The dead of night was silent.
A bonfire flickered in the dungeon.
Yamato clutched her bloodied bottom with both hands, shivering slightly. Her gaze at Gurd held both the newly established trust and an irrepressible fear.
The cruel ordeal on the back mountain had left her with deep psychological scars.
Even her father had never beaten her like that!
Gurd kept adding firewood to the bonfire, glancing sideways at the girl who dared not approach. He found it somewhat amusing.
This girl was hundreds, thousands of times stronger than him—was there really any need to be this terrified?
She was even too scared to speak.
Sensing the awkward tension, Gurd decided to break the silence.
"Yamato."
"Y-yes!"
Yamato jolted in fright, straightening her posture immediately.
Gurd sighed at her startled reaction and reassured her, "Relax, I'm not a demon."
"..."
No, you absolutely are!
Yamato glared indignantly.
She had already been powerless to resist, yet he had still used such brutal moves on her. Even demons weren't this cruel.
Her butt still hurt!
Gurd's expression darkened, and he swiftly changed the subject.
"Yamato, I've heard some things about you, but I don't understand why you keep opposing Lord Kaido. Care to explain?"
"Because I am Oden!"
Yamato blurted out reflexively.
Gurd narrowed his eyes.
"Kozuki Oden?"
"Yes!"
At the mention of Kozuki Oden, Yamato's mood visibly brightened. The fear in her eyes when she looked at Gurd was replaced by an eager desire to share.
"You know about Oden too?"
"I know a little."
Gurd nodded.
He had asked precisely to steer the conversation toward Kozuki Oden. To deal with this obsessed girl, he had to start with Oden.
Yamato's eyes sparkled with excitement as she exclaimed, "I want to become a man like Kozuki Oden—to live freely! But Father won't let me be Oden. Instead, he beat me and locked me up on Oni Island."
As she spoke, she raised her hands, revealing the Sea Prism Stone Shackles around her wrists.
"..."
If I were your father, I wouldn't just beat you—I'd break your legs!
Gurd silently cursed in his heart.
What parent could tolerate their sweet daughter suddenly declaring she wanted to become their greatest enemy? The fact that Kaido hadn't broken her legs already was proof of his affection.
Gurd asked softly, "Yamato, why do you want to be Kozuki Oden?"
"Because Kozuki Oden was the greatest samurai in the world! I witnessed his life and his end with my own eyes—I admire him!"
Yamato launched into an impassioned speech.
At eight years old, she had witnessed Kozuki Oden's heroic death—the legendary one-hour Boiling Pot Execution—and from that moment on, she had idolized him.
Later, she learned more of Oden's heroic deeds, like how he pacified Kuri, which only strengthened her resolve to become him.
The more she spoke, the more animated she became. She even revealed the secret of obtaining Oden's journal and recounted his voyages.
She talked for a full two and a half hours.
She had no friends. For over a decade, she had never shared her thoughts with anyone. But now, in the quiet safety of the dungeon and with the trust she had just placed in Gurd, she finally had someone to confide in.
Though she didn't say it outright, Yamato had already begun to see Gurd—who had risked execution to bring her white rice—as her only friend.
Gurd listened patiently before asking, "So that's why you keep challenging Lord Kaido?"
"Mm!"
Yamato nodded vigorously, her voice filled with anger and frustration. "I am Kozuki Oden, so I must defeat my father and liberate Wano Country. But I don't have enough strength."
"Hmm, I understand."
Gurd nodded in acknowledgment.
Yamato asked eagerly, "Gurd, do you like Oden too?"
"I don't."
Gurd waved his hand decisively.
As an excellent landlord, his top priority was to abandon his conscience.
But even if he ignored his morals, he wouldn't cross the line by claiming to like Oden just to please a young girl.
"Oh."
The blunt rejection hit hard.
The girl slumped down, drawing circles dejectedly.
"Yamato."
Gurd narrowed his eyes, switching to persuasion mode.
"You are not Kozuki Oden."
"I am!"
Yamato immediately glared at Gurd in anger.
Gurd shook his head. "If you were truly Kozuki Oden, you wouldn't rebel against your father. Instead, you'd follow his orders."
