Yamato’s face was full of sincerity.
But her words left Marco and Vir completely stunned!
Marco was dumbfounded.
What did she just say?
What the hell did she just say?!
This young girl—how could she say something so outrageous!
She was trying to poach someone?!
How could she even say that out loud?
At her age, at her stage of life, how could she have the audacity?
Seriously?
We’re the Whitebeard Pirates—full of old men who’ve been around the block.
None of us even dared to open our mouths about this kind of thing!
Even after feeding the guy over a dozen bowls of fried rice.
And yet…
This little girl just straight-up tried to recruit him!
Do you even realize how bold that is?!
Do you have any idea how presumptuous you’re being?!
Vir was just as dumbfounded.
He honestly hadn’t expected Yamato to come looking for him specifically—to try and pull him into the Beasts Pirates.
And he definitely didn’t expect that Kaido would actually let her out.
Weren’t Yamato and Kaido supposed to be enemies?
And those shackles—weren’t they supposed to explode if she left the island?
What the hell was going on here?
Seeing that Vir still hadn’t said anything, Yamato grew impatient and blurted out again.
“Well? What do you think, Vir? My father might not be a good person, but his pirate crew is still insanely powerful. With your strength, you’d definitely be on the same level as King! One of the All-Stars!”
“And when the time is right, we’ll take down my father together!”
Yamato looked at him with shining hope in her eyes—it was clear she really wanted to bring Vir back with her.
But still…
The way she said it…
“Come on, join my father’s crew! Then we’ll kill him together!”
That’s…
That’s not how this is supposed to go, right?
“You… why do you want me to join the Beasts Pirates?”
Vir finally voiced the question that had been bugging him.
But Yamato’s answer once again took him by complete surprise.
“So I can be with you!”
She said it with complete seriousness.
Marco: ‘Goddammit!’
Vir was utterly bewildered.
‘Huh?’
‘We just met, right?’
‘And you already want to be with me?!’
‘How can you say something so thoughtless?!’
‘You sound just like that idiot Luffy!’
“Ace told me about you! I want to be friends!”
Yamato quickly added.
Marco, who had been mentally cursing, immediately perked up.
Ace?!
This girl knew Ace?!
“You—you—you know Ace?! What’s your relationship with him? And whose subordinate are you really?!”
Marco blurted out several questions in shock.
This girl seemed to be part of the Beasts Pirates…
But also wanted to kill Kaido?
He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
“Hm? What’s wrong? You know Ace too, Pineapple-Head Old Man?”
This was the first time Yamato had looked Marco in the eye.
Her tone was cheerful now.
She’d originally thought this old guy was just some boatman or something.
But he knew Ace too? That was cool!
Hearing what Yamato called him though…
Marco was absolutely speechless.
Totally annoyed, he snapped, “Ace and I are from the same pirate crew! I’m his big brother!”
‘Pineapple-head Old Man?!’
‘Fine, calling me “old man” I can tolerate—’
‘Wait, no!’
‘No, I can’t!’
‘Do you even know how to talk to people?!’
‘How can you all be like this?!’
‘Do I really look that old?!’
‘”Uncle” I could’ve handled!’
‘But “old man”?!’
‘I swear…’
“Really?! That’s awesome, big bro! Ace and I are really good friends!”
“I’m Yamato! Kaido’s son! And I’m the man who will become Kozuki Oden.”
Yamato shouted excitedly.
Her words left Marco dazed all over again.
What now?
Kaido’s… son?
If Kaido were here, Marco would have no choice but to ask him: “Kaido-san, your son’s pectoral muscles are a little too much, don’t you think?”
Bit… over the top, huh?
Still, hearing her say that did make Marco warm up to Yamato a little.
He wasn’t as mad anymore.
Ace had mentioned Kaido’s “son” once before.
So Marco didn’t doubt what she was saying.
Meanwhile, standing to the side, Vir had a clearer picture now.
Yamato hadn’t changed from the original timeline.
She was still Yamato, through and through.
Kaido must’ve only let her out so she could try to recruit him into the Beasts Pirates.
What a twist…
Well, whatever.
Trying to make sense of Kaido’s logic was a waste of energy.
Still, Yamato’s appearance had definitely shaken up Vir’s plans.
Maybe…
He could get her to join the Straw Hats instead…
“Yamato, I’m not joining the Beasts Pirates.”
Vir said calmly.
Yamato, who’d just been riding high from meeting Ace’s big brother, instantly looked crestfallen.
