Chapter 5 – Yamato: A True Man Always Keeps His Word!
A sharp pain tore through Yamato's body, dragging her consciousness back from the endless dark.
"Ugh…"
She groaned softly, her voice hoarse and weak.
"Damn it… that cruel old man."
"Even now, he never holds back…"
Her eyelids fluttered open, heavy and reluctant.
Her blurred vision slowly cleared, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling above her.
Then came the pungent scent of disinfectant in the air.
And last—the throbbing ache that coursed through every inch of her body.
When she glanced down, she saw herself wrapped in bandages from head to toe, like a mummy.
"This… a medical ward?" she muttered faintly.
"Then… who brought me here?"
Instantly, her guard went up.
Reflexively, Yamato tried to sit up—but the motion tugged at the wounds along her back.
"Ah—!"
The pain was sharp enough to make her gasp.
She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to stay alert.
Her eyes darted around the room.
And then—she saw him.
A man stood near the window, back turned to her, his head slightly bowed.
He paced back and forth restlessly, as if wrestling with his thoughts.
Akira.
The man her father—Kaido—had just forced to become her "husband."
Yamato's expression immediately hardened into ice.
Her first instinct was to clench her fists.
It didn't matter that her body was injured.
It didn't matter how many guards might be outside this room.
She was Kozuki Oden!
Even if she had to die—she would never submit to Kaido's tyranny!
She'd knock the man out and escape this island if it killed her!
Ignoring the pain, Yamato began to rise quietly from the bed, ready to strike.
But then—she stopped.
Because under the pale moonlight streaming through the window, she finally saw his face.
Akira's side profile was calm and sharp, his jawline carved by shadow.
His brows furrowed as though deep in thought.
No arrogance, no fake politeness—just quiet intensity.
For some reason, an absurd thought slipped into Yamato's mind.
When he's serious… he's actually kind of handsome, isn't he?
"No!" she mentally screamed, shaking her head.
Absolutely not!
I am Kozuki Oden!
I am a man!
I will not act like some lovestruck girl!
How could I possibly marry this weak human?!
The man I admire is someone like Kozuki Oden—free, strong, and fearless!
Her breathing quickened.
But as she looked closer, Yamato couldn't deny it—Akira didn't seem weak.
Not at all.
In fact, she remembered something.
Her eyes widened as the memory returned.
Two years ago.
A man had come to Wano—a fiery, freedom-loving man much like herself.
Portgas D. Ace.
They had fought fiercely—
a battle that reignited her yearning for freedom.
She thought she'd found a kindred spirit.
They'd talked for hours about the vast sea, the outside world, and cursed Kaido for chaining them to this island.
But then—Akira appeared.
He'd come without sound, like a shadow slipping through the dark.
And when he spoke, his voice was cold as steel.
"Fire Fist Ace. You are an intruder.
By Kaido's command, I—Akira of the Beasts Pirates—will expel you from Wano."
Ace had, of course, refused.
He'd roared in defiance and unleashed his strongest technique—Flame Emperor.
But what happened next burned itself into Yamato's memory forever.
Akira hadn't even drawn his sword.
He simply stepped forward, calm and unhurried.
Ace's blazing attacks were dismantled with movements Yamato couldn't even comprehend—
too fast, too precise.
It was pure, overwhelming combat skill—
backed by Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and even Conqueror's Haki.
And then, with a single hand strike to the neck, Ace was knocked unconscious.
Akira had dragged him out of Wano like tossing out the trash.
That image… she could never forget.
Her body trembled slightly at the memory—
not from anger, but from a primal, instinctive fear.
She had been furious at the time.
Furious enough to challenge Akira herself.
She remembered shouting her proudest technique:
"Namuji Glacier Fang!"
The air froze instantly, her strongest attack unleashed with everything she had.
And yet… it hadn't even touched him.
Akira had shattered it effortlessly with Armament Haki alone.
Then, with the same hand strike, she too had blacked out.
"...This man," Yamato whispered, eyes fixed on Akira's back.
"He's not a weakling."
"He's… a monster among men."
She knew the rumors.
Among all of Kaido's soldiers, Akira's rise had been the fastest—his growth, terrifying.
And suddenly, an idea—reckless and brilliant—flashed through her mind.
"My father wants to force me to marry him…" she murmured.
"But…"
She recalled the way Akira had hesitated earlier, how he'd stalled before accepting Kaido's command.
"He hesitated for that long…"
"That means—he doesn't like this either!"
"He must want freedom too!"
Her heartbeat quickened.
Her eyes gleamed with new resolve.
"What I want… is freedom! To sail across the seas!"
"If he's to be my husband, Father will trust him more than he trusts me."
"Maybe… just maybe… he can help me escape!"
Her heart pounded wildly.
A plan took form in her mind, bold and desperate.
"I am Kozuki Oden!"
"Oden is a real man!"
"And a real man sacrifices everything for freedom!"
She had never truly seen herself as a woman—
so for Yamato, offering her body wasn't something that carried weight.
"That's right," she reasoned, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.
"As long as he can stall Father long enough for me to flee—"
"Even if I have to offer my body… so be it."
"All for freedom!"
Her decision was made.
She looked at Akira again—still pacing under the moonlight, muttering to himself about having "nowhere to unleash his power."
Taking a deep breath, Yamato called out softly:
"Akira."
Her voice was low and hoarse from injury, yet cold as steel.
"!"
Akira froze mid-step.
His entire body stiffened like he'd been struck by lightning.
Slowly, he turned.
There she was—
the woman he thought was still unconscious, sitting up against the bedframe.
Her body was bandaged head to toe, but her piercing blue eyes burned straight into him—
cold, sharp, and full of resolve.
Akira blinked in disbelief.
"Huh?" he thought, dumbfounded.
"When did she wake up?"
"Did she see me doing the system draws earlier?!"
His mind raced.
"No—that's impossible. The system's bound to my soul. She can't see it."
"Then… did she hear me talking?"
"No… all that was internal…"
He exhaled slowly and composed himself.
Time to act like the dignified 'husband.'
He was just about to speak—
when Yamato beat him to it.
She looked thoughtful for a moment, carefully choosing her words.
Then she said something that made Akira's brain short-circuit.
"Tell me…"
"…Do you think I'm beautiful?"
"Ha…?"
Akira froze.
He even poked his ear, wondering if he'd misheard.
What the hell did she just say?
Did Kaido hit her too hard in the head?
Or… no way… did she just fall for me?!
He stared at her from head to toe.
"No… impossible. She likes big, dumb muscle types like Oden."
But before he could untangle his thoughts, Yamato spoke again—
this time with the proud, commanding tone of Kozuki Oden himself.
"Akira," she said firmly.
"I want to leave Onigashima."
"I want to sail. To see the outside world."
"But my father will never allow it."
Her eyes—blue like the deep sea—locked onto his.
"Will you help me?"
"Help me stall my father."
"For one hour."
"Just one hour! Enough time for me to escape and set sail!"
Akira frowned.
"Help you?"
"Why in the world would I do that?"
"You want me to hold off Kaido for an hour? Are you still half-asleep?"
But Yamato didn't back down.
Her gaze stayed steady—clear and fearless.
She had her answer ready.
Drawing a slow breath, she spoke with iron resolve:
"If you can do that…"
"I'll grant you one request."
"Anything you want."
She paused—
then added, voice unwavering:
"…Including my body. Everything."
"A real man always keeps his promises—
and I swear it!"
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