OPTC Chapter 330: Reasoning Is Hard, Let's Try Physics
Picass accepted the invitation to eat together in confusion, then withdrew from the fight along with Perona and Carla.
By the time the small restaurant had served five rounds of dishes, Picass finally understood what Zhang Da Ye meant when he said he'd see what they ordered. After living for decades, he just realized his appetite was smaller than a cat's.
Everyone sat leisurely, sipping the tea the smiling owner had gifted them. Zhang Da Ye and Tom leaned back in their chairs, both rubbing their full stomachs while picking their teeth in the same lazy posture. Just as Zhang Da Ye was about to ask Picass where to buy the best supplies, a long-nosed kid walked in.
"Sorry for the trouble," Usopp said, bowing deeply.
Despite his tendency to lie, Usopp was generally a polite kid. Even when Robin first joined the crew, he had sat up straight and introduced himself properly before asking questions.
This time, the villagers told him he'd caused trouble for some travelers, so Usopp came honestly to apologize.
"Usopp, you went too far this time! We almost mistook them for pirates! What if a fight broke out because of your nonsense?" Picass scolded him. On one hand, he wanted to help the travelers vent their anger so they wouldn't take it out on Usopp later. On the other, he was genuinely upset—there were children and even a cat in this group. If they had been hurt, what would he have done?
"I'm really sorry!" Usopp said, feeling that the tone of Uncle Picass' scolding was different from usual.
Picass fell silent, glancing at Zhang Da Ye, hoping he wouldn't take it seriously.
Zhang Da Ye waved it off. "It's fine. Kids like to play pirate games. No harm done. Have you eaten yet? Want to join us for a meal?"
The restaurant owner looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, but we've run out of ingredients."
Having been forgiven so easily, Usopp's confidence returned. He puffed out his chest, raised a thumb to his nose, and boasted, "No need for food! I'm the great captain Usopp, with eight thousand underlings! Lunch will be delivered soon!"
Picass covered his face. This kid again.
"Oh really?" Zhang Da Ye propped his chin with one hand, chewing on a toothpick as he stared at Usopp. "Then how about giving you one hour to summon your crew?"
"Wha… what do you mean?" Usopp stammered.
"Leaving eight thousand pirates unchecked around this village sounds dangerous. We figured we'd do a good deed and help the villagers eliminate that threat." Zhang Da Ye set the now-round Tom on the table like a nameplate. "Allow me to introduce ourselves properly. We're the Amber Travel Group, bounty hunters from the Grand Line. We've made quite a name for ourselves here in the East Blue. You've heard of us, haven't you, Captain Usopp?"
Artoria and Rui Meng Meng didn't want to scare a child, and Carla thought Zhang Da Ye was being childish. Only Ye Yan got into character instantly, putting on a cold "I'm strong" expression.
Brook let out a "Yohohoho," which was only made scarier by his skeletal grin. Shark Chili, uninterested, calmly brushed his razor-sharp teeth, but the scraping sound of the toothbrush made the scene even more intimidating.
Perona and Wendy tried to look fierce and authoritative but only ended up looking adorably angry.
Picass tilted his head. "Amber Travel Group… that sounds familiar."
Usopp suddenly remembered this infamous group and trembled. "You're… you're the ones who captured the Black Cat Pirates and Buggy Pirates, and wiped out Krieg's two-thousand-man fleet—the Amber Travel Group?!"
Picass and the restaurant owner froze in realization. Even though the cat on the table had become rounder, they could still recognize the insignia from the Amber Group's flag.
Picass went pale. These were big shots! He'd been worried about accidentally hurting them—thank heavens he hadn't acted impulsively. Their whole village didn't even have two thousand people to throw at them if it came to that. Usopp, this little brat, almost got them all killed!
Zhang Da Ye nodded with a smile. "That's right. Now then, Captain Usopp, summon your men and state your bounty."
"I… I…" Usopp's legs shook. He wanted to lie and announce a fake bounty but couldn't open his mouth.
Picass and the owner panicked, running to hold Usopp's head down. "That's enough, Usopp! Now's not the time for your nonsense! Sorry, he's just making things up!"
"Haha." Zhang Da Ye chuckled, paying the bill. "Just teasing him. Kids should spend their time studying or training. Even if you don't master sky-falling palm strikes, you can still become a doctor or a lawyer—or open a candy shop with your childhood friend. Don't waste your life dreaming of piracy."
The owner blinked, confused by the connection between doctors, lawyers, and candy shops.
As for Zhang Da Ye's advice not to be a pirate, Usopp didn't agree. He still proudly wore his skull-printed bandana. But facing people this strong, he was too scared to speak.
He'd met Shanks once when the Red-Haired Pirates came to invite Yasopp, but he'd been too young then to remember much. Shanks hadn't seemed like a terrifying man of legend at the time. But this was different. Zhang Da Ye had spoken about destroying thousands like it was nothing, and everyone with him looked perfectly calm. Usopp realized, to his shame, that he was afraid—afraid they might really kill him.
If Zhang Da Ye had known Usopp's thoughts, he would've comforted him: don't be ashamed of fear, you'll get used to being scared of everything eventually.
Then again, Zhang Da Ye didn't have the right to look down on him either. In Usopp's shoes, he'd probably be even more cowardly. The only reason he could act cool now was because he'd become strong—and more importantly, because he had powerful friends.
As everyone stood to leave, Zhang Da Ye asked, "Uncle Picass, where can we buy those supplies?"