Aw, doesn’t that mean she couldn’t be friends with Vir after all?
If Vir refused, she’d have to start thinking of a way to head back immediately.
Any longer, and she might not make it in time.
Her explosive cuff would detonate.
That thing was a sensor cuff.
It couldn’t be removed.
Even if she cut off her hand, the cuff would still explode once it detected no vital signs.
“You really won’t reconsider?!”
Seeing Vir shake his head again, Yamato didn’t stay down for long.
Thick-skinned and scatterbrained as ever, her thoughts took a sudden turn—
And she just smiled brightly.
With a cheerful smile, she looked at Vir and asked:
“Vir! Do you have any recent news about Ace? I tried calling him along the way but couldn’t get through at all.”
“I really wanted to tell him I finally got out… but I haven’t been able to reach him!”
“Do you guys know where he is?”
After Yamato finished speaking, Marco wanted to tell her—after all, she and Ace had a close relationship.
But Yamato’s identity was a bit sensitive.
He was worried that involving the Beasts Pirates would cause unnecessary trouble.
Kaido didn’t care about rules or consequences.
If he decided to fight, he’d fight. That guy could easily become the Navy’s number one target.
And if things went south, their Whitebeard Pirates would end up taking the heat.
So Marco stayed silent.
Vir, too, didn’t directly answer Yamato.
He looked at her slightly clueless expression.
His first thought was—she’d be so easy to kidnap.
Tsk tsk.
Probably a side effect of being a bit airheaded.
“Yamato, let’s talk about that later, alright?” Vir said.
Yamato nodded blankly.
She didn’t understand why Vir wouldn’t tell her now, but she didn’t press further.
If he said they’d talk later, then there was no need to rush.
Seeing her nod, Vir continued:
“Your ship’s basically been wrecked by us. It’s like a pair of ripped pants now.”
“Obviously, it’s not going anywhere. Just stick with us for now, yeah?”
Yamato nodded again at his words.
She didn’t really have any other options.
She was a Devil Fruit user.
Swimming was out of the question.
For now, staying on Vir’s ship was the only choice.
“Thanks! You’re really a good person!”
Yamato said earnestly.
Ding—good person card received.
Not bad.
Vir thought, Guess he’s officially a good guy now.
Just as that thought crossed his mind…
*Gurgle~~~*
A strange sound suddenly echoed from Yamato’s stomach.
It sounded like a muffled drumroll—and it lasted.
Vir gave her a weird look.
Did she sneak out on her own or something?
Kaido let her out, but didn’t give her food?
That rumble definitely sounded like she hadn’t eaten in days.
Yamato scratched her head awkwardly.
“Hehehe~ I’m hungry. Do you guys have anything to eat?”
As she spoke, she looked at Vir a little embarrassed.
“Marco, take her to sit over there for a bit. I’ll go cook something up.”
Vir sighed, a little speechless.
Then he turned and headed for the kitchen.
Seeing that, Yamato, who hadn’t eaten in days, instantly perked up.
“Thanks! Vir, you really are a good guy! I love you! Hahahaha!”
As for Kaido not preparing food for her?
No way.
She’d given it all away herself.
On her second day at sea, she ran into a crew of pirates—ones who had just lost a naval battle.
Her overflowing Oden spirit took over, and she gave all her food to them on the spot.
Then…
Those pirates tried to kill her and steal her ship.
So…
She blew up their entire crew—ship and all.
The food went down with them.
As a result, she hadn’t eaten a single bite in days.
Marco looked at Yamato, who was practically drooling, and just shook his head.
Poor kid.
“Come on. This way.”
Marco led her to where he and Vir had eaten earlier.
He let her sit down and wait, then went to the helm to continue steering the ship.
*Whoosh—*
Suddenly, Yamato heard the sound of flames flaring up.
She turned to look.
Marco was holding a flickering cluster of phoenix fire in his hand.
She watched as he gently tossed it forward.
The flames instantly engulfed her tattered ship.
In just a few seconds…
Not a trace of it was left.
Yamato stared at the scene, unable to hide her shock.
‘Wow~ What kind of power is that?! Such beautiful flames! They’re kinda like Ace’s! The outside world really is amazing!’
‘This trip was so worth it!’
Her starry-eyed expression made her look like a complete country bumpkin.
With nothing blocking the way anymore…
The electric ship picked up speed and sailed smoothly again.
This time, Marco stayed in the control room.
First trip out and they already had an accident.
What rotten luck.
Better to steer manually.
Autopilot? Total scam.
—–
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