"Speaking of which, Yamato, you brat... did you actually get in contact with Red Hair?" Kaido asked, his voice low and dangerous now that the business regarding the Artificial Devil Fruits was settled.
He stared at Yamato with piercing eyes, his tone heavy with suspicion. Everyone in the room immediately tensed up. They knew the Governor-General was getting serious, and when Kaido got serious, things usually ended in destruction.
"Yeah, I sat on Red Hair's ship for a while, had some wine, and then came back. Why? Is there a problem?" Yamato replied, her voice perfectly calm.
"What did you talk about?" Kaido growled. That was the only thing he truly cared to know.
"What else? We talked about how beautiful I am, obviously. I'm so stunning that Red Hair even tried to invite me to join his crew. Unfortunately, I had to turn him down. After all, there isn't a single other woman on his ship, and that sounds boring," Yamato said with a casual shrug.
The room fell into a stunned, heavy silence.
"Pfft... Are you for real? Yamato, did Red Hair actually invite you?" Black Maria was the first to break the silence, unable to hold back a burst of laughter.
"Of course he did. Haruko knows, right, Haruko? Didn't they say I'm a great beauty whose looks could rank in the top three in the entire world?" Yamato said, winking playfully at Haruko.
Haruko felt the heat rush to her face. "Ahem... I suppose something like that was mentioned."
"You really brag without thinking, don't you? 'Great beauty'? 'Top three in the world'? I don't believe a word of it. You're definitely lying," Ulti snorted, crossing her arms.
"Sis, just stop talking," Page One muttered under his breath. He knew Yamato was not someone they should be provoking right now.
"Big Brother, the Young Master definitely didn't discuss anything sensitive with Red Hair," King spoke up, his voice steady. He chose to believe Yamato. Based on his understanding of her character, he knew she had likely gone over just to greet them out of sheer boldness, as she wasn't afraid of any pirate on the sea.
"I know that! But that stinky brat went to contact Red Hair without my permission. She's getting too arrogant," Kaido snorted. He was clearly just unhappy with Yamato's lack of obedience. He had a long-standing grudge against Shanks, yet his own daughter had dared to share a drink with him. To Kaido, this was a blatant lack of respect for his authority.
"What? I can't be arrogant? I'll see whoever I want to see. I don't need you, you idiot old man, to control my life. Go back to drinking your wine and stop meddling in things that don't concern you," Yamato sneered. In her mind, she was already planning to go pay Whitebeard a visit when the chance arose.
The veins on Kaido's forehead throbbed with suppressed rage. His daughter's wings had truly grown strong enough to fly on her own. "You little brat... do you have to go against me every single time?"
"You call me a little brat? Then doesn't that make you an old brat? Besides, how am I going against you? Am I stopping you from eating or drinking? It's my freedom to do whatever I want," Yamato replied, curling her lip.
Kaido opened his mouth to roar back, but he realized he actually couldn't win a verbal argument against her. Frustrated, he looked toward King, Queen, and Jack, signaling them with his eyes to step in and help him out. All three of them immediately looked away, pretending to be very interested in the architecture of the room. They knew better than to get involved in a family feud.
"Idiot Kaido... he can't even win an argument but still insists on controlling everything. No wonder he's always annoyed," Ulti muttered. She felt that Kaido was definitely losing his touch.
"Stop staring, stop staring. If you keep it up, your eyeballs are going to pop out. I don't have time to play staring contests with you. I'm leaving," Yamato said. She stood up, patted the dust off her haori, and began walking toward the exit. As she passed, she gave Maria and Haruko a meaningful look.
"Stinky brat..." Kaido gritted his teeth. The situation was different now; Yamato was no longer a child he could just lock away. She wasn't afraid to fight him anymore. If she were still weak, he would have dragged her to the training grounds for a "sparring session" long ago.
"Big Brother, the Young Master is no longer a child. There's no need to try and control every move she makes. As long as we know she won't do anything to harm the Beasts Pirates, it's fine," King advised. He felt exhausted just watching them. He thought Kaido was picking fights on purpose and lacked the maturity an elder should show.
"That's right. The Young Master is a pillar of our crew just like you are, Big Brother. Let's just try to get along," Queen added.
Currently, among the crews of the Four Emperors, only the Red Hair Pirates and the Beasts Pirates could claim to have two top-tier combatants at the Emperor level. As long as Kaido and Yamato worked together, the influence of the Beasts Pirates in the New World would be absolutely terrifying.
"Hmph. Go say that to that stinky brat Yamato. I'm not the one with the problem," Kaido grumbled. King and Queen knew his temper too well to keep pushing.
Outside, Black Maria caught up with Yamato. "Yamato, I really didn't expect you to dare to meet Red Hair. You know the relationship between our two crews is terrible."
"I know, but Red Hair is a magnanimous guy. He doesn't care about petty rivalries. I just went to say hello, get to know him, and maybe make a friend. After all, who knows what will happen in the future?" Yamato said, looking indifferent.
Maria shook her head, though she knew Yamato's strength was great enough that she was never in any real danger.
"Young Master, regardless of your strength, you shouldn't just meet with other Emperors like that in the future. It creates a massive political impact," Haruko advised gently.
Surprisingly, Yamato didn't argue this time. She nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, you're right. There are definitely complications with that. I'll be more careful in the future."
Maria and Haruko were both taken aback by how easily she accepted the advice.
"What's with those looks? I'm not someone who refuses to listen to reason. I can pay attention to the rules when I need to, okay?" Yamato said, looking at them with mock dissatisfaction.
"Hehe, that's good to hear," Maria and Haruko smiled.
A few days later, Jack was preparing to head out again to clear the surrounding seas of rookie pirate crews. Every day, fresh pirates entered the New World from the first half of the Grand Line, and since the New World was now the undisputed territory of the Four Emperors, these rookies had only two choices: swear loyalty to an Emperor for protection or be sent to the bottom of the sea. There was no third option.
"Yamato, can't you just get your own pirate ship? Why do you have to insist on staying on mine?" Jack groaned as he saw Yamato and Haruko skillfully boarding his vessel yet again.
"Jack, we're good friends! A man should be more generous with his space, or no woman will ever like you," Yamato laughed.
"Get lost, I don't need your dating advice," Jack rolled his eyes. He was tired of her using the same old excuses every time she wanted a free ride.
Yamato didn't care at all. She waved her hand, and Jack's own subordinates immediately rushed over to set up a lounge chair for her. "Young Master, please give us your orders!" they shouted eagerly.
The veins on Jack's forehead throbbed. He felt a sudden urge to beat his own subordinates. Can these idiots even tell who their actual boss is anymore?
"Jack, set sail! Let's go!" Yamato directed, pointing toward the horizon.
Jack's eyelid twitched violently, but he gritted his teeth and endured the indignity. He waved his massive hand toward the crew. "You heard her! Depart!"
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