"Did I miss a spot? I thought I wiped it all away," Yamato muttered. She had assumed a quick scrub was enough and hadn't given it a second thought.
Haruko sighed softly. "Just stay still. Let me do it."
Under Haruko's careful hands, the stubborn red stains finally vanished, leaving Yamato's face clean.
"Yamato, having Haruko around to look after you was definitely the right move," Maria teased with a knowing smile.
"No kidding! There's so much I don't pay attention to. I'd be lost without her," Yamato laughed, leaning back. "Haruko is my literal treasure. Hahaha!"
With Haruko by her side, Yamato never had to worry about the finer details of daily life. She knew she tended to overlook the small things, and Haruko was always there to catch them.
"I'm glad you realize that, Young Master," Haruko said. She reached out to help wash Yamato, her movements practiced and efficient. It was clear she had been doing this for a long time.
"Hehe, Haruko, you're going to make an amazing bride someday. Honestly, just the thought of some guy taking you away makes me feel pretty annoyed." Yamato looked at her with a sudden spark of intensity. "How about this, Haruko? Why don't you just live with me? I'll take care of you for the rest of our lives. What do you say?"
"Ara ara, only Haruko?" Maria interjected, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm getting a little jealous over here, Yamato."
"I haven't forgotten you, Maria! I'm greedy, remember?" Yamato patted her chest with a grin. "Both of you should live with me. I keep my word—I'll treat you both better than anyone else ever could."
Yamato spoke with total sincerity, her golden eyes fixed on them. Maria and Haruko shared a silent look. Only Yamato would make a "proposal" like that with such blunt, honest confidence.
"We'll have to think about it," Maria said tactfully. "That's quite a lot to process all at once."
"Fair enough. It was a bit sudden," Yamato admitted. "But I'm serious. I can't imagine being apart from you two. I want us to go sailing and see the whole world together. Think it over. I might not be a man, but I've got the heart of one, and I can protect you both forever without any problem."
Maria and Haruko couldn't help but laugh. It was such a straightforward, "macho" declaration, yet coming from Yamato, it felt perfectly natural.
"Okay, okay. We understand. We'll give it some serious thought."
They were both touched by the promise. Even without the words, they had already decided to follow Yamato wherever her path led. They just preferred to let things happen naturally. They knew Yamato wasn't one for complex subtext; she simply loved her friends and couldn't bear the thought of losing them. That was more than enough.
By the time they finished their soak in the hot spring, it was already midnight.
"Haruko, I've been meaning to ask," Yamato said as they walked back, casually patting her own chest. "Why is it that every time you wash me or give me a massage, you spend so much extra time here? Are you secretly targeting me or something?"
"Pfft... Hahaha!" Maria doubled over, unable to contain her laughter. "Yamato, how can you ask that with such a straight face?"
Haruko's expression turned remarkably strange. She wondered what kind of mental gymnastics her Young Master had performed to reach that conclusion.
"I'm serious! She really focuses on that area every single time. It made me wonder if she had a grudge," Yamato continued, oblivious to the humor. After a moment, she added, "Is it because you like it? Is it the size? Or the shape?"
Yamato rarely thought about her own body. Though she identified with the spirit of a man, she didn't have a "dirty" mind; her focus was almost entirely on becoming a stronger warrior. Her thoughts were pure, if a bit dense.
"Alright... stop, Yamato... my stomach hurts," Maria gasped, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.
"Young Master, are you doing this on purpose?" Haruko asked, struggling to stay composed. In matters like this, Yamato really was like a child who didn't understand the world.
"Doing what? I'm just confused! Is there a problem?" Yamato rolled her eyes.
"No problem at all," Haruko replied, finally managing to nod. "I'll give you an answer then. It's exactly what you thought. I think you have a great figure, Young Master, so I give those areas extra care."
"Really? Is it that good? I don't see the big deal. Don't we all look basically the same?" Yamato glanced at herself, then at Haruko and Maria. To her, they were all just beautiful, full-figured women.
"Yours is just... a bit more special. I like it. Is that okay?" Haruko asked.
"Of course it's okay! If you liked it, you should have just said so. I thought something was wrong. Hahaha!" Yamato laughed, throwing an arm around Haruko's shoulder. "Just don't go falling for me, Haruko! I'd feel too guilty."
"Stop it, Young Master. You're being narcissistic," Haruko shot back. "I like your figure; I didn't say I was overthinking it. You're the one making it weird."
