Chapter 243: Yelena and Yamato
The Island Cloud landed on a branch of the Treasure Tree Adam. Yamato was the first to jump off, landing on the giant branch and looking around like a monkey, observing all the novelties.
"This... this is so cool! The Adam tree mentioned in that journal... it's really so big!!"
Yamato's embarrassing behavior made the surrounding pirates who were stationed here look at each other. But they didn't dare to say anything, completely pretending not to see. Although the "Mist Ships" that floated on small Island Clouds had gradually become common on Terra, a person who could command such a huge Island Cloud was bound to be a high-ranking executive among the high-ranking. They, as insignificant small fries, dared not provoke them.
THUD— Just then, the sound of a heavy object landing was heard.
Several pirates subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound. A tall figure in heavy armor was striding heavily toward the white-haired woman. In an instant, the several pirates jolted, subconsciously straightening their bodies and bracing themselves to speak. "Commander, welcome back in triumph!"
Yelena turned her head. Her scarlet eyes from under her gas mask fell on the several pirates, making them tremble uncontrollably. "I'll leave this place to you."
With that, Yelena grabbed the monkey-like Yamato and walked step by step along the passage toward the castle.
Behind her, an incomparably respectful reply was heard, "Yes, ma'am!!"
Immediately after, Kuina, leading a group of children in simple cloth kimonos and with uneasy and reserved expressions, slowly left the Island Cloud. Under the watchful eyes of a group of pirates, she led the dozens of sallow and emaciated children toward her dojo.
As she walked, Kuina took out a Den Den Mushi from her fourth-dimensional pocket and dialed a number.
Brrring~ Brrring~ Brrring~
Click. The call was quickly answered, and a young female voice came through. "Who is this?"
Kuina replied softly, "Violet, could you please arrange for some maids to bring some children's clothes and daily necessities to my dojo?"
Before leaving the Land of Wano, Kuina, after obtaining Yelena's consent, had invited Shimotsuki Yasuie and the people of that village to leave with them. But they were unwilling to abandon their homeland. Instead, they entrusted their young children to Kuina, asking her to take them away. In the end, Kuina had agreed. Before parting, Shimotsuki Yasuie had introduced her to a man named Tenguyama Hitetsu. Before leaving Wano, the group had taken in another batch of orphans who had lost their parents from a small village.
Because these children were citizens of Wano, Kuina had proposed to adopt and educate them herself. She was no stranger to this; her father, Koshiro, often did so.
Violet heard her and quickly realized who was contacting her. She immediately replied, "I understand, Miss Kuina—"
On the road to the castle, Yamato looked at the clouds and mist that were flying past them, dazed for a moment. Then, their entire face lit up with excitement, their eyes filled with joy and shock. "Is this... are these the clouds from the sky?!"
Then, they strode forward with cheerful steps, extended their hands, and personally experienced the feedback the clouds and mist gave to their palms.
Soon, the clouds and mist churned and disappeared from in front of them, and the world of dusk was once again revealed. The setting sun cast its last rays, illuminating this endless land and the extremely prosperous city below, making Yamato's eyes shine with a special light.
The golden sunlight shone on their face, and the high-altitude cold wind lifted their gradient-colored hair. "It's so beautiful here..."
Nearby, Yelena walked over at an unhurried pace and stood beside them, her gaze also falling on the distant sea level.
After a long while, Yelena sighed softly. "Yamato," she asked gently, "you have already left that prison called Onigashima. What are your goals from now on?"
Yamato turned their head and looked up at Yelena's face, which always maintained a gentle expression. Then, they put their hands on their hips, letting the golden afterglow fall on their face, and replied with a smile, "Me? Since I've already left the Land of Wano, I want to imitate Roger and travel around the world!"
Scenes from the journal flashed in Yamato's mind, and an excited, expectant look appeared on their face.
