OPTC Chapter 301 - BARATIE
"Alright, Tom, watch closely. One, two… Zango!"
Vice Admiral Gion said someone would be arriving soon to deliver their compensation and asked them to wait a bit longer. With nothing better to do, Zhang Da Ye decided to pass the time by playing a little hypnosis game with Tom.
He used Zango's hypnotic ring, mimicked his incantation, and even tried to imitate his tone of voice. Unfortunately, after several attempts, nothing worked.
If it were an ordinary cat, it might've thought the spinning ring was a toy and batted at it happily. But Tom just found the whole thing boring.
Master is so childish, Tom thought, watching Zhang Da Ye with mild exasperation. He yawned and considered humoring him a little—anything would be better than staring at this silly ring. Snacks, fishing, even watching Carla train would've been more interesting.
"Maybe I've got the wrong chant," Zhang Da Ye muttered. "Let's try… one, two, Da Ye!"
"Or maybe… one, two, Tom!"
Resting his chin on one paw, Tom silently wished someone would take his master away. Counting sheep would've put him to sleep faster than this.
An hour passed with no progress in Zhang Da Ye's "hypnosis training." But soon, the Marine ship belonging to Captain Nezumi returned—this time escorted by another warship.
It was Colonel Hickstein, the commanding officer of the 16th Branch, who had been ordered to relieve Captain Nezumi of his post and apologize to Zhang Da Ye.
In addition to paying the full bounty Zhang Da Ye was owed, they also offered him compensation in the form of Berries and several crates of cannonballs—likely assuming he'd used up a lot of ammunition fighting the Black Cat Pirates.
Zhang Da Ye had nearly forgotten about the cannons. Aside from testing them once against Foxy's crew near Water Seven, they'd barely been used. Now, at least, they were fully restocked.
"Colonel Hickstein, if we were to buy cannonballs ourselves, would that count as arms smuggling?" Zhang Da Ye asked, still confused why in a world filled with weapons, Doflamingo had to sell them in secret.
Hickstein replied, "There's a clear standard for that. Purchasing small quantities of weapons for self-defense, as you've done, is perfectly fine. It only becomes a problem if you trade them—or buy from illegal channels."
Zhang Da Ye nodded as he listened. So as long as the quantity, purpose, and source were reasonable, there was no issue. Great—more useless knowledge acquired.
"I sincerely apologize for the trouble caused by the former Captain Nezumi," Hickstein said. "On behalf of the 16th Branch of the Marines, I extend my deepest apologies."
After answering Zhang Da Ye's question, the colonel gave a deep 90-degree bow. The marines behind him followed suit, clearly ashamed by what had happened.
"It's fine. It wasn't your fault," Zhang Da Ye said, noting that Hickstein didn't seem like the corrupt type. "By the way, what happened to that Captain Nezumi?"
"To be honest," Hickstein said gravely, "by the time I arrived, Nezumi was already gravely injured and unconscious. According to witnesses, there were… mouse traps and iron spikes involved—completely unbelievable. I suspect he injured himself intentionally to escape punishment. But rest assured, the Marines will not believe his nonsense. Justice will be upheld."
The sincerity in his tone was overwhelming. By the time he finished, he practically glowed with righteousness. The soldiers behind him were moved to tears—that was the kind of justice they'd signed up for!
Zhang Da Ye glanced at Tom, who was quietly slinking away, then looked up at the sky. "Ah… self-inflicted injuries, huh? How cunning of him…"
And so, the matter of the Black Cat Pirates came to an end.
Whatever dirty money Captain Nezumi had made, he would have to spit it all out. His future would not be pleasant, and the marines who'd worked with him would likely face punishment too. Tough luck for them.
Zhang Da Ye and his crew got their due compensation and continued sailing toward Golden Island. Meanwhile, the name of the Amber Travel Group slowly spread across the East Blue.
They had defeated both the Walk-On Pirates and the Black Cat Pirates—one without fame or bounty, but still, wiping out two crews entirely was enough to earn respect from civilians and fear from other pirates.
There was even a rumor that they came from the Grand Line, had fought the legendary Golden Lion, and were on good terms with high-ranking Marines.
The last part, though rumor, had credibility—since it came from Marine soldiers themselves, with Vice Admiral Gion quietly spreading it.
Even she couldn't clean out all the corruption within the ranks, so at the very least, she wanted to make sure no other idiots tried to pick a fight with the Amber Group again. Hopefully, those pests would learn some sense.
…
Several days later.
"Ship spotted at two o'clock!" Rui Meng Meng called, raising her telescope. "Yellow flag—it says… BT?"
BT? Pervert? No… that can't be right, Zhang Da Ye thought, shaking his head. There's no pinyin here anyway.
Everyone turned curiously in the direction Rui Meng Meng pointed. As the ship drew closer, its features came into view—a massive vessel, about three to four times the length of the Amber. Its sails were striped yellow and white, and the hull resembled a large fish. On the side, in bold letters, it read: BARATIE. The flag's "BT" must've been an abbreviation.
"Baratie? The sea restaurant?" Zhang Da Ye frowned. "Was Baratie already open at this point?"
Artoria's sharp ears caught the keyword. "Da Ye, is that a restaurant?" she asked.
"Seems like it," Zhang Da Ye replied. "Those ships nearby are probably customers."
Artoria tugged gently at his sleeve, her green eyes sparkling with hope.
"Yes, yes, I get it." Zhang Da Ye sighed in mock defeat. "Meng Meng, come down here. Call everyone—whether they're training, sleeping, or playing. We're going out for a feast!"
At the mention of "feast," Tom burst out of the cabin doing flips of pure joy. His own cooking was excellent, but the idea of eating out still thrilled him.
