However, the other party was clearly unimpressed, and Aramaki was absolutely furious. "You want to capture me? That is completely impossible! If you actually have the guts to do it, just kill me right here!"
"Want to die? That is impossible. I refuse to kill you. I intend to lock you up and wait for the Marines to pay to ransom you back," Yamato smirked, revealing her true purpose.
An Admiral was definitely worth a massive fortune. Most importantly, the Marines certainly would not ignore Aramaki. He was, after all, an active Admiral. Although he had not held the high position for very long, he still possessed massive political influence. Therefore, even if the Marines were deeply unwilling to cooperate, they would have to pay a steep price to ransom Aramaki back. Yamato was not afraid of being held a grudge by the Marines or the World Government. After all, her identity as an outlaw was clear, and she was the leading figure of the Beasts Pirates; it was perfectly normal to be at total odds with the Marines.
"You—you want to use me for a ransom?!" Upon hearing Yamato's plan, Aramaki's eyes widened in pure shock.
This girl was simply outrageous; her audacity knew absolutely no bounds. Capturing a Marine Admiral and using him for a financial ransom—was this something a normal person would ever think of?
"That's right. I plan to use you for a ransom. As for the specific amount, let's set it at 3,000,000,000 Berries for now. You're worth about that much to the World Government," Yamato nodded, admitting her scheme directly.
Aramaki was so incredibly angry he could not even speak, his lips trembling violently. This person was simply not human.
"Alright, I've said enough to you. Now, just accept your fate. Don't worry, I won't abuse you," Yamato looked at Aramaki with malicious intent, as if she were looking at a huge pile of cash.
"Don't count on it! I'll fight you to the absolute death!" Aramaki roared, mobilizing all his remaining Haki and charging wildly toward Yamato.
"Little Aramaki, you're being far too insolent," Yamato snorted. She extended a massive dragon claw and pressed it heavily down on him.
Bang!
The rocky ground cracked into a deep crater, and Aramaki was slammed directly into the earth by Yamato's heavy palm.
"Cough, cough—damn it, you damn pirate!" In the deep pit, Aramaki lay there in a truly sorry state, coughing up a mouthful of dark blood. Then, he struggled to stand up on his shaky legs and desperately activated his Devil Fruit ability.
A faint green light flashed across his body from time to time, and his skin slowly began to turn the rough color of tree bark. However, Yamato's crushing Conqueror's Haki remained tightly locked onto him. No matter how hard he tried to activate his Logia power, it did not produce the desired effect, instead flickering weakly like a faulty neon light.
"Don't waste your energy, Aramaki. I'm locking you down completely with my Conqueror's Haki; you won't be able to activate your ability, and you can't break through my willpower," Yamato watched him calmly, not in any rush to launch another attack.
"I don't believe it! Ah!" Aramaki let out a low roar, mobilizing all his Haki to resist Yamato's oppressive Conqueror's Haki while simultaneously forcing his plant ability to manifest.
His body slowly began to transform into that of a large tree-man, but the process was incredibly slow and looked extremely difficult. After a dozen painful seconds, Aramaki finally managed to assume the appearance of a wooden giant. However, compared to his previous massive transformations, this version of Aramaki was much smaller, having only grown to twice the size of his standard human form.
"Pfft—hahaha! Aramaki, are you trying to be funny? You went through all that intense trouble just to turn into something this small?" Yamato burst into loud laughter upon seeing Aramaki's pathetic transformation.
Aramaki did not care whether Yamato was laughing at him or not; he was currently highly focused, otherwise his Logia ability would quickly be dispelled by the surrounding Haki pressure.
"Damn it, being locked down by her Conqueror's Haki, I don't even have the chance to turn into a traveling seed and escape. What is the point of struggling so hard to activate my ability? Isn't this just a total waste of effort?" Aramaki realized with a sinking heart that he had zero opportunity to use his escape techniques.
