Wano Country, Onigashima.
Jack had finally returned, bringing with him a shipment of 6,000 artificial Devil Fruits. With this new batch, the crew would soon be able to create over a hundred more Gifted soldiers to bolster their ranks.
"Jack, where is the Young Master? Why didn't she return with you? I thought you two were acting together," King asked, noticing the distinct absence of Yamato and Haruko.
"That fellow is still out there fooling around. It doesn't make a difference whether she's here or not anyway," Jack replied nonchalantly, shrugging his massive shoulders.
King glanced at him, knowing immediately that Jack wasn't being entirely truthful. However, he didn't call him out. It was common knowledge that Jack and Yamato's personalities clashed; they couldn't be in the same room for five minutes without bickering. "Then go and distribute those artificial fruits," King ordered.
"Fine, I'll handle it now," Jack nodded and immediately went to give the fruits to his subordinates.
An hour passed before King finished tallying the results of the mass consumption. "One hundred and twenty-four successes. The ratio hasn't changed much; it's still holding steady at around 2% ."
"The Beasts Pirates now have 16,000 men. Out of those, 7,000 have already eaten an artificial fruit, so we still need 9,000 more to cover everyone," Jack calculated.
However, they both knew the crew's numbers would only continue to grow. The need for 9,000 more fruits was a temporary target; in reality, they would eventually need far more to satisfy Kaido's vision of an all-ability user army.
"How should we arrange these hundred-plus new users, Second Brother?" Jack asked. The twenty-odd successes from the last batch had been sent to the Udon Mining Camp under Queen's supervision.
King thought for a moment before making the assignments. "Send 47 more to Queen's side to bring his total to 70. The rest will be assigned to various towns across Wano. we'll continue to supplement their numbers later."
"Understood," Jack agreed.
Later, King took Jack to see Kaido to deliver their official report.
"That Stinky Brat didn't come back?" Kaido blurted out, appearing stunned for a moment when he heard Yamato was still roaming the seas.
Jack nodded. "Yes. I heard she's become obsessed with hunting for treasure on deserted islands lately. A few days ago, she even claimed to have found a genuine Devil Fruit, though I have my doubts about whether that's true."
"Hmph. That Stinky Brat doesn't do a lick of proper work all day. Does she want to be a treasure hunter now?" Kaido snorted. Though he sounded annoyed, his expression remained largely unchanged. Despite his grumbling, he preferred Yamato being a nuisance outside of Wano rather than causing trouble within his borders. His only real concern was the lingering fear that Yamato might try to start her own rival business; that was the last thing he wanted to see.
"Don't worry, Big Brother. The Young Master is just playing around for a while. She'll definitely come back eventually," King said, easily reading the worry behind Kaido's eyes.
"What do I care if she comes back? If she thinks she's so capable, let her stay out there for the rest of her life!" Kaido said stubbornly, refusing to admit he cared in the slightest.
King acted as if he hadn't heard the outburst. He understood his Big Brother's temper far too well.
"By the way," Kaido added gruffly, "tell Yamato to ship the treasure and that Devil Fruit back here." In his mind, anything Yamato found belonged to him by right as her father.
"Even if you don't say it, she'll send the items back. You don't need to worry about that," King said with a helpless look. Honestly, Kaido's level of trust in his own daughter was far too low. She was his flesh and blood, not some random outsider.
As King watched Kaido, he couldn't help but reflect on Yamato's words. She had once mentioned that her father's magnanimity was a bit too small. "Some of the things she says are actually quite right. A man should be more open-minded, otherwise everything just becomes a pain in the neck," King thought. Over the years, he felt that Yamato's influence had actually helped broaden his own perspective.
"Anyway, Jack, a subordinate reported that some samurai are causing trouble in Kibi. Go down there and settle it," King assigned the task with practiced ease. This was another lesson he had learned from Yamato: if there's a job to be done, find Jack. This allowed King to sit in his office and drink tea while the work got finished.
"Alright, I'm on it," Jack said, accepting the mission without a second thought.
Just as Jack turned to leave, Kaido spoke up. "Wait. I'll take this mission. It's a good chance to stretch my legs." Without waiting for a response, Kaido transformed into a massive azure dragon and roared out into the sky.
"Second Brother... is Big Brother drunk again?" Jack asked, though he already knew the answer.
King nodded calmly. "Most likely. You should go too. Don't worry about whatever Big Brother does. Once he's finished, just go in and clean up the aftermath."
Jack's eye twitched as he watched King's placid reaction. He remembered that when he first met King, the man was cold, terrifying, and far from polite. Now, King had become much more composed and "smooth" in his handling of things.
"Then I'm off," Jack said, making his exit.
Once Jack was gone, King picked up a Transponder Snail and dialed Yamato. "Young Master, Jack mentioned you found a Devil Fruit. Is it true?"
"Second Uncle! Yes, I found one. I'll send you a photo over the fax right now. Check it against the encyclopedia to see what kind of power it is. My guess is that it's a Zoan Type," Yamato's voice chirped through the receiver.
A few moments later, the fax Transponder Snail finished printing a photo of the fruit's unique patterns. King picked up the image and compared it to a small booklet—the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. After a bit of cross-referencing, he found the entry. "This is..."
"Did you find it, Second Uncle? Is it a recorded fruit? What's the ability? Is it a Zoan?" Yamato asked eagerly.
"Ah, I found it. It is indeed a Zoan Type," King replied. "The Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Crocodile."
"A crocodile? That's not bad at all. At least it's a carnivore," Yamato said, sounding pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected it to be a member of the Fish-Fish Fruit family, let alone a crocodile model.
"Yeah, it's considered quite powerful among standard Zoan Types. You can bring it back when you're ready, or just give it to one of your subordinates to eat," King suggested.
"Alright, I've got it. Oh, and I also found a decent hoard of treasure—mostly gold and jewelry. Second Uncle, send someone out to collect it. I won't be coming back to Wano for the time being," Yamato added.
"Understood. I'll send a ship to receive the goods," King nodded with a smile. He knew Kaido was just overthinking things; there was no way Yamato was planning to abandon the family and go off on her own.
"Okay, that's everything then. Talk to you later!" Yamato said before hanging up.
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