Ye Yan rubbed his eyes as he stumbled out. "We docking?"
"Nope," Zhang Da Ye said. "It's a floating restaurant. You'll see. We'll leave the Flag Spirits on board—they can have takeout."
He was already mentally prepared for his wallet to suffer and didn't mind buying the Flag Spirits a meal too. It wasn't about stinginess—just food supplies. At least they wouldn't go hungry.
"Yohohoho~ A sea restaurant, huh? Sounds delightful," Brook said.
Shark Chili grinned. "Boss, wasn't this what you said you wanted to build one day—a tavern on the sea?"
"Yeah," Zhang Da Ye said, "but turns out it's not that easy. Feeding this many bottomless stomachs would be impossible. I'll stick to hunting pirates and fishing."
Wendy came running, eyes wide with curiosity as the Baratie loomed closer.
Carla flew overhead carrying Perona's body, while her ghostly form drifted ahead to scout.
"Don't scare anyone," Zhang Da Ye called after her.
"Yeah, yeah, I know!" Perona snapped, floating off.
Moments later, she returned, laughing. "Hehehe~ It's really a restaurant! The place is gorgeous—bigger than most on land!"
"Alright, let's go," Zhang Da Ye said, noticing how fast the Amber was moving. He glanced at Artoria. "You're secretly using your Riding skill again, aren't you?"
They docked nearby, left the Flag Spirits to guard the ship, and rowed a small boat over to Baratie.
"Welcome! Dear… dear guests—uh…" The waiter at the entrance stammered mid-sentence after seeing Brook.
A massive man in a black chef's uniform and white apron shoved him aside. "Move! How many times have I told you—greeting guests is love! Love is the restaurant! Service begins with a warm smile! Watch and learn!"
"Yes, Patty sir!" the waiter squeaked, retreating quickly.
"Welcome, dear guests!" Patty said, his rough features softening into an overly cheerful grin. Pretending not to notice Shark Chili's mechanical body or Brook's skeletal frame, he smiled at Zhang Da Ye and said, "Excuse me, sir, but… this restaurant does not serve the penniless. You have money, right?"
"So blunt?" Zhang Da Ye chuckled and cracked open his small briefcase just enough for Patty to glimpse the stacks of cash inside. No way he'd bring Artoria to a fancy restaurant without backup funds.
"Excellent! A customer with money is a god!" Patty beamed, rubbing his hands together. "Right this way! Ten guests entering!"
Apparently, as long as you paid, he didn't care if you were a skeleton, a shark, or a cat. Zhang Da Ye made a mental note to bring Ace here one day for a "free" meal—he'd love to see these battle-cooks toss him out once they realized he was broke.
Inside, the restaurant was spotless, decorated like a Western diner. Several tables were already occupied, most small, and there didn't seem to be any private rooms.
Their group took a table with a nice window view overlooking the Amber.
Even though Patty didn't mind their odd looks, Brook and Shark Chili still drew plenty of stares.
"It's them!" someone whispered. "The walking skeleton, the shark robot, the beautiful lady, the cute girl, and the cat—it's the Amber Travel Group!"
"What? The group from the Grand Line?"
"They're famous! And they're eating here?!"
Whispers rippled through the room.
Zhang Da Ye was long used to being stared at, though it used to be because of his and Artoria's looks—or Tom's charm. Now the attention had shifted to Brook and Shark Chili. Nobody called him handsome anymore. Tragic.
"Please place your orders," Patty said, handing out menus and standing ready with a notepad. His smile was professional and sincere—if not for his rugged appearance, he could've worked at any five-star restaurant.
Zhang Da Ye flipped through the menu. Pricey, as expected. But he was prepared. "Let's start with everything on these two pages. Keep the rest ready, and just keep serving whenever there's space."
"Yes, sir! We will serve you with the utmost care and devotion!" Patty almost trembled with excitement. It was the first time anyone had ordered by the page. Forget customers—this was divinity!
"Oh, and one more thing," Zhang Da Ye added. "Send an extra serving of your best dishes to our ship."
"Right away!" Patty barked, practically glowing. Even if God Himself showed up, he'd beat Him to serve this table first.
Moments later, loud voices echoed from the kitchen.
"You idiots! Don't keep the customers waiting!"
"Who're you calling idiot, you lousy cook?!"
"You're the lousy cook!"
"Then let's settle it right now!"
The clanging of pots and pans followed—like an all-out brawl.
Then came two heavy thuds, and a deep voice shouted, "Enough! If you want to settle this, do it with your cooking!"
"Why does this feel more like a pirate ship than a restaurant?" Rui Meng Meng muttered. "Were they… fighting just now?"
Shark Chili tapped his head. "Didn't see any of those guys in the bounty database, but yeah, they look like pirates."
"Maybe they used to be," Zhang Da Ye said. "A lot of Baratie's chefs were former pirates—or cooks too hot-tempered to work anywhere else."
"So if they are pirates… do we have to arrest them?" Wendy asked timidly. Catching the cook right after eating felt weird.
"Let's just observe for now," Zhang Da Ye said. "Not every pirate needs to be caught." He figured the Red-Leg Zeff type of harmless ex-pirate was deliberately ignored by the Marines—otherwise, someone would've reported him long ago.
A few minutes later, a small blond boy in a chef's uniform emerged from the kitchen, pushing a serving cart. One by one, he carefully placed the dishes on the table and lifted each lid, announcing the names with focused precision.
His long bangs covered his left eye, and his right eyebrow curled like a little spiral.
Zhang Da Ye looked at that distinctive eyebrow and nodded. "No doubt about it… that's little Sanji."
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