Ulti's temper flared even higher. "Pei-chan, you've got some nerve talking back to me! I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't forget!"
The two siblings devolved into their usual routine of bickering and play-fighting, a chaotic whirlwind of limbs and insults.
"Ulti, Page One has a point," Yamato interjected, watching the spectacle with an amused but critical eye. "Are you really planning to cling to him for the rest of your life? If you keep this up, how is the poor guy ever going to find a wife?"
"Mind your own business!" Ulti shot back instantly. "Either way, Pei-chan belongs to me. I'm not handing him over to anyone else, ever!"
"Sis, what are you even saying? Is there something wrong with your brain?" Page One muttered, feeling like his sister had finally lost her grip on reality. He had every intention of living a normal life, which definitely didn't involve being his sister's permanent accessory.
"So noisy! Shut up! I'm not listening! I won't listen!" Ulti shouted, covering her ears and throwing a literal tantrum. It was clear that not a single word of logic was penetrating her skull.
Yamato and the others could only watch and shake their heads. It was a hopeless case. Ulti had a terminal brother complex that no amount of intervention could cure. Yamato felt a twinge of pity for Page One; being stuck with a sister like that was enough to make anyone turn out a little strange in the end.
"Forget it, let's get out of here," Yamato said, deciding to stop meddling. "Let them play their games. We've got work to do."
At the designated dump site, a massive pile of rejected SMILEs—the red artificial devil fruits—lay discarded. Each one had been bitten into and tossed aside as useless trash. Yamato didn't hesitate; she threw several lit torches into the heap. Within seconds, a raging inferno began to consume the failed experiments.
"Yamato, why go through all this trouble?" Black Maria asked, watching the flames with Haruko. both were puzzled by the redundant task. "It's not like these scraps are going to turn into toxic gas if they just sit here."
"These things might be failures, but they're still dangerous," Yamato explained, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "Even one bite is enough to strip someone of their emotions, leaving them unable to do anything but laugh. It's a cruel fate for ordinary people. It's better to destroy them now so they can't be used for something twisted."
She remembered that later on, Kurozumi Orochi would use these very failures to torment the commoners of Wano just to satisfy his own sick sense of humor. Yamato refused to let that happen. If it weren't for the fact that Kaido still found the man useful, she would have crushed Orochi with her club a long time ago.
"Orochi... Lord Kaido won't let that man live forever. Don't worry about him too much," Maria said, sensing the direction of Yamato's thoughts.
"Oh, Maria, how do you always know what I'm thinking? It's like I have no secrets from you at all!" Yamato laughed, the tension leaving her shoulders.
"It's just that your thoughts are written all over your face sometimes, Young Master," Haruko added with a small smile.
"Really?" Yamato raised a hand to her cheek, wondering if she was truly that transparent. "Am I really that easy to read? I thought I was better at hiding my feelings than that. That could be dangerous!"
"Haha, not exactly," Maria reassured her. "It's just that Haruko and I have known you for a very long time. We've learned how to read the signs."
"Fair enough!" Yamato laughed heartily. "Come on, let's head back to the residence. Haruko and I brought back plenty of gold to show off."
A short while later, the trio arrived at their quarters on Onigashima.
"Here, Maria. This is what we brought back from the Sky Island," Yamato said, pointing to a heavy bag.
Maria opened it, her eyes widening at the sight of the cut gold bars. "There's gold on the Sky Islands? I thought those places were made of clouds and nothing else. Did someone haul this up there?"
"Not quite," Yamato shook her head.
"It's a long story, Lady Maria," Haruko began. "That place was actually the ruins of the Golden City, Shandora..." She went on to explain the history of the island that had been launched into the sky hundreds of years ago.
"Shandora... the Great Bell Tower... To think a lost civilization was hiding in the clouds all this time," Maria mused, clearly impressed. "The amount of gold up there must be staggering."
"There's a lot, but we only took what we could carry easily," Yamato said. "Consider this yours, Maria. Use it however you see fit."
"I'll accept it then, though I don't have a specific use for it right now. I'll keep it safe for the crew," Maria nodded. "By the way, the Fire Festival is coming up soon. Are we heading to the Flower Capital for the banquet as usual?"
Maria shook her head. "I'm afraid not this year. The Beasts Pirates have grown too large; our numbers have topped ten thousand. Moving that many people to the Flower Capital for a party isn't practical anymore."
"Lord King and the others decided we'll hold the main banquet right here on Onigashima. We've invited Orochi and his Oniwabanshu to join us instead."
"That makes sense," Yamato shrugged. "The crew is getting huge. But staying here with a bunch of rowdy guys sounds incredibly boring. It's all noise and no real festivity. I think I'll skip the official party and head to the Flower Capital to see the real celebrations."
"I agree," Maria said. "A formal banquet is just eating and drinking with the same people we see every day. The streets of the capital will have the real energy—food, music, and actual fun. Let's do that instead."
"Then it's a plan!" Yamato cheered.
Ten days passed quickly, and the night of the annual Fire Festival arrived.
"Second Uncle, we're skipping the banquet here! We're heading to the Flower Capital to have some real fun! Don't drink too much!" Yamato waved to King as she, Maria, and Haruko prepared to leave Onigashima.
"Whatever. Just stay out of trouble," King grunted, not particularly caring where they spent the night.
As they made their way toward the docks, they ran into Jack.
"Yamato, where do you think you're going? The banquet is starting," Jack growled.
"We're going to the Flower Capital, Jack! You should come with us," Yamato suggested, waving a hand dismissively. "Who knows? You might actually meet someone and solve that whole 'being single' problem of yours."
