Kaido's cold declaration echoed across the entire port, causing his subordinates to stop in their tracks. They exchanged uneasy glances, but in their hearts, they knew this was bound to happen. Everyone in the Beasts Pirates was aware of Yamato's story. Despite being Kaido's child, she constantly declared her desire to kill him and become Kozuki Oden, that fool from the past. It was a miracle that Kaido had tolerated her rebellious behavior for this long.
Hearing Kaido personally sever their father-daughter relationship, Yamato felt a sudden, sharp panic. For years, she had been a prisoner, her heart filled with nothing but hatred for the man she never considered her father. But now, his words left a gaping void deep inside her.
She bit her lip, her body trembling. She wanted to say something, to scream something, but years of obsession had trapped her. She looked up at her father, who stared back with cold, merciless eyes, waiting for her to make a choice. With shaking hands, Yamato picked up the key from the ground. Then, as if fleeing from a nightmare, she pushed through the crowd and ran toward the ship Kaido had prepared for her.
It wasn't until the ship had left the shores of Onigashima that she finally removed the handcuffs and leg shackles. Sitting on the deck, Yamato stared at her freed hands and then back at the shrinking silhouette of Onigashima against the Wano coastline. Hot tears streamed down her face, unstoppable.
Back on the island, Kaido watched the ship become a tiny speck on the horizon. He expected to feel nothing, but a faint ripple of emotion still stirred within him. The original Kaido had held high hopes for his daughter. Even in his grand plan to kill Orochi and declare Wano the New Onigashima, he had intended to make Yamato the new Shogun. But it was no use... she was completely broken by her obsession.
"Why are you doing this, Big Brother? What's going on?"
King had appeared by his side at some point, his voice laced with concern. He could feel the change in his captain's mood. The way Kaido was acting today was completely different, so much so that it made King uneasy.
Kaido didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned to his most loyal commander and asked, "King, do you still remember that story you told me a long time ago? The one about Joy Boy."
King looked confused for a moment before nodding slowly.
Kaido's gaze drifted back to the sea. "What if I told you that I can't be Joy Boy?" he said, his voice low and serious. "What if I told you that I'm going to kill Joy Boy? What would you do then?"
His sudden words made King freeze, his eyes widening in shock. According to the legends of the Lunarian race, Joy Boy was the hero who would come to save the world. Now, his captain—the man he followed without question—was talking about killing this legendary savior. King knew, in that instant, that something major had happened to his captain, something connected to that very legend. Confusion swirled in his mind, but his loyalty was absolute. Just as he had sworn all those years ago, his answer was unwavering.
"That legend doesn't matter to me anymore, Kaido-san," King said, his eyes filled with resolve. "The day you saved me, my life became yours. Whatever you want to do is what I want to do."
Kaido was stunned for a second, and then he let out a thunderous laugh that boomed across the entire port.
"Worororo! King, having you as my brother is the best thing that's ever happened to me!"
King was a little surprised by the sudden outburst but replied with genuine concern, "I feel the same way, Kaido-san."
"Hmm," Kaido grunted, patting his commander's broad shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I sent Yamato away because she would only get in the way of my plans."
"Plans?" King asked.
"That's right," Kaido declared, his eyes glinting with ambition. "I'm tired of sharing this country with that idiot Orochi. The Beasts Pirates are going to take complete control of Wano. We'll crush any samurai who dare to resist and turn this nation into the New Onigashima!"
Just how strong were the samurai of Wano? Their power was legendary, so much so that even the World Government was afraid to interfere with the country. It was this strength that gave Shogun Orochi the courage to defy the Celestial Dragons.
On the surface, the alliance between the Beasts Pirates and Kurozumi Orochi had given them total control over the nation. However, beneath the surface, a powerful resistance was brewing. The samurai loyal to the memory of Kozuki Oden were far from defeated.
Even without Kin'emon and the others who had yet to travel through time, two of the Nine Red Scabbards remaining in this era were a significant threat: Ashura Doji and Denjiro. Both were masters of the advanced Armament Haki known in Wano as 'Ryuo' and wielded Oden's powerful Two-Sword Style. Ashura Doji was strong enough to defeat Jack, one of Kaido's All-Stars, all by himself. Denjiro was skilled enough to fight on equal footing with Roronoa Zoro, making them the clear second-in-commands of the Scabbards.
Beyond their personal strength, they also commanded formidable forces. Ashura Doji led a group of nearly three hundred rogue samurai called the Mt. Atama Thieves. Denjiro, meanwhile, operated from the shadows. He had taken on the identity of Kyoshiro, a yakuza boss loyal to Orochi, which gave him deep knowledge of the Shogun's operations and even intelligence on Onigashima. He also secretly supported the resistance as the mysterious thief, Ushimitsu Kozo. These two were the main reason Momonosuke and Kin'emon were able to launch a successful invasion of Onigashima two years later in the original timeline.
Besides them, other powerful figures were hiding in plain sight. There was Kozuki Sukiyaki, the former Shogun, living under the name Tenguyama Hitetsu. There was Shimotsuki Yasuie, the former Daimyo of Hakumai, disguised as the cheerful Tonoyasu. And there was Hyogoro of the Flower, a former yakuza boss and a renowned sword master who still commanded great respect and could rally many to his cause.
If these individuals were to unite, they had the power to inspire all the people of Wano to rise up against Orochi and Kaido. This didn't even account for the hidden forces who still believed in Kozuki Toki's prophecy of a dawn in twenty years. Nor did it include powerful allies like the Minks, led by Duke Dogstorm and Cat Viper, or Izo, a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Each of these figures had powerful forces backing them.
This was why Kaido, despite knowing who they were and where they were, couldn't simply eliminate them. If he made a move, he could likely crush any single force with his own overwhelming power, but his subordinates couldn't handle the rest. A direct assault would plunge all of Wano into a chaotic war that even the Beasts Pirates might not be able to contain.
For now, Wano existed in a fragile balance, held together by two powerful villains: Kaido and Orochi. It would only take one small push to shatter it all. That push was supposed to be the arrival of Momonosuke from the future.
But Kaido, as a transmigrator, refused to sit back and let that happen. He understood better than anyone the importance of securing one's own territory before looking outward. Besides, the legendary Ancient Weapon, Pluton, was said to be buried somewhere deep beneath Wano. To break the current stalemate and seize the initiative, he needed a different trigger. And the perfect person to use as that trigger was Kozuki Hiyori, currently disguised as the courtesan Komurasaki.