King and Queen were different.
Queen had once been a member of MADS, one of Vegapunk's assistants.
It was only after parting ways with Vegapunk that he joined the Beasts Pirates, drawn by the potential of his Devil Fruit abilities.
With those powers, he quickly rose to become one of the top executives, second only to Kaido himself.
But King had followed Kaido long before the Beasts Pirates even existed.
If there was anyone in the world who could be called Kaido's "brother," it was undoubtedly King.
Their bond had been forged in the depths of a laboratory.
Though Kaido often weighed relationships against profit, even he had to admit he had gone above and beyond for King.
In a way, King truly was Yamato's uncle—one with deep affection for her.
But it was precisely because of that affection that her words enraged him.
Yet beneath the anger...More than anything, there was surprise and wariness.
"This is... Conqueror's Haki!"
"Kids these days really can't be underestimated!"
"But Yamato, if you think releasing Conqueror's Haki will make us fear you... isn't that a bit too naive?"
King snorted coldly and drew the long sword at his waist.
"If this is all you've got, you'd better surrender quietly."
As King's words fell, not just the two All-Stars but also the Flying Six, Numbers, Shinuchi, and Gifters began clearing away the unconscious ordinary Beast Pirates surrounding them.
They formed a tight circle around Yamato in her white military uniform.
Visually speaking, the current situation put Yamato at an overwhelming disadvantage.
But...
Yamato brushed aside the hair falling over her forehead, showing not a trace of fear—instead, she grew increasingly... excited.
"I already told you—you're the ones surrounded by me alone!"
"Since you don't want to surrender... then I'll show you what a real gap looks like."
"Numbers... are the most useless tactic."
"Nobody's ever heard of sheep surrounding a lion."
The next moment...
The lion plunged into the flock of sheep.
The first to face Yamato were the numerous Gifters.
These individuals, who had gained power through artificial Devil Fruits, formed the backbone of the current Beast Pirates.
Though not high-level combatants, their enhanced physical abilities and unique Zoan-type Devil Fruit powers allowed them to withstand Yamato's Conqueror's Haki without immediately collapsing.
But when it came to actual combat against Yamato, they fared no better than ordinary grunts.
They were all instantly knocked down by her kanabo, "A-Ken."
Yamato moved as if through empty air.
Facing the siege of numerous Gifters, she didn't even use her Devil Fruit powers—just one move...
"Thunder Bagua!"
Watching the Gifters sent flying, King's expression beneath his mask remained unchanged.
As Kaido's bloodline, it would be strange if Yamato weren't strong.
He never expected to capture her with just a few Gifters.
"Everyone, hold nothing back... Yamato is no weakling!"
"Everyone, with me... attack together!"
Queen and King were no gentlemen—they were pirates, and clever ones at that.
They knew the priority wasn't to engage Yamato in prolonged combat but to capture her before the submarines reached Wano.
Yamato sidestepped King's eternally flaming sword and countered with a swing of her kanabo aimed squarely at his head.
"How nostalgic, this kind of fight." Yamato flashed a cruel smile. "But the outcome this time will be completely different from our past sparring sessions, Uncle King."
"My policy towards stubborn children has always been... beat them into submission first."
"If you think you can manage that."
Yamato grinned.
The next moment, Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan Type: Okuchi-no-Makami Form—Activate!
Her body became covered in fur matching her gradient hair color, her mouth elongated slightly, and sharp fangs emerged.In an instant, a chilling surge of ice and snow erupted around her.
King's eyes widened slightly.
From the aura radiating off Yamato, he could tell...
This Yamato was definitely not the little girl from back then.
Just the frost and freezing air accompanying the Okuchi no Makami form were enough to make the undying flames on his back flicker faintly.
At that moment, a startling possibility flashed through King's mind...
Could it be that what Yamato had said was actually true?
Had she truly surrounded all of them by herself?
"Okuchi no Makami—Frozen Fang of Solitude!"
Yamato suddenly opened her beastly maw, unleashing an unparalleled freezing breath that sprayed outward in all directions.
Upon contact with people, countless intense ice explosions erupted instantly.
The destructive power could even be considered an ice-attribute "Boro Breath"...
This single move alone demonstrated that Yamato's strength had already approached Kaido's level.
The Gifters and weaker Numbers were instantly defeated by this breath attack.
Before Queen could even react, still stunned by its power, Yamato had already accelerated and circled behind him in his Brachiosaurus form.
"You're really slow... Queen."
"Ice Rend!"
Striking from above.
Yamato's kanabo, enveloped in massive freezing energy, delivered a full-powered downward smash!
Under the momentary tremendous force, Queen's external defenses shattered completely.
The freezing energy and Ryou instantly invaded his body, wreaking havoc and leaving him in unbearable agony.
"Argh! Damn you, Yamato!"
This combination of a large-scale AOE skill as cover followed by a full-powered surprise strike directly incapacitated one of the All-Stars, Queen...
Under the combined effects of a Mythical Zoan's freezing energy and Ryou, even Queen the Plague, a 1.3 billion berry bounty All-Star of the Beasts Pirates, has no choice but to lie defeated on the ground.
Yamato was extremely satisfied with the results of her attack.
Over the years, under Michael's guidance, her talents had been fully unleashed.
Especially with Michael providing daily combat training for her and Jack...
The physical potential inherited from Kaido had been almost completely unlocked.
Otherwise, shattering Queen's defenses in a single strike would have been impossible.
After all, Queen was undeniably one of the strongest fighters on the seas.
"So, who's next... Will you all end up lying on the ground like Queen?"