Chapter 234: The Shimotsuki Family
Late at night, at the edge of Onigashima.
Yelena, Yamato, Kuina, and the others stood at the edge of a rugged rock, waiting for the Island Cloud to descend from the sky.
In the distance, the waves of Wano's inland sea churned, creating splashes with a great roar.
On the rugged rock, Yamato braced themself and extended their hands toward Yelena, turning their head away, not daring to watch Yelena's actions. Just as they felt a cold touch, Yamato snatched their hands back with a cry and then showed Yelena and Kuina a strained smile.
"Do you think... these will actually explode? Kaido was probably just trying to scare me, right?"
In the bottom of their heart, Yamato still held a faint hope for Kaido, thinking he was just bluffing. Despite their strained relationship, they were still father and child, connected by blood. Even a vicious tiger does not eat its cubs. No matter how cruel Kaido was, he wouldn't just kill his own child like this, would he?
Nearby, Kuina stood quietly with her arms crossed, watching this scene without giving any opinion.
To this, Yelena looked at Yamato calmly and said softly, "You haven't stepped off Onigashima in all these years. Don't you already have the answer in your heart as to whether these will explode or not? It's just that your subconscious is still unwilling to believe this result."
Even so, Yelena wouldn't have been surprised either way. On one hand, as a father, one would not easily make the decision to kill their own child, no matter what. On the other hand, this father's name was Kaido, a monster who was difficult to judge by common sense.
Hearing this, Yamato's face instantly became conflicted. Were they afraid that the bomb exploding would lead to their death? No. Yamato was worried that the explosion would also cause their last shred of illusion about Kaido to disappear.
When the Island Cloud descended and was above their heads, Yelena stepped onto it, looked straight into Yamato's eyes, and urged them softly. "Come on up. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"Yeah!" Yamato heard her, and a hint of determination flashed in their eyes. They nodded firmly and followed Yelena and the other onto the Island Cloud.
When the Island Cloud was hovering in mid-air, Yamato took a deep breath and then, as if resigned to their fate, extended their tightly locked hands toward Yelena.
Yelena's eyes fell on the shackles. Flowing Armament Haki wreathed her hands as she reached for them.
Yamato squeezed their eyes shut, their muscles tense, dripping with sweat. "It has come to this. No matter what the result, I will accept it gladly—"
CRACK—
With a crisp sound, the shackles that had bound Yamato for nearly twenty years broke and were then thrown off toward Onigashima.
"Eh?! They're open just like that?!"
The sudden feeling of lightness made Yamato's eyes fly open. They looked at Yelena, their gaze filled with a mixture of bewilderment and joy.
"They didn't exp—"
BOOM!!
A huge roar sounded from below the Island Cloud, spreading across the entire island of Onigashima against the wind and waves. The light of the explosion lit up the night sky, illuminating Yamato's stiff expression. The resulting shockwave and hurricane swept up from below, lifting the hair of the three.
"They exploded..." Kuina lowered her eyes and said to herself. She was greatly shocked by this.
"Yes, they exploded." Yelena was quite calm about it, her expression showing no ripple.
Nearby, the rolling heatwave startled the dazed Yamato. They subconsciously crawled to the edge of the Island Cloud and stared blankly at the giant fireball and mushroom cloud below.
"That damned horned gorilla!!" Yamato's voice, filled with grief and indignation, rang out. Their entire being became abnormally furious. "He really wanted to kill me!!"
The shackles they had worn for twenty years had exploded the moment they were removed. This result, witnessed with their own eyes, dealt an unparalleled blow to Yamato's psyche. The sum of all the injuries they had suffered in twenty years was not as great as the trauma brought by this one moment.
The intense stimulation made Yamato grit their teeth, their hands digging deep into the Island Cloud at their feet.
Seeing this, a hint of pity flashed in Yelena's scarlet eyes. She then knelt down beside Yamato and placed a hand on their shoulder. "Let it go. You have already escaped from that prison called Onigashima. You are free, Yamato—"
Yamato heard her and turned their head, looking at Yelena's gentle face, and froze.
Just as the Island Cloud carrying the three was moving away from Onigashima, the entire Beasts Pirates crew, who had been disturbed by the violent explosion, instantly erupted. One after another, teams of pirates rushed over, surrounding the deep crater formed by the explosion. Soon, the Headliners of the Beasts Pirates, as well as Queen the Plague, quickly arrived at the scene.
The huge crater blasted by the explosion left Queen greatly shocked. His mouth hung open, his tongue moved like a wave, and his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.
"AAAH!!! Was this place hit by a warship's main cannon?!"
High above the Land of Wano.
"Woah!! So this is the Island Cloud from Oden's journal? It's so much like a flame cloud!!"
Yamato, who had recovered their usual optimistic demeanor in a very short time, was lying on the ground without any care for their image. They excitedly kneaded the Island Cloud beneath them, occasionally rolling back and forth.