"Ah? Oh!" Picass blinked, finally remembering Zhang Da Ye's shopping list. "I'll take you!"
He'd hoped to make a little money by selling some spare produce from his garden, but looking at their needs, even packing up his entire garden wouldn't be enough. He'd have to take them to the market.
As the group walked away, Usopp trailed behind, fists clenched tightly.
After a while, he suddenly shouted, "I won't be afraid of you anymore!"
"Huh?" Everyone turned back in confusion.
"One day, I'll become a brave warrior of the sea! Like my father—charging fearlessly into the ocean and living with courage!" His legs still shook, but his tone was firm.
"Usopp!" Picass tried to stop him before he said something foolish.
"Yohohoho~ Brave little fellow," Brook said with curiosity. "Who's your father?"
"My dad is Yasopp! He's a pirate!" Usopp said proudly, comforted by Brook's words. "My dad is my pride!"
"Yasopp?" Shark Chili frowned. "I've read about him in the papers. He does look a bit like you. You mean that Yasopp?"
"The sniper of the Red-Haired Pirates," Zhang Da Ye confirmed.
The Red-Haired Pirates were famous across the Grand Line and New World. Their officers were well-known, and Yasopp was one of them.
"You know my dad?" Usopp asked excitedly.
"Yeah. Haven't met him, but I've seen his captain once," Zhang Da Ye said, remembering his encounter with Shanks. Luckily, they hadn't fought. If they had, and if Rayleigh joined in, Tom and Artoria might've survived—but the Sabaody Archipelago would be gone, and Zhang Da Ye himself would be dead.
"See! My dad's amazing, right? One day I'll be a great pirate like him!" Usopp declared proudly.
"I never said that," Zhang Da Ye sighed. "And if you want to be a brave warrior, then be one. Why does that have to mean being a pirate?"
He was baffled by this logic. It was fine to want courage—but when did piracy become a symbol of it?
Usopp puffed out his chest again. "Because the pirate flag calls to me!"
"Bullshit!" Zhang Da Ye snapped. "The pirate flag doesn't call anyone. It's your own desires that do! Just admit you can't sit still and stop blaming flags."
"You're wrong!" Usopp shouted, feeling like Zhang Da Ye was insulting his father.
"Wrong?" Zhang Da Ye laughed coldly. "We've captured or killed two to three thousand pirates. Not one of them deserved to be called brave."
"I've seen real courage in the Marines—like Captain Monka from Shells Town. Even after being stabbed and shot, he fought to the last moment to protect his people. That's courage."
"If you want to be brave, join the Marines, fight pirates, or at least take responsibility for your life. Abandoning your wife and kid? That's not bravery."
Zhang Da Ye's words weren't overly harsh, but even so, Picass's face showed he agreed—he didn't think much of Yasopp either.
Usopp grew emotional, tears and snot flowing together. "My dad didn't abandon us! Mom said she was proud to marry him and told me to be brave like him!"
Brook wanted to defend Yasopp as a fellow pirate, but even he knew it sounded wrong. Then again, most pirates he knew were like that.
Rui Meng Meng said softly, "I can't explain it as well as the boss, but leaving your family behind like that… it just doesn't feel right."
Ye Yan rubbed his temple. "It's his mother's dying wish. We shouldn't judge, even if it's strange."
Shark Chili thought for a bit. "Mothers never want their children to hate their fathers. That's probably all it was."
Zhang Da Ye figured even if Usopp hated his dad, he'd still go out to sea "to prove himself" or "to find him." It's just how people like him worked—like Ace.
Wendy looked sad. "Usopp and his mom are so pitiful. Our guild master always says family is everything. I can't understand leaving them behind like that."
At this point, Zhang Da Ye didn't know what else to say—or if he should say more. After a pause, he drew his sword.
Usopp froze. Was this it? Were they going to kill him here? He wanted to run but couldn't move.
Picass panicked, jumping in front of Usopp. "Please don't be angry! He's just a kid! He lies—yes, he lies a lot! He only started to make his sick mother smile! He doesn't really want to be a pirate!"
"Relax," Zhang Da Ye said calmly. "I'm not going to hurt him." He held his sword in both hands, turning toward the coast. He took a deep breath, muttering to himself not to embarrass himself like last time.
Before he could act, Artoria reached out her hand. "Let me."
He nodded and handed her the sword.
Artoria raised it high and swung.
A golden slash flew forward, cutting through the forest and across the sea. The calm water split apart instantly, forming a deep trench that stretched into the distance, like one of Golden Lion's legendary sword strikes.
It wasn't just the sea—the trees along the way were split cleanly down the middle, falling to either side as leaves and branches rained down.
Usopp and Picass stared in shock. Was that even humanly possible?
"Think carefully about what kind of person you want to be," Zhang Da Ye said, placing a hand on Usopp's shoulder. "There's more than one path to being a brave warrior of the sea. Whatever you choose, that's up to you—but if you become a pirate, be ready to face bounty hunters with power like this. Good luck."
Reasoning was too exhausting. Physics worked better.
It's well-known that Usopp is a man who holds the script of destiny—his lies often come true. Like when he once said through tears to his dying mother:
"You've heard of the universal medicine, right? The cure for all diseases—it's across the sea!"
Later, they met Chopper, whose dream was to become that universal medicine.
But Usopp also once said,
"Dad's coming to take us away. When you get better, we'll sail together!"
His mother never got better. Which means Yasopp would never return.
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