"Gusion-dono, you're so strong! You've learned Ryuo so quickly. I thought I was the fastest one."
Yamato got up and looked at Gusion in amazement.
Gusion asked Yamato with some curiosity, "At what age did you learn Ryuo? And how did you learn it?"
Yamato tilted her head and thought for a few seconds. "Let me think, I guess it was when I was about eleven. Back then, I felt I'd grown a lot taller and stronger, so I wanted to carry on Kozuki Oden's will and defeat Kaido. Unfortunately, I was still too weak and couldn't do it. We fought for a while before I was knocked out. When I woke up, I could use Ryuo."
Gusion had a strange expression after hearing this. He actually heard Yamato say she fought fiercely with Kaido—when she was only eleven.
What was Yamato's level at that age? And what was Kaido's tier?
Yet Yamato could fight Kaido for a while? Did Yamato really not find this odd?
"Did your father teach you Ryuo?"
Gusion couldn't help asking. In their previous discussions, Yamato had also mentioned Kaido was her father.
Yamato quickly shook her head. "Of course not! That damned Kaido just wanted to kill me, but he couldn't, because Kozuki Oden was watching over me."
Gusion's expression became even stranger. "Then how did you learn Ryuo?"
Yamato replied matter-of-factly, "Of course, it's because I am Kozuki Oden. I am the hope of Wano Country, so of course I could learn Ryuo."
Gusion facepalmed. "Let me ask, when you said Kaido fought with you for a long time, did he use Ryuo?"
"Yes, he basically fought me using Ryuo."
Yamato got angry remembering it. "At the time, I had just learned Armament Haki, not for long. That damned guy must have been showing off his higher-level power to mock how weak I was!"
"Uh..."
Gusion was dumbfounded. He really didn't expect Yamato's train of thought to be so out there.
If he swapped places with Kaido, he'd probably die of frustration dealing with Yamato.
Truly, Kaido was a tough guy with a soft heart. Though he didn't say it, he cared deeply for his daughter. Even when his rebellious child tried to kill him, he still endured it, and even taught her all three forms of Haki through their battles.
Thunder Bagua, Ryuo, Conqueror's Coating—he didn't hold back at all!
"Yamato, you said you could use Advanced Conqueror's Haki. How did you learn that?"
Gusion couldn't help asking.
Yamato thought for a moment. "I think it was about a year ago. I felt my strength had improved a lot under Kozuki Oden's will, so I went to defeat Kaido and open up the country. Sadly, even after fighting for dozens of minutes, I still got knocked out. When I woke up, I could use Conqueror's Coating. All thanks to Oden's will."
Gusion thought, if Kaido were here to hear this, he'd probably throw up.
"Let me ask, did Kaido use Conqueror's Coating in that battle?"
Gusion asked.
Yamato's face filled with anger. "Of course he did! I'm his flesh and blood, but when he swung his club at me, he didn't hold back at all. Conqueror's Haki wrapped around it, and he hit me right on the head with Thunder Bagua, like he really wanted to kill me!"
Gusion's jaw dropped. He really thought Yamato was out of her mind. She knew she was Kaido's own daughter, yet still tried to kill her dad?
Is it possible that if Kaido had really wanted to kill her, one hit would've been the end? What's her level compared to Kaido's? How could she even fight for dozens of minutes?
"I've heard of Thunder Bagua. Isn't that Yonko Kaido's signature move? Can you use it?"
Gusion asked again.
Yamato nodded. "Yeah, of course. What's so hard about that? I've been hit by it so many times, I'd have to be an idiot not to learn it."
"Isn't it thanks to your Oden-sama's will?"
"Of course not! Thunder Bagua isn't Kozuki Oden's move. I learned it myself. That damned guy would never expect that not only did I survive, I even learned his signature move," Yamato explained
At this, Yamato's face showed a satisfied smile. "Just thinking about how one day I'll use his move to finish him off makes me really happy."
Gusion looked at Yamato, thinking, "This girl is truly hopeless."
She eats Kaido's food, uses Kaido's resources, learns Kaido's moves, yet wants to kill her own father. In her eyes, he's always wrong, always trying to kill her, and her survival is all thanks to the spirit of the heroic man watching over her.
Gusion felt Yamato's issues weren't just from witnessing Oden's heroic death—add in Oden's diary and the three samurai brainwashing her, and she became like this. Kaido really didn't know how to parent, and this girl's mind was a bit off since childhood.
