"It's nothing to be proud of, Jack. Who gave you that idea? Even if you're an Ancient Zoan, you're really just a specialized punching bag. If you don't bother to train your Haki, what are you even trying to achieve?"
Yamato leaned in, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "When the time comes, aren't you afraid people will start whispering, 'Look at Jack that simpleton—he's got a bounty of 1,000,000,000, but 900,000,000 of it is just for his tusks'?"
"Pfft... A billion-Berry bounty with nine hundred million just for the ivory. That's actually a pretty good deal."
Maria and Haruko both burst into laughter. It was a well-known fact that an elephant's tusks were its most valuable asset, and Jack—user of the Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Model: Mammoth—was certainly well-endowed in that department.
Jack looked like he'd swallowed a lemon. His eyes widened, fluctuating between shock and pure fury. "Damn it, Yamato! You never have anything good to say!"
A 1,000,000,000 bounty with ninety percent of it attributed to his teeth? It was pure slander, a total insult to his reputation as an All-Star.
"Hey, I don't have tusks, and I'm definitely not a dog," Yamato chuckled, enjoying his reaction. "But you, Jack... you literally have a pair of giant ivory spears sticking out of your face."
Maria and Haruko were doubling over now. Only Yamato could come up with a line that insulted someone's strength and anatomy so efficiently.
"Yamato, you bastard... how dare you talk about me like that..." Jack gritted his teeth. He had known the moment he ran into her this morning that his luck had run out, and she had proven him right in record time.
"Don't get your trunk in a twist, Jack. I'm just making a logical deduction. Did I say anything that wasn't true? Besides, I'm saying this because I care. Don't neglect your Haki. You can't just rely on your Devil Fruit forever. You're a Zoan; Haki is your bread and butter, okay?"
Yamato shrugged, maintaining a facade of earnest, sisterly advice.
"Mind your own business! Stay out of it. I've got plenty of work to do. Do you think everyone is as idle as you are?" Jack glared at her, completely refusing to acknowledge the point.
"See? This is exactly what I mean by 'simpleton.' If you listen to advice, you'll stay fed. If you ignore me, you're going to suffer for it eventually. Maria, Haruko, let's go. We're wasting our time on this blockhead."
Yamato curled her lip, turned on her heel, and strolled away.
"Jack, do you really think she's just being annoying?" Maria asked, lingering for a moment with a faint smile.
Jack's eyes flickered, and he let out a sharp snort. "Did you hear what she said? 900,000,000 for the tusks! I am Jack the Drought! What kind of joke has she turned me into?"
Hearing Jack repeat the figure himself almost sent Maria and Haruko back into another fit of giggles.
"But Lord Jack, that's just how the Young Master is. You've known her your whole life," Haruko said gently. "Her point is valid: don't let your Haki fall behind. You're smart enough to see the truth in that, aren't you?"
Among the Three Disasters, Jack was the youngest—close in age to Yamato. Their relationship was more like childhood friends or bickering siblings than commanding officers. That was why she felt so comfortable mocking him; she saw him as a peer. Of course, Jack was also the easiest person on Onigashima to rile up.
"I'm not an idiot. I get it," Jack muttered, rolling his eyes.
Maria and Haruko shared a satisfied look.
"Jack, Yamato is right this time. You need to focus on your Haki. Your Fruit is powerful, but you can't let Haki become your weak point. Think about it."
With that, they followed after Yamato.
"Haki..."
Jack stood alone in the courtyard, watching them disappear. To be honest, seeing Yamato's growth had already sparked some thoughts in his mind. But his life was consumed by the work he did for his eldest brother, Kaido. To Jack, Kaido's ambitions always came first.
"What am I supposed to do? Follow Yamato's lead and go ask Big Bro or King to beat the hell out of me?" Jack's eye twitched at the thought. "I'm not a masochist like she is."
If he went to Kaido or Queen and asked to be pummeled for the sake of "training," they'd probably look at him like he was some kind of freak.
"Should I ask Yamato? No. I'd rather die." Jack shook his head violently. He couldn't stand the smug look she'd give him. After weighing his options, he decided to find King. King was the most reasonable of his "brothers," and the easiest to talk to.
Ever since the War of the Best at Marineford, the New World had been in a state of flux. With Whitebeard's death, the era of the strongest man had ended, and the Whitebeard Pirates' influence was plummeting.
Pirate crews everywhere were restless, moving in to snatch up the territories Whitebeard had spent decades protecting. Although the Division Commanders were fighting desperately to hold the line, the results were lackluster. Without the terrifying shadow of Whitebeard looming over them, the world's fear of his crew had vanished.
Rumors were also swirling about internal fractures. Several allied crews had already jumped ship to strike out on their own.
"When the master leaves, the tea grows cold," Yamato remarked, looking over a stack of intelligence reports. "But honestly, this isn't a bad thing. It's a chance to prune the dead weight. Those who only followed him because of his title were never going to stay once he fell. It's natural."
"In a way, it's better for the core crew. They won't be such a massive, slow-moving target anymore," she added.
"The Whitebeard Pirates still have heavy hitters like Marco the Phoenix, Fire Fist Ace, Diamond Jozu, and Flower Sword Vista," Haruko noted as she set a tray of black tea on the table. "They aren't going down without a fight, but the real question is what the Marines and the World Government will do. Now that the head is gone, will they allow the rest of the body to keep living?"
