"Alright, stop thinking so much about all that messy stuff. Let's just focus on healing your injuries first, and we can think about the rest later," Yamato said, waving her hand to cut off the topic. Seeing that Yamato had ended the discussion, Queen and the other officers did not say anything more.
Over the next few days, the members of the Beasts Pirates stayed on Onigashima to recover, refusing to go anywhere else. Every day, Yamato walked around the fortress, checking on her subordinates and stabilizing their morale.
Soon, the night of the Fire Festival arrived.
The Flower Capital was brightly lit, with thousands of sky lanterns floating into the night. The citizens of Wano Country were celebrating the arrival of the new year and the dawn of a new light in their land. Wano Country had been ruled by Orochi and Kaido for over twenty years, leaving the country scarred and its people suffering immensely. Now, the Kozuki Clan had finally reclaimed Wano Country, ending that dark rule forever.
"It's a pity I can't go out and have fun for this year's Fire Festival," Yamato muttered, standing on the edge of Onigashima and gazing toward the distant lights of the Flower Capital. Besides, in just a few more days, she would be taking the Beasts Pirates and leaving this place behind.
"Hey, Yamato!"
A voice called out, and a large blue bird flew in from the sky. It was none other than Marco, and he was carrying someone else with him: Ace.
Yamato looked at the two of them, somewhat surprised. "Why are you two here? Today is the Fire Festival. Why aren't you staying in the Flower Capital to have fun instead of running over here?"
Marco landed safely and let Ace down. "We're leaving tomorrow. We came to see you before we go."
"Leaving so soon? You have quite a few acquaintances here, don't you? Why not stay a few more days? Especially you—your brother is still here, and he's a great hero," Yamato said, crossing her arms.
"I'm not a kid anymore. Besides, I've already stayed here for two days. Seeing that Luffy is doing fine puts my mind at ease. We'll meet again eventually anyway," Ace said with a smile. Next, his brother was going to become the Pirate King, and he was deeply looking forward to it.
"Yeah, that's right. The business in Wano Country is over. Yamato, what are your plans for the future? If you're returning Wano Country to them, are you planning to take the Beasts Pirates out to sea?" Marco asked.
"That's right. I plan to take the Beasts Pirates out to sea and live freely on our own turf," Yamato nodded.
"That's good to hear. Knowing you're no longer interested in Wano Country puts my mind at ease," Marco laughed. If Yamato still had designs on Wano Country, it would be a huge problem once Kaido recovered and tried to attack the nation again.
"Do I look like that kind of person? A good horse doesn't graze on old grass. Besides, Wano Country is basically my hometown, so of course I hope it thrives," Yamato said, rolling her eyes.
"Haha, that's good. If only your idiot father thought the same way as you. Too bad, there are no 'ifs'," Marco said. He quite liked Yamato. Back during the Marineford War, Marco felt that Yamato was someone he could get along with, and her personality suited his tastes perfectly.
"Yamato, what do you plan to do once you're out at sea?" Ace asked.
"What else could I do? Didn't I already tell you? Eat, drink, play, and just enjoy life," Yamato said with a pout.
"You talk like you're some old person. Can't you be a bit more lively?" Ace said, completely speechless.
"Haha, Ace is right. Yamato, you're still young—why are you in such a rush to retire? Besides, the situation on the seas is changing every day. It might not be that easy for you to find peace and quiet," Marco laughed. Once Yamato returned to the sea with the Beasts Pirates, they would still have a huge influence on the New World. Unlike when they were isolated in Wano Country, they wouldn't be able to just close themselves off and ignore the outside world.
"If the conditions aren't there, I'll create them. Otherwise, why did I train so hard to gain this strength? What about you guys? Are you planning to stir up trouble?" Yamato retorted.
"Count me out. I'm truly getting old. It's about time I retired and settled down. But Ace is still very young—he's at the age where he should be out exploring," Marco said, shaking his head. He had already made up his mind. After coming to Wano Country to assist in the war, he planned to go into seclusion. Unless something special happened in the future, he probably wouldn't appear on the grand stage again.
Yamato looked at Ace and raised an eyebrow. "What about you? Is my second disciple planning to do anything big?"
"Me? I haven't thought about it yet. I'll continue to explore and train in the New World. The situation out there is changing fast, and I feel like the World Government is also making moves. Luffy is going to set off to become the Pirate King next, and there will definitely be times when I can help him. I need to be prepared," Ace said, completely ignoring Yamato's way of addressing him.