"Huh?"
Yamato froze, her mind struggling to process this.
What did that mean?
It made no sense at all!
How could Kozuki Oden ever obey his father?!
"Yamato, let me ask you this."
Gurd spoke gravely. "Can you defeat Kaido?"
"Of course I can't beat my father!"
Yamato answered without hesitation.
If she could, she wouldn't have been thrown into the dungeon over and over again.
Gurd sneered. "If you already know you can't win, what's the point of challenging Kaido again and again? Just to get beaten up?"
"I—"
Yamato was left speechless.
Something felt off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Gurd offered a lifeline.
"To get stronger?"
"Yes!"
The girl perked up.
Right, to get stronger!
Gurd scoffed.
"And if you get stronger, can you defeat Kaido?"
"..."
No, she couldn't!
Yamato gritted her teeth. She had grown hundreds of times stronger since childhood, yet the gap between her and her father remained insurmountable.
Her father was just too powerful!
Gurd sighed. "Yamato, to me, your repeated challenges against Kaido are nothing more than a fantasy to fulfill your desire to be Kozuki Oden. You don't truly understand him at all."
"I—I—"
Yamato stammered.
She wanted to say she knew Oden better than anyone, but she couldn't find the words to refute him.
Damn it, she wasn't well-read!
No matter how hard she racked her brain, she couldn't come up with a counterargument, and her frustration boiled over.
"You're lying! Kozuki Oden died because he defied his father! There's no way he would've obeyed him!"
"I have no interest in lying to you."
Gurd sneered again. "Before his final battle with Kaido, do you know what Kozuki Oden was doing?"
"Oden was—"
Before Yamato could finish, Gurd cut her off coldly. "Kozuki Oden danced naked under Orochi's castle for five years!"
"..."
Yamato's face flushed red as she retorted, "That was because Father threatened him with hostages! Oden had no choice but to do that!"
"You're right—he had no choice. To protect Wano and the hostages, he sacrificed himself and danced like a fool."
Gurd had no interest in judging the matter or debating right and wrong. He brought it up only to make Yamato realize one thing.
"Oden had no choice, so he danced like a clown. He endured humiliation and temporarily obeyed Orochi and Kaido."
"Yamato, what about you?"
"Do you have a way to oppose Kaido?"
"You don't either!"
"Think carefully. What have you actually done all these years since becoming Kozuki Oden? You keep shouting about liberating Wano Country, but what have you truly accomplished for it?"
A soul-searching question.
Yamato was at a loss.
Aside from challenging her father, she hadn't achieved anything.
Gurd spoke gravely: "As Kaido's only child, you possess immense power and a solid background, just like Kozuki Oden."
"If you truly were Kozuki Oden, what you should be doing now is biding your time until you're strong enough to oppose your father!"
"Your current reckless behavior is not only meaningless but also puts you in a difficult position while wasting the resources you have as the Ogre Child."
Had Yamato not gone astray, her status in the Beast Pirates would at least be at the level of a Calamity, and it would have been easier for her to cultivate loyal followers.
If she were smarter, Yamato could have even extended her influence to Wano Country, secretly building her own forces.
Unfortunately, this girl lacked brains.
Just like Kozuki Oden, she had a winning hand but played it terribly.
Gurd spoke earnestly: "Yamato, you have all the conditions to become Kozuki Oden, to be the hope in the hearts of Wano's people like he was. But your current actions are completely contrary to Kozuki Oden's path!"
"..."
Yamato's pupils lost their light, her mind shutting down completely, devoid of any thought.
Her path... contrary to Oden's?
Seeing the timing was right, Gurd solemnly asked: "Yamato, let me ask you again—do you want to become Kozuki Oden?"
"Yes!"
The girl nodded vigorou
sly.
This was the one thing she was certain about.
"Good, I'll help you!"
Gurd smiled.
I, Gurd, love nothing more than helping others!
Yamato clung to this lifeline, her voice trembling as she urgently asked: "Gurd, what should I do?"
"It's simple."
Gurd grinned like a well-built old fox.
"After you're released from prison, go kneel before Kaido and apologize!"