Jack rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful. "Stop talking nonsense."
"I'm just looking out for you, Jack! This is a major life event! You should be more appreciative," Yamato teased.
"I don't need your concern. Worry about your own life. With your personality, I doubt any man would actually want you," Jack retorted bluntly. He genuinely couldn't imagine anyone being able to handle a tomboy like Yamato.
"What did you just say? Say that again if you've got the guts!" Yamato glared at him, a mock-murderous aura flaring around her.
"A real man doesn't fight with women. I'm leaving," Jack said, turning on his heel and walking away at a brisk pace before she could swing her club.
"Pfft... Yamato, you really love pushing his buttons," Maria laughed. "Come on, we should hurry. The capital will be getting lively."
The Flower Capital was a sea of light and color. The streets were packed with people, and for one night, the oppressive atmosphere of Wano seemed to vanish.
"Wow, look at this place!" Yamato grinned as they blended into the crowd. Since they weren't in their usual battle gear, no one recognized them as members of the Beasts Pirates. The commoners were too busy celebrating to care about three strangers.
"Haruko," Yamato called out.
When Haruko turned her head, Yamato's finger suddenly swiped across her cheek. Before Haruko could react, Yamato got the other side too.
"Haha! Look at that! A painted face!" Yamato roared with laughter, holding up a small box of rouge.
Haruko blinked, her eyelid twitching as she realized what had happened. "Young Master!"
"Maria, look! Doesn't she look great?" Yamato laughed, gesturing to her handiwork.
"Ara ara, it certainly is a look," Maria chuckled.
Haruko closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing her rising irritation. Without a word, she snatched the rouge box from Yamato's hand, scooped out a massive glob of the red paste, and smeared it all over Yamato's face.
"Wait—Haruko! What are you doing!" Yamato yelped, caught completely off guard. Half of her face was now a solid, vibrant red.
"Pui! Pui! Haruko, that's way too much! I only gave you a little, but you went overboard! That's not fair!" Yamato complained, trying to wipe the rouge away. But without water, the oily paste just smeared further, making her look like she'd been in a messy fight.
Maria burst into laughter. "Yamato, you're certainly looking 'red' tonight."
"It's her own fault for starting it," Haruko muttered, but seeing Yamato's ridiculous face, her anger faded into a grin.
"Laugh all you want!" Yamato shouted. She grabbed the remaining rouge and slapped it onto Haruko's face before bolting into the crowd. "Hahaha! If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!"
"Young Master! Get back here!" Haruko yelled, charging after her.
"They really are having a good time," Maria sighed happily, lighting her pipe and following them at a leisurely pace.
It didn't take long for Haruko to catch up. Despite Yamato's strength, Haruko was determined.
"Let me go! I'm the Young Master! This is insubordination! I'll have you punished!" Yamato yelled as Haruko pinned her down.
"Punish me later!" Haruko replied, mercilessly layering more rouge onto Yamato's face until it was a dark, bruised-looking mess. Only then did she let her go, feeling thoroughly vindicated.
"Haruko, you're so stingy," Yamato grumbled, standing up and dusting off her clothes. Her face felt stiff under the thick layer of makeup. "It was just a little joke. You chased me through three streets for that?"
"Hmph," Haruko replied, giving her a look that suggested Yamato was lucky she hadn't drawn her sword.
"Honestly, you should learn to be more magnanimous, like me," Yamato said, putting on a serious face despite the red smears. "I'm not even angry. Here, let me help you with the dust on your clothes."
Haruko, thinking the prank war was over, let her guard down.
Slap! Slap!
"That's for being disrespectful to your master!" Yamato laughed, delivering two quick swats to Haruko's backside before sprinting away faster than she ever had before.
Haruko stood frozen for a second, the sting registering. Her face went pale, then red, and her hair practically stood on end. "Young Master..."
She took off like a shot.
Maria caught up just in time to see the chase resume. "She really stepped in it this time," Maria whispered. Yamato was twenty-six, and Haruko was twenty-seven, yet they were acting like children.
Haruko chased Yamato for a full hour before she finally cornered her and returned the "favor" with interest.
"Maria, Haruko is a monster!" Yamato complained later as they walked toward the hot springs. "Do you know what she did? It was cruel! How could she lay a hand on a beauty like me? She's heartless!"
Haruko walked beside them, her expression a mask of cold indifference.
"Didn't you start the whole thing, Yamato?" Maria asked with a smile. "Haruko was just responding in kind. Besides, you look perfectly fine to me."
"Of course I am! I'm a Mythical Zoan user! My durability is top-tier!" Yamato boasted, her confidence instantly returning. She didn't take the "punishment" to heart at all; to her, it was all part of the game.
Both Maria and Haruko couldn't help but laugh at her choice of words.
They soon arrived at the bathhouse.
"I'm jumping in!" Yamato shouted, stripping off her clothes and leaping into the hot spring with a massive splash. Maria and Haruko were more dignified, wrapping themselves in towels before stepping into the steaming water.
"Yamato, wash your face properly," Maria reminded her. "If you leave that rouge on overnight, your skin will still be stained tomorrow."
"I'm on it!" Yamato submerged her head and started scrubbing vigorously. Haruko did the same, using a wet towel to clean her own face.
"All clean!" Yamato announced, popping up and moving toward Haruko. "Come on, Haruko, scrub my back for me."
Haruko looked at her and her mouth twitched. Yamato's face was still clearly pink. "Clean? Sit still, you didn't even try to scrub it off."
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