"No way! Maria and Haruko awakened Conqueror's Haki? Are they going to leave me and start their own crews now?!"
Yamato's cheerful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a look of sharp concern. It was a well-known fact in the New World that those who possessed the "Qualities of a King" rarely stood in the shadow of another. Their willpower was simply too immense to be subservient; they were the type of people who followed their own path, unyielding and driven by their own grand ambitions. No one could stand in the way of someone with that kind of resolve.
"This can't be happening," Yamato muttered, her anxiety spiraling. "I don't have many friends as it is. If Maria and Haruko leave, I'll be all alone!"
The more she dwelled on it, the more distressed she became. They were her only close female companions. The thought of them sailing away to seek their own destinies felt like a punch to the gut. While Yamato was lost in her spiraling thoughts, Maria and Haruko noticed her change in mood and walked over to her.
"Yamato, what's wrong? You were so excited just a second ago," Maria said, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Haruko nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you were just talking about giving us a hug. Why the long face all of a sudden?"
Yamato snapped out of her daze and looked at them with watery eyes. Without warning, she lunged forward and grabbed Haruko in a desperate embrace. "Maria! Haruko! Please don't leave me! I don't think I can handle it!"
The two women exchanged baffled looks. They had no idea what had brought on this sudden emotional outburst. Was this some new game their young master was playing?
"Young Master, what are you talking about? You're making no sense," Haruko said, gently pulling Yamato off her so she could breathe.
Maria stepped closer, looking concerned. "Exactly. Why would we leave? Talk to us, Yamato."
Yamato pouted, her eyes wide as she stared them down. "It's because you both awakened Conqueror's Haki! Don't play dumb with me. You know what that means as well as I do. Now that you have the power of a King, what are you planning to do? Are you going to go off and start your own pirate crews?"
Seeing her acting so childishly, Maria and Haruko couldn't help but let out weary sighs, though their eyes softened. It was clear that Yamato was genuinely afraid of losing them, fearing that their new power would drive them away.
"Pfft... Young Master, I didn't realize you could be this cute," Haruko teased, breaking into a laugh.
"Hey! Are you laughing at me, Haruko? This is serious!" Yamato barked, looking genuinely offended.
Maria smiled warmly and shook her head. "Yamato, we aren't going anywhere. We couldn't leave you even if we wanted to. Don't you remember? You're the one who called us your wings."
"But being the wings of someone like you isn't easy," Haruko added. "We had to evolve. We had to grow stronger to keep up. That's why we awakened that power. It was for you. Do you understand now?"
Yamato blinked, her large eyes shimmering with realization. A wave of pure joy washed over her. "Really? You did it for me? That's... that's amazing!"
She let out a jubilant shout and pounced on Haruko again, planting a loud kiss on her cheek. Before Haruko could even react, Yamato moved to the other cheek for a second one. Then, she pivoted to Maria, delivering two enthusiastic kisses to her cheeks as well.
"Today is the best day ever! Hahaha!" Yamato cheered, her laughter echoing across the coast.
With the misunderstanding resolved, the atmosphere turned lighthearted. To be honest, Maria and Haruko were just as stunned as Yamato was. They hadn't expected to manifest such a rare power during their breakthrough. It felt as though their resolve had suddenly crystallized, giving them a clear vision of the path they wanted to walk. In that moment of absolute clarity, their spirits had transformed, and an explosive force had erupted from within their minds.
They realized then that it was Conqueror's Haki, the rarest power in the world.
"Maria, Haruko, let's head back and have some tea," Yamato suggested, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "I want to hear every single detail about how it felt!"
"Fair enough," Maria replied with a nod. "We still have a lot of questions ourselves."
As the three of them left the shore, they didn't notice a figure watching from the distance. King, who was currently overseeing Jack's training, paused and looked toward the coast.
"Was that just my imagination?" King muttered to himself. "I thought I sensed an unfamiliar Conqueror's Haki for a split second. Or was it just the Young Master's? No, it felt different..."
He shook his head, unsure if his senses were playing tricks on him. Meanwhile, Yamato and her companions returned to their quarters to dissect the day's events.
"So, based on what you've described," Yamato said, looking thoughtful as she sipped her tea, "it seems like Conqueror's Haki can awaken when your will reaches a new level of clarity. If you find a path you're willing to die for, that spirit manifests."
"It would seem so," Maria agreed. "The common belief is that you have to be born with it, but maybe that's not the whole story."
"Well, it's definitely easier for some," Yamato noted. "Like my idiot old man, or even me. I probably just inherited the talent for it. You know the saying: 'A dragon begets a dragon.' But for you two, it seems your experiences and your resolve shaped that talent from scratch."
"That sounds about right," Maria said. "I don't think either of us ever expected to be associated with that kind of power."
Haruko nodded. "I certainly didn't. It's still a bit of a shock."
"Who cares how it happened? The point is, you both have it now! Hehe!" Yamato laughed, rubbing her cheeks in delight. She couldn't stop smiling, touched by the fact that they had pushed themselves to such heights just to stand by her side.