"You didn't notice when you just came up?" Kuina, who was swinging her sword, raised an eyebrow, a little puzzled as to how Yamato could be so air-headed.
To this, Yamato scratched their head, a little embarrassed. "Just now," they said with a weak laugh, "I was too nervous about my hands. I didn't react."
"..." Kuina heard this, and a subtle change came over her expression. She fell silent instantly.
Soon, Yamato was lying on their stomach on the Island Cloud again, their head peeking over the edge, taking in the scenery of Wano.
After a moment, Yelena walked out from a small space within the Island Cloud and came directly before Kuina and Yamato. "We're running out of salt. Kuina, you're not so conspicuous. Go down to the village below and buy some."
Hearing this, Yamato instantly stood up, raised a hand high, and said excitedly, "I want to go too! I haven't had a good look at Wano yet!"
To this, Kuina slowly sheathed her Wado Ichimonji, let out a slow breath of air, and gently refused. "You'd be too easily exposed down there. It's better if I go by myself."
Yamato heard her, wanting to say something but holding back. In the end, they said nothing more.
Then, Yelena took out Louis's Vivre Card and had the Island Cloud descend. Immediately after, Kuina, taking some Wano currency, jumped down from the cloud, landing softly amidst some rocks.
Her gaze fell on the houses in front, which looked as if they were woven from straw and garbage, and she sighed slightly. She walked along the desert-like land, her eyes sweeping over the sallow and emaciated villagers, and her heart grew heavier.
And the villagers, because of the arrival of the well-dressed Kuina, with her outstanding appearance and aura, also looked over with curiosity.
Gradually, Kuina stopped. Because the houses in front were becoming more and more dilapidated, and the villagers' expressions were even more gaunt. This situation made Kuina feel that in this place, even eating one's fill was probably a luxury. It would be very difficult to buy something like salt.
After a brief thought, Kuina turned around, preparing to go back the way she had come. Just then, a rather strange voice sounded from not far away.
"Ninja-sama over there! May I ask if I can be of any help to you?" With a fawning voice, a short figure walked over from not far away. He was wearing a worn-out kimono, and his head was wrapped in a patched bandana. His expression and tone were extremely sycophantic.
"I'm not a ninja, but a swordswoman," Kuina said, turning to look at the short man before her. She felt his face was strangely familiar.
"A swordswoman? A samurai? A female samurai is very rare, especially one as young as you." The man, who was like a flatterer, approached with a familiar air. He then inconspicuously glanced at the Shimotsuki family crest on Kuina's kimono and the Wado Ichimonji at her waist, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.
"The Shimotsuki family crest, and the Wado Ichimonji forged by Kozaburo. Has a descendant of Kozaburo returned to the Land of Wano?"
Under Kuina's gaze, the short man rubbed his hands together and said fawningly, "The young samurai-sama can call me Tonoyasu. May I ask what you need?"
Kuina stared at the man with the slightly familiar face for a long time, and finally, she spoke her purpose softly. "Salt. I came here to buy salt."
Hearing this, the man who called himself Tonoyasu was taken aback for a moment, then replied in a slightly awkward tone, "Salt? We here rely on the city's garbage to survive. We don't have such things—"
"Is that so?" Kuina did not have much of a reaction. She turned to leave, heading back the way she had come. However, to her surprise, the man who called himself Tonoyasu actually followed her with the same fawning appearance.
After leaving the village, Tonoyasu said in a seemingly casual tone, "The sword at the samurai-sama's waist looks very precious! It must have cost a lot of gold to buy!"
Kuina heard him but did not answer. Noticing that he was consciously keeping a considerable distance, she did not make a move.
Seeing that she did not answer, Tonoyasu tentatively spoke again. "For a samurai-sama so young to be able to travel alone, you must be the child of a great figure from the city, right?"
"..."
Seeing this, although a fawning smile still appeared on Tonoyasu's face, a hint of hesitation also appeared in his heart.
After a moment, Kuina stopped, turned her head slightly, glanced at him, and said coldly, "That's enough. Don't follow me any further." With that, she placed her hand on the hilt of her Wado Ichimonji and continued to walk down the road.
Seeing this, Tonoyasu became anxious. In the end, he put away the expression on his face, displayed the unique aura of a great figure, and said in a deep voice, "Little girl of the Shimotsuki family—are Kozaburo and the others who left Wano well?"
Kuina stopped. Her right thumb pushed the guard, slightly unsheathing her blade. She turned, met those old, weary eyes, and asked coldly, "Who are you?"
The man took off the bandana on his head, revealing a head of blue hair, and replied in an aged voice, "The former Daimyo of Hakumai in the Land of Wano. Of the Shimotsuki Family... Shimotsuki Yasuie—"
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