Even staring down an enemy she couldn't possibly beat, the girl refused to back down.
Yamato showed the world what a stubborn brat looked like.
Even when that enemy was her real father. One of the New World's Sea Emperors. The Strongest Creature—Kaido of the Beasts.
"He's not a bad guy! The Black Emperor is the man I'm gonna become someday, and he's my father too!"
Yamato gripped her tiny kanabo, her cute face dead serious.
Kaido's expression darkened. Veins bulged across his forehead. His teeth ground together. But he forced out a smile.
"Wororo... Yamato, you brat, you gone stupid? I'm your damn father!"
"Yeah, that's true, but Lord Aus is also—"
"SHUT UP!"
Kaido's roar shook the air. Like he couldn't accept this reality. His massive hand shot toward Yamato's small form.
But in the next instant—
Aus's fingers curled slightly. Yamato appeared in his arms. He patted the little girl's head.
"That's no way to treat your daughter, Kaido."
Aus's expression stayed gentle. Anyone who'd never fought him might actually think he was some kind, gentlemanly guy.
That handsome face was damn deceptive.
Meanwhile, the mother and her two kids stood frozen, staring at this bizarre scene.
The girl on Aus's shoulder was Kaido's daughter?
What the hell was going on here...
"I don't need you butting into how I raise my kid, Aus!"
Hearing Aus's passive-aggressive words, watching Yamato look so damn happy getting her head patted like she'd been captured—Kaido's kanabo creaked in his grip.
He glared at the "homewrecker" in front of him with murderous intent. His body kept shifting, dragon features manifesting. His violent aura climbed higher and higher.
"You bastard!"
Kaido struck. His club, wrapped in dense Haki, swung at Aus with a terrifying whistle through the air.
BANG—!
One blade, backhand. Just like Shanks casually protecting a fleeing soldier. Dragon-form Kaido's devastating Thunder Bagua—blocked clean.
But even so, the overwhelming shockwave exploded outward. Just one clash, and the entire pavilion collapsed like it'd been hit by a bomb.
Shattered wood flew everywhere. Kozuki Toki shielded her two children. Even with the outer guards protecting them, they were blown back hard.
"Lord Kaido!"
Watching this sudden turn, King stood on the ground, staring at the crumbling pavilion and those two colliding figures.
Behind his black mask, his pupils contracted. His face went pale.
How?
How the hell was he here?
"Full alert!"
Bloodshot veins filled his eyes. He roared at his subordinates.
"We've got a real monster on our hands!"
Kaido didn't hold back. Especially not in his rage. Aus held Yamato with one arm, Ace in the other hand.
With terrifying raw strength, he blocked Kaido's attack one-handed.
Crack crack crack...
Their Haki ground against each other. Ordinary soldiers couldn't even get close to the center. But Yamato—
Maybe it was her first time facing a Conqueror's Haki clash head-on. Or maybe their spirit infected her. A weak pulse of Conqueror's Haki joined the collision as a third party.
Faint, but there.
But this kind of battle was way over her head.
"Meetings are always too short..."
"Forgive me, Yamato. We'll play together again someday."
Aus held off Kaido's attack and turned to Yamato with what looked like a helpless smile.
For some reason—
The little girl saw that smile and felt her heart clench. She grabbed Aus's clothes.
"Huh? Why? Father, what are you doing?"
But Aus didn't answer. With a thought, Yamato appeared in King's arms.
"Lady Yamato?"
King froze too. He'd been about to jump in and help, but the kid suddenly appearing in his arms made him hesitate.
"Father! No!"
Yamato struggled desperately. Tears poured from her eyes like a broken dam. That cute crying face would melt anyone's heart.
So Aus chose not to look.
Once he confirmed King had Yamato secured and was stopping her from running wild, Aus finally let loose.
Kaido felt the same. After all, he didn't want a full-power Conqueror's coating to shock his good son to death on the spot. "Wororo... Aus, you ready to get killed by me?"
Aus unleashed his full aura. His heaven-shaking Conqueror's Haki wrapped around his blade. He smiled.
"Don't die too easy, Kaido. That'd be boring."
Then, two figures—one large, one smaller—faced each other. The towering, muscular dragon-man and the lean, imposing man.
"Thunder Bagua!"
"Divine Departure!"
Black-red lightning scattered and danced. No one could get anywhere near this battlefield.
Just one clash, and Kaido could already tell something was wrong.
These past two years—
That bastard Aus's Conqueror's Haki had gotten even stronger. And not by a little.
The pressure ramped up. This was even harder than his life-or-death fight with Kozuki Oden.
Of course—
Kaido was the man who'd tanked a gauntlet from Luffy and the others. No way a few hits would put him down.
At least on the surface, the battle looked chaotic, but Kaido showed no obvious signs of getting taken out.
Except he kept retreating.
"Warp Kick~"
Aus's blade forced Kaido back. Then his form vanished at extreme speed. During the recovery lag as Kaido steadied himself, Aus suddenly appeared in front of him.
Just a little experimental development of his awakened fruit ability.
Hand in his pocket. His leg, wrapped in crimson flames and lightning, slammed into Kaido's muscular body.
The moment it connected—
BOOM—
Unprepared, Kaido was blasted away.
His massive form crashed into the forest. He could only jam his kanabo into the ground, desperately slowing his momentum.
"What a pain-in-the-ass ability..."
Kaido wiped blood from his mouth. He still looked full of fight. Obviously that hit hadn't seriously hurt him.
Years ago he could brawl with Aus for ages. He still could now.
There was a gap between them, but it wasn't a total wipeout.
Before, teaming up with Big Mom, they could force Aus to retreat. Now, alone, even if he couldn't win, there's no way he'd lose easily.
At least he could fight for days and nights.
He violently pulverized the trees blocking his path. The minor wounds on Kaido's body healed at visible speed.
Aus saw this. No surprise there.
His attention shifted elsewhere—to the group of soldiers surrounding a few samurai and the mother with her two kids.
No time to mess around with you anymore, Kaido.
Keep fighting—
And Momonosuke's gonna escape.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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