Dozens of colossal pirate galleons sailed slowly across the vast ocean, all moving in perfect unison. High above their mainmasts, the same terrifying Jolly Roger fluttered in the sea breeze—the undeniable symbol of the Beasts Pirates.
"Kaido, just have someone drop me off at Vanilla Island," Big Mom said as she stood on the deck, preparing to depart. "You won't be cooped up in that awful wasteland of Wano Country anymore, either. Keep in touch with me. There really aren't many old-timers from our golden era left."
"Linlin, stop spouting such nauseatingly sentimental garbage in front of me," Kaido scoffed, crossing his massive arms. "I don't want to see your ugly face that often anyway."
Big Mom ignored the sharp jab entirely. Instead, she turned her massive frame toward Yamato and smiled warmly. "Remember to visit Whole Cake Island when you have some free time, Yamato. I will gladly throw a massive feast and host you well."
"No problem, Great Aunt! I will definitely drop by whenever I find the time," Yamato nodded, flashing a bright, energetic grin.
"Excellent. I will be waiting for you." Big Mom let out a booming laugh before leaping onto her own candy-coated pirate ship, giving one last wave before her vessel broke away from the fleet.
Kaido stood in absolute silence as he watched her ship disappear over the horizon. His eyes were shadowed, lost in deep contemplation. Deep down, he knew Big Mom was right. There were barely any legends from their era still sailing the Grand Line. Some had died in glorious battle, others had retired to obscurity, and the rest had simply vanished into the annals of history. He and Big Mom were on the younger end of that legendary generation, which was the main reason they still held their absolute authority as Yonko.
However, time was a cruel master. Both of them were in their sixties now. They were no longer the invincible youths they once were. Kaido wondered just how many more years they could hold onto their absolute supremacy. Ten years? Fifteen? Maybe twenty? He remembered Whitebeard vividly. After that old monster reached seventy, his physical condition had deteriorated drastically. While Kaido and Big Mom possessed freakish durability and might outlast Whitebeard's timeline, their endurance wasn't infinite.
To make matters worse, Kaido had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Straw Hat Luffy—a reckless rookie barely in his early twenties. That bitter loss had forced a stark realization upon the mighty King of the Beasts. For the very first time in his long, brutal life, Kaido actually felt old.
"Hey, Idiot Father! Are you sad to see Great Aunt go?" Yamato suddenly popped up right beside him, shouting at the top of her lungs.
Kaido flinched, his eyes widening in a mix of pure embarrassment and sudden anger. "Yamato, you insolent brat, why are you screaming so loudly? I am not deaf!"
"Hahaha! I just saw you staring off into space and thought you were getting all emotional about Great Aunt leaving," Yamato laughed loudly, completely unfazed by his towering rage.
"Absolute nonsense! Why on earth would I be sad to see that crazy old hag leave? Honestly, I can't wait for her to drop dead early so I can finally bury her," Kaido grumbled, his attention suddenly shifting away from his melancholy thoughts.
"Is that so? Well, that probably won't be very easy. Both you and Great Aunt have the most tenacious vitality I have ever seen. You are a long way from dying of old age. Knowing you, you will probably still be alive and kicking things around in another twenty years."
"You brat, are you deliberately trying to insult me?" Kaido narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Not at all! I am just praising your excellent health. By the way, Idiot Father, where do you plan to establish our new headquarters? If you ask me, we should find a completely uninhabited island. That way, you can drink, smash things, and mess around however you want without destroying a town. What do you think?"
Hearing Yamato bring up the subject of their new headquarters, Kaido fell into a brooding silence for several seconds. "You are entirely responsible for this mess, brat. If you hadn't foolishly given Wano Country away, I wouldn't be forced to build a brand new headquarters from scratch."
"Yes, yes, yes, it is entirely my fault. Don't worry, I will take care of finding us a great spot," Yamato waved off his complaints with another carefree shrug.
"Just don't forget that we still have that Marine Admiral, Aramaki, locked up in the hold. Deal with that problem first," Kaido reminded her gruffly.
"Idiot Father, have you changed completely? This is completely unlike you. You are actually starting to worry about logistics and prisoners. Did the sun magically rise from the west today?"
"Get lost," Kaido snorted aggressively, turning his massive back on her and stomping toward the captain's cabin to find a barrel of alcohol.
The rest of the beastly crew watched the familial banter from the sidelines, struggling to hold back their amused laughter.
"Alright, listen up! The Beasts Pirates need to establish a brand new headquarters. Everyone, gather around and give me your best ideas. There are quite a few uninhabited islands scattered throughout our territory. Let's look at the map and see how we should choose," Yamato called out to the crew.