"I see..." To this, Yelena was not surprised. Or rather, she had long anticipated it. Although she had only spent a short time with Yamato, it was enough for her to fully understand their character and personality. They were flighty, as if they were missing a screw, and very carefree. To be honest, Yamato even reminded her of the little boy she had seen in Foosha Village in the East Blue. The personalities of these two felt extremely similar to her.
"In that case," Yelena turned to look at Yamato again and asked with a smile, "then let me keep that Oden journal of yours for now!"
"Eh?!" Yamato was shocked, and then they became a little happy. "Yelena, do you finally want to see this journal?!" they asked excitedly.
On their way back to Terra, Yamato had recommended Oden's journal to Yelena more than once, wanting their only relative to see their favorite reading material. But Yelena had seemed uninterested and had politely declined her recommendation every time. And now, for her to proactively ask for the book... it made Yamato feel that the surprise had come a bit too suddenly.
However, Yelena shook her head at them. "No, I'm still not interested in that journal. But—" Yelena's words paused for a moment, and then her voice gradually became relaxed. "Yamato, let's make a promise!"
"A promise?" Yamato tilted their head, their expression becoming strange.
Yelena looked down at Yamato's face and said with a smile, "I'm not interested in Oden's journal, but... I want to see your adventure. So, Yamato, write your adventures in a log. When you come back here and we meet again, let me see your journal. If Kozuki Oden's notebook is with you, you will definitely just follow Roger's route on your adventure."
"Eh?!" Yamato was taken aback for a moment, then smiled, feeling an unprecedented sense of ease and happiness. At this moment, they truly felt that they were not alone. They also had a close relative who cared about them, who wouldn't force them to do anything, and who was curious about their adventure.
"In that case, then I'll leave Oden's notebook in your care!"
Then, Yamato took out the worn-out notebook from their backpack and handed it to Yelena without any guard.
After a moment, Yamato was about to say goodbye to Yelena right there. However, before they could speak, their stomach let out a thunderous roar. The convulsions from their stomach made their expression a little awkward, and their gaze toward Yelena was filled with a hint of embarrassment.
To this, Yelena smiled slightly. "Come with me. My cooking skills may not be as good as a professional chef's, but they're not bad—"
Yamato wanted to refuse, but their convulsing stomach gave them no chance, once again letting out a huge roar. Then, they awkwardly followed behind Yelena and silently returned to the castle.
Yamato looked at the decorative style of the castle, which was completely different from Kaido's lair, and their eyes were filled with amazement.
After entering a corridor illuminated by incandescent lights, two not-so-tall figures blocked their path. The relatively slender figure had her hands on her hips, exuding an aggressive aura. The other was leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed on Yamato, making them feel uncomfortable all over.
"Who are these two brats?" Yamato realized something was wrong and asked, tilting their head.
To this, Yelena raised an eyebrow and explained seriously, "The young girl with the blue and pink striped mask is Ulti, a cute little sister. The one next to her is her younger brother, Page One—"
Before her words could fall, an excited cry of a young girl came from the front of the corridor. "Lady Yelena! Long time no see!!"
Ulti extended her hands and slowly approached, her large pink eyes narrowed into crescents with joy.
Immediately after, a rather helpless young boy's voice was heard. "Hey, hey! Sis... where did you learn that way of speaking?! That seems to be the dialect of the pleasure districts, right?!"
At these words, Ulti, who was slowly approaching Yelena, raised an eyebrow. She directly grabbed Page One by the collar and asked with some suspicion, "Little Page One, how do you know the dialect of the pleasure districts? I heard from the allied captains that..."
This scene made Yamato raise an eyebrow.
When Yamato and Yelena approached, Ulti temporarily let go of Page One. She stood with her arms crossed, glared with her large pink eyes, and said bluntly, "You're so slow coming back! You idiot, Yelena! That guy Louis won't give me any missions. Little Page One and I are bored to death!"
Nearby, Yamato looked at Ulti, who was exhibiting two completely different attitudes as if she had a split personality, and was completely stunned. "Hey, hey, your attitude changed a little too fast, didn't it?"
