"But what if Young Master Yamato listens to that Kurosaki Rei and really tries to push some kind of administrative reform in Wano in the future?"
Black Maria said worriedly. "That would affect the Beasts Pirates' operating income."
Kaido frowned when he heard this. "Probably not. That kid doesn't look like someone who actually understands governance either. And Yamato is completely clueless in that area. The two of them together shouldn't be able to come up with anything too bizarre, right?"
If Yamato gained a clear sense of self and was willing to return to him as her father, then she would naturally become the Oni Princess of the Beasts Pirates again.
At that point, she would have the authority to do certain things.
And if Kaido wanted to cultivate his daughter's abilities, he really couldn't block her from doing everything—that would only crush her motivation.
"Let's hope so,"
Maria said, then turned her gaze back to the screen to continue watching the livestream.
"…In the end, the Supreme Elder took the Azure Ox back to the Heavenly Court, and that trial was finally over."
Kurosaki Rei stretched lazily.
"That's it for today. Yamato, you really do have incredible stamina."
After completing the day's "education," Kurosaki Rei naturally gave Yamato a bit of a reward. The result was that he spent the entire day telling her stories while also doing physical training, all the way until nightfall without stopping.
Yamato was like a child addicted to bedtime stories—one chapter after another, never getting tired of it, constantly urging Kurosaki Rei to continue.
What was more, she mined even more ore than Kurosaki Rei and showed no signs of fatigue at all, which was why he commented on her boundless energy.
This was the gap brought about by Constitution stats. With a Constitution of 60, Yamato mining in Udon Prison was basically child's play—she wouldn't get tired no matter what.
"Ah, just one more chapter,"
Yamato said dejectedly, still wanting to hear what came next.
Kurosaki Rei felt helpless and changed the topic.
"Since you like this story so much, how about I quiz you and see whether you've been listening carefully?"
Yamato perked right up. Even if it wasn't more story, it was still story-related—and not one of those questions that sent her spiraling into self-doubt—so of course she was happy to hear it.
"Go ahead."
Kurosaki Rei smiled.
"I've told quite a few chapters now. So tell me—have you noticed how Sun Wukong on the journey for the scriptures is different from Sun Wukong when he caused havoc in Heaven?"
Yamato pondered for a moment.
"It feels like Great Sage isn't as wild as before. He's more restrained, less reckless. To be honest, it even feels kind of stifling."
"Haha, I thought the same when I was a kid. But maybe that's the price of growing up,"
Kurosaki Rei chuckled.
"Then, when it comes to dealing with monsters, did you notice that Sun Wukong treats them differently?"
Yamato frowned and thought hard.
"Is there a difference?"
"Think back to the One-Horned Rhinoceros King I just mentioned,"
Kurosaki Rei prompted.
Yamato's eyes lit up after a moment. She raised her hand.
"I get it! The Azure Ox wasn't beaten to death by Great Sage, but some other monsters were!"
"Right. Then why do you think that is?"
Kurosaki Rei asked gently, guiding her.
This time Yamato answered quickly.
"Because the Azure Ox had a master! Its master was the Supreme Elder—a powerful immortal."
Kurosaki Rei nodded.
"To put it simply, when the monkey faces monsters with backing, he doesn't kill them. Monsters without backing who provoke him? He beats them all to death."
Yamato suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
She had originally thought Kurosaki Rei was just telling a pure, adventurous story. But thinking carefully, that really was the case—there was a whole web of unspoken rules and social dynamics hidden along the pilgrimage.
In an instant, the story no longer felt so "pure."
"So in this world, background matters,"
Kurosaki Rei concluded calmly.
"If you don't have strength and you don't have backing, yet you act arrogantly, you'll usually die a miserable death."
Then he looked at Yamato with a smile that made her heart skip.
"So tell me, Yamato—why do you think you've been able to run wild on Onigashima and throughout Wano all this time, and still haven't died?"
Yamato froze, then let out a bitter laugh.
"Brother Rei… so this is where you were going with it. I knew your questions were never that simple."
After days of relentless questioning, she was genuinely starting to doubt the righteousness of Kozuki Oden. During the afternoon mining session, she hadn't referred to herself as Kozuki Oden even once.
How could she not know the answer to this question?
Thinking carefully, among the Tobiroppo, the All-Stars, and even some of the Headliners, there were plenty she couldn't defeat.
Yet every time she broke out and caused havoc on Onigashima, even when she ran into Beasts Pirates officers, she charged straight in without hesitation.
Even when she lost, she was never killed—she hadn't even suffered serious injuries.
No matter how she looked at it, this wasn't some blessing from Oden's spirit. It was the officers holding back—just like Sun Wukong holding back against certain monsters—because she had backing.
What backing could she possibly have?
Kozuki Oden? Of course not. No one in the Beasts Pirates worshipped Kozuki Oden, and besides—Oden was already dead.
Her only backing was her father—the Four Emperor, Kaido.
Because her father was the direct superior of those officers, they couldn't kill her even when she attacked them.