Seeing Yamato so genuinely happy, Maria and Haruko shared a smile. Yamato had changed their lives in ways they never could have imagined. They felt that as long as they followed her, the impossible became possible. To them, she had the qualities of a true leader—a King.
And they were proud to be her wings.
"Two beautiful Master Swordsmen with Conqueror's Haki... I guess I'll be counting on you to protect me from now on," Yamato joked, flopping down and resting her head on Maria's lap.
"It would be our honor," Maria replied. For a moment, a sharp, fierce glint appeared in both women's eyes as they looked at Yamato, but it quickly faded back into a look of sisterly affection.
"Hahaha! Stop! That tickles!" Yamato shrieked as Haruko began poking her sides. "Haruko, you jerk! Cut it out!"
The room filled with the sounds of their playful bickering and laughter.
Months flew by, and soon half a year had passed since that fateful day. Then, a piece of news arrived that shook the foundations of the entire world: the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had resurfaced.
"What?! Whitebeard's power is back?"
"Is this a joke? He only died six months ago. How did someone find it so fast?"
"The ocean is huge! Finding a specific reborn Fruit in six months is like finding a needle in a haystack. This has to be fake."
"Who has it? The Marines? The World Government? If they found it, they'd keep it a secret, wouldn't they?"
"I heard it's a pirate crew from the New World—the Pietro Pirates. Apparently, they found it in the first half of the Grand Line and brought it back here."
"They aren't keeping it, though. They know they can't defend something that valuable. They're putting it up for auction!"
"Smart move. Keeping that fruit is a death sentence."
Under normal circumstances, a single Devil Fruit wouldn't cause such a global stir. But this wasn't just any fruit. It was the Gura Gura no Mi, the strongest of the Paramecia class. It was the power that had belonged to the "Strongest Man in the World," Edward Newgate. The mere mention of it was enough to draw the attention of every major power on the sea, from the Marines and the World Government to the Shichibukai and the remaining Yonko.
On Onigashima, the high-ranking executives of the Beasts Pirates gathered to discuss the news. Even Yamato showed up to listen, which was a rare occurrence.
"I'm sure you've all heard," Kaido said, leaning his head on his hand. "Whitebeard's fruit has been found by some nobodies called the Pietro Pirates."
Kaido didn't seem particularly excited. He already had his own power, and his goal was to create an army of Zoan users, not Paramecia. However, he was very interested in who would end up with it. He couldn't allow such a destructive weapon to fall into the hands of the Marines or a rival pirate crew.
"King, where are these Pietro guys?" Queen asked, chomping on a cigar. "Let's just go find them and take it."
King shook his head. "They've gone into hiding. They're working with Morgans, the 'Big News' guy. He's keeping them off the grid."
"They've entrusted the whole thing to Morgans," King continued. "It's going to be sold through an underground auction. There's no way to just snatch it without starting a war with the entire underworld."
Queen huffed. "Clever bastards. They're turning a hot potato into a mountain of Berry."
"It's going to be a madhouse," Yamato chimed in. "I wonder how much it'll go for. The Ope Ope no Mi was worth 5,000,000,000. Can the Tremor-Tremor Fruit beat that?"
"If the World Government is allowed to bid, they'll just outspend everyone," Maria pointed out. "No one has deeper pockets than the Celestials."
"We don't have the details on the bidders yet," King said. "The auction is set for one month from now. Morgans will be sending out invitations soon. Until then, we wait."
Yamato grinned, looking far too excited. "This is going to be quite the show. I can't wait to see the chaos."
Jack glanced at her. "You don't want to watch the show. You want to start trouble, don't you?"
Yamato laughed and nudged him. "Oh, Jack! You know me so well. Do you have a crush on me or something?"
"Get lost," Jack snapped, looking disgusted. "If I ever caught feelings for you, I'd start writing my name backward. Don't say stuff like that in front of everyone."
The room went quiet as the other executives—and even Kaido—stared at them. Kaido's expression darkened slightly. While he wasn't exactly a doting father, having an underling speak so bluntly about his child felt like a slight against his bloodline.
Jack realized his mistake almost immediately. "Big Brother, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant... she's Yamato! You know how she is! I have zero interest, I swear!"
Kaido exhaled a cloud of smoke and waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. I know you didn't mean anything by it." He took a long look at Yamato and added, "Besides, if any man actually fell for her, I'd think the sun was rising in the west."
"Hahaha! Jack, why are you so defensive?" Yamato teased. "You know what they say: 'The more you deny it, the truer it is!'"
Jack's veins popped in his forehead. "Yamato! Shut up! You're driving me crazy!"
"Okay, okay! Relax before you turn into a mammoth," Yamato said, waving him off.
The tension in the room broke as a few people chuckled. It was clear that Yamato knew exactly how to push Jack's buttons.
"Fine," Kaido growled, standing up. "We've discussed it. You're dismissed. I'm going back to my drinks."
He didn't care enough about a single fruit to plan an invasion. As far as he was concerned, as long as it didn't cause him problems later, he was content to let the rest of the world fight over Whitebeard's scraps.
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