OPTC Chapter 319 - Tom: So This Is the Real You, Shark Chili
TL/N: Back to normal schedule now!
Zhang Da Ye swung the lamppost in a wide arc, knocking away several men who dared rush him. He sighed. "This is boring."
Rui Meng Meng sent seven or eight men flying with a single swing of her sword and glanced at him curiously. "But you never say that when you swing your sword hundreds of times during training."
"Training is training. Fighting is fighting. Not the same." He used to think that once he got stronger, plowing through crowds would feel amazing. But doing the same move over and over… it just turned the thrill of battle into a workout routine.
Rui Meng Meng slashed again and frowned. "I don't get it."
Zhang Da Ye took a moment to admire her clean, precise movements. "You've changed, Meng Meng. You used to tremble when facing ten opponents. Now you're surrounded by hundreds and still have the mood to chat."
Rui Meng Meng deflected two bullets with a flick of her sword. Hearing him say that made her blush. "I was… I was too scared back then. Besides, these people are so weak."
The pirates around them burned with anger. So arrogant! Surrounded by their men, and they still dared to be this casual? But the sight of their comrades being thrown through the air again and again quickly snuffed out their courage.
"Damn it, I shouldn't have joined this group!" several pirates thought at once.
The ones fighting the others weren't faring better. The pirates attacking Artoria were bleeding from their chests and collapsing one after another. She didn't even seem fast, but she was always just a little quicker than them—and none of them had yet figured out what weapon she was using.
Those chasing Tom were suffering too. He darted in and out among the piles of wood and stone, vanishing one moment and reappearing the next to whack someone on the head or smash a foot with his hammer. Every time they thought they finally had him, they either slammed into each other's faces or crashed into the materials he'd stacked as traps.
Worst of all, Tom kept taunting them—laughing loudly or making faces mid-fight, which only made their blood boil hotter.
The only ones who had it easy were Brook's opponents. They'd be sliced apart before realizing they were even hit, collapsing only when the pain reached their brain—merciful, in a way. But the growing unease among the pirates was palpable. None of them knew when they might suddenly drop.
A battle of 2,000 versus 5 was turning into a nightmare the pirates couldn't understand. Their morale crumbled. If Krieg hadn't been standing behind them, they would've already run.
In this desperate moment, Gin and Pearl stepped forward. Their mission was simple—take down one or two of the enemies and show their men these monsters could bleed.
Their chosen targets: Zhang Da Ye and Rui Meng Meng. Everyone else was fighting alone; only these two fought together. They had to be the weakest.
Gin hefted his tonfa with the iron balls, while Pearl clanged the shields covering his body, both striding forward with confidence.
"It's Captain Gin! The Demon Man himself!"
"And Iron Wall Pearl! They're finally joining the fight!"
The pirates cheered, parting to make way. Their hopes hung on the two commanders.
Zhang Da Ye didn't care who came. His lamppost swept out again.
With a sharp clang, Pearl blocked it with his massive shield, sliding backward and carving two deep lines across the stone floor.
"He blocked it! As expected of Lord Pearl!" the pirates shouted. Finally, someone had stopped that insane attack!
"Heh…" Though the blow numbed his arms, Pearl grinned smugly. "My shields can take a cannon blast from a warship! I've never shed a drop of blood in battle! You think some—"
Zhang Da Ye didn't bother listening. He pulled the lamppost back, then jabbed forward like a spear, cracking Pearl square in the face.
Pearl screamed as a lump rose on his forehead, blood spurting from his nose.
"Oh no, this is bad! My life is in danger!" he shrieked, slamming on the pearls attached to his small arm shields. Flames erupted across his entire armored body. "Flame Pearl—Special Attack!"
Fire burst outward from his body, sending nearby pirates screaming as their clothes caught fire. "Pearl! Calm down! It's just a nosebleed!"
Their cries were useless. The fire spread, setting allies ablaze as chaos rippled through their ranks.
Zhang Da Ye casually batted away a fireball that came his way, hesitating. "So… does this count as friendly fire?"
Meanwhile, Gin had closed in on Rui Meng Meng, his tonfa spinning as the heavy iron ball came crashing down toward her head.
Rui Meng Meng didn't flinch. She raised her sword to meet it head-on.
At the instant of impact, Gin's wrists snapped with an audible crack. His tonfa spun out of his hands and clattered across the ground. "What the hell?! That power—are you even human?!"
Remembering Zhang Da Ye's teachings, Rui Meng Meng first kicked Gin aside, making sure he was completely down before answering. "Boss said I'm some kind of super soldier. I guess that still counts as human?"
Pearl, still lost in his fiery frenzy, hadn't even noticed Gin's defeat. Wounded and enraged, he continued to torch everything in sight before charging at Zhang Da Ye once more.
This time, Zhang Da Ye swung with all his strength. The lamppost became a massive golf club, and Pearl the ball.
With a loud thud, Pearl's shield shattered, blood spraying from his mouth as he was sent flying like a cannonball.
"Useless trash," Krieg muttered, sidestepping neatly to avoid the incoming body. If Pearl hadn't been on fire, Krieg might've caught him—but he wasn't about to risk burning himself for a fool.
"The Demon Man and Iron Wall both lost!"
"And so easily!"
The pirates' courage evaporated. They turned toward Krieg, hoping he'd finally order a retreat.
Krieg's face twisted. He wasn't sure himself anymore. But after losing so many men, could he just run? "What are you staring at?! They've been fighting forever! Even if they beat Gin and Pearl, their stamina must be shot!"