Quickly, a large group of the Beasts Pirates executives gathered around a sprawling nautical map spread across a wooden table and began their intense discussion.
"First, we need to clearly determine the absolute necessary conditions for establishing the headquarters. We have to consider safety, transport routes, and the local climate," one of the executives suggested, pointing at the map. "Big Mom's Whole Cake Island is a fantastic example of a perfect setup. With Whole Cake Island serving as the main center, numerous islands of various sizes are scattered all around it, acting as a natural defense grid."
"However, it will be incredibly difficult for us to find another perfect location exactly like Whole Cake Island. We can only use it as a case study to search for an uninhabited island with roughly similar conditions."
"Exactly. Just as Black Maria said, we need to find an uninhabited island somewhat similar to Whole Cake Island. It should preferably be surrounded by a ring of inhabited islands, and its location needs to be as close to the center of our territory as possible."
After hours of scouring the maps and heated debate, they finally pinpointed an uninhabited island that barely met all of their strict conditions. The island was known as Islande Island. It boasted a highly suitable size, roughly four or five times the total landmass of Onigashima. It was strategically surrounded by six inhabited islands, which were neither too far nor too close. The nearest neighboring island was a standard two-day voyage away, while the farthest took about four or five days to reach.
There was just one bizarre quirk: Islande Island was a two-season island, experiencing only spring and winter. In a single year, half of the months brought vibrant spring weather, while the other half plunged the island into a freezing winter. Although such an extreme climate was quite strange, it wasn't a major problem for the battle-hardened Beasts Pirates.
Aside from the weather, another massive tactical advantage was the geography. The waters surrounding Islande Island were filled with treacherous reefs of various sizes. These natural stone pillars would be incredibly suitable for building heavily fortified watchtowers.
"Alright, then the decision is final. The Beasts Pirates' new headquarters will be established on Islande Island!" Yamato waved her hand decisively, slamming her palm onto the map.
Following her command, all the massive galleons of the fleet turned their rudders and adjusted their sails, heading straight toward Islande Island. Because the entire voyage would take at least half a month, Yamato made a tactical decision to split their forces. She would personally take one ship to sell Admiral Aramaki back to the Marines for a hefty ransom, while the rest of the mighty fleet headed straight to their new home.
Clank! Clank!
The heavy sound of Seastone chains dragging across the wooden deck rang out sharply as Aramaki was hauled out of the dark holding cell. He blinked against the blinding sunlight and looked around, only to realize they were already sailing on the open sea.
"Where exactly is this?" he demanded hoarsely.
"Admiral Aramaki, I have fantastic news for you! You will be going back to your precious Marines very soon," Yamato chuckled brightly. She was lounging comfortably on a deck chair, happily taking a sip of fresh juice.
Upon hearing this, Aramaki froze completely. What kind of twisted logic was that? Being ransomed back by pirates was clearly terrible news for his pride and his career.
"If you really dare to go through with this, the World Government and the Marines will absolutely not let you off," Aramaki ground his teeth in pure fury.
"Oh my, I am so completely terrified. I had better quickly take another sip of juice to calm my frayed nerves," Yamato mocked playfully, lifting her glass again.
Standing right beside her, Haruko burst into a fit of giggles at the blatant disrespect.
"You damned pirates..." Aramaki's face darkened with uncontrollable rage. This ridiculous woman was simply pushing things way too far.
"Alright, alright, Admiral Aramaki, don't get your vines in a twist. Rest assured, I am going to sell you for a very good price," Yamato waved her hand dismissively.
Hearing this blatant commodification, Aramaki was so furious that literal steam almost began rising from his head.
"By the way, Admiral Aramaki, you must have traveled on a marine warship when you first arrived in Wano Country, right? Now that you have been captured by me, do your subordinates still not know you are missing?" Yamato asked, suddenly remembering a crucial detail.
Aramaki clamped his mouth shut, his face looking incredibly grim and murderous. Obviously, he had indeed sailed to the borders of Wano Country in a standard warship. However, he had foolishly entered the samurai nation entirely alone, leaving his men behind before he was captured. Right now, that very warship should still be waiting aimlessly outside Wano's waterfalls.
"In that case, you should have had a Den Den Mushi on your person, right? Did I accidentally break it during our fight?" Yamato leaned forward, looking at him curiously.
"Hmph, do you honestly think any standard Den Den Mushi on my body could have possibly survived that beating?" Aramaki snorted coldly.
