Father and daughter stared at each other, locked in silence for a long while.
At the side, Black Maria had been holding the wine jar in the same posture the entire time—her arms were already starting to ache. She couldn't help thinking: What kind of scene is this supposed to be?
Young Master Yamato, weren't you here to apologize? Say something already!
Another ten minutes passed before Yamato finally forced herself to speak again, her expression extremely awkward.
"Father… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so reckless these past few years… I… I'm truly sorry."
Watching Yamato's expression, Maria had a strong urge to complain internally—That face of yours looks unbelievably reluctant, you know that?!
But Kaido seemed not to notice Yamato's awkward acting at all. Just hearing the words "Father, I'm sorry" filled him with immense satisfaction.
That said, Kaido was still Kaido. With his iron will, he managed to suppress any change in expression, merely giving an indifferent "Mm" and nodding once.
Seeing that her father didn't react much, Yamato continued:
"I… I hope to reconcile with you, Father, and return to the family."
When she said this, the awkwardness on her face faded a little. Perhaps deep down, she truly did wish to make peace with her father and reclaim the familial bond she was supposed to have.
At those words, Kaido almost couldn't hold it in anymore. He raised the bowl and gulped down the wine in one go, then exhaled heavily.
"Yamato…"
Much to Maria's despair, Kaido himself got stuck right after opening his mouth.
After a long pause without saying anything further, Kaido finally waved Yamato closer.
When Yamato stepped forward, Kaido reached out and patted her on the head.
"Too skinny. You still need more training."
Yamato lowered her head. "Mm."
Maria thought this was peak awkward small talk. She felt secondhand embarrassment so strong she wanted to flee the scene, but without Kaido's permission, she didn't dare make a sound—any movement now would feel like a crime against the "atmosphere."
"Though for a girl, there's no need to get too bulky. As long as your strength doesn't fall behind, that's fine."
Kaido added another line, sounding almost self-contradictory.
More accurately, his brain was half-stalled. After the initial excitement wore off, his clumsy mouth simply couldn't figure out what a father was supposed to say to his daughter at a moment like this.
"Mm."
Yamato was even more at a loss. She could only respond with "mm," having thought that apologizing would be the end of it.
But the moment her father touched her head, childhood memories of warmth resurfaced. Her eyes stung slightly, and she completely forgot what she was supposed to do next.
And so, the father and daughter fell silent once more. This time, however, the atmosphere was no longer stiff—it gradually softened.
In the end, Kaido was the one to break the silence.
"I heard you made a new friend in Udon Prison?"
At the mention of this, Yamato immediately perked up.
"Brother Rei is really a great person! He's going to help me—"
Halfway through, she hurriedly clapped a hand over her mouth. That was close! She'd nearly blurted out that she planned to overthrow her father's rule right in front of him.
Kaido felt somewhat speechless. After all, he'd watched everything on the livestream and already knew exactly what his daughter and that brat Kurosaki Rei were planning.
Personally, he didn't really care. As long as Yamato acknowledged him as her father and stopped calling herself Kozuki Oden all the time, everything else was negotiable.
"Yes—Brother Rei is very smart," Yamato said, hastily changing her wording. "I want to work with him to govern the Beasts Pirates better."
After thinking for a moment, she even borrowed Kurosaki Rei's words to add, "We're going to make it bigger, stronger, and reach new heights!"
"Good. Since you say so, I'll give you that chance."
Kaido went along with it. "From today onward, you are once again the Oni Princess of the Beasts Pirates. Pass down my order—no one is to call you 'Young Master Yamato' anymore. Use the original title."
With those words, Kaido formally reconciled with Yamato and restored her status.
From this day forth, Yamato was Kaido's daughter once more—the Beasts Pirates' Oni Princess, the primary heir, wielding authority not inferior to that of the three Lead Performers.
"Thank you, Father. Your daughter knows she was wrong and will perform well from now on."
Yamato said this somewhat awkwardly. Though she no longer called herself Kozuki Oden, she still didn't fully grasp the distinction between genders—only vaguely aware that she was a daughter, not a son.
Kaido ignored her awkwardness. Hearing her words put him in an excellent mood. If he weren't trying to maintain the image of a cold, stern father, he'd probably be laughing out loud by now.
"Oh right, Father. My friend is still in Udon Prison. Could you release him?"
Yamato returned to the topic at hand, trying to get Kurosaki Rei out. "I guarantee he won't cause trouble or attack you again."
When it came to prisoners, only Queen—who directly oversaw Udon—and Kaido himself had the authority to release them. Even as the Oni Princess, Yamato couldn't overstep that boundary.
Kaido's expression turned a little strange at her words. After all, Yamato herself was a repeat offender when it came to attacking him, and now she was vouching for someone else not to do the same—it was undeniably odd.
Still, he nodded.
"Since he's your friend, and you're giving your word, let him out and have him stay by your side. If he performs well later on, I can even give him a cadre position."
At this, Black Maria's lips parted slightly. She badly wanted to remind the Governor that this was a terrible idea—that Kurosaki Rei looked like a walking disaster waiting to happen. Letting him stay close to Yamato was one thing; giving him power later could spell all kinds of trouble for the Beasts Pirates.
But Kaido was clearly in high spirits, and his decisions weren't something she could casually overturn. So she could only watch events unfold in silence.
"Really? Thank you, Father."
Yamato said happily. This gratitude carried genuine sincerity—without Kurosaki Rei, she truly wouldn't have known what to do next.
