"I don't care! You *really were trying to kill me just now!" Yamato roared at Kaido.
"Yamato! You may leave Onigashima—but you're confined to the Land of Wano! If you dare step beyond its borders, I'll cripple you myself!" Kaido bellowed, eyes flashing with fury before he transformed into his dragon form and soared into the clouds.
"That bastard Kaido!!" Yamato stamped her foot furiously, trembling with anger. But she had no way to fight back—she still wasn't strong enough to defeat him. For now, she could only swallow her rage.
Still, being allowed to roam all of Wano was already a big step forward. If she couldn't sail the seas, she'd just travel the country instead!
"Lord Karl, thank you for your help just now," King and Queen came over and bowed slightly.
Had Karl not intervened, the two of them would likely be lying half-dead right now.
"Does Kaido always lose control like that when he's drunk?" Karl asked. He could tell that Kaido had truly meant to kill earlier.
"Not usually," Queen explained quickly. "He only snapped because Young Master Yamato hit him first. Normally, their sparring stops short of serious injury. But this time, Kaido was drunk—things got out of hand."
He still hadn't recovered from the shock himself. If Karl hadn't stepped in to block that blow, he would've been smashed into a pulp.
"What? Are you saying this is my fault?!" Yamato's temper exploded. "You mean all those fights before—he was holding back?!"
Hearing that only made her angrier. Rage surged through her veins, and her Conqueror's Haki burst out uncontrollably, crackling through the air like invisible thunder.
"N-no, Young Master Yamato, that's not what I meant!" Queen stammered, waving his hands frantically. "But you have to understand Lord Kaido's side too. You're his heir, yet you idolize Kozuki Oden—Kaido's sworn enemy! Of course that drives him mad!"
"I don't care! That bastard Kaido really tried to kill me! I could feel it!" Yamato's fury spiked, her Haki flaring even more violently.
King and Queen withstood it easily—so did Karl—but Ann was struggling. She clenched her fists, her body trembling as she tried to resist Yamato's overwhelming presence.
Then—something within her snapped.
At the limit of her endurance, something deep inside her blood awakened in response to Yamato's Haki. A surge of red lightning erupted from her body, crackling through the courtyard—her own Conqueror's Haki, pure and fierce, no weaker than Yamato's!
King and Queen froze in astonishment. Even Yamato blinked in disbelief, turning toward Ann with wide eyes.
Karl couldn't help but smile faintly. So, it finally awakened.
After all, she was the daughter of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. How could she not possess Conqueror's Haki? The only reason it hadn't surfaced before was because Karl had always gone easy on her in training. This time, Yamato's outburst had accidentally forced it out.
Ann grit her teeth, struggling to stay standing as the clash of wills raged between her and Yamato. When Yamato saw that the girl was at her limit, she finally withdrew her Haki.
The moment she did, Ann's knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. The energy that had exploded within her had vanished as suddenly as it came, leaving her drained and weak.
"Lord Karl, your niece just awakened Conqueror's Haki… that's incredible," King said in awe. "So young, yet already on par with Young Master Yamato back then!"
Karl chuckled. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. Nothing surprising about it. Ann, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, Uncle… just completely out of strength. And… really hungry," Ann said weakly.
"Hahaha! That's a good sign. Come, eat some meat and you'll be fine." Karl pulled out heaps of roasted meat from his storage bracelet and laid them out.
Ann's eyes lit up instantly. She snatched a slab and tore into it with gusto.
Watching her devour the food, Yamato's stomach rumbled loudly, her face flushing red.
"Here, have some too," Karl said, handing over another pile of meat. "You helped Ann awaken her Haki—consider it a thank-you."
"Thank you, Mr. Karl!" Yamato said cheerfully and joined Ann, eating with both hands.
"Lord Karl, we'll take our leave. Onigashima's in chaos right now after all that Haki—someone has to restore order," King said.
"No problem. Go handle it," Karl replied casually. Indeed, his and Kaido's earlier outburst had practically shaken the entire island.
King and Queen hurried off.
Karl looked at Ann, who was eating like a starving wolf, and couldn't help but feel a warm sense of pride—like a father watching his daughter grow up.
"Phew… I'm stuffed! I thought I was gonna starve to death," Ann said, patting her belly after polishing off the last piece.
Yamato wasn't far behind—she'd cleared her share too.
"Ann, I didn't expect you to have Conqueror's Haki too. Not bad! How about you come to sea with me next time?" Yamato grinned.
"I don't mind—but I'm the captain!" Ann said, chin held high.
"No way! I'm stronger than you, so I should be captain!" Yamato snapped back immediately.
"But you've never been to sea! I've been sailing for years! I've got experience—you don't!"
"Still no! I'll be the captain!"
"No! I will!"
"I will!"
"I will!"
"Enough! Both of you, stop it!" Karl barked, stepping between them before they could start swinging punches. "You—can't leave Onigashima. And you—aren't old enough to go to sea. So what's there to argue about?"
The two girls turned away from each other with identical "hmph"s, pouting like sulking cats.
"Alright, let's head back. What a day… nothing but trouble," Karl muttered, dragging them both along.
Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital, the earlier battle between Kaido and Karl had caused massive tremors throughout Wano.
Kawamatsu, one of the Nine Red Scabbards, was certain someone was challenging Kaido. Could this be their long-awaited chance to drive out Orochi and reclaim the country?
He hurried to Oiran Komurasaki's residence—none other than Kozuki Hiyori—to discuss the situation.
Hiyori was confused. Could her brother have returned? Or had the prophesied savior appeared at last?
But no… the timing was all wrong. Her mother had sent her brother twenty years into the future. It was only the year 1513 of the Sea Circle Calendar—nine years too early.
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