Far away on Onigashima, Kaido watched Kurosaki Rei and Yamato's conversation through the screen.
When he heard Kurosaki Rei say that Kaido was too brutal and didn't understand governance, which was why Wano had ended up like this, Kaido was visibly displeased.
"What's so bad about things now?" he snorted. "Our income goes up every year, and the crew keeps getting bigger."
Kaido wasn't particularly sharp-minded. Over the years, the thing he was proudest of was seizing control of Wano. He felt that if he hadn't made that decision, he and King might still be drifting around the seas together.
It was precisely because he had Wano as a territory that he gradually gained money, recruited soldiers, and built the Beasts Pirates into such a massive organization.
So hearing Kurosaki Rei say he "didn't understand management" felt like a personal insult.
"Hahaha, young men just love to talk big," Black Maria laughed from the side. "He's probably never managed a country himself, that's why he says things like that."
To her, Kurosaki Rei calling Kaido brutal was nothing at all—among pirates, that was practically praise.
As for management, she didn't agree with Kurosaki Rei either. After all, the one actually managing Wano all these years wasn't Kaido, the brute, but their so-called "think tanks" beneath him, who discussed and drafted the policies.
Those so-called "rebels" who had followed Oden back then? No need to mention them—every single one had been sent to Udon Prison with life sentences, mining every day.
But the people working in Wano's SMILE factories, seastone workshops, and ironworks forging weapons? They were paid wages.
From a pirate's perspective, not killing you and even paying you—wasn't that already an enormous favor? And that was called not knowing how to govern?
As the two of them watched the screen, Yamato in Udon Prison spoke up angrily.
"How is that a contribution? The rivers are polluted! People on the outskirts can't even drink clean water anymore—many of them have fallen sick and died!"
Kurosaki Rei curled his lips into a smile. "Oh? Looks like you have been paying attention to the people's living conditions."
Yamato puffed her cheek slightly. "Don't underestimate me."
Kurosaki Rei nodded with a smile. "So you know the factories have damaged the environment. But environmental pollution can be solved through proper waste control. Kaido never considered that, which is why I say he only knows how to drain resources dry, not plan for long-term development."
"Then what contribution has he made?" Yamato said angrily. "From where I stand, the people of Wano are living worse and worse by the day."
"At this rate, in another ten years the rivers will be completely polluted—totally undrinkable."
"Mm," Kurosaki Rei said. "Let's set aside environmental issues for now. But these factories really did create a lot of jobs, didn't they? And this basic infrastructure will become the foundation for Wano to grow wealthy in the future."
He continued with an example. "Remember the country I mentioned when I was telling you stories—the one called Nihon? They once closed themselves off too. In the end, their gates were blasted open by cannons. They were oppressed and exploited—but because of that, they entered the industrial age early. Afterward, they developed rapidly and became a world power."
"Every situation has both disaster and fortune. There are always two sides."
He bent down and picked up Oden's journal that Yamato had dropped.
"But what did Oden do? He didn't cause great destruction to the country, but he also didn't bring progress. He didn't improve the people's lives. He was truly 'inactive'—despite having the strength to act. That's why I don't admire him."
It was easy to imagine that without someone as powerful as Oden, if Wano had merely relied on an ordinary shogun, then in a place like the New World—rich in resources—if it wasn't Kaido, some other pirate would have invaded sooner or later.
And if it had been a crew with even less brains or vision, Wano might have ended up in an even worse state.
At least with Kaido stationed here, no random riffraff dared cause trouble. There was a superficial kind of "peace."
Of course, Kaido really didn't behave like a decent human being. That came down to his education and worldview—he never truly cared about governing a country. As long as it brought him profits and made him stronger, that was enough.
Kaido did have a grand goal: to overthrow the world's rulers and create a new, more "reasonable" world.
But his methods were wrong.
Even if great ambitions don't care about small details, someone who acts without restraint can never truly win the hearts of the people.
"I… then should I start doing something now?"
Yamato looked at Kurosaki Rei in confusion.
She felt that as someone who wanted to liberate Wano—a hero of Wano—she should be doing things for the people. Only then would they love her, and only then could she "open the country."
But the journal suggested that the real Kozuki Oden never did such things… and she felt she ought to follow her idol's will.
"The moment you asked me that," Kurosaki Rei said with a smile, "you already had your answer, didn't you?"
It was as if a beam of light pierced the darkness.
Yamato suddenly understood.
The fact that she had asked the question meant she had already begun to doubt Oden's actions. It meant she herself wanted to help the suffering people.
"But if I do that… am I still Kozuki Oden?"
A new doubt surfaced.
Kurosaki Rei looked her straight in the eyes, his expression serious.
"In my eyes, you've always been Yamato. My friend isn't Kozuki Oden—it's Yamato."