To this, Yelena smiled and reached out to stroke Ulti's head. "Forgive me this time. I'll definitely take you two with me the next time I go out."
Ulti heard her and nodded with satisfaction. She then glanced at the equally curious Yamato and said, annoyed, "So this is Kaido's other daughter? I don't know why, but I just feel she's very punchable—"
Nearby, Yelena heard her and shook her head. She then turned her gaze to Page One. "Where's Louis?"
The relatively mature Page One pointed a finger at the ceiling and gave the answer. "Lord Louis... he's up on Avant Heim—"
At night, inside Avant Heim.
Louis looked at the Devil Fruit before him and fell into a brief thought.
This Devil Fruit was the spoils of war that the Golden Lion had obtained when he had destroyed a World Government fleet upon his return to the New World. More than two years ago, he had traded this fruit, along with several Ancient Zoan fruits, to Louis as payment for his treatment.
For more than two years, Louis had not been able to figure out what this Devil Fruit was. In the Devil Fruit encyclopedia he had obtained from Judge, he had not seen any fruit similar to it.
When he had wanted to fuse Avant Heim with a Devil Fruit and turn it into a true life form, he had once again thought of this unknown fruit. But when it was brought before him, he had become hesitant.
Although a Devil Fruit that the World Government valued was unlikely to be ordinary, reason still told him that he should not be so rash in deciding this matter.
After a moment, he slowly closed the treasure chest containing the Devil Fruit and said to himself, "I should have my people keep an eye out for any confirmed powerful Devil Fruits that appear in the world first. Next... I should wait until I have accumulated enough life force to raise the Adam tree's height again, and also turn it into a true life form."
"You're here, Louis." Just then, Yelena, leading Yamato, walked into this space and slowly approached him.
Yelena's voice did not surprise him. In fact, whether it was Yelena and Yamato, or Kuma who had arrived at the Buccaneer village, Louis was well aware of all of it.
Yamato looked at the man in front of them with pale-golden hair and snow-white wings, who possessed an inhumanly astonishing charm, and fell into a brief thought. "This man... is this the Four Emperors' Archangel Louis, who is as famous as that guy Kaido? He doesn't look as powerful as him—"
"She is the Yamato that Kaido spoke of," Yelena said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "I brought her out of the Land of Wano."
Hearing this, Louis's gaze flickered. He swept over Yelena and Yamato's bodies, a hint of surprise in his heart. "How did you escape from Kaido?"
To this, Yelena gave an answer that was a little surprising to him. "Because I didn't go to see him at all. He doesn't even know I went to Wano. I snuck onto Onigashima, found Yamato, and left directly, giving him no time to search for me."
In the perception of the Beasts Pirates, after the explosion of Yamato's shackles, they had disappeared from Onigashima, and there was no way to trace them. Not only that, but because Yelena had gone to Wano on an Island Cloud, even if the Beasts Pirates had blocked the two entrances to Wano, they would not have been able to wait for her.
In short, Yelena had never intended to see Kaido from the beginning. The only one she was really interested in was this sister she had never met.
Yelena's words made Louis silent for a moment. After he came back to his senses, he slowly stepped forward and sized up the carefree Yamato.
The current 22-year-old Yamato, although not comparable to their 28-year-old self who could briefly fight Kaido, could still be called a rare powerhouse on the sea.
After looking them over, Louis, in Yamato's puzzled gaze, extended his invitation. "Yamato, you are very strong. Have you considered working here with Yelena?"
To this, Yamato was first taken aback for a moment, then waved their hand without hesitation. "Although it's very beautiful here, I won't be staying here forever!"
"I see." Louis heard her and had no particular reaction.
Soon, having achieved her goal of getting Yamato acquainted with Louis, Yelena led them away to her own residence.
And Louis, too, left Avant Heim and returned to the castle to await the arrival of another visitor.
Bartholomew Kuma, and Bonney.
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