"Tsk tsk, I didn't realize you were such a doting brother. That's good, though. The World Government definitely won't just sit by and watch your brother become the Pirate King, so you're right to prepare in advance. By the way, if there's any excitement to be had, feel free to call me. I love joining in on the fun," Yamato said, patting Ace on the shoulder.
Hearing this, the corners of Ace's and Marco's eyes twitched. She really was incredibly straightforward. Was that really something a normal girl would say?
Afterward, Yamato continued to chat with Marco and Ace for a while before the two of them finally took their leave.
After Marco and Ace left, Yamato returned inside the skull dome of Onigashima. In the infirmary, Kaido and Big Mom were still unconscious, showing no signs of waking up. Queen, on the other hand, was healing quite quickly and could already walk around freely. The other executives and the lower-ranking subordinates had also recovered a fair amount, though their spirits remained incredibly low.
"Uncle King, Uncle Queen, your injuries aren't fully healed yet, so you should pay more attention to resting and drink less alcohol," Yamato said, looking at King and Queen.
"It's fine. We're Ancient Zoan type users, after all—our recovery rate is top-notch," Queen said, not caring in the slightest.
"Young Miss, when are we leaving Wano Country? If we keep staying here, I'm afraid the samurai of Wano Country will feel threatened," King asked.
"In a few more days. But before we leave, we need to make some preparations," Yamato said after thinking for a moment.
Hearing Yamato's answer, King nodded. "That works. Leaving as soon as possible will save both sides from feeling awkward."
"One more thing. Once we leave Wano Country this time, we probably won't be coming back. I remember that quite a few of our subordinates are originally from Wano Country, right? How about this: find an opportunity, Uncle King, and ask those people if they are willing to stay behind and become citizens of Wano Country again. I don't think the Kozuki Clan would object. If anyone is willing to stay, let them stay, and they can follow the Kozuki Clan to rebuild Wano Country. If they don't want to stay, they can come with the Beasts Pirates," Yamato added.
"Alright, I'll take care of it tomorrow," King said, agreeing after considering the idea. It was best to screen everyone in the Beasts Pirates now so that once they were out at sea, things could get on the right track immediately without any extra worries.
The next day, King gathered the remaining subordinates and asked if anyone among them wanted to stay in Wano Country. In the end, only about 2,000 people chose to stay behind, which was not a very large number.
"Since you've chosen to stay, behave like ordinary citizens of Wano Country. Don't think of yourselves as pirates anymore. If you dare to commit crimes or slack off, the Kozuki Clan won't forgive you," Yamato told them before dismissing the group.
Even after losing those men, the Beasts Pirates still had over 13,000 people left, meaning their scale was still quite significant. Once they reached the open sea, they would easily be able to establish a foothold and remain overlords of the New World.
That same day, the unconscious Kaido and Big Mom finally woke up one after the other.
"Lord Kaido is awake!"
Hearing the sudden report from the subordinates, King, Queen, Jack, and the others immediately rushed over to the medical room.
"Big Brother!" Seeing Kaido open his eyes, King and the others were incredibly happy, feeling as if they had finally regained their backbone. Kaido glanced at them without saying a single word, leaving them to wonder what he was thinking.
"Those two brats, I won't forgive them!"
That was the very first thing Big Mom shouted after waking up. This showed exactly how unwilling she was to accept the fact that she had been defeated by Law and Kid.
"Hey, tell me, what happened afterward?" Big Mom ordered, glaring at Queen. Although Queen did not like the old woman, he still explained the events that followed the battle.
"How is that possible? Kaido, you bastard, you actually lost to Straw Hat?!" Big Mom turned to look at Kaido, who was lying in bed wrapped in heavy bandages, her face filled with shock. She was even more shocked by this news than when she learned she had been defeated by the combined efforts of Law and Kid.
"Hmph, didn't you, old hag, also lose to those two brats, Law and Kid?" Kaido snorted coldly.
"That's only because those two brats were too cunning. I didn't lose to them in a fair fight," Big Mom said stubbornly.
"A loss is a loss. There are no excuses," Kaido sneered.
Big Mom was furious. "Say whatever you want. In any case, I will absolutely never admit this defeat."
At this moment, Yamato walked into the room. "Great Aunt, what happened? Who upset you?"