"Young Miss, I've brought the heavy Sea Stone handcuffs," at that moment, a familiar figure appeared. It was Haruko. She was followed by several tough subordinates, who were holding a pair of heavy Sea Stone handcuffs.
"You're finally here. Then it's time to end this little game," Yamato nodded and raised her massive dragon claw once again. This time, the claw was densely enveloped in advanced Conqueror's Haki, with thick strands of red and black lightning crackling violently around it.
"What are you doing? Stop! Stop right there!" Seeing Yamato's terrifying movement, Aramaki shouted in panic.
At the same time, his focus completely wavered, and his wooden form was quickly forced back into his original human appearance, falling to his knees with a heavy thud.
"I refuse. Just lie down for a bit," Yamato unceremoniously slapped him down, landing a solid, crushing hit on Aramaki.
Nearby, Haruko, seeing this brutal scene, shook her head gently, feeling a slight sense of sympathy for this foolish Admiral. Who told him, a Marine Admiral, to come to the isolated Wano Country for no logical reason, and specifically target the remaining forces of the Beasts Pirates? Was this not just asking to get himself badly hurt? Furthermore, Aramaki's overall strength seemed to be at the absolute bottom among the current Admirals. Although he possessed a rare Logia Type ability, it was completely insufficient in front of the Young Miss; one could safely say it was not even as versatile as Admiral Fujitora's gravity power.
After taking that incredibly solid hit from Yamato, even the resilient Aramaki could no longer move.
"You bastard—" Aramaki muttered weakly. He had not completely passed out, but his internal injuries were not light; at the very least, he possessed absolutely no ability to resist anymore.
"Go on, cuff him tightly," Yamato deactivated her Zoan ability, returned to her regular human form, and signaled her waiting subordinates.
"Yes, Young Miss." Several subordinates immediately stepped forward and securely cuffed Aramaki with the heavy Sea Stone handcuffs. Once the Sea Stone restraints were clicked into place, the proud Admiral was completely reduced to a helpless prisoner.
"Let's go, back to the base we go," Yamato waved her hand casually, and the group slowly returned to the main fortress of Onigashima.
Upon returning to the interior of Onigashima, a large crowd of pirates gathered around, staring at the handcuffed Admiral with their jaws dropping in absolute surprise.
"Is he really the Marine Admiral Aramaki?!"
"No way, a legendary Admiral was captured by the Young Miss just like that? Are the current Admirals really this weak?"
"It's not that the Admiral is too weak, it's that our Young Miss is just way too strong!"
"Exactly, the Young Miss is just too powerful!"
Seeing himself being gawked at by low-level outlaws like common merchandise, Aramaki was deeply mortified. He, a dignified Marine Admiral, had actually been reduced to a pathetic prisoner and was being watched like a caged monkey; it was truly humiliating.
"Young Miss, you've captured a Marine Admiral; Fleet Headquarters will likely not sit still after this," King said, suppressing the profound shock in his heart. He had originally thought Yamato was just playing around with the guy and would send him flying off into the sea afterward; he had not expected her to actually bring him back as a literal prisoner.
"It's fine. I captured him specifically to exchange for a massive ransom," Yamato stated her financial plan directly.
"A ransom? Young Miss, you actually want the Marines to come forward and pay cash to ransom Aramaki back? This—will the Marines ever agree to such a thing?" King was completely startled by the sheer boldness of Yamato's idea.
Capturing an Admiral and then demanding the Marines pay money to get him back was a massive gamble. This might seem like they had not gone too far by avoiding execution, but in reality, it was an incredibly brutal slap in the face to the pride of the Marines.
"The Marines will definitely agree to our terms. This is their newly appointed Admiral, after all. They have to pay this money whether they want to or not. As expected of the Young Miss, absolutely impressive!" Queen gave Yamato a massive thumbs up. Even he could not have thought of such a devious method; it was simply pure genius.