Yamato nodded in understanding. "True, even if you had one, I probably slapped it to death by accident. Oh well, let's just forget about it and sail straight to the nearest Marine Branch instead."
Aramaki's expression grew even grimmer. It seemed that no matter what happened, he would absolutely not be able to escape this crushing humiliation.
A few days later, Yamato's ship finally brought the captive Aramaki to the very edge of the Beasts Pirates' established territory. Sitting right on the border was a heavily fortified Marine Branch, specifically built by the World Government to constantly monitor the movements of the Yonko's fleet.
"Are we finally there? Then let's fire a few explosive shots first just to say hello," Yamato stood up from her chair and called out to her loyal subordinates.
"Yes, Yamato-sama!" the crew members immediately sprang into action.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Soon, the deafening roar of heavy cannon fire rang out across the water. Several rounds of high-explosive cannonballs were fired from the broadside, crashing and exploding violently on the sea surface just in front of the Marine Branch's defensive walls.
"What in the world is going on?" The stationed Marines inside the branch were instantly thrown into a state of absolute alarm. They rushed out of their barracks one after another, clutching their rifles and swords, looking frantically out at the sea.
Through the lingering smoke of the explosions, they quickly spotted a single massive pirate ship approaching.
"That flag... it's the Beasts Pirates!" The very moment they saw the skull and crossbones, all the Marines felt a cold sweat break out, treating the situation as a maximum-level threat.
"Are they really here to attack our base? But why is there only one pirate ship?" The seasoned commander of the Marine Branch stared hard in that direction, his eyes filled with immense doubt. If a Yonko crew were truly executing a full-scale assault on this installation, there absolutely shouldn't be just a single vessel, and there didn't seem to be a massive army on the deck either.
"Report, Branch Commander! T-This is an absolute disaster! It is Onihime Yamato!" a terrified scout suddenly screamed in sheer, unadulterated panic, dropping his spyglass.
Hearing that legendary name, a look of pure horror immediately washed over the Branch Commander's face. This wasn't a simple matter of the enemy having only one pirate ship; it was the terrifying fact that they only needed one pirate ship!
"Quick, contact Marineford immediately and call for backup! Tell them that Onihime Yamato of the Beasts Pirates is directly attacking our Marine Branch!" the Branch Commander bellowed at the top of his lungs.
The frantic Marine soldiers under his direct command instantly rushed back inside to establish a secure connection with Marine HQ.
Meanwhile, out on the water, Yamato stood proudly at the bow of her ship. She raised a large megaphone to her mouth. "Hey, Marines in the branch, listen up! Right now, your precious Marine Admiral is sitting right here in my hands! Go contact Marineford immediately and ask your Fleet Admiral Sakazuki if he wants to pay a ransom to get him back!"
Instantly, every single Marine standing on the shore was completely and utterly dumbfounded.
"What did she just say? Did we hear that correctly? A Marine Admiral?" The terrified soldiers looked at each other in sheer disbelief, desperately wondering if the fearsome pirate was just playing a sick joke on them.
"That man... that is Admiral Aramaki! It really is our Admiral! Oh god, Commander, Admiral Aramaki has actually been captured!" Using a pair of high-powered binoculars, a subordinate finally spotted Aramaki's distinctive form and went completely pale with fright.
At this exact moment, Yamato waved her hand casually. Her subordinates immediately hoisted up a massive secondary flagpole. Tied securely to the very top of the wooden pole, dangling in the wind for all to see, was a heavily battered man. It was indeed the dreaded Admiral Aramaki.
"Yamato, you absolute bastard! How dare you do this to me! I will definitely kill you for this!" Aramaki roared furiously, thrashing against his unbreakable restraints. The brutal pirates had actually tied him to a flagpole and put him on public display. It was the absolute equivalent of throwing his immense pride and dignity onto the filthy ground and ruthlessly stomping all over it.
Yamato completely ignored Aramaki's furious screaming and simply continued to call out to the panicked Marine Branch. "Did you all see that clearly? Your mighty Admiral Aramaki tried to sneak into someone else's home and got caught like a common thief! Hurry up and ask your Fleet Admiral if he still wants this guy back. If he does, tell him to come talk to me directly. If not, I will just tie an anchor to him and sink him straight to the bottom of the sea."
Hearing this horrific ultimatum, the Branch Commander could no longer sit still on the defensive wall. He turned and sprinted desperately toward the heavily reinforced communications room.
