Father and daughter stared each other down for a long while, locked in a deadlock.
Off to the side, Black Maria’s arms were already sore from holding the sake jar in position. She wondered what kind of scene these two were putting on.
Young Master Yamato, weren’t you supposed to apologize? Then say it already!
Another ten minutes passed before Yamato finally spoke again with great difficulty. Her expression was painfully awkward.
"Father, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have behaved so outrageously these past few years... I... I’m truly sorry."
Looking at Yamato’s face, Black Maria desperately wanted to comment. With an expression like that, you look completely unwilling!
But Kaido seemed not to notice Yamato’s exaggerated expression at all. The moment he heard the words, “Father, I’m sorry,” an immense satisfaction filled his heart.
Still, who was Kaido? One of the Four Emperors, a man of formidable will. He restrained any change in expression and merely nodded with an impassive grunt.
Seeing that her father had little reaction, Yamato continued.
"I... I hope I can make up with you, Father, and return to the family."
Her expression was much less stiff when she said that. Perhaps, deep down, she truly did want to reconcile with her father and reclaim the family affection that should have been hers.
Hearing those words, Kaido could not quite hold himself back. He raised the huge bowl and gulped down the sake.
Gulp, gulp, gulp!
After setting the bowl down, he let out a long breath.
"Yamato..."
To Black Maria’s speechless disbelief, Kaido had barely opened his mouth before getting stuck too.
After a long pause, Kaido said nothing else. Instead, he beckoned Yamato over.
Once Yamato stepped close, Kaido patted her head.
"You’re too skinny. Train more."
Yamato lowered her head.
"Mm."
What is this painfully awkward conversation? Black Maria thought. I’m so embarrassed I want to flee the room.
But Kaido had not dismissed her. She felt that making any sound now would make her the criminal who ruined the “atmosphere.”
"Then again, a girl doesn’t need to train herself into being so bulky. As long as your strength doesn’t decline, that’s enough."
Kaido added another sentence, seemingly contradicting himself.
More accurately, his brain was half-shut down. Once the initial excitement had passed, his clumsy tongue genuinely could not think of what he ought to say to his daughter at a time like this.
"Mm."
Yamato was even more lost. All she could say was “mm.” She had originally thought that once she apologized, the mission would be complete.
But the instant her father patted her head, she remembered the warmth of her childhood. Her eyes stung, and she forgot what she was supposed to do next.
Thus, father and daughter fell silent again for a long time. Yet this time, the atmosphere was no longer so rigid. It gradually softened.
In the end, Kaido was the first to break the stalemate.
"I heard you made a new friend in Udon Prison?"
The moment he mentioned that, Yamato perked up.
"Brother Luke is a really great person. He’s going to join me in..."
She hurriedly covered her mouth. That was close! I almost told Father that we were going to overthrow his rule together!
Kaido was somewhat speechless at the sight. He had seen everything on the broadcast, so he already knew exactly what his daughter planned to do with that brat Luke.
Personally, though, he did not care. As long as Yamato acknowledged him as her father and stopped constantly claiming to be Kozuki Oden, everything else was negotiable.
"Yes, Brother Luke is very smart. I want to work with him to make the Beasts Pirates better."
Yamato changed her phrasing. After thinking about it, she borrowed Luke’s words and added, "We’re going to grow bigger and stronger, and create new glory!"
"Good. Since that is what you want, I’ll give you a chance."
Kaido went along with it. "Starting today, you will once again be the Oni Princess of the Beasts Pirates. Pass down my order: no one is to call you Young Master Yamato anymore. They will address you as they did before."
With those words, Kaido formally reconciled with Yamato and restored her status.
From this day onward, Yamato would be the daughter of Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, and the primary heir of the Beasts Pirates. Her executive authority would be no less than that of the three All-Stars.
"Thank you, Father. Your daughter knows she was wrong. I’ll do better from now on."
Yamato said it awkwardly. Though she no longer called herself Kozuki Oden, she still did not fully understand the distinction between men and women. At the very least, she vaguely knew she was a daughter rather than a son.
Kaido ignored her awkward expression. Hearing his daughter say those words put him in an excellent mood. If he had not been maintaining the image of a stern, aloof father, he would probably have laughed out loud already.
"Oh, right, Father. My friend is still in Udon Prison. Can you let him out?"
Yamato returned to the earlier subject, wanting to get Luke released.
"I guarantee he won’t cause trouble or attack you again."
When it came to prisoners, aside from Queen, who directly oversaw Udon Prison, only Kaido had the authority to order someone released. Even after becoming the Oni Princess again, Yamato could not overstep her authority. She could only ask her father to release him.
Kaido’s gaze turned strange at Yamato’s words. Yamato herself was a repeat offender when it came to attacking him, yet now that same repeat offender was guaranteeing that Luke would not attack him. It was truly bizarre.
Still, he nodded.
"Since he is your friend and you are willing to vouch for him, let him out and have him stay by your side. If he performs well afterward, I can even give him an officer’s position."
Black Maria’s lips parted slightly. She dearly wanted to warn the Governor-General that this was a bad idea. Luke looked like the sort of troublemaker who could stir up a disaster wherever he went. Keeping him around the young lady was one thing, but if he were given authority in the future, who knew what he might turn the Beasts Pirates into?
But Kaido was in high spirits, and the Governor-General’s words could not be casually retracted. Thus, she could only stay silent and watch events unfold.
"Really? Thank you, Father."
Yamato spoke happily. This gratitude carried genuine sincerity, because without Luke, she truly had no idea what she should do next.