Seeing Yamato enter, Big Mom's attention was immediately diverted. "Yamato, I'm hungry. Get me something to eat."
"Alright, I'll have someone get it," Yamato said, nodding to her subordinates. Then, Yamato walked over to Kaido's bed and sat down, looking at him with a playful expression while remaining completely silent.
Seeing Yamato act like this, King and the others felt their eyes twitch, as this teasing attitude was all too familiar.
"Brat, if you have something to say, say it. If not, get out," Kaido roared at her. Now that he had been defeated by Straw Hat, he was already in a terrible mood, and his oldest child was only here to annoy him further.
"Haha, you're yelling so loud, so I guess you're doing fine. By the way, idiot father, the Beasts Pirates are preparing to withdraw from Wano Country," Yamato laughed and informed him. Hearing Yamato say that the crew was withdrawing, Kaido frowned but did not voice any opposition.
"Withdraw from Wano Country? Does that mean you're giving up on this place? Kaido, are you really willing to do that?" Big Mom asked, extremely surprised.
Kaido stared blankly at the ceiling. "My plan has already been shattered. There's nothing to be unwilling about."
"That's really not like you, saying such spineless things. However, it's hard to believe that Straw Hat was actually able to defeat you head-on. The last time at Cake Island, he was still running away while I chased him. I didn't expect that in such a short time, he would have grown to the point of being able to defeat one of the Yonko head-on," Big Mom said, her tone filled with a rare sense of gravity. Defeating a Yonko in a direct clash proved absolute strength.
Kaido remained silent. His defeat to Straw Hat was an established fact, and there was nothing left to discuss.
At this moment, a subordinate brought in a tray of food.
"Isn't this red bean soup with rice cakes? It looks delicious," Big Mom said, her eyes immediately lighting up as she grabbed the food and started eating.
"Damn old woman, giving her my favorite red bean soup with rice cakes! Those guys in the kitchen..." Queen muttered, looking completely annoyed.
"Idiot father, eat something. Hurry up and heal your injuries. The Beasts Pirates still can't function properly without you," Yamato said, placing another portion of food to the side of his bed. Kaido glanced sideways at his child. This was probably the very first time Yamato had ever said something like that to him.
"Go get my sake," Kaido said, sitting up and instructing King and the others.
"I'm on it," Jack said, leaving to run the errand himself.
Afterward, Kaido and Big Mom continued to stay in the infirmary to recover, doing nothing else and leaving the daily affairs of the Beasts Pirates entirely to Yamato.
Soon, eight days had passed since that monumental battle.
On the final night before leaving Wano Country, the members of the Beasts Pirates had completed all their preparations. Yamato stood on the roof of Onigashima, looking around the massive floating island. "Should this Onigashima be returned to its original place, or should I leave it here? Forget it, I'll just put it back." After considering the options, Yamato decided to return Onigashima to its original location, planning to execute the move before they set sail tomorrow.
Suddenly, Yamato looked sharply in one direction. An unfamiliar and powerful presence had just entered Wano Country.
"Who is it? Could it be Admiral Aramaki?" Yamato thought to herself. She remembered that according to the original course of events, although the Marines did not have the resources to intervene directly in Wano Country's affairs, Fleet Admiral Akainu still sent Aramaki to investigate. In that timeline, Aramaki first wiped out the remaining, weakened members of the Beasts Pirates and then tried to go after Straw Hat to cause trouble. As it turned out, Red Hair Shanks arrived in the surrounding waters and used his Conqueror's Haki from afar to suppress Aramaki, completely scaring him off.
"Aramaki, huh? Looks like he's coming straight for the Beasts Pirates. This guy doesn't think that just because our crew was defeated and everyone is severely injured, he can just walk in and pick up the scraps, does he?" Yamato thought, stroking her chin. She could clearly sense that the marine was approaching Onigashima, and his intentions were obvious. "Well then, if you see me standing here, will you still dare to make a move?"
With that thought, Yamato jumped off the roof, transformed into her grand dragon form, and flew off into the night sky toward the intruder.
A few minutes later, Yamato encountered a man with a large flower growing out of his body. He was a green-haired man wearing sunglasses, possessing thick lips, and draped in a Marine officer's coat. He had a prominent tattoo on his torso that read "Fushigawa" and carried a sword strapped to his waist. The man carried the distinct air of a rogue, resembling a common thug who had walked out of nowhere. This person was none other than Marine Admiral Aramaki.
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