OPTC Chapter 311 - Amber Travel Group Was Here
Climbing rocks wasn't supposed to be hard—just hands and feet, right? That was true as long as your stamina held and you weren't terrified of falling to your death.
"Hiss—so cold." Zhang Da Ye clung to the vertical cliff like a giant gecko, carefully finding footholds as he climbed upward.
It was winter, and the stone felt like frozen iron. He suspected if he stuck his tongue out, it would get glued to the rock instantly.
The higher they went, the stronger the wind became. Tom, sitting on Zhang Da Ye's shoulder as added weight, shivered and pulled out a blanket to wrap himself tightly.
"Climbing in winter was the dumbest idea ever. Whose suggestion was this?" Zhang Da Ye muttered. His stamina had improved a lot lately, enough that he could still complain mid-climb.
"Yours!" Ye Yan wheezed between breaths, coughing as cold wind hit his lungs. "Once we're down, I'm going straight to Wendy for frostbite treatment."
"Leave it to me!" Wendy replied cheerfully. Her stamina outlasted Ye Yan's easily—she didn't seem like a twelve-year-old at all.
"Is it that bad? I think it's fine." Rui Meng Meng was climbing effortlessly. Her body had grown more resistant to both heat and cold lately, barely human at this point.
Aside from the four of them, Artoria was the only one accompanying them up the wall—she could use Moonwalk, so she was there as a lifeguard in case someone fell.
Perona had tried to climb at first, but after slipping twice, she begged Carla to fly her to the top instead.
Brook had wanted to join in for team spirit, but a single gust of wind nearly blew him away. With his featherlight bones, he eventually asked Jin Erpeng to carry him up.
As for Shark Chili, rock climbing was nearly impossible with his physique. Even in his Super Transformation state, he could probably climb up within fifteen minutes, but coming down again would be the real problem. On top of that, he was too heavy for Carla or Jin Erpeng to carry, and having Artoria haul him up by Moonwalk would've been far too embarrassing. So, he decided to skip it, stroll around the island, and meet them later at the castle in the forest.
The climb wasn't short, but eventually, everyone made it to the top.
Ye Yan collapsed the moment they reached level ground. "Ugh… I can't feel my hands anymore. Captain, this counts as a work injury! I demand compensation!"
"Of course," Zhang Da Ye said brightly. "Next island, Wendy's allowance doubles."
"What does that have to do with me?!"
"You'll need Wendy to heal you, right? I'll just pay her directly—it's more efficient that way. Look how thoughtful your boss is."
"I object!"
"Objection overruled."
Wendy sat down with a tired sigh, duck-style, to rest. Rui Meng Meng took off her coat and spread it under her to keep her from sitting on the cold ground—she herself didn't feel the chill at all.
"Thank you, Sister Meng Meng," Wendy said sweetly, then giggled as Zhang Da Ye and Ye Yan bickered, before getting up to cast a warming spell on Ye Yan's hands.
"You guys took forever!" Perona called from a little stone house nearby, crouching beside Wendy to watch her cast.
Ye Yan looked at his swelling fade and grumbled, "You flew up here. You don't get to talk."
"Bleh~" Perona stuck out her tongue. "We all climbed. You're the only one who got frostbite! Even the greedy boss did better!"
They squabbled a bit until Carla came out and said, "Come inside, everyone. It's warmer there. Brook's already lit the fireplace."
The house was built from blue stone, roofed with thatch that somehow hadn't blown away despite the mountain winds—unscientific, but fitting for a pirate world.
"Yohohoho~ I wanted to boil some hot water for everyone, but sadly, there's nothing here to cook with," Brook said cheerfully, ushering them inside.
Warm air hit their faces as they entered. Tom darted straight to the fireplace, spread his blanket on the floor, curled up, and closed his eyes happily. He loved fireplaces more than anything.
The others, warmed up, began exploring the rooms for clues about treasure.
As Brook said, everything was empty. Not a bed, not a chair—nothing.
Perona huffed. "See? The treasure must be in the castle. That clown's treasure map was fake."
"Not necessarily." Ye Yan walked over to the fireplace. "If this place wasn't meant for living, it's probably meant for hiding something. No furniture—but one fireplace? Suspicious."
He pushed on one side of the fireplace. Nothing. Tried the other side.
Click.
The whole structure slid aside smoothly, revealing a staircase leading down.
Tom blinked awake, meowed in confusion, dragged his blanket along, and promptly moved to the new fireplace position to keep sleeping.
No one paid attention to him—all eyes were on the hidden entrance.
"You're kidding… there's actually a basement?" Perona gaped. "How come Brook didn't find this after poking around here for so long?"
"Ah… I feel a bit insulted…" Brook said weakly.
"Nice find!" Wendy said admiringly.
"That's what we call intelligence." Ye Yan smirked, summoning two Flag Demons. "Better let them scout first—could be traps."
The Flag Demons floated into the passage, looking like they'd rather be anywhere else.
Zhang Da Ye gave him a thumbs-up. "Good thinking. That's my style. Also—those Flags are super handy."
The demons soon returned. "No traps, no treasure. Prepare for disappointment."
The group climbed down, and Zhang Da Ye turned around mid-step, snatched Tom, and tucked him under one arm. Tom, not to be outdone, reached back to grab his blanket too.
The tunnel grew darker the deeper they went. Zhang Da Ye and Ye Yan could see fine, but everyone else struggled.
"It's pitch black. Anyone got a light?" Perona clung to Wendy's hand. She loved creepy gothic castles, but complete darkness was another story.
