In a short while, Jack took the main fleet and departed, leaving a trail of white foam in his wake.
"Young Master, Lord Jack took everyone else away. Now only our ship remains," Haruko said, immediately understanding Jack's strategy.
"Let him go. We'll regroup later anyway. For now, let's go explore on our own," Yamato said, waving her hand dismissively. "Jack is such a simpleton. All he knows is fighting; he's practically a workaholic."
Haruko smiled slightly. Yamato wasn't wrong. Jack truly had the nature of a diligent worker. Once he was out on a mission, he never slacked off—he was exactly the type of subordinate a boss would love. Yamato, however, was his complete opposite. Whenever she set out to sea, her primary interest was visiting uninhabited islands to take in the scenery. Unfortunately, Jack never used to let her wander off.
Now that Jack had suggested splitting up, Yamato was naturally overjoyed.
It's actually good to separate for a while, Haruko thought. At least they won't be bickering all day. Otherwise, Jack might end up like Lord Kaido and refuse to see the Young Master at all.
Under Haruko's command, the ship changed course toward the nearest uninhabited island. While sailing through the Soloren Sea, the distant sound of explosions suddenly echoed across the water.
"Report, Young Master! Two pirate groups are fighting ahead. Judging by the Jolly Rogers, one is the Whitebeard Pirates, and the other is an unknown crew!" a subordinate shouted from the crow's nest.
"The Whitebeard Pirates?" Yamato became interested. She stood up and walked to the bow of the ship. Haruko quickly brought over a pair of binoculars and handed them to her.
"That is..." Yamato muttered, focusing the lens on a familiar figure.
"It's Fire Fist Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division. We encountered them on Dinosaur Island last time. Speaking of which, he's been promoted to captain of the Second Division now," Haruko noted, observing the situation.
On the enemy ship, a figure made of pure flames was tearing through the opposition. It was clearly Portgas D. Ace.
"Oh my, it's been over a year," a smile spread across Yamato's face.
"Young Master, should we approach?" Haruko asked.
"The scene looks familiar enough. Fine, let's go take a look and greet an old acquaintance," Yamato nodded.
The pirate ship sailed toward the center of the battle. Soon, the skirmish ended, and the members of the Second Division began cleaning up the battlefield. It was then that they noticed the ship flying the flag of the Beasts Pirates approaching from the distance.
"This is bad! It's the Beasts Pirates! They're here!" someone screamed.
"What?!" The members of the Second Division were caught off guard, their eyes widening as they scanned the horizon. They instantly grew tense, reaching for their weapons.
"What do we do, Captain Ace?" the crew asked, looking to their leader for a decision.
Ace stepped forward and squinted at the approaching vessel. He immediately recognized the figure standing at the bow. "It's her!"
He vividly recalled his crushing defeat on Onigashima. That loss had been inflicted by the very person standing before him now.
"That's Onihime, the big shot from the Beasts Pirates. She's an absolute monster, hahahaha! Captain Ace, even if we all fought together, we probably wouldn't be a match for her. Should we flee?" Blackbeard suggested, his tone surprisingly casual.
"Teach is right, Captain Ace. Maybe we should run," other members agreed.
Everyone in the New World knew about the Onihime of the Beasts Pirates. With a bounty of $1,869,000,000$ Berry, she was considered a top-tier threat. Many of the Second Division members had encountered her before and still carried the psychological trauma of that meeting.
"Idiots, how could we run? The word 'flee' isn't in my vocabulary," Ace said, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
He hadn't relaxed for a single moment since losing to Yamato. He had been training his Devil Fruit abilities and Haki constantly. He had even asked Whitebeard why Yamato could strike his real body from a distance through his flames. Whitebeard had explained the concept of flowing Armament Haki—how Yamato could wrap a massive amount of Haki around her weapon and release it at will. Anyone who could do that was undoubtedly one of the strongest experts on the sea.
"She doesn't look much older than me, yet she's already a top expert. I can't afford to lose either," Ace thought, a flame of ambition burning in his heart.
He knew he couldn't close the gap in such a short time, but he needed to see how much he had improved. Without realizing it, he had made Yamato his ultimate goal.
"Captain Ace, are you really going to fight her? That's too dangerous!" the crew protested.
"I know. That's why this is my fight. Don't interfere," Ace said decisively. He had no intention of involving his crew in a battle they couldn't win.
"Hahahaha! Since Captain Ace has decided, let's just shut up and watch. Even Onihime isn't some bloodthirsty lunatic," Blackbeard laughed, calming the rest of the men.
"Yo! Fire Fist Ace, and Teach, right? Long time no see," Yamato's voice carried across the water.
Her ship came to a halt about ten meters away. Yamato stood at the bow, smiling and greeting them as if they were old friends.
"Hahahaha! I didn't expect a big shot like you to remember a small fry like me," Blackbeard said, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Yamato, fight me!" Ace stepped forward, his eyes locked on her.
"Oh? Why? Don't you realize how big the gap between us still is?" Yamato smiled, her golden pupils gleaming with amusement.
Ace's expression tightened. "Of course I know. But I won't let that gap stay there forever. I will definitely catch up to you!"
"Catch up to me? Could it be... you've fallen for me?" Yamato pretended to think for a moment, then looked at him as if she had just had an epiphany.
The entire deck went silent. For several seconds, no one spoke. The crew members began looking at Ace with very strange expressions.
"Know your place, pest! You dare pursue the Young Master of the Beasts Pirates? Do you want to die?" Haruko's face turned ice-cold, her gaze sharp enough to freeze the ocean.
Ace waved his hands frantically, his face turning red. "I didn't! That's not what I meant! Don't misunderstand! I didn't say I was going to pursue her—I meant in strength! I'm talking about strength!"
Ace finally breathed a sigh of relief after his explanation. The look in Haruko's eyes was terrifying, as if she were ready to slice him into a thousand pieces on the spot.
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