"Hmph. The New World is pirate territory," Maria said, exhaling a thin cloud of smoke. "The Marines don't have enough reach to dismantle them entirely. The Whitebeard Pirates are playing it smart—they've gone into hiding to lick their wounds. Once they fade from the headlines, they'll have more room to move. I'm curious to see what their next move is."
"There's also the matter of the so-called 'Worst Generation,'" Haruko mentioned. "Aside from Straw Hat and that rookie Trafalgar Law, all of them have officially crossed into the New World. And every single one of them seems to be gunning for the Emperors."
Maria laughed. "The youth are so impatient these days. The New World isn't Paradise. If they don't learn some patience, they're going to get crushed."
The "Worst Generation"—it was a catchy title, largely popularized by the news mogul Big News Morgans. Without his constant hype, the name probably wouldn't have stuck.
"They're all kids around twenty who made a name for themselves in just a few years, all with bounties over 100,000,000," Haruko said. "The Straw Hats are the biggest outliers, reaching that level in less than a year. Having ten rookies like that appear at once is rare, and Morgans knows how to sell a story."
In Haruko's eyes, they were just arrogant kids who probably didn't even know what Haki was. If they didn't learn to keep their heads down, the New World would humble them very quickly.
"Being grouped into the Worst Generation at least means they have talent," Yamato said with a chuckle. "They survived the First Half, so they're the best of their crop. But the New World is a complete reset. Whether they can actually grow into pirates capable of challenging a Yonko... that's down to luck and grit."
"The ones in too much of a hurry will eliminate themselves," Haruko added dismissively.
"That's a bit cold, Haruko! Let's just wait and see what kind of storm these kids can actually stir up," Yamato laughed. After a pause, she added, "By the way, any word on Blackbeard?"
Beyond the rookies, Blackbeard was the real wild card. Because of Yamato's interference at Marineford, he hadn't secured the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, but she knew he wasn't the type to give up. He was likely still hunting for it, unwilling to settle for a lesser power unless he had no other choice.
"There's some news, but he's being quiet," Haruko reported. "The last sighting was at Sabaody, where they caused a massive scene before vanishing. The Blackbeard Pirates have officially been stripped of their Warlord titles and are back on the wanted lists."
"Not a shocker," Maria said. "He broke several Level Six criminals out of Impel Down. Even with Sanjuan Wolf dead at your hands, Yamato, he still has four monsters with him, including that former Head Jailer, Shiliew of the Rain. The Government tried to bury the story, but the Marines know the truth. It'll leak eventually."
"With Whitebeard gone, there's a hole in the Four Emperors," Maria continued. "The sea is getting louder. I don't think the Marines realized that killing Whitebeard would actually make the pirates more aggressive, not less."
"I wonder if Marco and the others will hunt Blackbeard down," Yamato mused, rubbing her chin. "He started this whole mess. Whitebeard's death is on his hands. If I were them, I'd hate him even more than I hate the Marines."
"Only if he comes back to the New World," Haruko pointed out. "If he stays hidden in the First Half, they can't touch him."
"Oh, he'll come back," Yamato said with absolute certainty. "He's dropped the act now; there's no reason to hide anymore. He'll force his way back. If he stays in Paradise, the Marines and the World Government will eventually corner him. The New World is the only place big enough for a man like him to breathe."
Maria and Haruko nodded; Yamato's logic was sound. Blackbeard's return was inevitable, and perhaps the Whitebeard Pirates were simply waiting for him to show his face.
"One more thing, Young Master," Haruko said, pulling out a final report. "There's a shake-up happening in the Marine hierarchy. It looks like the Fleet Admiral is stepping down."
The report stated that Sengoku was taking full responsibility for the chaos of the war and the Impel Down breakout. He was moving to a semi-retired position. His successor would likely be chosen from the three current Admirals.
"Who do you think it'll be?" Yamato asked with a grin. "Kizaru, Akainu, or Aokiji?"
Maria and Haruko thought it over. "Kizaru is too lazy for the paperwork. It's between Akainu and Aokiji."
"Akainu is the radical," Haruko analyzed. "He lives for 'Absolute Justice' and genuinely hates pirates. Aokiji is more moderate. The World Government probably prefers Akainu's iron fist, but for the actual health of the Marines, Aokiji is the better choice. He might actually change things."
Yamato couldn't have agreed more. "Spot on. Let's see who the Government picks."
On the upper floor of the Onigashima castle, Jack found King.
"Jack. You have a report for me?" King asked, not looking up from his task.
"Uh... no. Actually, King... I wanted to ask for your help. With training," Jack stammered, his face heating up.
King froze, then slowly looked up with a look of pure bewilderment. He looked at Jack as if the man had just started speaking a foreign language. To hear Jack—the most stubborn of the All-Stars—ask for help with training was unprecedented.
Jack felt his face burning. He knew this would be embarrassing.
"Jack? You're asking for training?" King actually let out a small laugh. "Did Yamato get to you?"
"Tch. She just... she mentioned my Haki was falling behind," Jack coughed into his hand. "And I noticed she's been training Maria and Haruko lately."
He didn't need to say more. King understood. Jack was an All-Star; if the Young Master's guards ended up stronger than him, he'd never hear the end of it.
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