"Haha, it was just a sudden thought. Who told this guy to be so incredibly weak? Killing him outright would completely offend the Marines and start a total war, so let's try another way. We can't let him come all the way here for nothing, and this serves as a firm warning to Headquarters that we are not to be trifled with," Yamato laughed heartily.
Hearing Yamato's explanation, everyone in the room nodded in agreement. Indeed, for an Admiral to dare come to the primary territory of a Yonko all by himself was a naked provocation. If they did not do something severe to retaliate, would it not imply to the outside world that they were completely useless?
"What are you all talking about, gathering here like a bunch of idiots?" At that moment, Kaido and Big Mom walked out of the medical wing together.
Seeing the two legendary Yonko appear side by side, Aramaki was so shocked his jaw almost hit the wooden floor. "This—they—how is this even possible? The physical states of both Yonko are not right. Didn't they just go through an island-shaking battle against the worst generation? How could they possibly recover this quickly?"
He had only rushed over to Wano because he heard that Straw Hat, Trafalgar Law, and Eustass Kid were locked in combat against Kaido and Big Mom, and he fully intended to pick up the remaining scraps of the defeated factions. But he had not expected reality to be completely different from what he imagined.
"Boss, the Young Miss went out and captured an Admiral," King quickly explained the situation to Kaido and Big Mom.
"Captured an Admiral?" Kaido and Big Mom were both visibly stunned by the news. Did they hear that wrong? It must have been a regular Vice Admiral, right? How could a top officer of the Marines be so easily captured? However, when they looked down at the bound Aramaki, they realized it really was an Admiral.
"The Marines' new Admiral, Aramaki? Captured by Yamato? Are the current Admirals really this lackluster?" Kaido stared down at Aramaki for a few moments, grunting. Why did he feel like this Admiral was no different from a common pirate, completely reeking of cheap thug energy?
"Kaido, Big Mom—" Aramaki's face turned ugly, and he felt a bit intimidated facing two monsters at once.
"Oh my, oh my, the Marines really are declining heavily these days. Even such a low-class thug can become an Admiral," Big Mom did not hold Aramaki in any high regard at all. Both of them had seen countless powerful figures throughout their long lives; they could easily tell what kind of weak character Aramaki possessed.
"What right do pirates have to comment on my status? Don't think that just because you are the Yonko, I will fear your names. Pirates are just pirates, the absolute scum of the sea," Aramaki remained quite stubborn despite his chains.
Hearing such harsh words, Kaido and Big Mom did not get angry at all but instead looked at him with genuine surprise. "You certainly have a sharp tongue; it's just a shame that your actual strength doesn't match your mouth."
Aramaki almost choked on his own breath; these massive figures were all openly looking down on his capabilities.
"Brat, you captured him, so what do you plan to use him for?" Kaido looked over at Yamato.
"To exchange for a massive ransom. He is, after all, a Marine Admiral; he should be worth at least 3,000,000,000 Berries to Fleet Admiral Akainu," Yamato replied smoothly.
An asking price of 3,000,000,000 Berries! Everyone present in the room was shocked; this was going to completely extort a massive fortune from the Marine budget.
"Brat, you're really being ruthless. Aren't you afraid the Marines will just refuse to pay?" Kaido was also slightly startled by the massive number.
"If the Marines think it's too much money, we can always negotiate. I didn't say it absolutely had to stay at 3,000,000,000 Berries. This is just business, bargaining is completely normal. It just depends on how much our dear Admiral Aramaki is worth in the eyes of his boss," Yamato patted Aramaki heavily on the shoulder.
Aramaki's face turned completely green with rage.
"As expected of you, Yamato, your brain is so flexible," Big Mom praised Yamato's business idea endlessly. After getting to know Yamato over the course of the war, Big Mom realized that none of her own children were nearly this smart. This was exactly what a perfect child looked like.
