Gusion was gratified by Yamato's words. She realized her excesses and unfilial behavior, but didn't swing all the way to Kaido's side either, showing she was really thinking for herself.
Inside, Yamato probably really did feel guilty for opposing her father so much, since he'd always cared for her. She knew her behavior hurt someone who loved her.
But she had independent thought, and recognized that Kaido's rule over Wano was wrong and needed to change.
But a new problem appeared: Yamato realized that, for the past eight years, she'd been living in a muddled state, never rationally considering the country.
Besides eating, hiding, and challenging her father, she'd just trained herself without much education, not knowing how to actually improve Wano.
She only knew one thing for sure: Wano's problems couldn't be solved by just defeating Kaido. And she wasn't strong enough to beat him, even with Gusion's help.
"Gusion-dono…" Yamato asked expectantly, "What should I do to improve Wano?"
To her, Gusion was the embodiment of wisdom. He'd helped her find her true self, open her eyes to the world, and must be learned and well-traveled.
Gusion was stunned. He thought, why are you asking me? I can chat and guide you, but you really expect me to teach you how to rebel, manage, and rule a country?
Am I that kind of strategist?
Gusion knew he wasn't ignorant—he'd studied history under his master and understood how companies came to rule the world in his own time. But he'd never been interested in it.
He'd learned history because his master didn't want him to be a fool, and he'd studied companies to get revenge and know his enemies.
But really, he had no interest in such things. They were boring—nothing like fighting.
His principle was to use force whenever possible. He'd lost a lot of brain cells tracking down his enemies and eventually had to let himself be captured to lure out the mastermind.
So when Yamato asked for advice, Gusion felt a headache. He really didn't want to think about it.
He'd planned to finish guiding Yamato, give her a proper direction, and then use her to find a way out of Wano.
"Yamato, do you really think I'd know these things?" Gusion asked seriously.
Yamato looked at him with innocent admiration. "I think you're really knowledgeable, Gusion-dono. You know all kinds of stories, you've traveled to many countries—you must know about governing a nation!"
Gusion was exasperated by her look.
Me, knowledgeable? That's just from reading a lot of comics and novels!
But after calming down, he realized that if he didn't give Yamato any guidance, she might end up following Kaido and become a tyrant herself.
So, he decided to try a little harder for Wano's sake.
"Yamato, it's late," Gusion said seriously.
"So? What should I do next?" Yamato pressed.
"So… I'm going to sleep," Gusion said, lying down to end the conversation.
He wasn't that smart, so he'd sleep on it and come up with a plan tomorrow.
If it were someone like Sosuke Aizen, he could probably reprogram Yamato in a day and give her a plan right away.
But Gusion wasn't that smart, so he'd have to think it through.
"You're sleeping already? Didn't you say we'd train Haki together tonight?" Yamato was puzzled, but seeing Gusion already lying down, she didn't disturb him and found a corner to sleep.
…
Meanwhile, on Onigashima…
Kaido drank from his sake barrel, laughing boisterously. "Hahahaha, this kid really did it. Yamato's finally awakened. She probably won't call herself Oden anymore!"
Black Maria, serving Kaido, was both happy and worried. "It's good that Yamato's awakened, but she still seems determined to start a liberation movement."
Kaido seemed not to hear, or maybe he was tipsy and excited. He waved at the screen. "Maria, did you hear? She just called me 'father'!"
Maria was helpless. The boss was drunk and happy that his daughter had finally awakened.
Yamato had just admitted she felt guilty toward her father, and Kaido was over the moon. Maria realized nothing she said would get through.
After a while, when Kaido calmed down, Maria hesitated. "Now that Young Master Yamato is awakened and knows who she is, should we take care of Gusion?"
"Huh? Why get rid of Gusion? I like this kid," Kaido smiled. Watching the sleeping Gusion on the screen, he liked him more and more—after all, the kid solved his biggest headache in under a week.
He was already thinking: if Gusion would join the Beasts Pirates, he'd make him a Tobi Roppo.
Plus, Gusion was young and close to Yamato, a perfect future right-hand man.
"Kaido-sama… Yamato and Gusion want to rebel, and Gusion might even help her plan. Is that really okay?" Maria worried. She thought it was good Yamato had found herself, but if she used her own will to rebel against the Beasts Pirates, wouldn't that be worse?
"What's the problem? You think I'm afraid of rebellion?" Kaido laughed. "I'm actually curious about what plans Gusion will come up with for her."
Maria was speechless, but she knew her Captain's personality—he feared nothing and was indulgent with people he liked.
Plus, Yamato was still young, and Gusion's strength was average. Together, they couldn't stir up much trouble—Kaido could crush them with one hand.
She reassured herself and yawned. Unlike Kaido, she wasn't so energetic. After days of watching the livestream, she was tired and needed beauty sleep.
…
Clang—clang—clang—!
The sound of pickaxes rang through the quarry. Another beautiful morning and healthy mining workout.
"Gusion-dono, have you thought it over? What should I do next?" Yamato had been asking since breakfast, making Gusion frown.
"Yamato, didn't you decide to be yourself? How can you ask others about everything?" Gusion said seriously—he just hadn't figured it out yet.
Yamato puffed her cheeks. "You weren't like this last night. You said you'd give me advice! And it's not blind obedience—I just don't have any good ideas and want to hear your opinion."
Gusion rubbed his brow, resigned. If nothing else, he'd have to spill what little he knew for her reference.
He composed himself. "Yamato, if you really want to do something for this country, you need to apologize to your father and take back your Oni Princess status."
"Huh?"
Yamato was stunned. "Are you serious, Gusion-dono? We're supposed to be revolutionaries overthrowing my father! Are you switching sides?"
Gusion was exasperated. "You wanted my advice, didn't you? Let me finish before saying I've betrayed you."
Yamato smiled sheepishly. "Go ahead, Gusion-dono. I'm listening."
"We talked about this before—Oden's biggest problem was not doing anything. I don't like him because he had the power and position to act, but did nothing," Gusion explained. "In other words, to do something meaningful in this country, you need both strength and status—and status is a form of strength."
"What do you mean?" Yamato was confused. She stopped working and sat on a rock to listen.
"Basically, both of us are too weak. Any Tobi Roppo could handle us. If we tried to rebel, you'd be fine, but I'd be sleeping with the fishes by tomorrow!" Gusion said.
"Mm… you're right. So my status just keeps me alive?" Yamato reasoned.
Gusion shook his head. "It's not that simple. My point is, if brute force won't work, you should use your status, regain your rightful position and authority, and use that power to do good. Isn't that better than banging your head against the wall?"
Yamato's eyes lit up. "That makes sense!"
"Of course. Think about it: if you challenge Kaido, you'll just end up unconscious in prison again, helping no one. But if you're the Oni Princess, you can use your authority to allocate food to poor areas and help people," Gusion said. "As long as you don't hurt the Beasts Pirates' main business, Kaido won't care."
"Gusion-dono, you really are smart!" Yamato clapped delightedly. "Now I see—I've been wasting my time. If I'd done this earlier, I could have saved so many people in Wano."
She looked at Gusion with excitement. "What's next?"
Gusion froze. "Let's focus on the first step for now."