"It's already evening, Yamato. You've been asleep for most of the day," Maria told her, leaning back against a lacquered pillar.
Yamato nodded, her mind still a bit foggy from the deep slumber. "Right. Where's Haruko?"
"She's preparing food for you and will be here shortly. That child respects you very much," Maria said with a knowing smile.
"Indeed, she's just a bit too serious sometimes. I asked her to bathe with me, and she actually got embarrassed, haha!" Yamato laughed, remembering the younger girl's flustered reaction.
Maria shook her head. "And yet you still tease her?"
"Because it's fun! Besides, she helped me scrub my back and gave me a massage. Her skills are quite good," Yamato praised, genuinely impressed by the care she had received.
At that moment, Haruko walked into the room followed by several subordinates carrying large trays of steaming food.
"Young Master, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Haruko asked respectfully, her eyes scanning Yamato for any signs of lingering pain.
"As you can see, I'm in great shape. Thanks to you, Haruko. Your massage technique was so good I fell right asleep," Yamato smiled brightly.
"It is Haruko's honor to be of service to the Young Master," a faint, shy smile appeared on Haruko's face.
Yamato shot her a playful look. "I told you not to be so formal. Just relax already."
Haruko didn't say anything, simply responding to Yamato with a quiet, appreciative gaze. Seeing her like this, Yamato didn't press further and continued, "Haruko, you were the one who helped me dress while I was out, right?"
"Yes, Young Master," Haruko nodded.
"Doesn't that mean you've seen everything? Plus, you've touched my whole body. Shouldn't I make you take responsibility for me? Maria, don't you think that's only fair?" Yamato rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"Pfft! Put that way, it does seem to make sense," Maria caught on instantly and chimed in, enjoying the mischief.
Haruko froze, taking a moment to process the words before her face turned a bright, vivid red. "Young Master, please don't tease me like that! Lady Maria, you too, please don't make such jokes!"
"But Haruko, it's a fact that you saw everything and touched me all over, isn't it?" Yamato continued to tease, leaning in closer.
Haruko's face grew even redder, if that was even possible. "Young Master, that was a massage! Also, dressing the Young Master is a subordinate's duty. There's nothing wrong with it!"
"But I feel like my purity is gone. Haruko, you must take responsibility for me. How about this: I'll marry you, or you can marry me," Yamato looked at her with a completely serious expression.
Being stared at by Yamato like that, Haruko became entirely flustered and started to stammer incoherently. "Please don't be like this, Young Master... We can't... because... we are both women! Besides, I only have respect for the Young Master, I don't have those kinds of thoughts..."
"Pfft... Hahaha!" Yamato burst into boisterous laughter at the sight of Haruko's panicked state.
Maria laughed as well, her fan fluttering. "I didn't expect you to get this flustered, Haruko. Alright, Yamato is just joking with you. You actually took it seriously, you silly girl."
"Eh?" Haruko stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what expression to make anymore.
Seeing Haruko standing there dazed like a startled little animal, Yamato laughed and pulled her into a sudden, warm embrace. "Haruko, you really are cute. You didn't actually want to marry me, did you?"
Haruko's face flushed instantly. "Please stop saying such misleading things, Young Master. I have no such thoughts!"
"Really? Then how about I marry Haruko? I like Haruko, after all," Yamato continued, refusing to let the joke die.
"Young Master, please stop teasing me! If you keep this up, I'm going to get angry!" Haruko broke free from Yamato's arms, sounding both anxious and genuinely annoyed. This was likely the harshest thing Haruko had ever said to Yamato since joining the Beasts Pirates.
Maria, who had been enjoying the show, finally spoke up to bridge the gap. "Alright, Yamato, that's enough. Don't tease Haruko like that. What if she actually takes it seriously?"
Haruko felt relieved by the first half of the sentence, but the second half only made her more embarrassed. "Lady Maria, please don't say things like that either, okay? I would never take it seriously!"
Maria waved her hand with a laugh. "Fine, fine, I'll stop."
"Sorry, sorry, Haruko. I won't do it next time," Yamato apologized, though she still wore a grinning, playful expression that suggested otherwise.
"Honestly, you two..." Haruko sighed, feeling helpless.
As the Beasts Pirates' first major expedition concluded, bounty posters were issued for everyone from Kaido down to the low-level officers. The world was watching. Among them, the bounties for Kaido and the Three Disasters—King, Queen, and Jack—had all seen significant increases.
Sasaki and Who's-Who, former pirate captains who had joined the crew, also saw their bounties rise following the expedition. As for Yamato, Maria, and Haruko, the three of them were considered newcomers and were being wanted by the Marines for the first time.
"Is this for real? The Young Master got such a high bounty on her first expedition! A bounty of 1,315,000,000 Berry! She's nearly reaching the All-Stars King and Queen!"
"Let me see that poster... Hiss! It's true! The Young Master's bounty is 1,315,000,000 Berry, only 5,000,000 less than Lord Queen. That's incredible!"
"This is the first time I've ever seen an initial bounty exceed a billion, and it's our Young Master."
"A bounty like this is only fit for a true Great Pirate. The Young Master is truly Governor Kaido's child—a natural-born ruler of the seas!"
As the bounty for the newcomer Yamato was released, the news shook the entire ocean.
"A newcomer's first bounty is as high as 1.3 billion? You've got to be kidding me!"
"This is the latest bounty poster from the World Government, how could there be a mistake? Look, it's this person—'Onihime' Yamato!"
"What the hell, it's a woman? Are you joking? What are the Marines playing at?"
Many pirates across the Grand Line expressed their disbelief that a female pirate could receive such a staggering bounty for her first recorded offense.
"Onihime? Could it be... that's it! The Beasts Pirates—she's Kaido's daughter!"
"What? That's Kaido's daughter?! Is she really that powerful?"
"Marine intelligence is unlikely to be wrong on something this big. There must be a deeper reason for setting such a high bounty. This woman named Yamato is definitely a dangerous element."
Various factions, from the World Government to rival Yonko, paid close attention, gathering intelligence from all sides to understand why the Marines gave Yamato such an abnormally high bounty. If the reason wasn't found, many people would find themselves unable to sleep.
Back on Onigashima, Yamato looked at her own bounty poster. The photo was perfectly timed; it showed her in a mid-swing, her spiked club slamming into Kaido's face.
"I have to say, this image is quite impactful and cool. The Marines... no, the World Government's intelligence system is truly pervasive. They even managed to photograph this," Yamato felt a genuine spark of admiration for whoever had caught the shot.
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