The next morning, Kurosaki Rei sat up in his cell, stretched, and loosened his body.
He figured that now Yamato had more or less returned to normal, she would probably start doing some good for the people of Wano. As for himself, it was time to seriously consider how to slip away.
Before getting off work the previous night, he'd already scouted all the exits of Udon Prison. After analyzing them, scaling the walls seemed the easiest escape route.
With his Sky Step and mastery of Shunpo-like movement, achieving near-flight wasn't a problem. In the dead of night, finding a chance to escape wouldn't be difficult.
Just as Kurosaki Rei was planning how to break out tonight, the prison door opened.
And the one opening it wasn't the usual guard—but the warden, Babanuki.
Babanuki used his elephant trunk to pull open the iron door, his expression odd.
"Lord Kaido has given the order. You are released. Please proceed to Onigashima to meet him."
The moment Kurosaki Rei saw Babanuki, he had a bad feeling—and sure enough, Yamato really had managed to get him out.
Following behind Babanuki, Kurosaki Rei thought to himself: What a mess. I don't actually know how to govern a country at all. I was just talking big before.
Let alone one night—after thinking for two whole nights, he still hadn't come up with any outstanding plan.
When Yamato asked him again later, he'd probably have no choice but to muddle through with improvised answers.
Because it was Kaido's order, Babanuki didn't dare delay. Kurosaki Rei wasn't even given breakfast before being sent straight to Onigashima.
At the same time—perhaps also due to Kaido's instructions—while the ball and chain on Kurosaki Rei's legs were removed, the Seastone cuffs on his wrists were left intact. They were likely afraid he'd escape midway.
Wano wasn't close to Onigashima. After crossing the sea by ship, Kurosaki Rei finally arrived on Onigashima around noon.
Led by a pirate, he soon reached Kaido's residence.
And there he saw it—
A super-giant of a man, over seven meters tall, sitting there like a demon king incarnate, looking down at him.
Kaido's muscles were massively built. With a single glance, Kurosaki Rei's detection skill returned nothing but question marks. Even just from his aura, Kurosaki Rei could tell that Kaido's strength was on an entirely different plane from his own.
That said, Kurosaki Rei really couldn't help but complain internally:
Kaido, why do you never train your legs?
"Brother Rei, you're here!"
Yamato was also inside the cavern. Seeing Kurosaki Rei, she beamed and ran over, grabbing his hand and introducing him to Kaido.
"Father, this is my friend—Kurosaki Rei."
"Mm."
Kaido nodded, then looked at Kurosaki Rei. "Kid, I remember you tried to assassinate me before."
As he spoke, invisible killing intent spread out, an overwhelming pressure surging toward Kurosaki Rei like a tidal wave.
Instinctively, Kurosaki Rei's back was drenched in sweat. He was certain Yamato had never experienced this kind of pressure—otherwise she'd have at least a bit more self-awareness.
"I am a demon slayer from my homeland. Hearing that one of the Four Emperors ruling here—Kaido—was a demon, I simply followed my heart and came to test myself."
Kurosaki Rei didn't bother making excuses. He knew someone like Kaido didn't care much about that assassination attempt anyway. Being straightforward was better—flattery would only annoy him.
"Bold words. And now?"
Kaido asked. "Do you still want to kill me?"
As he spoke, his eyes narrowed.
In an instant, a terrifying, formless pressure exploded outward.
Yamato's expression tightened. She knew this was her father's Conqueror's Haki.
Under that overwhelming force, Kurosaki Rei felt as though a mountain was pressing down on him, trying to crush his will and erase his spirit.
If he failed to endure it, he would pass out immediately—just like the fodder soldiers knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki in the anime.
Yet, just as his spirit was being violently assaulted, something deep within his soul roared—shattering the Conqueror's Haki pressing down on him and restoring his clarity.
Kurosaki Rei stood tall. His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but his eyes remained locked with Kaido's.
Kaido looked mildly surprised. "Not bad, kid."
He frowned slightly, feeling that his Conqueror's Haki had collided with something unusual just now.
Could this brat have the potential for Conqueror's Haki too?
Kaido quickly dismissed the thought. Conqueror's Haki was rare—far too rare to be popping up everywhere. If it became commonplace, it wouldn't be worthy of the name.
"Your praise is too kind, Governor. My desire to challenge you hasn't changed. I simply recognize my own shortcomings now and am cultivating myself. I hope that one day, I may cross fists with you again and refine my strength."
Kurosaki Rei replied calmly, neither servile nor arrogant. He made his stance clear, showed he wouldn't cause trouble, and subtly laid the groundwork to frame any future clash as a sparring match rather than rebellion.
Kaido smiled, a hint of appreciation in his gaze.
"Then work hard together with Yamato. In my eyes, you're both still far too weak."
Hearing this, Yamato felt a stir in her heart. Though she'd already reached this conclusion through Kurosaki Rei's analysis, hearing it directly from her father made it clear—he'd never once taken her seriously before.
Even now, in his eyes, she was still weak.
"That is exactly our intention. I'll spar with Yamato and continue improving."
Kurosaki Rei said, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. It seemed Kaido had no intention of making a move against him.
With his prisoner status gone, leaving later on would be much easier.
But Kaido's next sentence plunged Kurosaki Rei right back into trouble.
"Oh, right. I heard from Yamato that you're quite knowledgeable about governance."
Kaido's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Kurosaki Rei.
"Kid—why don't you tell me? What do you think is lacking in the Beasts Pirates' rule over Wano?"
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