Yamato laughed. "Lock up our precious Admiral Aramaki for now. Provide him with good food and quality drink, so the Marines can't say we abused their man and try to haggle down the final price."
"Yamato, you will definitely face divine retribution for this!" As Aramaki was being dragged away by the guards, he was still shouting at the top of his lungs, clearly hating Yamato deeply.
"Tch, retribution or whatever—that's stuff only little kids believe in," Yamato looked completely disdainful.
"Yamato, have you seriously thought about what to do next?" Black Maria asked, stepping forward.
Yamato nodded confidently. "I have a general idea of our trajectory. Don't worry, it will definitely be fine."
"You captured their Admiral this time and made them pay to ransom him back; the Marines will definitely hold a deep grudge against you forever. Plus, I don't think the Marines will be very willing to pay too much cash. It's not impossible that the negotiations might fail entirely," Maria thought out loud.
"They'll negotiate, they'll definitely negotiate. I'll take Admiral Aramaki to the meeting location to negotiate in person. I'm absolutely determined to get this money," Yamato was not worried about the risks at all.
"Then I suppose it's entirely up to you," Maria smiled warmly, seeing her highly confident appearance.
"Guaranteed to make us a massive fortune."
Early the next morning, the members of the Beasts Pirates were completely ready to move. At the hidden underground port of Wano, dozens of massive pirate ships were lined up neatly on the flowing river, and the crew members had already boarded with all their weapons and survival supplies. Over ten thousand elite pirates—once they finally hit the open sea, they would immediately be a very powerful force in the New World.
"Set sail!"
Following Yamato's booming order, dozens of pirate ships set sail simultaneously, exiting from the underground river tunnels and entering the wide, open sea.
Meanwhile, in the region of Hakumai, a group of figures appeared on the cliffs, led by Kin'emon.
"They really left the country, and even the fortress of Onigashima has been moved back to its original position in the sea," seeing Onigashima back in its proper place, the heavy weight in Okiku's heart finally lifted. As long as the remaining Beasts Pirates did not leave and remained stationed in Wano Country, the samurai could never truly be at ease. Fortunately, that Young Miss of the Beasts Pirates kept her word perfectly. Otherwise, they were truly afraid that after Kaido recovered from his severe injuries, he would bring his dangerous subordinates back to make a sudden comeback. At that point, relying on their own strength alone, they certainly would not be able to stop them from conquering the land again. Straw Hat Luffy and his pirate crew could not stay in Wano Country forever to help them defend against incoming foreign enemies. Therefore, they had to stand up for themselves.
"I really did not expect that the wicked Kaido would have such a righteous child. If it weren't for her leadership, I fear the Beasts Pirates would have completely declined and exited the grand stage of history," Inuarashi, of the Mink Tribe, sighed with deep emotion.
"Although Kaido did so many evil deeds to the people of Wano Country, his child did not participate. Instead, she actively restrained her subordinates during the raid; otherwise, the innocent citizens would have suffered even more. Furthermore, she willingly released many prisoners who were originally from our land. From that perspective, we should honestly thank her as well," Nekomamushi also said, puffing on his pipe.
"Yes, Kaido is Kaido, and she is she. Some things cannot be lumped together under a single label. Whether it is hatred or kindness, we must distinguish between them clearly. Next, we should go all out to rebuild our beautiful Wano Country. Everyone, be prepared; this task is going to be very difficult," Kin'emon looked around at his companions.
"What is there to even say at this point, Kin'emon? Isn't it just doing what we did over twenty years ago all over again? Although we no longer have Lord Oden to guide us, we still have Lord Momonosuke and Lady Hiyori; things will definitely be fine," someone shouted from the crowd.
"That's right! If we can't even accomplish this task, what face do we have left to face Lord Oden in the afterlife?"
"Hahaha, that's exactly the spirit! Everyone, it's going to get incredibly busy from here on out!" Kin'emon laughed loudly.
"We wouldn't have it any other way!"