Yamato wavered internally. She didn't continue the argument, choosing instead to act.
She stood up and used her remaining food tickets to exchange for a pile of flatbreads. Then she walked through the quarry, handing them out to prisoners who were too old or weak to earn enough food.
After receiving the bread, many prisoners were filled with gratitude toward Yamato. But there were also a few who knew her identity and gave Kaido's daughter cold looks, refusing her charity.
Openly distributing food like this was probably a first since Udon Prison was established.
Yet no guards stepped in to stop her.
On one hand, there was no rule forbidding prisoners from giving their own food to others. On the other hand, Yamato was the Beasts Pirates' "Young Master." Ordinary guards wouldn't dare make trouble for her over something like this.
When Yamato returned after making the rounds, she was radiant and delighted. Clearly, being thanked and respected by others made her feel light-headed with joy.
"How does it feel?" Kurosaki Rei asked with a smile, taking a bite of his flatbread.
"It feels amazing," Yamato said. "I've never felt like this before. I kept saying I was Oden, but nobody paid attention to me. Just now, I didn't say who I was—I just gave them bread, and they were so grateful. It's really strange."
As she spoke, the excitement on her face gradually faded, replaced by confusion once again.
"That's only natural," Kurosaki Rei said. "People don't feel gratitude without reason. Only when they genuinely receive help will they thank you from the heart."
"The one they were thanking just now wasn't Kozuki Oden—it was you, Yamato."
Yamato froze. "They were… thanking me?"
"Of course. Even among those who took your bread, many knew you were Kaido's daughter—and yet they still thanked you."
Kurosaki Rei looked into her eyes. "Do you know why?"
"Why?" Yamato asked, puzzled. If they knew she was Kaido's daughter, shouldn't they hate her?
"Some proud samurai did refuse you," Kurosaki Rei explained. "But those who accepted the bread weren't necessarily cowards. They accepted and thanked you because they felt your sincerity."
"You truly understood their hardship. When someone genuinely wants to help others, that goodwill shows in their eyes."
At the very least, Yamato had a foundation of empathy. Kurosaki Rei considered that a good sign—it meant she wasn't heartless, just somewhat warped by her upbringing.
At her core, Yamato was simply a straightforward, cheerful girl. If she could live as herself, she could still become a normal person.
"So that's how it is…" Yamato murmured. "But I wanted to help them because I want to become Kozuki Oden and liberate Wano. Being loved… that wasn't the main reason."
"Is that still okay?"
Kurosaki Rei shrugged. "Why wouldn't it be? And slowly, you'll come to understand—you're not Kozuki Oden at all. If you accomplish these great deeds, the people will ultimately thank Yamato, not Kozuki Oden."
Yamato fell into deep thought.
Meanwhile, back on Onigashima, Kaido burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Maria, this kid really knows how to talk! Yamato's actually starting to reflect now—she's questioning her identity!"
Kaido laughed heartily. He'd been watching the monitor all this time just for this "Yamato correction" segment.
And Kurosaki Rei hadn't disappointed him. The post-lunch "tuning" had gone perfectly—Yamato had even stopped calling herself Kozuki Oden, switching to "wanting to become" instead.
Kaido could feel it: the idol aura surrounding Kozuki Oden in Yamato's heart had weakened considerably. If she kept hanging around Kurosaki Rei for a few more days, she might truly stop being Kozuki Oden altogether.
"It's good that Young Master Yamato is reforming," Black Maria said cautiously, "but don't you think Kurosaki Rei is guiding her in a dangerous direction? She still wants to rebel."
In other words: don't celebrate too early. Even if Yamato stopped pretending to be Oden, she still wanted to overthrow Kaido.
This Kurosaki Rei might be helping Yamato gain self-awareness, but his stance was clearly opposed to the Beasts Pirates. He was guiding Yamato toward genuine revolution—which Maria found alarming.
Before, Yamato had just been mindlessly calling herself Oden and doing nothing—playing house in her own little world.
But if she truly began acting for the people, gathering followers who admired her, and eventually turning against Kaido… that would be real trouble.
"Hahaha, what's there to worry about?"
Kaido waved his hand dismissively, utterly bold. "Let her come! I'll be waiting on the throne!"
In his eyes, his daughter was still far too weak. Every time she challenged him, he had to hold back while "teaching" her.
Kaido feared rebellion? Never.
And as long as Yamato broke free from the ghost of Kozuki Oden, Kaido was confident he could make his daughter understand—
Her father was also a great hero.
In the end, if he failed to fulfill his own dream in this lifetime, this vast legacy would still be left to Yamato.
If Yamato had the strength to come and take it with her own hands, Kaido wouldn't be angry at all.
He would be proud—proud of his daughter's power and resolve.
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