Zhang Da Ye and the others didn't notice that someone was spying on them from afar. What they did see was a navy warship setting sail.
It was a large battleship, its main sail marked with a huge character: "Crane."
Vice Admiral Tsuru was returning to headquarters. With Doflamingo's trail lost, there was no point continuing the chase. And since Marine HQ was close to the Sabaody Archipelago, she chose not to linger there for rest but instead headed directly back.
The warship slowly drifted away. Zhang Da Ye, riding a bubble car, sighed: "Must be nice—strength and a ship. Go wherever you want, whenever you want."
Today he felt like driving. Artoria and Rui Mengmeng sat behind him, keeping an eye on the pile of "luggage" strapped to the back.
"Da Ye, do you want to travel?" Artoria asked.
"…." The way she asked gave him chills. He remembered one of the Seven Warlords who loved to ask people if they wanted to travel—then sent them flying with a slap right after.
Artoria tilted her head, trying to read his expression. "What's wrong?"
Snapping out of it, Zhang Da Ye answered, "Nothing. Actually, yes, there are plenty of places I'd like to see. This world is full of fascinating islands and creatures—I'd love to witness them."
Artoria nodded, eyes full of longing. "I want to go to that island of food you told me about."
Zhang Da Ye felt helpless. Of course, all she remembered was the food.
Rui Mengmeng asked curiously, "By interesting creatures, do you mean mermaids like Camie?"
"Exactly," Zhang Da Ye replied. "There are fishmen, minks, giants, dwarves… and besides those human-related races, there are many unusual creatures. Some islands even have dinosaurs."
"Dinosaurs?" Rui Mengmeng's eyes lit up. "Those must be rare, right?"
Zhang Da Ye chuckled. "In this world, there's no such thing as a protected species. Even dinosaurs—you can try their meat and see how it tastes."
He could almost hear someone gulp, though everyone pretended nothing had happened.
Up at the front basket, Tom bounced around, scrawling out a few letters. He wanted to say he also had a place he wanted to go.
Zhang Da Ye squinted, deciphered it, and asked in surprise, "Wait—you know about ALL-BLUE?"
Tom nodded furiously, his mind filled with images of countless fish gathering together—where he could just scoop up whatever he wanted to eat.
Strangely, Zhang Da Ye felt like he could faintly see those pictures floating over Tom's head.
"What's ALL-BLUE?" Rui Mengmeng asked.
Zhang Da Ye explained, "It's a legendary sea. The Red Line and the Grand Line divide the world into four seas, and the fish in each sea are different. Normally, it's almost impossible to get fish from other seas. But there's a legend that somewhere, there's a sea where fish from all four seas gather together. That's ALL-BLUE—the paradise every chef dreams of."
"Then let's go find ALL-BLUE!" Artoria suddenly brimmed with determination.
Zhang Da Ye shook his head, pouring cold water on her excitement. "Sorry, but that legend has been around forever, and no one's ever found it. I think it's like One Piece—something that only appears once the right conditions are met. Otherwise, searching is useless."
Just like Roger. Even after reaching the final island, all he could say was: he was too early. The world was waiting for someone else.
This damn fate nonsense.
Hearing that, Artoria looked crestfallen, her ahoge drooping.
Tom was just as deflated. His dream of casually scooping fish out of the sea—gone? He had believed that in such a strange world, such a place must exist. But he also trusted his master's words completely.
So Zhang Da Ye saw a cat who had lost his dream—
Squatting in the basket at the front, elbows on his knees, chin in his palms, eyes dull and half-closed, eyebrows drooping into a sad eight shape, ears limp.
The picture of despair.
"Hey, hey, no way, Tom! Don't look so crushed!" Zhang Da Ye panicked. Why did this look exactly like Tom when he's heartbroken? And over a legend that can't even be proven?
Tom shook his head. You don't understand what it feels like to lose a dream.
At that moment, Zhang Da Ye felt two sharp gazes stabbing into his back. No need to turn around—he knew it was Artoria and Rui Mengmeng glaring at him for crushing Tom's spirit.
I'm trying, ladies! He scrambled to patch things up. "Don't lose hope, Tom. Whether ALL-BLUE exists or not, we can still eat every kind of fish in the world!"
Tom perked up a little, raising his head.
"We can travel the seas," Zhang Da Ye continued quickly, "taste every fish from every ocean. By the time we've eaten them all, who cares if we find ALL-BLUE or not?"
Tom thought about it. That… made sense.
"Oh! So that's another way!" Artoria brightened. "When do we start?"
"First, we'll need a ship. And not just any ship—a top-quality vessel that can handle any environment. So, step one: let's aim to make a billion beli."
"Deal!" Artoria and Tom were ablaze with fighting spirit. Rui Mengmeng, meanwhile, was busy counting on her fingers how much a billion actually was.
Zhang Da Ye let out a relieved sigh. These two foodies were easy to distract. After all, the appeal of ALL-BLUE is its convenience—being able to grab any ingredient at will. That's not the same as traveling around to hunt them down.
Even ordinary chefs in the East Blue can sometimes get ingredients from the Grand Line—if they have the right channels. But it's expensive and troublesome. That's why chefs long for such a sea, not because they can't physically travel.
Still, Zhang Da Ye wasn't lying. He truly wanted to see the world—but before sailing, he hoped to grow stronger, and to find a few more reliable companions.
Back at the tavern, they prepared to take turns bathing, to wash off the lingering "salt grains."
Only then did Zhang Da Ye realize—maybe it was time to renovate. Add another bathroom, or give each room its own.
Otherwise, taking turns like this was way too inconvenient.
"Teacher Tom, you should bathe with us," Rui Mengmeng said, scooping him up. "I heard if cats touch seawater and don't wash, they get skin problems." Artoria didn't object.
Zhang Da Ye: "…"
So I'm the only one left out?
—
A/N:
As I was writing, I suddenly thought: maybe One Piece and ALL-BLUE are actually the same thing.
"One Piece" can be translated as "one whole" or "a single piece." Maybe it means that after the great treasure's secret is revealed, all the continents and islands join together into one land—forming a single kingdom. That giant kingdom that supposedly existed 800 years ago could have been like that. Big Mom's Totto Land, where every race lives in peace, might be a reflection of it.
And "ALL-BLUE"—if you look at the names of the four seas: East Blue, West Blue, North, South. Then ALL-BLUE could mean "all seas as one."
If the secret of One Piece unites the land, then naturally the seas would also unite—and every kind of ingredient could be found in one place.
If Oda hasn't revealed the truth by the time I finish this novel, I'll just set it that way myself.
TL/N: The one piece is the super intercontinental glue that we found along the way :)