Reliable Tom, sitting on Zhang Da Ye's shoulder, struck a match. The tiny flame flickered—and lit up Brook's face.
"Ahhh!" Perona shrieked. She almost unleashed her ghosts before remembering they were teammates.
"My apologies, Perona. I didn't mean to frighten you," Brook said sadly. "Though your reaction does wound my heart… yohohoho…"
"I-I'm sorry," Perona mumbled. Playful teasing was one thing, but she didn't want to actually hurt his feelings.
Remembering the others couldn't see, Zhang Da Ye rummaged through his inventory, pulled out an oil lamp, lit it, and held it up. He had a flashlight too, but honestly, the oil lamp suited the mood better.
The passage ended at a wooden door. It had already been opened by the Flag Demons.
Inside sat a skeleton dressed in a pirate captain's coat—long dead.
"Is this Uhnan?" Zhang Da Ye wondered, stepping closer. It looked almost like Brook—no telling what he had once looked like.
Beside him sat a gold nugget the size of a pigeon egg, and on the other side, an ordinary wooden box.
"Da Ye, there's writing on the wall," Artoria said.
Zhang Da Ye turned. The wall opposite the skeleton was covered with dense handwriting—Uhnan's final words.
"To whoever seeks gold and reaches this place—my name is Uhnan, once called the Great Golden Pirate. Now, I am merely a man awaiting death.
I returned all the gold I gathered to its rightful owners. I fought countless battles, achieved my childhood dream, and built a mountain of gold greater than any before.
Yet, standing before that golden mountain, I remembered the words of a man who once saved me—'Gold does not smile. It is no different from stone.'
From that day, he and I shared the same ship in my heart, journeying together across the endless seas.
And so, I have no regrets. What I sought was never gold itself, but the adventure in pursuit of it.
There is no gold left here. What remains is far more precious to me—though to others, it may seem worthless.
Please, do not destroy this place. Here sleeps the greatest treasure of my life."
"He returned all his gold?" Rui Meng Meng said. "So we really came for nothing?"
Ye Yan clutched his chest. "Even though I was prepared, it still hurts… my golden mountain… gone… Are there really people like this in the world?"
Brook wasn't disappointed at all. "Yohohoho~ To me, learning about such a legendary pirate's life makes it all worthwhile."
"But there's still a piece of gold right there," Perona pointed out.
"Maybe that one belonged to him," Artoria said. "A man like this wouldn't lie in his final words."
"Let's see what his 'greatest treasure' really is," Zhang Da Ye said, walking up to the skeleton and opening the box.
Inside was a folded black cloth. He lifted it out—it was a patched pirate flag.
"Maybe it's the first flag of Uhnan's crew," Zhang Da Ye guessed. Then he noticed another paper in the box and unfolded it.
After scanning it, he blinked in confusion. "Wait… is this… a recipe for oden?"
Artoria appeared beside him instantly, peering at the note with shining eyes. "So you weren't lying, Da Ye! There really are food recipes in treasure chests!"
Tom perked up at the mention of oden, rubbing his paws together eagerly. Maybe he could make it himself this time.
"Why would the Great Golden Pirate treasure an oden recipe?" Perona asked.
Ye Yan had finally recovered from his heartbreak. "Now that you mention oden… that weird vendor back in the village comes to mind. His prices were ridiculously low. Fits someone who doesn't care for gold."
Zhang Da Ye nodded. "Yeah. He looked about the same age Uhnan would've been. Maybe the man Uhnan mentioned was him."
"Yohohoho~ A friendship between a pirate king and an oden seller—how charming," Brook said.
"Perfect," Zhang Da Ye decided. "Let's go back and ask him. We'll eat more oden and confirm the recipe while we're at it."
No one objected.
Before leaving, Zhang Da Ye thought for a moment, then wrote a few words below Uhnan's message: "Amber Travel Group Was Here."
He added a doodle of Tom's face beside it—an awful stick-figure cat.
As they walked out, Rui Meng Meng whispered, "Boss, that's basically vandalism. You're setting a bad example for the kids."
"Nonsense," Zhang Da Ye said seriously. "It's strategic. Think about it—Uhnan's fame will draw countless treasure hunters here. If someone like Buggy finds out, the nearest island, Samplais, will suffer. But if word spreads that *we* were here, most people will assume we took the gold already. The clever ones will believe Uhnan's words, and the rest—well, fewer pirates will bother coming."
Perona panicked. "Are you insane?! If people think we've got a third of the world's gold, every lunatic alive will come after us! I'm going back to erase it right now!"
"Don't." Zhang Da Ye grabbed her by the collar and lifted her effortlessly as she kicked and flailed. "Anyone smart enough won't believe that nonsense. And the ones dumb enough to come? Let them. If I can't beat them, Artoria will cut them down with one swing."
He actually pitied the little village. Producing a famous pirate like Uhnan hadn't brought them luck—only danger. Better that any trouble be directed toward himself instead of innocent people.
He wasn't the same cautious Zhang Da Ye who'd first arrived at Sabaody. He didn't have the power or ambition to save the world yet, but helping in small ways like this? That, he could do. Consider it payment for Uhnan's oden recipe.
Also, having bounty hunters chase *him* meant more bounties to collect.
He was practically drooling at the thought of all those wanted criminals.
TL/N: I updated the patreon to have 100 advanced chapters for 10$ now. Go ahead if you're interested, thank you.
[Powerstones plz...
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 for 100 chapters ahead
If you like this novel, check out my other novels in my profile!]