Hearing Yamato’s words, Luke felt somewhat relieved. Yamato had recognized her mistakes and her lack of filial piety, yet she had not blindly swung to Kaido’s side in a black-and-white reversal. That meant she was truly thinking for herself this time.
Deep down, Yamato would probably feel guilty over how excessively she had opposed her father. Whatever Kaido might be like toward others, he had undeniably showered her with affection. Her actions had hurt the heart of someone who loved her.
Yamato was capable of empathy, so she could now understand just how hurtful her behavior had been to Kaido. Putting herself in his shoes, even she felt that her father had been remarkably tolerant of her.
But she was also capable of sound independent thought. She believed that Kaido’s brutal rule over Wano was wrong, and she wanted to change that reality.
Yet a new problem followed. Yamato suddenly realized that she had spent the past eight years in a frenzied, muddleheaded state, never once looking at this country rationally.
Other than eating, drinking, hiding, and challenging her father, she had done nothing. In the end, she had developed considerable skill, but she lacked education and had no idea what she should do next to improve the state of the country.
In short, the only thing she was sure of now was that Wano’s problems did not seem like something that could be solved merely by defeating Kaido. Besides, there was no way she could defeat her powerful father—not even with Brother Luke helping her.
"Brother Luke..."
Yamato spoke expectantly. "What do you think I should do from now on to improve Wano?"
To Yamato, this friend of hers was wisdom incarnate.
Brother Luke had not only guided her, helping her understand what her true self was, escape the constraints of that journal, and truly open her eyes to the world; he had also shown her how colorful the outside world could be. She felt certain that Brother Luke was a knowledgeable and worldly person.
Luke froze when Yamato asked him that.
Why are you asking me? I can have a heartfelt conversation and talk you through your problems, but do you seriously expect me to teach you how to rebel, govern, and run a country?
Do I look like some kind of master strategist?
Luke did not consider himself illiterate. Under his master’s training, he had not fallen behind in academics. He had read extensively on history, ancient and modern, East and West, and he understood very well the underlying process by which his own world had eventually come under the Company’s rule. But he had never been particularly interested in any of it.
He had studied the histories of ancient states because his master believed he could not be an uncultured fool who knew nothing of history. He had later learned about the Company’s evolution in order to understand the enemy he intended to take revenge against.
But in truth, he had not wanted to study any of that stuff at all. It was too boring. How could it possibly compare to throwing punches and swinging a blade?
His principle was simple: if force could solve something directly, there was no need to use his brain. Back then, finding his enemies and drawing the snake from its hole had cost him countless brain cells. In the end, he had only lured out the mastermind by using himself as bait and deliberately getting captured.
So when faced with Yamato seeking this kind of advice, Luke instinctively felt a headache coming on. He really could not be bothered to think.
Originally, after setting Yamato straight and giving her proper guidance, he had planned to use his connection with her to find a way out of Wano.
"Yamato, do you really think I would know about that sort of thing?"
Luke asked seriously.
Yamato looked at Luke with pure innocence and admiration. "I think you’re very learned, Brother Luke. You know every kind of story, and you’ve traveled through so many countries. You must know a lot about governing, right?"
Luke could not stand that worshipful look in her eyes. Learned, my ass. I’ve just read a lot of manga and pulp novels!
But after calming down and thinking it over, he felt that if he gave Yamato absolutely no guidance, Kaido might lead her astray in the future. She could end up becoming a second tyrant herself.
After much consideration, Luke decided to put in a little more effort while he was still in Wano.
He was already here. He had even won over the Beasts Pirates’ princess. It would feel wrong not to do something more.
"Yamato, it’s already late today."
Luke said solemnly.
"So? What should I do next?"
Yamato asked eagerly.
"So... I’m going to sleep."
With that, Luke rolled over and lay down on the floor, ending the conversation.
Well, he was not that smart, so he intended to think carefully through a plan overnight before discussing it with Yamato.
If it were someone smart like Sosuke, he probably would have reprogrammed Yamato on the first day. And when Yamato asked about a future plan, Sosuke would probably be able to rattle one off without hesitation.
But Luke was not as smart as his roommate, so he first needed to run through and plan it out in his head.
"You’re going to sleep already? Didn’t you say we were going to train our Haki together tonight?"
Yamato was somewhat puzzled. But seeing that Luke had already settled down, she did not want to disturb him. She found a corner against the wall and went to sleep as well.
Meanwhile, on Onigashima.
Kaido held a sake jug in one hand and guzzled it down. After lowering the jug, he burst into a hearty laugh. "Hahahaha! That kid really is something! Yamato has finally come to her senses. She probably won’t call herself Oden anymore, right?"
Black Maria attended Kaido at his side, feeling both happy and worried. "It’s good that young master Yamato has come around, but she still seems determined to start some kind of liberation movement."
Kaido either did not hear her or was simply too drunk and hyped up. He swayed as he pointed at the screen. "Hahaha! Maria, did you hear that? She called me Dad just now!"
Maria wore a helpless expression. She knew the Governor-General was drunk and happy because his daughter had finally come to her senses.
On top of that, Yamato had personally admitted that she felt a little sorry toward her father. Kaido was over the moon right now. Maria felt that no matter what she said, Kaido would not hear it.