"My god, an active Admiral was actually captured by pirates. This incident is way too massive. The Fleet Admiral must handle this delicate negotiation personally, otherwise, the Marines might actually lose one of our greatest military powers," the Branch Commander muttered to himself, feeling incredibly cold all over. An Admiral being captured sounded absolutely unbelievable to anyone who understood the power scaling of the world. However, the dangerous opponent floating just off their shores was the monstrous daughter of Kaido, Onihime Yamato—a genuine Yonko-level powerhouse in her own right. When facing a monster of that caliber, it didn't seem entirely impossible for her to overpower and capture an Admiral. But no matter the circumstances, this catastrophic matter had to be reported to the highest authority immediately.
"How is it? Has the secure connection to Marineford been fully established yet? Put it straight through to the Fleet Admiral; only the Fleet Admiral has the authority to handle this madness," the breathless Branch Commander ordered as he practically kicked the door to the communications room open.
The sweating communications officer immediately began frantically twisting the dials on the primary Den Den Mushi. "Please wait just a moment, sir! I am transferring the signal directly to the Fleet Admiral's personal line now."
The Branch Commander paced the floor, waiting in agonizing anxiety. Half a minute later, the large Den Den Mushi finally connected, its facial features instantly morphing into a stern, hardened scowl.
"Hello, this is Fleet Admiral Sakazuki," a deep, incredibly intimidating man's voice echoed from the transponder snail.
"This is a massive emergency, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki! Admiral Aramaki has just been captured by Onihime of the Beasts Pirates!" the Branch Commander immediately screamed his report to the highest authority.
"What? Say that to me again!" Sakazuki's voice boomed from the other end. He had clearly stood up abruptly from his desk, his tone turning exceptionally grim and laced with bubbling fury.
"Admiral Aramaki has been captured! Right now, Onihime has brought the Admiral to our border base. She is demanding to know if we want to pay a ransom to get him back, or else she swears she will sink him straight to the bottom of the sea," the Branch Commander explained, desperately trying to keep his voice from shaking as he relayed the current situation.
"Damn it all to hell! Is that fool Aramaki a complete idiot? I repeatedly warned him under strict orders not to take any unauthorized action inside Wano Country, and to just safely monitor the situation from the outside! Not only did that reckless idiot completely ignore my commands, but he even managed to get himself captured by the enemy! He has completely and utterly disgraced the name of the Marines!"
Sakazuki cursed loudly and violently, no longer caring about maintaining his stoic composure in front of his subordinates. A sitting Marine Admiral being successfully captured by a pirate crew—if word of this disastrous event ever leaked out to the global press, there was absolutely no telling how terrible the political impact would be on the World Government's reputation.
Hearing Sakazuki's terrifying, magma-hot cursing through the receiver, the Branch Commander broke into a heavy cold sweat and didn't even dare to breathe heavily, terrified that the Fleet Admiral's wrath might redirect onto him.
After a long, tense moment, Sakazuki's seething voice finally managed to calm down into a dangerous, low growl. "I will talk to Onihime myself. Hand the Den Den Mushi over to her."
"Yes, sir! I will get right on it immediately," the Branch Commander breathed a massive, shuddering sigh of relief, then scooped up the large snail and hurried out of the base.
Outside on the sunlit water, after Yamato had finished shouting her threats, she sat back down and waited incredibly calmly for a response. She was absolutely certain that the famously short-tempered Fleet Admiral would soon take the initiative to contact her directly.
"Yamato-sama, a small Marine warship is sailing out to meet us," Haruko reported from her spot at the railing.
"They are finally here," Yamato smirked. She stood up, stretching her arms and preparing to board the approaching warship.
Before long, the heavily armored marine vessel sailed close enough to bridge the gap.
"Lady Onihime, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki wants to speak with you personally," the Branch Commander said nervously from his deck, his voice trembling noticeably. It was simply impossible not to feel intense fear; the sheer physical strength and terrifying identity of the female pirate standing casually in front of him were far too extraordinary for a mere base commander to handle.
"Bring the Den Den Mushi over here. I'll have a nice little chat with your Fleet Admiral," Yamato swaggered confidently onto the deck of the marine warship and casually snatched the receiver straight from the opponent's communications officer.
"Hey there, Fleet Admiral! Do you still remember who I am?" Yamato said cheerfully into the receiver.
"Brat, just speak. What exactly will it take for you to release Aramaki?" Sakazuki growled, refusing to beat around the bush and getting straight to the painful point.
The furious Fleet Admiral still remembered very clearly that during the brutal Marineford War, he had been thoroughly infuriated by this exact same pirate. Therefore, no matter what happened today, Sakazuki absolutely would not engage in a pointless war of words with her; those were all very hard lessons he had already learned.