Although people often said that in the world of One Piece, one's values sometimes followed good looks, Yemu simply could not bring himself to like Kaidou's daughter, Yamato, the girl who, in the future storyline, would possess a powerful D-cup chest. He even disliked her a little.
On one hand, this was because Yemu's traditional sense of filial piety made it impossible for him to approve of Yamato's future display of "filial devotion." On the other, he found her foolish dream of wanting to become Oden extremely repulsive.
If, in the story, Kaidou had truly been an irredeemably evil villain and Oden had been a charming character, then perhaps it would have been fine. But by the time Wano Country's story was nearly over, Kaidou had not only gone from major villain to total scapegoat, betting his daughter on the New World, but had also become the beloved Ka-Sen-Sen through a crash course in Haki and Devil Fruit awakening, gaining the affection of countless people. Meanwhile, Kozuki Oden, the so-called wielder of the "touching fruit" whom everyone supposedly loved, had failed to move many people even by the end of Wano Country's story. At least, Yemu felt nothing.
But at this moment, looking at the little girl standing in the corridor under her father's gaze, her face full of fear, her body trembling slightly, and a pair of small horns growing from her head, Yemu still felt his heart melt.
Just then, a woman hurried out as well and was startled when she saw Kaidou.
"Young Master Yamato... Kaidou-san... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Kaidou, however, looked coldly at his "son" with a dark expression and asked, "Have you finished today's lessons?"
"Fa... Father..."
At that moment, Yamato was trembling so badly that she did not even dare look at her father, Kaidou. That alone was already answer enough.
This made Kaidou even angrier, and his face visibly darkened.
The servant beside them was so frightened that her legs nearly gave out.
King, as Kaidou's most trusted brother, had long since grown used to this scene. He had once advised his boss to be a little gentler with his daughter, but Kaidou's disappointment in Yamato made every word of comfort useless.
Especially after Kaidou resolved to make Yamato the future Shogun of Wano Country.
But just then, words King had not expected rang out.
"So cute! Kaidou, this is actually your daughter? Who would've thought a rough guy like you could have such an adorable daughter!"
Yemu's completely open affection broke the strange silence, startling everyone.
Yamato, still terrified of her father, also noticed the unfamiliar red-haired man standing beside him. He was looking at her with a doting smile she had never seen before.
With that interruption, Kaidou's gloomy expression eased slightly. King explained from the side, "Captain Yemu, this is Boss Kaidou's son, Young Master Yamato."
He placed special emphasis on the word "son."
Yemu did not care. He leaned closer, looking at Yamato's frightened but adorable little face, and said, "What's that supposed to mean? She's clearly such a cute daughter, yet you insist on calling her a son."
Then he turned back to Kaidou and said, "If only I had such a cute daughter too. I hate bratty boys the most!"
Yemu said it casually, but Kaidou seemed to take something from it. He glanced at his daughter, as if realizing something, then turned to the servant attending her and said, "Later, bring Young Master Yamato, along with Jack and Maria, to the banquet."
"Huh...?"
The servant froze, and even King was a little confused. For such an important banquet, juniors like them were normally not qualified to attend.
But Kaidou did not explain further.
"Let's go!"
Only after Kaidou and the others disappeared down the corridor did the servant responsible for looking after and teaching Yamato finally let out a long sigh of relief. Yamato, on the other hand, stared in the direction where the unfamiliar man had vanished with an indescribable look in her eyes, then gently asked the servant beside her, "Tama, who was that man with Father?"
The servant named Tama had no way of knowing. Her mind was filled entirely with Kaidou's instructions.
"I don't know either, Young Master Yamato. But once we get to the banquet hall, you'll find out. Please wait here for a moment. I'll go call Jack and Maria..."
With that, the servant disappeared into the corridor, leaving Yamato standing there in a daze, staring in the direction Yemu had gone.
As Kaidou's daughter, Yamato had lived under everyone's awed gazes and her father's strict demands from the moment she was born. No one had ever spoken to her so gently before, and no one had ever praised her by calling her cute.
Having always lived on Onigashima and rarely gone outside, the little girl knew almost nothing about the world beyond her father's pirate crew.
...
Yamato did not wait long before she saw Jack, who was the same age as her, and Maria, a soft and adorable little girl only one year older.
What felt a little strange was that Jack, who was clearly about the same age as her but always acted like a little adult, was now completely excited. He kept talking about something along the way, so Yamato walked over curiously and asked, "Jack, why are you so happy...?"
Yamato very much hoped that Maria and Jack, who were close to her in age, could become her friends. But the respect they showed her made her understand that this was only a dream.
"Young Master Yamato!"
"Young Master Yamato!"
After the two greeted her respectfully, Jack finally said with an excited smile, "Young Master Yamato, don't you know? The guest Kaidou-sama invited this time is Yemu-sama!"
"Yemu-sama?"
The unfamiliar name made Yamato pause. She had never heard it before.
The servant beside her quickly said, "Young Master Yamato, we should go now. We mustn't keep Kaidou-sama waiting too long!"
...
By the time Yamato and the others arrived at the banquet hall, it was already lively inside.
Not many people were qualified to attend this banquet. Aside from Kaidou, King, and Queen, there were only ten other Headliners who had received Zoan-type Devil Fruits from Kaidou. Beyond them, countless beautiful geishas and servants waited on the guests.
As the hosts of this banquet, Kaidou and Yemu sat side by side in the uppermost seats. Rows of tables had been arranged to their left and right, and the last seats on the left had been left empty. Yamato, Jack, and Maria were arranged to sit there.
Everyone noticed the three little ones appear, but no one paid them much attention. They raised their cups and drank together, toasting back and forth in a cheerful atmosphere.
Jack, however, had only just sat down when he looked at Yemu beside Boss Kaidou and whispered excitedly, "No mistake. He's exactly like in the newspaper. It's Yemu-sama..."