The pirates exchanged doubtful looks. "You sure? That didn't look like they were tired…"
But one look at Krieg's weapon—a massive battle spear—and they swallowed their doubts and charged. Fighting at least gave them a chance to live. Disobeying meant death.
Not that they got the chance. The roles had flipped. Now it was Zhang Da Ye and the others hunting them down.
Screams filled the air as pirates dropped one after another, flung like rag dolls. Tired? Not even close.
Seeing the tide turn completely, Krieg quietly pulled out a massive flail, waiting until Zhang Da Ye turned his back before swinging it over his head for a sneak attack.
But before he could strike, a small ghost floated through his body and appeared in front of him. His wicked grin froze. The flail slipped from his fingers and crashed into a crowd of his own men.
"Captain Krieg!" the pirates gasped, not understanding why their leader had attacked his own troops. Then their eyes nearly popped out as Krieg dropped to his knees, clutching his head in despair. "I'm worthless! A cowardly, despicable man!"
The pirates wanted to cry. They had no idea what just happened, but this couldn't be good. Maybe if they pretended to be dead, the captain wouldn't take it out on them later?
"Hohohoho~" Perona's ghostly form floated toward Zhang Da Ye, her expression proud. "Hey, boss! I just saved your life! I'm demanding extra dessert tomorrow!"
As she passed through the panicking pirates, some raised weapons instinctively, slicing through empty air. Others felt her cold form pass through and immediately began patting their bodies in terror.
"A… a real ghost! This one's real!"
"First a skeleton, now a ghost! What kind of traveling circus is this?!"
Zhang Da Ye knocked out another pirate before looking back at Perona helplessly. Maybe he'd been too harsh on her lately—saving him like that and only asking for dessert? That flail might not have hurt him much, but still.
Perona noticed his silence and quickly added, "Just one extra serving! I swear I'll brush my teeth after!"
"Fine, fine. You can have mine too," Zhang Da Ye said with a grin. "Everything below handled?"
"You're so nice today! Did you hit your head?" she said, half suspicious, half delighted. "Anyway, yeah! All done. There weren't that many left. They'll be here any second."
Right on cue, Carla flew up with Wendy in her arms, followed by Kinpeng carrying Ye Yan.
Ye Yan looked around. "Wow, this intense already? There's barely anywhere to land."
The battle of over two thousand pirates had turned the bridge into a carpet of bodies. From above, it looked like a field of fallen soldiers—though most were only unconscious.
"Everyone's amazing," Wendy whispered, awed. It was her first time seeing everyone fighting together.
"Too early to say that," Ye Yan replied, remembering the massive beam of light from Artoria's sword. If they'd gone all out, the bridge would've collapsed long ago. "Let's go help Brook. He looks exhausted. And it'll give us a place to stand."
"I'll find us one," Wendy said, turning to Carla. "Ready?"
"Got it," Carla replied, diving lower to scout.
A few pirates spotted them. "A flying cat and a little girl?"
Then their faces changed. The last cat they'd seen was currently tossing hundreds of men around. And now there was another one?
Wendy puffed her cheeks and took a deep breath as a magic circle formed in front of her. "Sky Dragon's… Roar!"
A roaring tornado burst from her mouth, far too massive for her small body.
"This isn't what I signed up for!!!"
"Why are even the cute ones monsters?!"
"Another devil fruit user?!"
The gale swept dozens of pirates clean off the bridge, flinging them screaming into the sea.
Carla had picked a perfect angle. The wind cleared the area, giving the group a safe spot to land. The pirates who hit the water could only bob helplessly like stunned fish.
"Still incredible to see, no matter how many times I do," Ye Yan said, stepping onto the bridge beside her.
"Yohohoho~ Wonderful job, Miss Wendy," Brook praised, rubbing his lower back. "But this old skeleton's running out of stamina. These youngsters have no respect for their elders."
"Are you hurt?" Wendy asked, worried. She wasn't sure her healing magic worked on bones.
"No problem! A glass of milk will fix me right up. Two, if I'm feeling fancy," Brook said confidently.
"Good. Let's finish this first," Ye Yan said, gesturing for the flag spirits to advance while deciding whether to use his monk's staff or his exorcist hammer.
The pirates had already lost their wits after Wendy's display. Brook they could at least understand—he swung a sword. But that girl's power? No logic in the world explained it.
Then came the eight glowing green giants of the flag spirits. The pirates' faces went pale.
"What are those things?! They're not even human!"
Compared to Wendy's elegance, Shark Chili's entrance was pure chaos. He stood on the palm of a massive shark golem, which hurled him straight toward the bridge.
The golem could move at a distance, though it wasn't exactly agile. Still, it could throw—and that was enough.
Shark Chili landed with a thunderous crash, right where Tom and his pursuers were. No worry about friendly fire here—Tom could take it. He'd just apologize later.
The bridge trembled. Shark Chili grinned. Perfect entrance.
Then—another loud crack. The bridge collapsed beneath his feet.
The entire section where Tom had been fighting caved in, crumbling into the sea along with all the materials, the pirates, Tom's gadgets, and Tom himself—cat and all.
"What now?!" the remaining pirates groaned. In the falling debris, a shadowy robot could be seen tumbling through the air. "It destroyed the whole bridge in one hit! What kind of terrifying machine is that?!"
In midair, Shark Chili caught Tom. The two locked eyes.
Tom's expression clearly said, So that's your true power? You wiped out all my pursuers in one blow?
Shark Chili wanted to cry. He wished he could write the word "Innocent" on his leg. He swore—it wasn't his fault!
[Powerstones plz...
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 for 50 chapters ahead
If you like this novel, check out my other novels in my profile!]