“Hmm, who called me?”
The woman suddenly turned her head, and the moment she saw Kane, she ran over, hugging him tightly.
“Shh, don’t speak!”
“Wuwuwu…” Kane struggled desperately in the snowy ocean.
Yamato’s strength was terrifying; Kane couldn't do anything without resorting to force.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t move! I’m not a bad person!” Yamato, attempting a stealth mission for the first time, was almost in tears, holding Kane even tighter.
It didn’t look like she was trying to silence Kane; rather, it seemed like she was trying to suffocate him.
After a while, Yamato saw Kane stop struggling and slowly released him.
“Huff, huff…” Kane breathed in the hard-won air and asked curiously, “Why are you here?”
In his impression, shouldn’t Yamato be stuck in a loop of escaping the dungeon, challenging Kaido, failing, and being re-imprisoned?
Yamato replied without hesitation, “I’m here to find the mysterious strong person who appeared yesterday. I want to invite him to join my crew and challenge Kaido together!”
Looking for me?
Why me? What virtue or ability do I possess to be noticed by you?
Kane was a bit puzzled. Who told Yamato that he was at odds with Kaido?
The honest Yamato explained, “I saw that strong person summon a meteor to smash Kaido and his subordinates. He must be Kaido’s enemy.”
Hiss, what a magical way of thinking.
Kane asked, “Then do you know what he looks like?”
Yamato obediently shook her head.
“Then what’s his name?”
Yamato shook her head again.
Kane’s mouth twitched. “You don’t know anything. How are you going to find him?”
Yamato stated matter-of-factly, “I’ve fought with all the strong people here; I know them. So naturally, the one I don’t know is the person I’m looking for.”
Yamato put her hands on her hips, looking incredibly clever.
Kane shook his head, sighed, opened the door, and led Yamato inside.
“Lord Kane.” The maid-dressed girl greeted him respectfully.
When she saw Yamato beside Kane, she was startled and quickly bowed. “Young Master Yamato, hello.”
“Konami, you can go now,” Kane instructed.
The maid acknowledged the order and left with her head bowed.
“Sit. Would you like some sake?” Kane offered.
“Sure.” Yamato made herself at home, sat down, and casually removed the Hannya mask from her face, revealing a beautiful, flawless complexion.
While pouring sake for Yamato, Kane asked, feigning ignorance, “Why do you want to defeat Mr. Kaido?”
“Because I am Oden. I want to liberate Wano Country and open its borders!” Yamato replied reflexively.
“Kozuki Oden?” Kane’s eyes narrowed.
To be honest, he hadn’t expected to meet Yamato so soon, and for her to actively seek him out.
But if heaven offers and one does not take, one will suffer for it.
If the progress is faster, then so be it.
Since he had joined the Beasts Pirates, he certainly couldn’t let go of Yamato, such a powerful combatant.
Who could refuse a beautiful companion who was pure-hearted, kind, and extremely powerful?
But to recruit Yamato, the Kozuki Oden poison within her had to be thoroughly purged.
Let’s start now.
“Exactly!”
Speaking of Kozuki Oden, Yamato’s eyes began to twinkle, and she said excitedly, “Kozuki Oden is the most outstanding samurai I’ve ever seen. He was unconventional, uninhibited, but kind-hearted, brave…”
Yamato rattled on, recounting the stories of Kozuki Oden that the samurai had instilled in her, as well as her own personal experiences.
At the age of eight, Yamato witnessed Oden’s execution in the “Legendary Hour of the Boiling Pot,” and from then on, she began to admire Oden.
But when she told her father Kaido about her dream, she was beaten and imprisoned by Kaido.
At this point, Yamato excitedly shook the Sea Stone handcuffs on her wrists. “To prevent me from escaping Onigashima, that bastard Kaido put these bomb handcuffs on me.”
“I don’t know if Kaido is lying to me. Who would want to blow up their own child?”
Yamato’s voice fell. “But I don’t dare to gamble…”
Kane remained silent. He knew that these bomb handcuffs were real.
This was also the reason why Yamato later completely broke with Kaido.
Honestly, Kaido was largely responsible for Yamato becoming the way she was now.
What kind of parent educates their child only by beating them, not only to the point of bruises but also with imprisonment?
Yamato’s ideological imprint was not getting deeper and deeper.
At this moment, Yamato’s story continued.
Because she had a loyal listener, the girl became more and more excited, even revealing that she had found Oden’s abandoned logbook in Kuri.
“So, as Kozuki Oden, I must defeat Kaido.”
Yamato raised her arm in a rallying cry, then lowered her head in disappointment. “But my strength is far from enough. I can’t even defeat King.”
Kane listened patiently and then asked, “I understand, but what does this have to do with you wanting to be Kozuki Oden?”
“Nani? How can it not be related?” Yamato’s spirited eyes widened a bit more.
Yamato, who had no friends, had implicitly come to regard Kane, who patiently listened to her innermost thoughts, as her only friend.
She desperately hoped Kane would approve of her ideals.
Kane spread his hands. “I’ve summarized your ideal. Your ultimate goal is simply to open Wano Country’s borders and let its people live good lives, right?”
Yamato’s little brain spun rapidly.
Was that what she meant? It seemed so.
“But what conflict is there with me being Kozuki Oden?”
Kane spoke bluntly, “Then there’s no need for you to become Kozuki Oden. You are you, the unique Yamato! Yamato can also do these things.”
“Un-unique Yamato?!” Yamato was stunned.
No one had ever said such words to her. Even the three samurai she met in her childhood only praised her ideal of becoming Kozuki Oden.
“No one in the world is destined to become someone else.”
Kane continued, “What’s more, a mere Kozuki Oden is not worth Mimicking!”
“Let me tell you about the Kozuki Oden I know.”
Yamato nodded, looking at Kane expectantly.
“Kozuki Oden was a scoundrel from a young age. At six, he started frequenting red-light districts. At eight, he began drinking and brawling. At fourteen, he caused a major flood by rerouting a river during a drought. At fifteen, he threatened a temple abbot and secluded himself there, kidnapping women every night to build a harem…”
Kane scoffed, openly showing his disdain for Oden. “A good person who makes one mistake is condemned by thousands. A wicked person who lays down their butcher knife is revered by all.”
Oden’s earlier misdeeds could be attributed to youthful ignorance, but kidnapping civilian women was a definite fact.
And Oda’s addition that all the women were free and willing to serve Kozuki Oden was even more disgusting.
If every civilian woman willingly followed Kozuki Oden, why would he forcibly abduct them?
When the civilian women’s families and husbands came looking for them, Kozuki Oden not only refused to admit his mistake but also fought them, showing no remorse at the time.