…………
The following morning, Luke sat up in his cell, stretched, and loosened his body.
He figured that Yamato had returned to normal, so she would probably do at least some good for the people of Wano. It was about time he started considering how to make his escape.
Before work ended last night, he had scouted every exit from Udon Prison. After analyzing them, he felt that climbing over the walls would be the easiest way out.
With [Cloud Step] and his grasp of Flash Step techniques, he could achieve something close to flight. Finding an opportunity to escape in the dead of night would not be difficult.
Just as Luke was considering how to break out that night, the cell door opened. And the one opening it was not the usual guard, but Babanuki, the prison warden.
Babanuki’s elephant trunk pulled open the iron door. His expression was strange as he spoke.
"Mr. Kaido has ordered your release. You are to go to Onigashima and meet him."
The instant Luke saw Babanuki, he felt something was wrong. Don’t tell me Yamato actually managed to get me out?
As it turned out, she had.
Following behind Babanuki, Luke wondered what the hell he was supposed to do. He did not know how to govern a country. Before, he had only been talking big.
Never mind one night—even after two nights of thinking, he had not come up with any particularly good plan.
If Yamato asked him about it later, he would probably have no choice but to muddle through somehow.
Because it was Kaido’s order, Babanuki did not dare delay. Luke was sent to Onigashima without even getting breakfast.
At the same time, perhaps due to Kaido’s order, the ball and chain around Luke’s ankle had been removed, but the Seastone cuff remained locked in place. They were probably worried that he would run away on the way there.
Wano was not particularly close to Onigashima, and they had to cross the sea by ship. It was not until noon that Luke arrived on the island.
Led by a pirate, he soon reached Kaido’s residence.
There, he saw the imposing figure of a superhumanly muscular man over seven meters tall, seated like a demonic bull king and staring down at him.
Kaido’s muscles were incredibly powerful. At a glance, Luke’s detection skill showed nothing but question marks. Yet merely from Kaido’s aura, he could tell that Kaido’s strength existed in an entirely different dimension from his own.
Still, Luke really wanted to complain about one thing.
Kaido, why do you train your upper body but never your legs?
"Brother Luke, you’re here!"
Yamato was also in the cavern. Seeing Luke made her immensely happy. She ran straight over, grabbed his hand, and introduced him to Kaido.
"Father, this is my friend, Luke."
"Mm."
Kaido nodded and looked at Luke.
"Kid, I remember you tried to assassinate me before."
As he spoke, invisible killing intent spread outward. An enormous pressure surged toward Luke like a tidal wave.
By instinct alone, Luke’s back was instantly drenched in sweat. He was certain Yamato had never experienced pressure like this. Otherwise, she would have had at least some sense of the difference between them.
"I was a demon slayer in my homeland. Having heard that Kaido, one of the Four Emperors who rules this place, was a demon, I simply followed my heart and came to test myself against you."
Luke did not want to waste effort making excuses. Besides, he knew that a man like Kaido did not truly care about the assassination attempt. It was better to be forthright. Flattery would only make Kaido displeased.
"You’ve got guts. So what about now?"
Kaido looked at Luke.
"Do you still want to kill me?"
His eyes narrowed as he spoke. In an instant, a powerful invisible force burst outward and struck Luke.
Yamato’s heart tightened. She knew that was her father’s Conqueror’s Haki!
Under the impact of that overwhelming aura, Luke felt as though a mountain were pressing down on him, as if it would crush his will and erase his mind.
If he failed to withstand it, he would pass out on the spot, just like the nameless fodder knocked unconscious by Conqueror’s Haki in anime.
But just as his mind was being hammered relentlessly, Luke felt a roar erupt from the depths of his soul. It “shattered” the Conqueror’s Haki acting upon him and restored clarity to his mind.
Luke stood tall. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, but his eyes met Kaido’s directly.
Kaido seemed somewhat surprised.
"Not bad, kid."
Yet he was also doubtful, because he felt that his Conqueror’s Haki had just “collided” with something strange.
Could this kid have the potential for Conqueror’s Haki too?
Kaido quietly dismissed the thought. Conqueror’s Haki was rare. He did not think there needed to be so many conquerors. If it became common as dirt, could it still be called Conqueror’s Haki?
"You flatter me, Governor-General. My desire to challenge you has not changed. But after realizing my own inadequacy, I am still training. I hope that one day, I can cross blades with you again and improve my strength."
Luke’s response was neither servile nor overbearing. It made his stance clear, while also showing that he would not cause trouble recklessly. At the same time, it laid the groundwork for future clashes, defining any future fight between them as a “sparring match.”
A smile appeared on Kaido’s face. His gaze toward Luke gained a measure of appreciation.
"Then work hard alongside Yamato. In my eyes, the two of you are still far too weak."
Yamato’s heart stirred at that. Although Luke’s earlier analysis had already given her the answer, hearing her father say it outright made her understand that he had only ever been playing around with her. He had never shown his true strength.
Even after growing as strong as she was now, she was still merely weak in her father’s eyes.
"That is exactly my intention. Yamato and I will spar and continuously improve."
Luke spoke while quietly letting out a breath of relief. He knew Kaido probably would not harm him now. Once he was no longer a prisoner, leaving in the future would become much easier.
But Kaido’s next sentence made Luke troubled again.
"Oh, right. Yamato tells me you know quite a bit about governing a country. So tell me, kid—what shortcomings does the Beasts Pirates’ rule over Wano have?"
Kaido looked at Luke with displeasure in his eyes. He wanted to hear exactly what he had done wrong.
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