"Uh... right. My bad. My mind was in the gutter," Yamato admitted easily, smacking her lips.
"Yamato, you really shouldn't say things like that in front of other people," Maria warned with a smile. "You'll become a laughingstock."
"Don't worry, I know. I've got a majestic, imposing image to maintain in public," Yamato nodded.
"So you only act like a fool in front of us?" Maria laughed.
"Exactly! We're family. Acting a bit silly with close friends is just proof of how great our friendship is, right?"
"Right, right. Whatever makes you happy," they replied in unison.
When they returned to Onigashima, the banquet was still roaring. It looked like it wouldn't end until sunrise.
"We should get some sleep. Staying up late is terrible for your skin," Yamato announced, leading them back to their quarters.
"You really care about the strangest things sometimes," Maria chuckled.
"Hey, it's important!" Yamato retorted.
"Maybe so," Haruko added, shaking her head. "But we're pirates. We aren't exactly known for our beauty sleep."
"Trust me on this one. Early to bed, early to rise—it's the secret to health," Yamato grinned.
The night passed, and as the sun began to peek over the horizon, the three of them were already out in a clearing by the shore, their weapons drawn.
Clang! Clang!
Blades coated in black Armament Haki clashed against Yamato's spiked club, sending metallic rings across the island. Maria and Haruko were working together, pushing Yamato with everything they had. Each impact sent powerful shockwaves through the ground, churning the nearby sea.
"Wolf Fang!"
"Two-Sword Style: Night Phantom!"
A wolf's howl echoed through the air as sharp, spider-like slashes tore through the atmosphere. Yamato swung her club horizontally, catching both attacks head-on. The sheer force of the combined strike pushed her back, her feet carving two long trenches into the earth.
"You guys are getting good!" Yamato said, shaking the vibration out of her arm. "You're right at the edge of the Swordsman realm. One more push and you'll both be Great Swordsmen."
Yamato wasn't surprised by Haruko's progress—she'd been training her for years. But Maria's growth caught her off guard. She had reached a high level of mastery without anyone noticing.
"We still can't touch you," Maria said with a small smile. She was determined to keep improving; it would be a waste of the Mythical Zoan fruit Yamato had gifted her if she stayed weak.
"You told us ourselves, Young Master," Haruko added. "As your guards, we have to become Great Swordsmen."
"That's the spirit! If I'm the King, you two are the King's Wings," Yamato declared, her golden eyes flashing. "The stronger you are, the safer I am. I'm looking forward to the day I can just sit back and let you two handle everything."
"We're working on it," Maria replied, sharing a determined look with Haruko. They charged again.
"Then let's turn up the heat! Thunder Bagua!"
Lightning crackled around Yamato's club as she swung, the air screaming under the pressure of the blow.
An hour later, the spar ended.
"Whew... Yamato, your Haki is just ridiculous," Maria panted, leaning against a rock and lighting her pipe. Both she and Haruko were covered in dust and scrapes, having taken the brunt of the training session.
"Young Master, is this why you used to pick fights with Lord Kaido every day?" Haruko asked. She noticed her own Haki felt slightly more refined after the intense exchange.
"Exactly! If you want your Haki to grow, you have to fight people stronger than you," Yamato explained with a grin. "As long as you aren't afraid of getting hit, your Haki will bloom in the heat of battle."
Maria and Haruko remembered those days well. Yamato would challenge Kaido, get beaten into the dirt, and be covered in wounds—only to get up and do it again forty-eight hours later. They used to think she was a masochist, but now they understood. Her Haki had reached its current heights because she had used her father as a whetstone.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I don't have some weird fetish," Yamato joked. "I did it to get strong. Don't worry, I'll be 'gentle' when I help you train yours. I want you both to be able to protect me, after all."
"You always know exactly what to say to make us smile," Maria said softly.
Kaido would never ask his subordinates to protect him, but Yamato's request didn't come from weakness—it came from absolute trust. She saw them as her equals, her wings.
"I'm waiting for that day," Yamato laughed.
"We wouldn't have it any other way," they replied together.
As they walked back, they crossed paths with Jack.
"What were you three doing? Catching rats?" Jack laughed, looking at their dusty clothes. "You're a mess."
"Get lost, Jack. We were training," Yamato snapped. "Want to go a round? Let's see if your Haki is still as weak as I remember. Don't embarrass yourself."
"I don't embarrass myself," Jack snorted. "Besides, I rely on my Devil Fruit. Having 'weaker' Haki doesn't mean much when you're a Mammoth."
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