In Gusion's eyes, Kaido was definitely a brutal ruler, a villain, but among One Piece's fathers, he was one of the best.
Just look at the other famous dads in One Piece:
Usopp's dad, Yasopp, abandoned his sick wife and young son to chase adventure.
Luffy's dad, Monkey D. Dragon, left his son in Windmill Village for his revolution, barely meeting him at all.
Sanji's dad, Judge Vinsmoke, treated Sanji like trash, and Sanji only escaped thanks to his sister.
These dads barely cared for their kids. Yet Usopp still idolizes his dad, and Sanji, despite hating his father, still treats him as family.
But Kaido? He never left Yamato to others, kept her by his side, fed her well, gave her everything, even had underlings call her Oni Princess. Truly, a model father by pirate world standards.
Yet this good father ended up with such a rebellious daughter. Now Gusion finally understood why Kaido liked to drink so much, and why he always became depressed and tried to kill himself after getting drunk...
"Oh right, you said you're a Devil Fruit user, so that's why you're weak when shackled. What fruit did you eat?"
Gusion asked, mainly because he was really curious about his cellmate's inner world.
"Oh, I'm a Zoan-type Dog Dog Fruit, Mythical Beast Model: Okuchi no Makami. Apparently, it's a guardian beast of Wano Country. But I'm Kozuki Oden, destined to open Wano, so of course it makes sense."
Yamato spoke confidently.
"A Mythical Zoan, such a rare fruit. Where did it come from?"
Gusion asked, genuinely curious about how Yamato got her fruit.
"That was a long time ago. I remember I was locked up by Kaido and starving, when a fruit fell through the skylight. I just ate it right away."
Yamato recalled, "After eating it, I realized it was a Devil Fruit, and I gained these powers."
She smiled. "Gusion-dono, let me tell you, Kaido even came over later. He told me it was a rare Mythical Zoan Fruit he'd worked hard to get. Isn't it hilarious? He couldn't even keep track of such an important fruit, and a storm blew it away, right into my cell. Isn't he dumb? He couldn't even guard his precious fruit."
She laughed. "In the end, it landed right in my prison. Clearly, it was Oden blessing me, making Kaido unlucky, and me lucky."
Gusion fell silent, looking at Yamato.
"Do you really believe that's what happened? Just because the wind blew the fruit up and dropped it through your skylight, and you happened to eat it while starving?"
Gusion found it absurd Yamato believed in such coincidences.
Afterward, Kaido even explained to her what the fruit was, how hard it was to find. Gusion thought Kaido was a bit tsundere, too.
He wanted to give his daughter a top fruit, but had to do it indirectly, and after Yamato ate it, he feared she didn't know its value, so he explained again.
Honestly, Gusion was crying for him.
"Isn't that what happened?"
Yamato looked at Gusion, confused.
"Don't you think your father wanted you to eat a powerful Devil Fruit, but was afraid you wouldn't eat it if he gave it directly, so he used this method?"
Gusion said frankly.
Yamato was stunned. This thought had never crossed her mind. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! He wanted to kill me. Why would he give me such a powerful Devil Fruit? He even said it was wasted on me."
"But in reality, you didn't die, did you?"
Gusion couldn't help but want to educate this unfilial daughter. Though he disliked Kaido the pirate, he felt sorry for Kaido.
Most importantly, seeing Yamato, who had a loving father but didn't appreciate it, made him uncomfortable.
He had longed for parental love as a child, but he had none—he was an abandoned baby. He envied kids with parents.
If Yamato weren't Kaido's daughter, her rebellion would be pure positive energy. But since she was, it all felt awkward.
Even if Yamato wanted to resist Kaido's tyranny, Gusion thought there were more reasonable ways. She could use her status and power to improve Wano, and eventually inherit everything, freeing the country that way.
Why did she have to kill her father?
"I didn't die... because I am Kozuki Oden."
Yamato paused awkwardly as she replied.
"But Kozuki Oden is dead. He wasn't some immortal legend; he lost to Kaido. Why do you think you could survive so many near-deaths under Kaido?"
Gusion pressed, "Or do you think you're stronger than Oden?"
This time, Yamato was completely stunned. She realized Gusion's words led to a logical paradox.
Kozuki Oden was her idol, the person she aspired to be, but she was definitely not stronger than Oden.
But Oden had challenged Kaido once, lost, and was executed.
So why did Kaido never execute her after beating her?