"Hey, I think I've seen you before, back at Marineford! I remember you being really big then. Why are you so small now?" Straw Hat Luffy stared up at Yamato, trying to place the memory. Then, he broke into a wide grin. "Back then, thanks for helping us save Ace!"
"It's true. Two years ago, if it weren't for your appearance, the Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't have rescued Ace so smoothly. I must also say thank you," Jinbe added, bowing slightly.
"What's with this friendly act? Don't forget, I am the Young Master of the Beasts Pirates, and Kaido is my father. We are enemies. Aren't you afraid I'll strike right now and wipe you all out?" Yamato spoke indifferently, though she watched them with genuine interest.
"You wouldn't do that, because you're a good person," Luffy said nonchalantly.
Hearing this, both Yamato and Haruko were stunned. Nami and the others nearly fell over. "Luffy, are you serious? That's the Young Master of the Beasts Pirates!" they cried out. They were literally on their way to Wano Country to take down Kaido; the relationship was as antagonistic as it could get. From Kin'emon's stories, they knew the horrors Kaido had inflicted. The Beasts Pirates were certainly not "good people."
"No problem, she's a good person," Luffy laughed, completely unfazed.
"This guy... he feels even more airheaded than Red Hair," Haruko muttered, her gaze shifting as she evaluated the Straw Hat captain. Who in their right mind would say that to someone who was about to become a mortal enemy?
"Hahaha! Monkey D. Luffy, you really are an interesting fellow. No wonder you're Ace's brother," Yamato laughed heartily. She couldn't imagine herself telling an enemy they were "good," even if she knew it was the truth. The label of "enemy" usually carried too much weight. But this kid spoke without any pressure, saying exactly what was on his mind without a filter.
Even as an opponent, Yamato had to admit he was a miraculous man. He lived more transparently and freely than anyone else, stating his likes and dislikes without any concealment.
"So it's true, you really do know Ace. Then do you know where he is now?" Luffy asked.
"I'm not sure about that. Isn't he your brother? He'll show up when the time comes," Yamato replied, exhaling a soft puff of smoke from the cigarette in her mouth. The sight made the crew look at her strangely—the Young Master of the Beasts Pirates was a heavy smoker?
"Alright, the greetings are done. We should be going. Come to Wano Country; the Beasts Pirates will be waiting for your grand arrival. Whether you can actually take Wano back depends on your own ability." Yamato flicked her ash.
"Oh, I definitely will. Just you wait, I'm going to defeat Kaido," Luffy said, his tone turning firm.
Yamato smiled. "Haha, you have some nerve saying that to my face. Of course, if you can't even defeat the old man, nothing will ever change. However, I have one reminder for you. You aren't safe yet. The Big Mom Pirates will catch up soon. Besides Big Mom herself, there is another very troublesome enemy: Katakuri, my eldest disciple. Straw Hat, try to surpass him. If you can't do that, you're finished here."
"Katakuri?! That Sweet Commander is her disciple?" The crew looked at each other in shock. Was this why she was at the Tea Party?
"He is a very troublesome enemy. He is the strongest Sweet Commander and has trained his Observation Haki to the point where he can see into the future," Jinbe and Bege added solemnly.
"I'll win no matter who the enemy is," Luffy said without hesitation.
"He has plenty of surprises for you. Anyway, good luck. Don't crash and burn here; I'll be waiting for you in Wano. Don't disappoint me," Yamato smiled mischievously. She then looked behind the group. "Isn't that Caesar? Why are you crouching there? Aren't you going to say hello to an old customer?"
Caesar trembled, quickly putting on a fawning, fearful expression. "How could I not? I just didn't expect a great figure like you to appear here! It fills me with trepidation!"
The crew looked at Caesar with pure disdain.
"Don't worry, I'm not interested in you. I'm just saying hello. To be honest, the Artificial Devil Fruits you and Doflamingo made are trash. If my old man wasn't so obsessed with them, you never would have built that business. Science is a good thing, but going down the wrong path is a waste. Take care of yourself."
