"King" and "Kaido" were temporarily lured away by Yamato. Without Arceus' power, Onigashima had no organized air force, so the others could only hide elsewhere and wait for the outcome.
Yamato and "Kaido" had fought all the way from the buildings of Onigashima to the coastline. Since it was "Kaido" who was fighting, everyone else kept a safe distance and didn't dare come close, so for now, no other pirates had come to interfere.
"As expected, I really do understand myself well."
Seeing "Yamato" arrive, Yamato was feeling smug, but she didn't know that she was about to be ruthlessly humiliated.
"Stop staring! Hurry up and come over!"
Looking at her kimono-clad self in wooden clogs, Yamato waved towards her. She didn't mind the outfit; it was just clothes, nothing worth fussing about.
"Was it you… who was just fighting Kaido?"
"Yeah, it was me. Let me introduce myself—I'm Yamato. Though I don't think that's necessary, since…."
"I'm Kaido's son, Kozuki Oden. I heard you knocked Kaido down. That's amazing!"
"Wait! Who did you say you are??? Kaido's son… Kozuki Oden????"
"Yamato" interrupted Yamato's words. What she said left Yamato utterly confused. Could it be that in this world, "Kaido" gave her the name Kozuki Oden?
"Take off that stupid thing first."
Yamato snatched the Hannya mask on the other's face. Judging by the voice, this person was definitely her. But now she was seriously doubtful, what kind of face was behind that mask?
Only after seeing a face identical to her own did Yamato finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Aren't you Yamato? What's this Kozuki Oden nonsense? He's been dead for nearly twenty years."
As she spoke, Yamato pulled a small makeup mirror out of her bag. She wasn't particularly interested in it; it was a gift from Maria. According to Maria, girls should pay more attention to their appearance.
"Look here, even though our hair accessories are different, our faces are exactly the same. At most, I'm just a bit taller. Based on my deduction, you're me from this world. So how could you possibly be that Oden?"
"We really do look exactly alike. You're saying you're me from another world?"
"If I'm not mistaken, that should be the case."
"But if you really are me, then you should understand why I am Oden."
"No, I absolutely don't understand. Can you explain to me why you are Kozuki Oden? And why are you Kaido's son?"
"Yamato" didn't think much before believing Yamato's words. After all, their faces and voices were exactly the same, it's just that Yamato had developed better due to her environment.
But when speaking of Kozuki Oden, she certainly became more animated.
"Nineteen years ago, I witnessed Oden's execution. That one hour was like a legend. Later, I found Kozuki Oden's logbook in Kuri and treated it like my 'bible'.
But when I told my father I wanted to become Kozuki Oden, he beat me up.
As for why I'm his son, it's because Kozuki Oden was a man, and I want to become Oden, so I'm also a man. You can understand that, right?"
"Yamato" quickly recounted her experiences in just a few minutes. A look of hope appeared in her eyes; she wanted validation from Yamato. She wanted someone to accept her ideals.
"While I can understand how you're feeling right now, I'm sorry, but I don't agree with this way of thinking."
"Eh? Why not? He was a great samurai!"
"No. He was just a naïve fool. And you are you. You should live for yourself, not in someone else's shadow. That's the real issue.
No matter who it is, even if they were truly a once-in-a-generation genius, you're still not them!"
The debate between them ended without a clear winner, which Yamato had expected. She knew how stubborn she could be, so it was normal that a few words wouldn't be enough to convince "Yamato."
"Isn't this just an ordinary logbook? What exactly bewitched you about it?"
In order to prove Oden's greatness, "Yamato" shared her most treasured logbook. But Yamato didn't see anything particularly extraordinary in it.
"This is a record of a great adventure! Overcoming so many hardships, reaching so many fascinating islands, how could a person like that not be worthy of respect?"
"Since I was eight years old, I've been imprisoned on this island. These handcuffs restricts my movements… I want to go outside too! I want to be free, just like Oden!"
"Can you understand this feeling? If you're me, then you must be able to understand!"
"Well, I can kind of get it. But first, take a look at this."
Yamato didn't say anything more; she simply pulled out her Rotom Phone from her bag. Earlier, she had tried using Rotom to contact Robin for external support.
Although the communication system wasn't working, the other functions still worked just fine.
"What's this?"
"My logbook. It's also my treasure. It records the life I've lived so far. It's just a bit of a shame, when I first set sail, Rotom hadn't been created yet, so there are no images of that time.
Rotom, could you put together a highlight reel for her to see?"
"Rot~om, Got it!"
Compared to boring text, vivid visuals have a far stronger impact. Rotom, with its high intelligence, quickly edited together a short highlight video from the stored sailing data.
Corviknight soaring through the skies and Sky Island above the clouds, a massive army of Magikarp crossing Reverse Mountain, a spiraling Millennial Dragon and the mysterious Lost Island.
Fishman Island ten thousand meters beneath the sea, Swampert toiling at work, Miltank rolling across fields, and Whimsicott fluttering everywhere amidst the sea breeze.
Tinkaton forging weapons with their giant hammer, Bisharp sharpening their blades, Farfetch'd dueling on a lakeside, the towering Zunesha and the warmhearted Minks.
Squirtle basking in the sun at the fire station, Chansey bustling inside a Pokémon Center, bashful Snover on Mt. Fuji.
Strange islands, magical Pokémon; countless scenes flooded "Yamato's" eyes.
"You see, everyone has their own adventure. You should go and find your adventure, not become someone else."
Yamato never imagined there would come a day when she would be the one giving someone else a lecture, and that the one being lectured would be herself.
Just then, the footage on Rotom shifted again. The perspective returned to Onigashima.
Judging by the banner on-screen, it was her eighteenth birthday party. Of course, such parties usually didn't include the older generation, so everyone present was her age.
Jack silently brought over a giant cake made by a group of Alcremie. Maria helped tidy up her hair, while Ulti, with her usual tsundere attitude, handed her a handmade hair accessory.
The gifts weren't luxurious. Yamato lacked nothing materially. In fact, the parts Rotom didn't record included a literal mountain of presents.
And that was just the gifts given by the officers who were allowed to present something. If there hadn't been that restriction, she probably would have received enough to fill several rooms.
As a few Chansey and Robin popped party poppers together, Yamato's birthday party officially began.
Lively and heartwarming, the video was full of laughter and blessings. Watching the scene freeze on that final moment, "Yamato's" face was already filled with envy.
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