After some time, once Kaido’s excitement had faded a little, Maria hesitantly spoke up. "Now that young master Yamato has come to her senses and knows who she is, shouldn’t we dispose of Luke?"
"Huh? Why dispose of Luke? I’m rather fond of the kid."
Kaido smiled as he watched the sleeping Luke on the screen. The more he looked, the more he liked him. After all, Luke had resolved his greatest headache of so many years in less than a week.
Kaido had already made up his mind. As long as Luke was willing to join the Beasts Pirates, he would immediately give him a position as a Headliner.
Luke was young, and he was on good terms with Yamato. He could be groomed to become Yamato’s right-hand man in the future.
"Governor-General... young master Yamato wants to rebel alongside Luke. Luke may even help her devise strategies. Is that really all right?"
Maria asked worriedly. Yamato coming to her senses was a good thing, but now that she had found herself, she wanted to oppose the Beasts Pirates out of her own will. Was that not even worse?
"So what? Do you think I’m afraid of them rebelling?"
Kaido laughed. "I’m actually very interested in what sort of plan Luke comes up with for Yamato."
Maria was completely speechless. Still, she knew what kind of person her Governor-General was. He feared neither Heaven nor Earth, and he was especially indulgent toward those he admired.
After thinking about it, she decided that young master Yamato was still young, while Luke was currently not very strong. The two of them probably could not cause much trouble with their combined power. Kaido could suppress them with one hand, so perhaps there was no need to worry too much.
Comforting herself with that thought, she yawned.
Unlike Kaido, that energetic monster, she had spent several consecutive days watching the broadcast with him and was exhausted. She intended to catch up on sleep and give herself a proper beauty treatment.
…………
Clang—clang—clang—
The sound of pickaxes striking ore echoed continuously through the worksite. It was another wonderful morning, another healthy session of mining exercise.
"Brother Luke, have you thought about it? What should I do from now on?"
Ever since breakfast, Yamato had been following Luke around and questioning him nonstop, making Luke furrow his brows.
"Yamato, didn’t you decide to be yourself? How can you ask other people about everything?"
Luke said righteously. In reality, he simply had not figured it out yet.
Yamato puffed out her cheeks. "That’s not what you said last night, Brother Luke. You said you would help me come up with a plan. Besides, I’m not blindly following you. I just don’t have any good ideas and want to hear your opinion."
Luke rubbed his brow in frustration. If it came down to it, he could only throw caution to the wind and offer Yamato the limited knowledge he had for reference.
He composed himself and spoke. "Yamato, I think that if you want to do something practical for this country, you first need to apologize to your father and reclaim your status as the Oni Princess."
"Huh?"
Yamato stared blankly. "Brother Luke, are you okay? We’re revolutionaries trying to overthrow my father’s rule. Don’t tell me you’ve switched sides?"
Luke’s head began to ache. Someone with an average temper really would get furious around Yamato. "Didn’t you ask for my opinion? I haven’t even finished, so why are you accusing me of switching sides?"
Yamato gave an embarrassed smile. "Then please continue, Brother Luke. I’m listening."
"Didn’t we discuss this before? Kozuki Oden’s greatest problem was that he never did anything practical. The reason I don’t like him is that he had both the status and the strength to accomplish real things, yet in the end, he achieved nothing."
Luke explained, "In other words, if you truly want to accomplish something in this country, strength and status are both indispensable. Status itself is a form of strength."
"What do you mean?"
Yamato looked utterly confused. She stopped working, sat on a large rock so she was level with Luke, and looked like an obedient child listening attentively to a lesson.
"Simply put, both of us are too weak. Any random Headliner could deal with us. If we try to brute-force a rebellion against your father, you’ll be fine—but I’ll be at the bottom of the sea tomorrow. Do you believe that?"
Luke said. It was entirely foreseeable. Kaido would indulge Yamato and give talented young people a chance, but he would never give Luke a second chance.
If Luke dared to directly lead Yamato in rebellion, Kaido would turn him into paste with one swing of his club.
"Hmm... Brother Luke has a point. So the use of my status is to keep me from dying?"
Yamato pondered.
Luke shook his head. "Of course it’s not that simple. What I mean is, since brute force won’t work, why not make proper use of your status? Claim the position and authority that should be yours, then use that authority to do things. Isn’t that much better than just standing around helplessly?"
Yamato’s eyes lit up. "That actually makes sense!"
"Of course it does. Think about it. When you challenge Kaido, all that happens is that you get knocked out and sent back to prison. In reality, it does not help a single person in Wano. But if you are the Oni Princess, it is different. You could use your authority to distribute food and aid impoverished areas. Surely you could do that much, right?"
Luke said. This was the simplest solution he could think of. In truth, he felt that if Yamato had status, there were many things she could do in Wano.
And as long as Yamato did not affect the Beasts Pirates’ primary revenue, Kaido would certainly not interfere.
"Brother Luke, you really are a smart person!"
Yamato clapped her hands in praise. "The moment you put it that way, I understood. I really had been wasting my time before. If I’d done this sooner, who knows how many people of Wano I could have saved?"
She looked at Luke with excitement. "What’s the next step?"
Luke’s expression stiffened for a moment. "Let’s get the first step done before we talk about that."
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register