"Looks like you've been thinking,"
Kurosaki Rei said, seeing her expression.
"In that case, I won't say more."
He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.
That night during dinner, he touched Yamato's stomach again. By now, he had basically figured out how Life Return worked—he just needed another day or two of practice to fully adapt.
Once he mastered this skill, between daily training and shamelessly stuffing himself with food in Udon Prison, his attributes would definitely rise quite a bit.
After a while, Yamato came back to herself and sat down beside Kurosaki Rei.
"Brother Rei… I've been feeling really conflicted lately."
"About what?"
Kurosaki Rei asked, knowingly.
Yamato furrowed her brows.
"I keep thinking about whether I really am Kozuki Oden, whether Oden's actions were actually right, and what I should do to be right."
"That's a pretty philosophical question,"
Kurosaki Rei replied.
"But in the end, I think the reason you're confused is simple—you don't know who you are."
"Yeah… who am I?"
Yamato said blankly.
"I really want to just tell you that you're Yamato,"
Kurosaki Rei said,
"but that wouldn't be quite right either."
His words only made her more confused.
"What do you mean? You've been calling me by my real name this whole time."
Kurosaki Rei looked up at her.
"You know that's your name. But what I mean is—what determines who you are isn't your name, nor what other people say or think."
"Then what decides who I am? And who decides it?"
Yamato asked earnestly.
Kurosaki Rei straightened slightly and met her gaze, his expression solemn.
"The only thing that can decide who you are is yourself. Your heart decides who you are."
"My… heart…"
Yamato murmured. She placed a hand over her chest.
"Will it tell me who I am?"
"Going back to the original question—if you truly believe you're Kozuki Oden, then I won't say anything more about it, because that's your own decision. And if you think you're Yamato, that might still not be the final answer."
Yamato clutched her head, deeply troubled.
"I should be Oden, but now I feel some of Oden's actions weren't right. But if I say I'm Yamato, that doesn't feel right either."
"Why doesn't it feel right?"
Kurosaki Rei asked.
"Because Yamato is Kaido's daughter—the Oni Princess of the Beasts Pirates, an enemy of Wano. That doesn't align with the sense of justice I'm gradually coming to understand."
As she spoke, clarity slowly entered her eyes.
"That's right… so I'm not 'Yamato' either."
"So you still believe that liberating Wano and resisting Kaido's tyranny is the right thing to do?"
Kurosaki Rei asked with a smile.
Yamato nodded firmly.
"I've seen the true spirit and integrity of real samurai. They once viewed me as Wano's hope. And I truly believe my father's actions are wrong—I want to correct them."
Kurosaki Rei nodded.
"Isn't that good, then?"
Yamato looked at him in confusion.
"You don't oppose me? Even though this still counts as inheriting Kozuki Oden's will?"
"Why would I oppose you?"
Kurosaki Rei spread his hands.
"When did I ever say that Oden's will was entirely wrong? Or that you shouldn't liberate Wano?"
"But… what I want to do next goes against the prophecy in Oden's journal, and against Oden's way of doing things. That means I'm no longer Kozuki Oden…"
She looked deeply conflicted.
"And at the same time, by opposing Kaido, I'm no longer 'Yamato' either. Then who am I?"
Kurosaki Rei clapped his hands once.
"Congratulations, Yamato. You've found yourself."
Yamato looked at him, stunned.
"I… am 'Yamato'?"
"A name is just a label,"
Kurosaki Rei said with a smile.
"When you understand your own stance and know what you want to do, you already have a self. Whether you call yourself Kozuki Oden or Yamato, you're still just you—my recognized friend."
Yamato seemed to half-understand, half-not.
"So… should I call myself Yamato?"
Kurosaki Rei nodded.
"That's probably best—for now, at least. It's the name your parents gave you. And in time, you'll realize that the bond between parent and child isn't something that can be so easily severed."
At this point, Kurosaki Rei had basically completed Yamato's initial ideological realignment.
She finally understood that she wasn't Kozuki Oden—and she also wasn't the former Oni Princess of the Beasts Pirates known simply as "Yamato."
Her life was only just beginning now.
Facing a new life, she would still encounter many confusions and uncertainties, but at least she now had a chance to walk the right path.
At this stage, Yamato was essentially a normal person—though years of calling herself Oden and fighting the Beasts Pirates would inevitably leave some aftereffects, which time would slowly smooth away.
She was like a sheet of paper, half white and half gray, waiting to be gradually filled in with the story of her own life.
Whether that paper would ultimately lean toward black or white—that would depend on what came next.
"If what you said is true… no—"
Yamato shook her head.
"Logically speaking, most of your reasoning is correct. That means Father really has been indulgent toward me all these years. He let me grow up because he cared about me…"
Kurosaki Rei said nothing, simply watching her and waiting for her conclusion.
After a pause, Yamato's gaze became clear.
"Even if it feels a little unfair to Father, and even if some of my actions as a daughter are excessive, I don't believe my will to resist is wrong."
"I want to correct what's wrong with this country."
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