have Wendy heal them up so they can perform again."
He wasn't joking about the name. The Tongue Lord had once been a notorious yokai king, but after spending too much time around Ye Yan and the flag demons, he'd become just as ridiculous as the rest.
Zhang Da Ye gave him a look. "Are you a demon?"
The Tongue Lord straightened up seriously. "Technically, we're yokai. Different species."
"…Forget it." Zhang Da Ye sighed, glancing over the pirates' swollen faces. He wasn't pitying *them*—he just didn't want Wendy to get exhausted healing so many idiots.
Since the great Captain Buggy already looked so pitiful, Zhang Da Ye decided not to add any extra punishment—just a little mental torture.
"My dear friend Buggy~" he said cheerfully. "I've received your treasure map. Funny thing—we came here for the same reason as you! So don't worry, I'll make sure to find Uhnan's treasure myself!"
Buggy's eyes bulged. He trembled with fury, wishing he could kill Zhang Da Ye with his glare alone. If there was anything worse than failing to find the treasure, it was watching someone else dig it up right in front of you—using *your own map*.
Zhang Da Ye found Buggy's expression so entertaining that he decided to twist the knife further. He pulled out something from Moria's hoard—a glass armlet.
"See this? They say it holds the secret to Captain John's treasure. Yes, *the* legendary Captain John~"
"Wha—!!" Buggy's jaw dropped so hard it hit the floor, the cloth gag falling from his mouth. "Why is *that* in your hands?!"
He recognized it instantly. In the original timeline, when Luffy showed it to him in Impel Down, Buggy had spotted it in an instant. Seeing it up close left no doubt—it was the real thing.
"That's not your concern," Zhang Da Ye said, waving it casually. "You just stay in prison and wait for my good news!"
In truth, he had no idea what the armlet did or how it could lead to Captain John's treasure—but that didn't stop him from using it to completely shatter Buggy's spirit.
"Wait! Hey! You bastard, don't walk away!" Buggy screamed, helplessly watching as both his treasure map and the armlet disappeared into the distance.
When Zhang Da Ye finally left the tent, Buggy was still frozen in place, color drained from his face, mouth hanging open in despair.
The rest of the day went smoothly. Perhaps because the villagers had enjoyed the circus performance so much, they treated Zhang Da Ye's group kindly. Those with spare food sold them rice and grain, and those with gardens offered fresh vegetables and fruit.
After some comparison, Zhang Da Ye noticed the prices weren't exactly cheap. That oden seller, Iwazo, must've had some kind of secret.
"Uncle, have you ever heard of Uhnan?" Zhang Da Ye asked a friendly-looking middle-aged man after buying enough supplies.
"Of course. Uhnan was born in this very village," the man replied openly. "You folks came chasing the Golden Pirate's legend too, didn't you? Take my advice—forget it. There's no Golden Island. If there were, our village wouldn't look like this anymore."
"So a lot of people have come searching for it, huh?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
"Plenty. Explorers, merchants, even pirates. When I was young, I once sailed out myself, dreaming of getting rich overnight." The man chuckled awkwardly at the memory. "But no one's ever found it. Plenty have gotten caught in storms, though. So be careful, lad. Gold's not worth dying for."
"Thank you for the warning, but we're travelers—we can't resist checking out something this interesting," Zhang Da Ye said with a smile. He described the cliffs they'd seen. "Do you know if there's a cliff like that on this island?"
The man thought for a moment. "A seaside cliff… You'll need to cross that mountain and head north. Sounds about right. But be careful—there are tigers up there."
"North, got it. Thank you!" Zhang Da Ye replied. Ordinary tigers didn't worry him—one slide kick would do the job.
He and Rui Meng Meng pushed flat carts full of food back toward the camp. Artoria and Tom were, of course, just there for the fun, still talking about the popcorn and cotton candy machines from Buggy's ship.
The hunting team had also done well. They'd confirmed the man's warning—there really were tigers in the hills. Aside from Perona, who failed to catch a teddy-bear-sized beast she'd wanted as a pet, the meat reserves were now complete.
Meanwhile, Jin Erpeng and Carla's scouting team had indeed found the cliff on the island's northern side. Once the Marines came to collect Buggy, they could set off in search of the Golden Island.
Until then, everyone focused on training. Zhang Da Ye worked on improving his Armament Haki, aiming to fully control it over his body and weapon—at least to the level of the Kuja warriors.
He also needed to step up his Observation Haki training. If it still didn't progress, he was tempted to sail back to the Goa Kingdom just to spar with Garp.
Artoria still hadn't grasped Haki, but she had nearly mastered Moonwalk. The sight of her stepping on air, kicking off invisible footholds to run through the sky, made Zhang Da Ye green with envy.
Rui Meng Meng's strength kept growing steadily. She was beginning to get the hang of Soru, though Zhang Da Ye suspected that with her raw power alone, she could probably move just as fast without it.
Shark Chili's Fishman Karate had improved significantly. When he finally managed to perform the "Water Shot" technique in his normal state, it marked a huge leap forward in his mastery. He was so proud he brushed his teeth twice that day.
