On the deck of the ship, Yamato sat comfortably, sipping a cup of tea. Haruko stood nearby, her expression shifting as if she wanted to speak but couldn't quite find the right moment to interrupt.
"What's the matter, Haruko? You want some tea?" Noticing her lingering gaze, Yamato casually extended the cup she had been drinking from and offered it to her.
Haruko looked down at the half-finished cup of black tea and sighed softly. "Young Master, that is a bit impolite, don't you think?"
"Is that so? We've been friends long enough that it shouldn't matter. I know you don't mind, Haruko. Here, drink up," Yamato said with a wide grin, practically forcing the cup into Haruko's hands.
Seeing that Yamato wouldn't take no for an answer, Haruko had no choice but to accept the cup and take a perfunctory sip. Once she set the tea aside, she finally voiced the question that had been on her mind. "Young Master, your ability seems quite different from Lord Kaido's."
"Oh, you mean the way I can grow and shrink. You're right; that's a trick my Idiot Old Man hasn't mastered," Yamato replied immediately, having caught onto Haruko's curiosity.
"Lord Kaido doesn't seem to be able to do that at all," Haruko noted, thinking back to the Yonko's massive form.
Yamato nodded, a flash of pride lighting up her smile. "Of course he can't. He doesn't even truly understand what kind of creature a dragon is. If you don't understand the essence of the beast, how can you possibly master the ability to change its size?"
"Is that really the case?" Haruko asked, surprised. It was the first time she had ever heard such a claim. She had assumed that because Kaido had possessed his Mythical Zoan power for decades, he would have mastered every possible facet of it. She never expected there were still heights the Governor-General of the Beast Pirates hadn't reached. It was even more shocking considering Yamato was technically using an artificial Devil Fruit.
"Exactly. No matter what the ability is, you can only develop it if you have a deep enough cognitive understanding of it. For a Zoan Type, you need a profound mental connection to the creature you represent. Take your ability for example, Haruko—the Wolf Spider. As long as you understand how that creature lives and breathes, and then add a bit of your own imagination, you can push the transformation much further," Yamato explained, using Haruko's own power as a reference point.
Haruko tilted her head, processing the information. "Young Master, is that also why your Dragon Scales cover every inch of your body when you transform?"
That was another detail that differed from Kaido, whose transformation often appeared more rugged and less uniform.
"Yeah, that's exactly it. Even though my Idiot Old Man has such an incredibly powerful ability, he was never really focused on the finer details of its development. That's why his form is like that. While Haki is obviously vital, Devil Fruit abilities shouldn't be neglected. Besides, Haki is much harder to improve and requires constant, grueling training. In contrast, fruit powers are strong right out of the gate, which is why everyone is so desperate to find one. Haki and Devil Fruits have never been conflicting powers. Most people just have limited time, and it's too difficult to bring both to their peak, so they feel forced to choose one over the other. Of course, it's not impossible. Look at me—I excel in both Haki and my fruit abilities without slacking on either," Yamato boasted, her chest swelling with confidence.
Watching Yamato, Haruko couldn't help but find the display amusing. However, she had to admit that her Young Master was truly brilliant. Yamato's insight surpassed most veterans; she knew exactly what she needed and what her goals were, and she had the discipline to turn those ideas into reality. Someone with that kind of clarity would never lose their way. They would always walk their own path with a steady stride, eventually reaching the pinnacle of strength. This clarity was the reason Yamato had achieved such monstrous power at such a young age.
"Young Master, you really are amazing. You're just a bit thick-skinned," Haruko said with a playful smile. She realized that being by Yamato's side made her feel at ease. There was no room for doubt when following someone so certain of themselves.
"If the choice is between being thin-skinned or thick-skinned, I'd choose the latter every single time," Yamato shrugged, speaking as if it were the most natural conclusion in the world. "What's the point of being shy? Thin-skinned people just end up suffering losses and missing out on the advantages they deserve."
"Only you could say something like that so bluntly," Haruko said, shaking her head. Her Young Master didn't have a single shred of the "ladylike" reserve one might expect from a woman of her status, but Haruko was finally beginning to understand that was just who Yamato was.
"What's so bad about it?" Yamato curled her lip, then reached out and took the tea cup back from Haruko's hand to finish the drink.
Haruko's eyelid gave a tiny twitch. She noticed that Yamato had placed her lips exactly where Haruko had just sipped from.
"What's wrong? Why is your face turning red?" Yamato looked up, noticing the sudden flush on her companion's cheeks.
"It's nothing," Haruko replied, meeting Yamato's puzzled eyes. She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. The redness receded quickly, and she regained her usual calm composure. In that moment, she realized something else: while Yamato was a genius in combat and philosophy, she was also a bit of an air-head when it came to social cues.
"If you say so," Yamato muttered, withdrawing her suspicious look before draining the rest of the tea.
The following day, the pirate ship dropped anchor beside a lush, uninhabited island. A landing party stepped onto the sandy shore, led by Yamato and Haruko.
"Alright boys, head into the woods and see if you can find some good ingredients for dinner. Don't spread out too far, and make sure you follow the rules!" Yamato shouted, waving her hand toward the treeline.
The subordinates let out a rowdy cheer, gripping their weapons as they disappeared into the dense interior of the island.
"Let's go too. Maybe we'll find something interesting," Yamato suggested, and she and Haruko began their own trek.
The island was covered in a thick, low-lying primeval jungle. As Yamato extended her Observation Haki, she could feel the presence of numerous animals scattered across the terrain. Some of the auras were quite intense, suggesting the presence of formidable giant beasts. Before long, the sounds of distant explosions and the roars of startled predators began to echo through the trees.
By the time Yamato and Haruko reached the center of the island, they came across a deep canyon. The walls weren't particularly high—perhaps $20$ meters or so—but the floor of the canyon was wide and filled with ancient, towering trees that grew even thicker than those in the rest of the jungle.
"Oh, Haruko, look at that! It looks exactly like the kind of place where someone would hide a treasure!" Yamato exclaimed, pointing excitedly toward the canyon floor.
"Young Master, it's rarely that simple. Even if someone wanted to hide a hoard of Berry, they wouldn't put it in such an obvious spot. They would choose somewhere much more inconspicuous," Haruko argued, shaking her head at the idea.
"No, my intuition is screaming at me. There's definitely treasure down there," Yamato insisted, her expression turning uncharacteristically solemn.
Seeing how confident she was, Haruko decided not to push back any further. "Since you're so certain, let's go have a look. At the very least, it will be a good way to prove me right so you can give up on the idea."
"I'm telling you, there's something down there! Isn't that how it always happens in the adventure books? Let's go, let's go! I'll bet a year... no, I'll bet half a year of my Idiot Old Man's life that I'm right!" Yamato laughed, striding boldly into the canyon.
Haruko was left momentarily speechless. She wondered if Kaido would ever find out that his daughter was casually gambling away his lifespan on a whim.
Soon, the two of them were deep within the canyon's shadows.
ROAR!
A deafening sound shattered the silence as a massive, 8-meter-long black tiger lunged out from behind the thicket. Its yellow eyes were locked onto Yamato and Haruko, its maw open wide and dripping with thick strings of saliva as it prepared to feast.
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse