OPTC Chapter 312: A New Year Begins
After hearing Zhang Da Ye's explanation, Perona quieted down. She had almost forgotten that their ship's main source of income came from catching pirates. Even if their stingy boss couldn't be trusted, Sister Artoria certainly could. There was nothing to be afraid of.
Once they made sure there were no hidden chambers left unchecked, everyone returned to the surface. After sitting by the fireplace for a while to rest, they prepared to head back.
Before leaving, they didn't forget to extinguish the fire.
It's said that going up a mountain is easy, but coming down is hard. Zhang Da Ye tried descending backward but found it awkward. In the end, he decided to try rappelling instead.
Tom provided the rope, both sturdy and long enough. Zhang Da Ye tied it securely to a tree at the top and began descending, pushing off with his legs like the special forces he had seen on TV. Each kick sent him sliding down a bit further — he was having the time of his life.
With a flying companion nearby to keep an eye on him, he wasn't afraid of falling. He even started thinking about trying bungee jumping on Sky Island someday.
Aside from Tom, who joined him for a short while, the others had no such enthusiasm. They asked Carla and Kin the Second to fly them down, while Artoria stepped lightly through the air with Moonwalk.
"If I just let go and force myself a bit, do you think I could learn Moonwalk at the brink of death?" Zhang Da Ye muttered, peering down. The view made him a little dizzy.
"Forget it," he said to himself, giving up the idea. "Teacher Kaido really was brave, jumping from ten thousand meters up."
While he was spacing out, Tom slid down the rope and accidentally landed right on Zhang Da Ye's head.
Tom froze and looked down; Zhang Da Ye looked up. They stared at each other in silence — the scene was oddly funny.
After a brief pause, Tom decided he'd had enough. He simply sat down on Zhang Da Ye's shoulders, holding onto his collar so he wouldn't fall.
Zhang Da Ye accepted his fate as Tom's steed and descended steadily with him on his shoulders.
On their way back through the forest, they explored a bit. The island wasn't rich in resources; they only managed to catch two rabbits along the way.
Shark Chili was already waiting at the castle when they returned. Zhang Da Ye told him everything about Wunan.
"Sounds like a strong guy," Shark Chili said after listening. "So after all that, the treasure we found was just a cooking recipe?" He glanced at Artoria. Was it her luck again? No one could be *that* lucky.
"Pretty much," Zhang Da Ye chuckled. "But it's not bad. We did get Bucky the Clown's treasure too. How about you? Find anything here?"
"Just an ordinary old castle," Shark Chili replied. "It must have been fancy once, but it's filthy now — nobody's maintained it in ages."
Perona had run inside cheerfully to explore but came running back out moments later, pinching her nose. "It's disgusting! Covered in dust!"
"Well, that's normal when no one's lived here for years," Zhang Da Ye said casually as he walked in, looking around at Wunan's sense of décor. "When I retire someday, I might just claim this place as my villa."
Ye Yan remarked, "Last time you said you'd take over Thriller Bark and plant fruit trees on it. You sure switch goals fast."
Zhang Da Ye shrugged. "Well, Thriller Bark's still under repair, and we don't have enough crew to sail it. Besides, I'm not retiring anytime soon. No harm in making a few backup plans."
"Feels like you just said something outrageous."
"Hallucination."
There wasn't much left in the castle, and certainly no treasure.
They spent the afternoon rescuing some heat-exhausted forest animals — and, conveniently, used a few for lunch.
…
"So, you found him," Iwazo said as he prepared ingredients, listening to Zhang Da Ye's story. He examined the pirate flag, the oden recipe, and the small piece of gold with a complicated look.
"So the 'man' Wunan mentioned in his last words… that was you?" Zhang Da Ye asked.
Artoria and Tom were happily munching on oden beside them, while the others listened closely.
"Yeah," Iwazo said softly. "That piece of gold was something Wunan found as a child. Ever since then, he became obsessed with those shiny stones and vowed to take all the gold from evil men. He dreamed of going to sea, never cared about his family's oden business.
But his father taught me how to make oden — taught me a lot, actually. From that moment, I swore to risk my life to serve the best oden in the world.
Wunan laughed at me for that. He said, 'A man's life is meant for ambition! How can you risk it over something like oden?' He wanted me to sail with him and refused to even taste what I made.
We argued and fell off a cliff. I barely saved him that time, but the pirate flag we'd worked so hard on got ruined."
"Yohohoho~ What a touching story," Brook said wistfully. "Too bad Mr. Wunan's gone. If he were alive, I bet he'd love to taste your oden."
Iwazo gently stroked the patched-up pirate flag Zhang Da Ye handed him. "He said he had no regrets about the life he spent chasing dreams. That's enough."
Brook asked, "So what will you do now?"
"Keep making oden," Iwazo said with a smile. "Wunan achieved his dream. I'll keep working toward mine. When my oden becomes the best in the world, I'll bring it to him."
Artoria blinked. "Then this recipe Wunan left behind — is it for the world's best oden?"
"That one? It's the recipe Wunan's father first taught me. I've improved it many times since." Iwazo smiled warmly. "Even though he claimed he wasn't interested, looks like he remembered it better than anyone."
Artoria's ahoge drooped. "So it's not the best one after all…"
Iwazo chuckled. "If you're interested, I can teach you everything I know — as thanks for bringing me Wunan's final message."
"Thank you!" Artoria cheered, immediately cleaning her plate again.
And just like that, Artoria's food journal gained another page, and Iwazo earned an extra 50 Berries in revenue.
He truly didn't care about money — his passion was perfecting his craft.
After the meal, they said their goodbyes. Before leaving, Zhang Da Ye told him, "If anyone else comes searching for treasure, just tell them the Amber Travel Crew already took all of Wunan's gold."
Iwazo hesitated. "Is that… okay?"
"It'll save your village a lot of trouble," Zhang Da Ye said with a grin. "Honestly, none of the East Blue pirates can even put up a fight right now."
"In that case…" Iwazo handed him the small piece of gold. "Please take this."
"No need," Zhang Da Ye said, shaking his head. "It's Wunan's keepsake — you should keep it."
Iwazo smiled. "Wunan said gold doesn't matter. And this way, I can truthfully tell people his gold really was taken by you."
"Hah!" Zhang Da Ye laughed. "Then I'll accept it."
…
The Amber set sail once more. Their treasure hunt for Wunan's hoard had ended in success, with Bucky the Clown's riches as a bonus.
Their biggest prize, though, was the oden recipe — which Artoria was now testing in the kitchen with Tom, despite having just eaten.
Watching their ship fade into the distance, Shark Chili said, "That man was interesting."
"Yeah," Zhang Da Ye agreed, holding the gold in his hand. "A man who treats gold like rocks and chases his craft instead of wealth… pretty admirable."
It was rare to meet someone with such a pure dream, even if he was a bit extreme — offering huge meals for just a few dozen Berries. Hopefully, he wouldn't starve.
"So, where to next?" Shark Chili asked. Their journey ahead needed a new goal.
"Our next target's obvious," Zhang Da Ye said. "We need to get Brook to Twin Cape. That means heading toward Loguetown, near the Grand Line entrance. Along the way, we'll also look for Arlong's crew. Better to catch him before he causes trouble again."
"You think he'll come to East Blue?" Shark Chili asked.
"Almost certain," Zhang Da Ye said. "After Kizaru crushed his confidence, I doubt Arlong will dare to make waves in the Grand Line. If he's gonna rule somewhere, it'll be the weakest sea."
Shark Chili nodded. He agreed — letting Arlong run loose would stain the image of fishmen and trouble Jinbei. For Jinbei's sake, Shark Chili decided to take care of it personally. Out of respect, he'd just make sure not to kill Arlong.
He unrolled the sea chart. "We're here now. To reach Loguetown, we'll head southeast — we'll pass through Jumeda Island and a few small ones. Supplies won't be a problem. The only question is whether we can find any info on Arlong."
"Never heard of Jumeda Island," Zhang Da Ye said. "But it's fine. If we reach Loguetown and still don't hear anything, I'll ask the Marines. Worst case, I'll just wait in Cocoyasi Village."
He'd come this far into East Blue — there was no way he'd let that tragedy repeat itself.
Shark Chili nodded and went to the library to study maps and plan the route.
Then Ye Yan sidled up with a sly grin, eyes fixed on the gold piece. "Boss, that gold's kinda small. How about I keep it safe for you?"
"What? You're seriously eyeing someone's keepsake?" Zhang Da Ye said. "Didn't we just split Bucky's loot?"
Ye Yan said confidently, "Who doesn't want more gold? Think of economics! It's useless sitting with you — but if I spend it, that gives it value. We can't let a famous man's keepsake go to waste!"
"…Impressive logic," Zhang Da Ye said solemnly. "I've got a lot to learn from you in shamelessness. But I'm keeping it. I'm gonna polish it into a family heirloom."
Ye Yan deadpanned. "You think gold gets a patina?"
"That's… my blind spot," Zhang Da Ye admitted. "Never tried polishing gold before. Let me test it."
He didn't really plan to use it anyway. It had sentimental value.
…
Two uneventful days passed, and it was now December 31, Sea Circle Calendar Year 1510 — the last day of the year.
Zhang Da Ye was planning a New Year's celebration. He didn't know the lunar calendar here, so he figured he'd just treat New Year's Day as their Spring Festival and the 31st as New Year's Eve.
But today's newspaper from the News Bird made him pause.
It was a headline that shocked the world:
Former Fleet Admiral Kong promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the World's Navy.
Former Admiral Sengoku promoted to Fleet Admiral.
Former Vice Admiral Kuzan promoted to Admiral.
Former Vice Admiral Sakazuki promoted to Admiral.
The Marines now had three full Admirals — all legendary "monster recruits" from their rookie days.
The Navy's power was at its peak. At his inauguration, the new Fleet Admiral Sengoku declared his determination to end the so-called "Great Pirate Era."
Heroes like Vice Admiral Garp, Tsuru, and former Admiral Zephyr all witnessed the dawn of this new Marine era.
The rest of the article was the usual stirring rhetoric — meant to fill civilians with hope and safety.
"So Garp's vacation just ended, huh?" Zhang Da Ye said, smirking. "I wonder if Ace or Luffy's opinions will change at all."
He also noticed that Sakazuki's seniority technically surpassed Kuzan's, but the report listed Kuzan first — probably because of his involvement in the Golden Lion incident. Maybe it meant nothing, or maybe it hinted at something deeper.
Either way, it didn't affect them much for now. Zhang Da Ye put down the paper and turned back to his plans.
After a moment's thought, he slapped the table and shouted, "Comrades! Tonight, we're making dumplings!"
Nine years remained before Luffy set sail.
[Powerstones plz...
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 for 50 chapters ahead
If you like this novel, check out my other novels in my profile!]