Even though King and Queen had expressed their doubts, Kaido remained stubborn. "It would be a pity to kill him," the Captain declared, his voice booming with finality.
Seeing Kaido speak with such resolve, the others naturally kept their mouths shut. There was no point in arguing once the Governor-General had made up his mind.
"Stupid to the core," Yamato muttered, shaking her head repeatedly.
To her, her "Idiot Old Man" was nothing more than a reckless brute. When the situation called for cold-blooded ruthlessness, he suddenly insisted on acting broad-minded and merciful. Yet, when there was no need to be harsh, he would take things to a cruel extreme. It was a contradiction she could never understand.
"Anyway, it's none of my business. I won't be the one suffering the loss when his plans fall apart," Yamato thought, choosing to let the matter drop.
After a short while, the meeting finally came to an end.
"Vacation time, vacation time! Second Uncle, don't come looking for me unless the world is ending. I'm officially on leave," Yamato announced as she stood up. She gave a dismissive wave of her hand and turned to walk out of the hall.
The rest of the crew watched her leave in silence. Everyone knew that Yamato and Kaido were equally willful and stubborn; neither of them could be easily controlled by anyone else in the Beasts Pirates.
"By the way, Black Maria, Haruko, come find me if you want to hang out!" Yamato added over her shoulder before disappearing through the doors without a second glance.
Kaido watched her departure but didn't say a word. He didn't intend to entrust any important missions to an unreliable brat like Yamato anyway. His focus was elsewhere.
"Hurry up and expand the weapon factories. We need to sell our arms to the entire world," Kaido grumbled, his mind occupied by a single ambition.
In the region of Hakumai, Yamato arrived at the small wooden cabin she kept away from the chaos of Onigashima.
"It really is much quieter staying alone," she sighed contentedly. She moved a table and chair outside, sitting down to enjoy a cup of tea in the open air.
A few minutes later, two subordinates arrived on their mounts. "Young Master, here is the newspaper you requested."
"Thanks for the hard work," Yamato said, taking the papers from them.
As she opened the newspaper and scanned the headlines, a look of genuine surprise crossed her face. "Oh? So the four strongest great pirates of the New World have finally been decided?"
According to the news, most of the territories in the New World were now under the firm control of four major powers: the Whitebeard Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, the Red Hair Pirates, and the Beasts Pirates. Unlike the other three, the Red Hair Pirates were noted for having no fixed base of operations or a traditional headquarters.
"So it really happened. Red-Haired Shanks has quite the personal charisma to gather such a group of powerhouses under one flag," Yamato remarked, feeling a bit of admiration.
The youngest Overlord of the Sea, the newest of the Four Emperors, and he had achieved all of it while missing an arm. It was truly an amazing feat. Most importantly, his crew wasn't just large; his core partners were all top-tier experts handpicked from the best. Not a single one of them was a weak link.
"No wonder people later call them the 'Iron Wall,'" Yamato nodded to herself.
In reality, the Beasts Pirates weren't weak by comparison. If all their officers and All-Stars fought together, they could likely hold their own and reach a draw with the Red Hair Pirates. However, the fundamental nature of the two crews was completely different, which Yamato felt made the Beasts Pirates inferior in the long run.
The difference lay in the leaders and the reasons their crews existed. The Big Mom Pirates relied on blood ties and family, while the Whitebeard Pirates were built on the bond of fatherhood and sons.
"I can't have any expectations for my Idiot Old Man, though. He's just a brute. Because of what he went through as a kid, he took an extreme path and left the realm of normal people a long time ago," Yamato said, shaking her head. "Forget it, I won't let those upsetting thoughts ruin my day."
She put the newspaper down and closed her eyes, focusing on her own body. She could feel that she was standing on the very edge of an Awakening.
Ever since her intense battle with Vice Admiral Garp, her Haki had undergone a qualitative change. The breakthrough she made during that fight had pushed her closer to her limits than ever before.
"A Zoan Type Devil Fruit Awakening... it's a gamble. If I succeed, I gain immense power. If I fail, I'll go berserk, lose my mind, and turn into a mindless beast forever," Yamato thought, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.
Relatively speaking, awakening a Zoan fruit seemed far more dangerous than other types. A failure for a Paramecia or Logia user usually just meant they stayed at their current level, but for a Zoan user, it meant losing their humanity.
"But since it's me, I'm going to make sure it's a success. I need to find the right method. There's no rush, though; I have plenty of time to take it slow," she decided.
She was content to let nature take its course for now. A few days into her vacation, Haruko arrived at the cabin.
"Oh, Haruko! You're here! Are you joining me for my vacation?" Yamato asked with a beaming smile.
Haruko shook her head solemnly. "No, Young Master. I came to check on you. Have you seen the latest news? The Marines are starting to build new branches right on the edges of the Beasts Pirates' territory."
"Building Marine branches? It sounds like the Marines are finally moving to monitor the Four Emperors," Yamato said, a strange light flashing in her eyes.
Now that the power balance of the Four Emperors was firmly established, the Marines couldn't afford to sit idly by. While they weren't ready to start an all-out war against a Yonko, they needed to keep a constant watch on their movements.
"Yes, it's not just us. They are doing the same thing outside the territories of the other three Emperors. Marine branches are popping up everywhere," Haruko confirmed with a nod.
"What was my Idiot Old Man's reaction to all this?" Yamato asked.
"Lord Kaido told us not to mind them. He said they are just annoying things that we can destroy whenever we feel like it. He told the crew that if we see any Marine surveillance ships while we're out at sea, we should just crush them immediately," Haruko reported.
"That definitely sounds like something he would say. Still, the Marines are getting quite bold, daring to build bases right on the doorstep of the Four Emperors," Yamato mused.
She wondered if the emergence of these four pirates had made the World Government feel truly threatened for the first time. Why else would the Marines take such a provocative step now when they had never done it before?
"The word is that this was a direct order from the World Government," Haruko added.
"So it really is their doing. Well, never mind all that political stuff. Haruko, do you want to go to the hot springs with me? We can call Black Maria and make a day of it!" Yamato suggested, quickly changing the subject to something more fun.
Haruko looked stunned for a moment. "I can't, Young Master. Lady Maria is still out on a mission, and I have to head back to assist her."
"I told you, don't take those missions so seriously. It's so exhausting! Wouldn't it be much better to just soak in a hot spring with me?" Yamato urged, trying to convince her friend.
"That won't do. Lady Maria is waiting for me, and I can't let her down. I'm leaving now," Haruko said firmly, turning to walk away.
Watching Haruko's retreating figure, Yamato let out a helpless sigh. "I guess I'm stuck playing by myself again. How lonely."
While Yamato enjoyed her quiet vacation, Wano Country was transforming. The number of weapon factories began to increase rapidly under Kaido's orders. Great shipments of arms were being exported to every corner of the globe.
This was Kaido's vision: to flood the world with violence and chaos. He wanted the entire world to be filled with pirates and conflict. In his mind, Wano would become the undisputed center of that world—the heart of all barbarism and power.
"Those pitch-black chimneys... they really are an eyesore," Yamato remarked, looking out at the horizon where thick smoke clouded the sky.
"He has absolutely no environmental awareness. This is exactly why I can't stand idiots who refuse to learn," she complained.
After watching the smoke for a moment, Yamato withdrew her gaze and sat back down. "For now, I need to stop worrying about him and focus on my Awakening. Concentrate, Yamato. Focus."
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