THE STRONGEST CREATURE OF THE BEAST PIRATES

Kaido, who had endured countless wars and betrayals since his childhood, showed no mercy to his enemies. He would use any means necessary to achieve victory.

Just like with Kozuki Oden years ago. Although Oden was defeated in their duel due to Kurozumi Higurashi's interference, Kaido's victory was far from honorable.

But so what?

Kaido hadn't asked for underhanded tactics; he simply accepted the outcome. In the end, he won, and without hesitation, he executed Kozuki Oden. Furthermore, to preserve the honor of his victory, Kaido killed Higurashi, the one who had sullied it.

Kaido saw himself as a hero. His absolute confidence in his strength made him disdain tricks and conspiracies, but his obsession with victory drove him to show no mercy—even toward his own daughter.

Yet, as he smirked confidently, Kaido noticed something amiss. How did Yamato know the handcuffs would explode? He turned sharply toward her wrists—those handcuffs that had restrained her for over a decade were gone!

Kaido's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible! Where are your handcuffs? Those can't be undone with your strength!"

"Nothing is impossible in this world!" Yamato shouted, her gaze unyielding. "From now on, I am the free Joy Boy! You will never restrain me again!"

Her voice grew louder. "I will become the general of Wano Country and liberate it from you and Kurozumi Orochi!"

Kaido's shock deepened. Yamato declaring her intention to be Wano's general—a dream Kaido himself once harbored—was unthinkable. He had beaten her countless times trying to force her compliance, yet she never wavered. And now...

Kaido narrowed his eyes at Yamato. "Yamato, your change surprises me. Who influenced you? Also, I wanted you to be Wano's general to turn the country into a weapon factory—not to save it!"

Yamato's anger flared. This insufferable old man! If not for Alastor's warnings, she would have struck him down with her mace. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and replied firmly, "I'll never fulfill your twisted ambitions. At most, you can use the Rabbit Bowl as a weapons base—but don't even think of harming the other five regions!"

Kaido chuckled darkly. "Just the Rabbit Bowl? That's not enough. I have too many weapons to produce! Besides, what power do you have to stop me?"

"The people of Wano!" Yamato declared. "Once they're safe and stable, I'll recruit soldiers from among them. Together, we'll protect Wano Country!"

This notion stunned Kaido. He had always viewed Wano's people as slaves to produce weapons, never as soldiers. But the idea intrigued Drought Jack. Alastor had recently pointed out the Beast Pirates' shortage of manpower. Recruiting from Wano could solve this issue.

Jack, standing at an imposing eight meters tall, suddenly rose. "Boss Kaido, we already have enough stockpiled weapons. With the Rabbit Bowl and the reclaimed Mine Island, future production is secure. What we truly need now is more troops!"

His words shocked everyone. Jack, known for his brute strength and lack of strategy, was offering sound advice? Even Queen was dumbfounded. "Jack, are you out of your mind?"

Jack replied earnestly, "Brother Queen, I'm a Fish-Man. Water doesn't bother me, and neither does clear thinking."

Queen collapsed in disbelief. Meanwhile, King assessed the suggestion and found merit in it. "Jack's right. With over 30,000 troops, we're still far behind the Whitebeard Pirates' 60,000. If we're overflowing with weapons, strengthening our forces should be the priority."

Kaido, known for his cunning as much as his might, quickly saw the logic. He nodded approvingly at Jack. "Well done. It's rare for you to provide such insight. You've proven yourself worthy."

Turning back to Yamato, Kaido said, "Fine, Yamato. I'll let you handle Wano—for now. Raise the people into stronger warriors. They'll make excellent soldiers for me in the future!"

Despite Kaido's underlying schemes, Yamato felt a small victory. Avoiding further argument to prevent Kaido from backtracking, she turned her attention to Jack. "Jack, I'm transferring your subordinates to my command."

Caught off guard, Jack instinctively responded, "Yes, Master Yamato."

Satisfied, Yamato strode away. Without warning, she swung her mace at Page One as she passed, leaving him sprawled on the ground before exiting with confidence.

Page One burst into tears of pain, her face a mix of confusion and grievance. "Why… why did you hit me?"

