"Bu... But I just... Fine, I won't say it..."
Facing Yamato's aggressive stare, "Yamato" ultimately chose to compromise. The temptation of leaving Wano Country was simply too great for her.
If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't defeat "Kaido" and was forced to wear those explosive handcuffs, she would've run away long ago.
"Kaido's" unrestrained method of education caused a serious rebellious streak in "Yamato." Combined with the influence of a certain mysterious soul artifact, it became nearly impossible to change "Yamato's" mindset. A few words would never be enough to make her recognize her true self.
But Yamato knew herself very well. She knew exactly how to deal with "herself." Forcing it wouldn't work, she had to lure her with benefits. And right now, nothing was more tempting to "Yamato" than the idea of leaving.
Thinking of herself, she even recalled those terrifying days when she voluntarily underwent Kaido's training just to be able to set sail.
"That's more like it. Once you get out there, you'll understand. Those voyages of Oden's were just one of many pirate adventures. The old crewmates of the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates went through no less than he did.
Even your b*stard of a father, his voyages must've been pretty amazing too. But judging from how you guys are, I'm guessing you didn't have much chance to talk.
I'll find time to make you a new logbook, which is guaranteed to be more exciting than Oden's."
Kozuki Oden never actually sailed alone. First, he left Wano Country with the Whitebeard Pirates, and then he was taken by Roger. Before that, he had never even left Wano.
In other words, no matter how it was written, his logbook was just a summary of parts of the Whitebeard and Roger Pirates' voyages.
The legendary pirates' experiences were no less impressive than Oden's.
Only Kozuki Oden had the advantage of first impressions. Now, Yamato wanted to help "Yamato" switch idols and gradually cleanse the lingering poison within her.
If it were anyone else, replacing Oden would be difficult. But Yamato was different, because she was herself.
This other self was living freely, enjoying a fulfilling life. There was no way "Yamato" wasn't envious. Yamato had seen the sparkle in her eyes just now.
"Kaido's" twisted education method, the brainwashing from the diary, and the effects of the isolated environment; these all came together to create the current "Yamato." Yamato planned to show her the colorful world outside, then slowly guide her back.
She didn't believe that a "poor kid from the mountains" would see the glittering lights of the sea and not change at all.
"Alright, let's start by taking a look around Wano Country."
Yamato stretched a bit and prepared to take "Yamato" away from Onigashima. But for some reason, she suddenly realized she had grown more adept at using Zekrom's power.
In a place she couldn't see, Zekrom and Reshiram's debate was still ongoing; only now, both dragons had shifted their direction.
"See that, Reshiram? That's what someone without ideals looks like. Without ideals, she becomes a complete idiot."
"What nonsense are you spouting, Zekrom? This isn't reality! It's precisely because she's so detached from reality that she's trapped in that completely fabricated ideal!"
When it came to Yamato, the two dragons merely differed in opinion. But when it came to "Yamato," they had both given up. They even wanted to push her to the other dragon's side, just to prove themselves right.
Because of how hollow and unrealistic "Yamato's" dream was, Zekrom's recognition of Yamato increased. Even Reshiram began to reflect on itself.
Some things just fear comparison—now that there was someone worse, Yamato's standing had actually risen.
…..
"Why can your Okuchi no Makami fly? And since when does Okuchi no Makami use lightning?"
"Oh, Okuchi no Makami can't fly. But my ability is fused with Kyurem's power. Dad helped me with that! The lightning too; it is part of Dad's trial for me."
"....."
"Yamato" didn't respond, only revealing a look of envy. At that moment, Yamato added fuel to the fire.
"Oh, and by the way, my devil fruit isn't afraid of water. I can actually swim."
She had a bit of an obsession with swimming. Back then, she even hesitated to eat the devil fruit because she didn't want to be hated by the sea. It wasn't until Arceus removed the negative side effects and modified it that she gained this ability.
According to "Yamato," she only ate that Devil Fruit because she was starving and had no other choice, so she definitely harbored regrets about it.
And just as Yamato guessed, "Yamato" began tugging at her own horns and complaining in frustration. This was exactly the kind of reaction someone would have when envious of others, and it was also the gesture she used to act spoiled in front of Arceus.
In most cases, her requests would be fulfilled; the only failure was getting Arceus to stop strengthening Kaido.
"Alright, there's still more stuff you'll be envious of later. It's time to go check out Wano Country here."
"Huh???"
Yamato's brutally honest comment gave "Yamato" a pang of emotional pain, but just then, a group of pirates suddenly ran over from the side.
Wolf heads, crab claws, insect lower bodies; these were all relatively normal. There were even bizarre creatures with their heads replaced by their butts.
"What the hell are these things...?"
"Kaido's Gifters army. You don't have it over there?"
"In our world, we don't call these kinds of weirdos 'Gifters.' These are just defective goods that get sold off…"
The definition of "Gifters" was completely different between the two worlds. What Arceus considered low-grade trash which is sold outside was actually "Kaido's" treasured assets in this world; he even used them to build his own Zoan army.
However, this several-hundred-strong artificial Zoan army was in no way comparable to the Blessed Ones. Just a dozen or so of the lower-ranking Blessed Ones would be more than enough to wipe out these inferior Ability Users.
"Is that so? Then your world definitely has it better."
"Of course! If this were my world, there's no way it would've taken this long; someone would've shown up right away.
Forget the long chat we just had, even the moment I came out of the water, I'd have been spotted. You don't know this, but Uncle Queen has this massive persecution paranoia, while this world's "Queen" doesn't seem to have any sense of danger at all."
"If you mean Queen, I think he's over there too."
"Yamato" pointed off to the side, and sure enough, Queen was walking over, holding a torch.
The morning sun had not yet fully risen, and many parts of Onigashima were still shrouded in darkness.
The Onigashima here was built in a very primitive fashion—no electrical circuits had been installed, and there wasn't even an Electivire version of the power generator. So, lighting was still stuck in the era of old-fashioned torches.
"Is that so? Then let's keep them occupied for a while. Guys like "Kaido" are a real pain to deal with. It's best if my Substitute keeps their attention for as long as possible. You're not too sensitive to cold, are you?"
"I'm okay. Why?"
"Because I'm going to get rid of these nuisances, of course. Glaciate!"
Yamato shifted back into her Human-Beast form. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and a wave of extreme cold radiated outward from Yamato, rapidly engulfing all of Onigashima…
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