"Yamato, are you actually going to take action?" Maria and Haruko asked, their voices laced with surprise.
Yamato let out a long breath as she stretched her limbs, reaching behind her back to draw her weapon—a massive, spiked club. The weapon was strikingly similar to the one wielded by Kaido, though it was slightly smaller, and its iron spikes were a bit shorter and less jagged than those on her father's club.
"Of course. It's not every day I get a chance to cut loose like this, so I might as well move around a bit," Yamato said. She gripped the handle with both hands, and a powerful surge of Haki began to spread from her body, coating the weapon in a dark, shimmering pressure.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Violent winds began to whip around the spiked club, condensing toward a single point at the tip. A soft, cyan light began to glow from the center of the gathering gale. The fierce wind howled across the deck, blowing Yamato's long, white hair wildly and causing her pink haori to flutter in the storm. Her golden eyes shone brightly with a majestic, sharp intensity.
Standing beside her, Maria and Haruko could feel a heavy sense of oppression weighing down on them. They watched in awe as the endless wind converged on the tip of the club, spinning rapidly into the shape of a small cyan star surrounded by a rotating ring of energy.
"Star Vortex!" Yamato shouted. She swung the club forward with all her might.
Rip!
The sound of the air being physically torn apart echoed across the ocean as the cyan star shot forth. It looked like a brilliant meteor streaking through the sky.
Boom!
One of the enemy pirate ships exploded instantly upon contact, and a blinding radiance erupted from the impact site. A massive cyan ring of energy expanded rapidly from the center of the blast. Like a razor-sharp blade of wind, the ring sliced through everything in its path as it grew larger and larger.
In a mere instant, the surrounding pirate ships were all sliced clean open. The force of the strike was so immense that the upper halves of the hulls were severed and tossed into the air as the ships began to sink.
"What was... that just now?" The survivors were stunned, staring with wide eyes at their ruined, divided vessels.
"Hmm? It looks like the Young Master finally decided to take action," King noted from his position in the air. He looked toward Yamato's ship with a look of genuine surprise on his face.
"Hey, hey, are you kidding me? She sliced through an entire fleet with a single blow," Who's-Who muttered, stopping his advance. He used Moonwalk to hover in the air, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. This was more powerful than a broadside of cannon fire; there was no need for a boarding battle at all because she had simply one-shotted the entire enemy force. Unless someone on the other side possessed top-tier strength to block it, no ordinary pirate could ever hope to survive such an attack.
Who's-Who looked back at Jack's ship, his gaze landing on Yamato's beautiful figure. To him, she was a terrifying anomaly. "That monstrous daughter of Kaido's... she's on a different level."
The rank-and-file members of the Beasts Pirates broke out into cheers at the sight of the destruction. "What a scalp-tingling strike! As expected of our Young Master. That was clean, efficient, and absolutely devastating," Queen said, lighting a fresh cigar to calm his nerves.
To be honest, Queen hadn't expected Yamato to be this powerful yet; after all, she was only 18 years old. Although the Conqueror's Haki she had displayed previously was impressive, it hadn't shocked him nearly as much as this. Destroying several large pirate ships from a distance with one casual swing was a level of firepower few could match. In the Beasts Pirates, only Kaido usually displayed that kind of destructive scale, and now, Yamato was doing the same.
"Oh ho! A clean sweep. Perfect," Yamato said, resting her club on her shoulder as she surveyed the ruins of the enemy fleet.
"That's really scary strength, Yamato," Maria and Haruko said, both still visibly startled by the display.
Jack, who was standing nearby, was frozen in place. His face twitched uncontrollably as he processed what he had just seen. "This guy... isn't she a bit too strong?" They were both 18 years old, yet Yamato was miles ahead of him. To Jack, it didn't even seem fair.
"Haha, it's not scary at all! If anything, it's pretty cool, right?" Yamato laughed, her mood bright.
Maria and Haruko didn't know how to respond to that. Yamato's strength was indeed terrifying, and it was hard to believe she was only 18. With the enemy ships disabled in a single strike, the battle was over before it had truly begun.
"Capture all the survivors and incorporate them into the Beasts Pirates. If anyone is unwilling to join us, throw them into the sea to drown," King ordered as he flew back to the main ship.
"After suffering a blow like that, there shouldn't be any fools left who are blind enough to refuse us. If there are, well, that would be interesting to see," Queen laughed.
"So that's our Young Master... incredibly strong. I guess this is just the power of a legendary bloodline," Sasaki said, his face full of shock.
Queen laughed even louder at Sasaki's expression. "Isn't that obvious, Sasaki? She's the daughter of an Ogre, after all."
"What's going on? It seems quite noisy outside," Kaido said, walking out onto the deck. He let out a loud hiccup, looking completely drunk and unsteady on his feet.
"Big Brother, are you still drunk?" Queen's eye twitched as he looked at the Yonko.
Kaido swayed for a few steps, nearly losing his balance. "Idiot... I'm not drunk."
Queen chose to say nothing. He knew that was just how Kaido was; he was incredibly willful and only listened to what he wanted to hear.
"Big Brother, the fight is already over," King explained. Seeing Kaido's disheveled appearance, King was also at a loss for words.
"Is that so? Then I'll go back and continue drinking. Call me when we reach the next island," Kaido said without hesitation. He turned around and stumbled back into his cabin.
The crew members exchanged glances, sharing a silent understanding of the situation. It took half a day for King and the others to finish the process of integrating the survivors. Excluding those who had died in the blast, about four or five hundred pirates remained. Almost all of them were eager to join the Beasts Pirates after witnessing Yamato's power. Those who were too stubborn to yield were simply tossed overboard to feed the fish.
"Hey, Yamato! Second Brother King told me to tell you not to destroy the enemy's ships next time. We can't salvage them if they're in pieces," Jack shouted over to Yamato once he returned to his ship.
Yamato lifted her eyelids lazily. "Okay, no problem. I'll try to be more careful next time."
Two days later, the fleet was closing in on their next target island. "Lord Kaido, we've reached the island," a subordinate said, knocking on the cabin door.
Kaido stood up with a loud hiccup. "Is that so? We've arrived. I know, leave the deterrents to me." He walked out and immediately transformed into a massive blue dragon, soaring out of the cabin and into the sky.
"Why does Big Brother seem a bit off?" King watched the transformed dragon, an ominous feeling settling in his gut.
Kaido flew toward the front of the island, his massive form blotting out the sun. He hovered there for a moment, swaying slightly in the air. "If it's for deterrence, this would be more effective, right? Heat Breath!"
He opened his mouth toward the center of the island, and a terrifying amount of flame began to gather in his maw.
Seeing this, King and the others were horrified. "Not good! Big Brother is definitely still drunk! Stop him quickly, or he'll destroy the entire island before we even land!"
"It's too late!" the subordinates shouted in panic.
King immediately transformed into his Pteranodon form and rushed toward Kaido. It would be a disaster if they couldn't stop him from burning their destination to a crisp. However, he quickly realized he wasn't going to make it in time. "Oh no!"
On the island below, many residents looked up in sheer terror at the giant dragon in the sky. They were so paralyzed by fear that they couldn't even move as the sky turned a fiery orange.
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