Poor Page One had no idea Yamato was avenging him for abruptly hanging up the phone that day.

Beside him, Ulti yelled furiously, "As expected! You're still the same violent brute—no, even worse! Why are you beating up my little brother for no reason?!"

These scenes surprised Kaido greatly. On the one hand, he was amused; on the other, he felt a twinge of frustration. His rebellious child clearly intended to oppose him, yet still exercised authority over his crew right in front of him. What a paradox.

It must be said that after spending so much time with Alastor, Yamato had learned a thing or two from him.

In front of Kaido himself, Yamato ordered Drought Jack to punish Page One, one of the Tobiroppo, and not a single soul dared to resist.

This left Kaido feeling conflicted. If Yamato were a loyal and obedient daughter, he would have no objections. But she was far from that—her disobedience stung like thorns in his side.

Kaido suddenly bellowed to the Three Calamities and the Tobiroppo assembled in the hall:

"You're all my chosen subordinates. Don't let yourselves be bossed around by some yellow-haired brat!"

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Black Maria, ever calm and collected, stepped forward with a coy smile. "Oh, Mr. Kaido, I think Master Yamato is quite remarkable. Aside from her lack of respect toward you, her strength and courage are exceptional. She truly is your child, through and through!"

Apart from the indignant Ulti, the rest of the group reluctantly nodded in agreement.

Kaido felt even more depressed. Grabbing a large pot of sake, he drained it in one go.

"I can finally leave Onigashima. The outside world, here I come!"

Standing at the port leading from Onigashima to the mainland of Wano, Yamato inhaled deeply, savoring the cool sea breeze. For the first time in nearly two decades, she felt free.

"Set sail and take me to Kuri," Yamato commanded.

The Beasts Pirates' crew obeyed without hesitation. The fight between Yamato and Kaido two days ago had left a deep impression on everyone. Now that Kaido seemed to have eased his restrictions on her, the crew naturally treated Yamato as their young master.

No one dared to refuse her orders.

Directly across from Onigashima lay the Rabbit Bowl district, home to the Convict Quarry. This area, filled with weapon factories, was a polluted wasteland. Only Beast Pirates and prisoners remained; ordinary citizens had long fled or perished.

This was why Alastor had suggested Yamato leave the Rabbit Bowl to Kaido.

On the one hand, it allowed Kaido to maintain some resources without shutting down all weapon production in Wano. On the other hand, the Rabbit Bowl was so environmentally devastated that recovery seemed impossible without drastic measures.

Surveying the ruined landscape, Yamato clenched her fists in anger. "That damn Kaido. Someday, I'll drive him out of here!"

The nearby Beast Pirates nervously covered their ears, pretending not to hear her outburst.

Yamato strolled onward, observing every detail of Wano's ravaged lands. It had been nearly twenty years since she had last walked freely.

After half a day's journey, she arrived at the Governor's Mansion in Kuri.

Word of her arrival had spread in advance. Hundreds of pirates from the Kuri faction of the Beasts Pirates, led by deputy commander Alastor, stood outside the mansion awaiting her.

As soon as Yamato appeared, the group shouted in unison:

"Greetings, Master Yamato!"

Only Alastor, standing at the forefront, remained silent.

Yamato and Alastor exchanged knowing glances. She winked mischievously.

Earlier, she had declared her intention to take control of Jack's subordinates. It was only natural for her to act alongside Alastor.

However, their relationship had to remain secret for now. If Kaido discovered the truth, he would undoubtedly suspect that Alastor was the cause of Yamato's defiance. What Kaido might do next was anyone's guess.

Alastor figured that until he could withstand Kaido's Thunder Bagua without passing out, revealing their connection was out of the question.

Yamato addressed the gathered pirates with authority. "All of you, follow me to the Flower Capital."

"Yes, Master Yamato!" the crowd responded in unison.

Pointing at Alastor, Yamato added, "You—fetch me a horse."

Alastor blinked in surprise, then smirked inwardly. Yamato was clearly taking this opportunity to get back at him for last night's stolen kiss. Very well. If he kissed her for five minutes last night, next time, it would be ten.

Clearing his throat, Alastor replied

_____________

Visit patreon.com/shirokendama to get 50+ chapters.