Ye Yan continued his intense physical training. At this rate, he'd be ready to learn the Rokushiki techniques soon. Zhang Da Ye recommended starting with Iron Body.
Wendy practiced both her physical stamina and offensive magic. When she used "Roar of the Sky Dragon" that day, Buggy—watching from inside the tent—completely abandoned the idea of escaping. He was sure that one blast could sink his ship and drown him on the spot.
Carla, of course, trained alongside Wendy. She said she wanted to learn transformation magic so she could fight as a human girl instead of just serving as Wendy's transport.
A cat-eared girl in battle—everyone but Tom was excited by the idea.
Perona's motivation had dropped again. She wasn't the type to maintain long-term discipline. If not for her friends, she probably wouldn't have trained at all.
And the laziest of all were Tom and Brook. Tom's favorite things were eating, sleeping, and playing. As a cat, his only duty was to be happy—so while his owner trained under the blazing sun, Tom lounged on a beach chair sipping juice and napping in perfect contentment.
Brook, on the other hand, had no desire to grow stronger. He just played his violin, told bad jokes, and occasionally popped off his skull for laughs. The picture of leisure.
Over the next two days, villagers kept asking when the circus would perform again. Zhang Da Ye finally told them the truth—Buggy was a pirate, not a performer. His name alone sent shivers through the East Blue, and no one dared approach that shore anymore. Some still watched from afar, waiting for a Marine ship to appear.
At last, after the villagers' long wait, the Marines from Loguetown arrived.
"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Rust of the Loguetown Marine Branch. We've come to take custody of the Buggy Pirates. Thank you for your efforts," the officer said politely. He clearly had no intention of behaving like that corrupt fool Mouse from Cocoyashi.
"You're the ones who've traveled far," Zhang Da Ye replied. "The Buggy Pirates and their ship are all here. Please confirm their identities."
It wasn't Smoker—Zhang Da Ye was a little disappointed. But after thinking it over, he realized Smoker was probably still in training at Marine Headquarters and wouldn't be assigned to Loguetown for some time yet.
"Report, sir! Including the ten-million-Berry pirate 'Buggy the Clown,' we have forty-four crew members and one lion, plus their fully intact ship, the Big Top. All confirmed!"
The Marines were clearly excited. In the East Blue, Buggy's crew was one of the larger pirate bands—only Krieg's massive fleet outnumbered them. Most local bases wouldn't dare face such a group.
"Excellent!" Rust barked. "Load all the pirates aboard. Make sure that clown is securely restrained with seastone cuffs. Bring over the bounty!"
Buggy had finally recovered from his mental breakdown. As he was dragged away, he yelled, "You bastard! I'll never forgive you!"
"Yes, yes, I'm so scared," Zhang Da Ye said lazily, counting his money. With this bounty, he could take Artoria to splurge at the sea restaurant again.
"Don't worry!" Rust assured him. "We'll ensure he's locked away securely in Impel Down. He won't threaten anyone again!"
The Marines saluted before departing with their prisoners—an honor not usually given to ordinary bounty hunters. The Amber Travel Group's reputation now carried real weight, in both light and shadow.
"Alright, everyone—check your gear! Time to set sail for the Golden Island!"
They'd earned a fortune from the bounties and Buggy's treasure chest already. Even if they didn't find Uhnan's treasure, this trip was more than worth it. Still, Zhang Da Ye couldn't help feeling a thrill—his first real treasure hunt was about to begin.
Their supplies had long been packed. When it came time to leave, Tom and Artoria were hauling the popcorn and cotton candy machines onto the ship.
"Da Ye, I want to bring these," Artoria said.
"If you like them, bring them along. We can put them in the bar." Zhang Da Ye smiled. Too bad the popcorn machine wasn't one of those old cannon-style ones—electric ones were nowhere near as fun.
The Amber set sail again, circling around to the island's north and heading straight toward the direction marked on the map.
After several hours, they spotted a small island.
"This must be it," Jin Erpeng said after a quick aerial survey. "The terrain matches the map perfectly."
"See anything special?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
"Yeah. There's a big mountain in the south with a whale statue on it. A huge castle in the eastern forest. And up north, a tall, round mountain with a small shack on top."
Perona's eyes lit up. "I know it! The treasure must be in the castle!"
"No," Zhang Da Ye said. "According to common sense, the treasure's probably in that shabby little house."
"Great minds think alike," Ye Yan agreed.
Brook chuckled. "Yohohoho! Indeed, hiding it in a rundown house would be unexpected. A clever pirate's trick."
"Who would put treasure in a shack?!" Perona protested, unable to fathom the logic—mostly because she was obsessed with castles.
Zhang Da Ye smiled. "Let's check the whale statue first. The riddle said the whale's tail would point the way."
They landed on the island's southern shore and climbed the hill. The whale statue faced west, but its tail curved sharply northward—pointing directly at the tall, cylindrical mountain.
Zhang Da Ye looked up at the Drum Kingdom-style peak and said, "Well, looks like it's time for some intense rock climbing. Anyone who doesn't want to climb can ask Carla or Jin Erpeng for a lift."
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