With a wave of her hand, Yamato and Haruko flew away.
"Phew, she's finally gone," Caesar sighed, slumping down.
"Did you hear that, scum? Even she looks down on you. You're just a menace, not a genius," Nami snapped.
"Shut up! How dare you talk to a genius like that!" Caesar's ego returned the moment the threat was gone.
"Speaking of which, that woman like a block of ice felt really strong," Luffy said, his expression becoming serious.
"That is the personal guard of the Young Master. Her strength is immense. If we had to fight her, she would be a nightmare," Jinbe agreed.
"But she's so beautiful... so cold and different from Nami-san," Sanji swooned.
"Indeed, her beauty and strength are both outstanding. It makes me wonder... what color are her panties? Yo-ho-ho-ho!" Brook laughed.
Thud! Nami slammed a fist into Brook's head. "Stop talking nonsense! We're in the middle of an escape!"
"Is that Young Master actually a dragon?" Chopper asked curiously.
"No, she is human," Jinbe explained. "That's the power of a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. However, she is an Artificial Devil Fruit user."
"An artificial user?! For real?" The crew looked at Caesar again. Had he made her fruit?
"What are you looking at me for? I can only make fruits with huge defects. She is a perfect Artificial Devil Fruit user," Caesar snorted. It wounded his pride, but it was the truth.
"According to Big Mom's intel, that perfect fruit was created by the Beasts Pirates' All-Star, Queen. It took over a decade to succeed," Bege shared. "She has the same ability as Kaido himself. She's terrifying."
"If they can make perfect ones, why did they trade with Doflamingo?" the crew asked.
"The cost of making one perfect fruit is astronomical. They can't mass-produce them," Bege shook his head. "Alright, our cooperation ends here. We go our separate ways. We aren't safe until we leave Totto Land."
With that, Bege and his crew departed. The Straw Hats braced themselves for the final stretch of their escape.
High in the sky, Yamato lay elegantly in her dragon form on the pink clouds.
"It's rare for you not to stay and watch the excitement, Young Master," Haruko remarked.
"There's nothing left to see. Big Mom will go on a rampage, and Katakuri will intercept them. It's inevitable. Whether Straw Hat survives depends on his own growth. Right now, he's just a punching bag for a serious Yonko. Once he passes Katakuri's test, then we can truly compete in Wano," Yamato said lazily.
"It will be an arduous battle. Since they are your chosen tools, I hope they show some backbone," Haruko said. She then rubbed her chin. "I noticed some of the Straw Hats were missing. Luffy, the navigator, the doctor, the musician, the chef, Jinbe, and two Minks were there... but the rest?"
"They likely split up after Dressrosa. The others are probably already in Wano," Haruko reasoned.
"Most likely. They entered the tiger's den to get their chef back while splitting their forces. Audacious," Yamato laughed. "The others are probably gathering forces right now to attack our headquarters."
"With the samurai of Wano? What can they do?" Haruko analyzed objectively. "Most of the resistors are locked in the Udon Mining Camp. Orochi has stripped the rest of their weapons and spirit. Even if they gather, they might only have a few thousand. Our Beasts Pirates have over 27,000 members, including over 360 Gifted users. The samurai have no chance."
"I don't think they can do it either, but they have to. If they can't, their journey ends there," Yamato replied. "We'll just have to see what surprises they bring. Of course, I'll have some surprises ready for them too. Fair exchange, right?"
Yamato chuckled, her mind already spinning with mischief. "Alright, let's head back. We'll grab a ship at Vanilla Island."
As she spoke, Yamato's body rapidly ballooned, returning to her original, massive, sun-blotting form.
------------------------
While this story unfolds here chapter by chapter, the complete journey—from beginning to end—is already waiting on my Patreon:
patreon.com/Mythic_Muse