"What a real shame. It's so rare to meet a girl with such a forthright and honest personality," Red Hair said, watching the small ship shrink into the distance.
"You're right about that, Boss. Girls like her are far too uncommon in these waters. Having someone like her as a crewmate would definitely have made things interesting," Lucky Roux and the other core members agreed.
Even from such a brief encounter, the crew of the Red Force felt that Yamato was easy to get along with. Her spirited personality and lack of pretense suited their tastes perfectly. Despite the fact that she was Kaido's daughter, they saw her as a completely different kind of person from the Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates. To them, bloodlines didn't affect their view of her character.
"Don't even think about it. There is no way she is ever getting on our ship as a permanent member," Beckman stated directly, his voice cutting through the daydreaming.
"That's exactly why it is such a shame," Red Hair chuckled. "But honestly, getting to meet a young person with that kind of fire today is still a good thing. It makes me certain that the future of this world is going to change."
"You really are looking quite far into the future, as usual," Beckman said with a slight, knowing smile.
On the other side of the waves, Yamato and Haruko had successfully returned to the main fleet and boarded the lead ship where Jack was waiting.
"If you hadn't come back soon, I would have had no choice but to contact Big Brother King," Jack said. He was visibly relieved to see them return safely, though he tried to hide it behind his usual gruff exterior.
"Hey, Jack, you've got your priorities all wrong, don't you? Shouldn't you have charged over with your men to rescue me?" Yamato complained playfully.
Jack snorted with pure derision. "Do you think I'm an idiot? Charge over there against a Yonko crew? Do I look like I have a death wish? Besides Big Brother King, who else in this fleet would even have the ability to save you from Red Hair?"
"So you would just leave me to die? Are we good friends or not?" Yamato asked, lifting her foot and giving him a light kick.
"Who ever said we were good friends? You were the one who insisted on going over there. What does that have to do with me? It's already more than enough of me to offer to call King to retrieve your body," Jack said, quickly sidestepping a few paces to avoid another kick.
"I know you better than that, you big hypocrite. You dare to say you weren't worried about us?" Yamato looked at him with a knowing, amused smile.
Jack simply rolled his eyes at her. "Keep dreaming."
"Haruko, look at this guy. He's such a total tsundere," Yamato said, turning to her guard and blinking mischievously.
Haruko shook her head with a weary smile. "Young Master, I think that's enough for now." She knew that Yamato was only teasing because she recognized Jack's underlying concern, but relentlessly poking at the All-Star's pride showed a bit of a mean streak.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Yamato conceded.
With everyone back on board, the fleet set sail once more, cutting through the waves as they headed back toward the closed borders of Wano Country.
Although it had been a brief and informal meeting, the fact that Yamato had made contact with Red Hair did not go unnoticed by the Marines. In the upper echelons of the World Government, ripples of concern were already spreading.
"Red Hair and Onihime met in the New World. Was it a mere accident, or a planned meeting?"
"According to our intelligence, the encounter was accidental. However, the fact remains that Onihime boarded the Red Force. We have no record of what the two discussed during their time together."
"Contact between the forces of two major Emperors is never an ordinary matter. It would be a disaster for global stability if they are plotting some kind of scheme together."
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku was busy analyzing the reports of the event.
"Sengoku, there is nothing to worry about here. The others are just overthinking the situation," Garp said, leaning back in his chair with a completely unconcerned expression.
"One is a Yonko, and the other is a potential Yonko. Two extremely dangerous individuals making contact—how could people not think twice? And who can guarantee they didn't discuss some dark secret or an alliance?" Sengoku shot him a sharp look of frustration.
Even if Red Hair and Onihime had met by chance, the content of their conversation was what mattered most. To Sengoku, this contact was no less significant than a formal meeting between two of the Four Emperors; its implications for the balance of power were extraordinary. This was exactly why the Marines spent so much effort closely monitoring the movements of the Yonko.
"What secret could those two possibly have to discuss? If you ask me, you're all just making a mountain out of a molehill. Isn't it exhausting to panic at every little movement?" Garp said, casually picking his nose.
"Do you really think the Red Hair Pirates and the Beasts Pirates could ever become good friends?" Garp added with a huff.
"That is definitely impossible. Red Hair and Kaido are two completely different kinds of people; they could never get along," Sengoku shook his head without hesitation. After a pause, he added, "But Kaido's daughter is a different story. We still need to be on high guard."
In short, he was worried that Yamato's unconventional nature might lead her to align herself with the Red Hair Pirates.
"Hmph, that brat from Kaido's family is plenty shrewd. She couldn't possibly get mixed up with Red Hair and his crew. I'd bet my life on it. Besides, Kaido would never allow such a thing to happen to his 'heir' anyway," Garp stated firmly.
Sengoku didn't respond. If that were the case, it would naturally be for the best. If an Emperor like Red Hair were to align with a powerhouse like Yamato, the threat level would become exceptionally dangerous.
Eventually, the fleet reached Wano Country and docked at Onigashima.
Inside the massive fortress, Kaido had gathered his top officers together. "I've called you all here today to announce a new development for our military power."
Everyone looked at Kaido with curiosity, wondering what kind of important matter required a formal assembly.
"It's about the Artificial Devil Fruits, isn't it?" Yamato said lazily, leaning against a pillar.
The room erupted in surprise. "Artificial Devil Fruits? Didn't Lord Queen say they were too difficult to manufacture? He said he never wanted to touch that research again."
"Not me! I definitely won't be touching that project again," Queen said, shaking his head vigorously. He had already shouldered enough blame for past failures. Whatever came next was someone else's problem.
"It's Joker. That brat says he wants to start an Artificial Devil Fruit trade with us," Kaido stated directly.
"Joker? He can actually manufacture Devil Fruits?" The officers were skeptical. Joker was the boss of an underground organization and a pirate broker—not a world-renowned scientist. Making a high-quality gun was one thing, but producing something as high-tech as a Devil Fruit seemed beyond him.
"He says he has found a way. We shouldn't worry about the process; we will simply make the trade when the first batch is ready," Kaido said. He didn't care about the science or the logistics. He only cared about the results.
"What level of quality can Joker's fruits reach? How do they compare to the one Lord Queen produced?" several members asked.
After all, Queen's research had eventually led to the fruit Yamato consumed, which everyone had witnessed. Her power was virtually identical to Kaido's own Dragon form, aside from the color. If Joker could produce fruits of that caliber on a massive scale, the Beasts Pirates would become invincible.
"They definitely won't compare. If Artificial Devil Fruits were that easy to make, they would have flooded the market years ago. Don't let your imaginations run wild; they are bound to be defective and flawed products," Yamato said, directly shattering their hopes.
She knew the truth: the "SMILE" fruits Joker produced were indeed inferior, unstable products compared to a perfected version.
"That's good enough for me. They're just meant for the underlings anyway," Kaido said, leaning back in his massive stone seat, his pupils gleaming with a cold light.
He had long known that the only person in the world truly capable of creating a perfect Artificial Devil Fruit was Vegapunk. Yamato was the living proof of that genius. As for other scientists, they simply didn't have the capability to match that standard.
Hearing Kaido speak so dismissively, the room fell silent. In Kaido's eyes, the rank-and-file soldiers were just tools to be upgraded and used as he saw fit, regardless of the risks to their health.
"You really are heartless, you idiot old man," Yamato remarked.
Kaido pretended not to hear her, giving her only a faint, warning glance. "Stinky brat, you still have a lot to learn about how to build an empire."
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