"Haruko, what kind of surprise do you think I should prepare for them?" Yamato asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
"How should I know something like that? You shouldn't be asking me, Young Master," Haruko replied, rolling her eyes.
"Haha! Help me think about it. Let's see what would be the most fun and interesting," Yamato laughed. Haruko nodded but remained silent. To be honest, she wasn't as playful as Yamato. When it came to enemies, her philosophy was simple: kill them. She wouldn't waste time planning "surprises." If all else failed, a good beating was a surprise enough in her book.
A few hours later, Yamato and Haruko returned to Vanilla Island and boarded a ship back to Wano Country. During the voyage, Yamato spent her time seriously considering the best way to welcome the Straw Hats.
"Haruko, they'll probably enter Wano by climbing the waterfall, right? I just don't know which side they'll pick. Either way, they'll likely get caught in the whirlpools and wash up on the coast of Kuri. How about we arrange for some people to wait for them right there on the beach? That would be a huge surprise, wouldn't it?"
"Young Master, if they get washed up on the coast, will they even be awake? They'll just be caught immediately," Haruko pointed out. Setting aside the Devil Fruit users who would be paralyzed by the sea, even the others would likely be unconscious after hitting a whirlpool. Only someone like Jinbe, being a Fishman, would be fine.
"True. If we just pick them up while they're sleeping, it's too easy. That's no fun. Let's take a different approach. We'll station a larger force in Boro Town," Yamato said, rubbing her chin as a faint golden light appeared in her eyes. "When they arrive, they'll be hungry. Kuri has the Paradise Farm; they won't be able to resist taking a look at it."
"Then according to your plan, how many people should we send?" Haruko asked.
"Hmm... I think 1,000 men is necessary. We should include dozens of Gifters, specifically the ones modified by Third Uncle Queen. Even if it doesn't overwhelm them, it should cause them a lot of trouble," Yamato thought aloud.
"Then let's make it 3,000 men and 50 of Lord Queen's modified Gifters," Haruko said nonchalantly.
Yamato blinked in surprise. "Haruko, you're quite ruthless. That's a lot of people."
"Didn't you say you wanted a surprise? If we don't go this far, it's just a minor inconvenience. We should also assign a few strong leaders to oversee it," Haruko continued.
"Hahaha! Alright, let's go with your idea. For someone who says she doesn't understand these things, you clearly have a talent for it," Yamato laughed. Haruko just rolled her eyes; she had at least some basic command ability.
A few days later, news of the Straw Hats escaping Totto Land spread across the world.
"Is it true? Straw Hat just defeated Doflamingo in Dressrosa, and then he immediately trashed Totto Land?"
"This guy is a magnet for trouble. He wrecked Big Mom's Tea Party and the wedding, and still managed to get away!"
"Morgans is really bold. He's calling him the 'Fifth Emperor' of the sea. Does he think Straw Hat is actually equal to the Yonko?"
"No way. Morgans is exaggerating. Straw Hat only escaped; he doesn't have the power to face a Yonko head-on."
"Even if his bounty reached 1,500,000,000, that doesn't put him on their level. Don't forget, Onihime has a bounty of over 1,800,000,000 and she isn't called an Emperor. Morgans is just chasing headlines. Isn't he afraid Big Mom will kill him for this?"
The world was shaken by the title of the Fifth Emperor. Many believed the news was just sensationalism.
"Young Master, the tool you're interested in actually escaped and got a fancy new title," Haruko noted, her reaction flat as she scanned the newspaper. Among the Yonko, every bounty exceeded 4,000,000,000. Thinking a 1,500,000,000 bounty made someone an equal was pure daydreaming.
"It's good he escaped. Now we have something to play with. As for the title, that's just Morgans and his bad taste. He must have studied journalism," Yamato said, stretching her limbs.
"Studied journalism? That sounds about right. Good summary, Young Master," Haruko laughed.
"Of course," Yamato smiled proudly.
Haruko looked at her. "There's one thing I'm curious about. Your bounty hasn't changed since the Marineford War. Why is that?"
"Back then, the Government probably wanted to stabilize things. If my bounty went any higher, it would cross the 2,000,000,000 mark. But a bounty doesn't really matter to me," Yamato waved it off. Most pirates took pride in their bounty, but Yamato was different. She never truly felt like a pirate; her way of thinking was separate from the rest.
"But speaking of surprises, I didn't expect my disciple Katakuri to fail at stopping him. That stage was set for him. Luffy truly is the man who shouts about becoming the Pirate King," Yamato remarked. She knew Katakuri had mastered Advanced Conqueror's Haki, fruit awakening, and future-sight Observation Haki. For Luffy to overcome all that was proof he was the man chosen by the world.
Now, Yamato was looking forward to his arrival in Wano even more. She hoped he would complete his task quickly so she could help turn the world upside down.
"Do you think Katakuri went easy on him?" Haruko asked.
"No. Katakuri respects his opponents too much for that. Straw Hat simply grew at a lightning pace during the fight. It was evolution. If he didn't evolve, he would have died. He had no choice but to win," Yamato smiled.
Haruko thought about it and realized Yamato was right. People who cause trouble are everywhere, but those who provoke the strongest and survive aren't just lucky—they have to have the power to back it up.
"So that's why you chose them?"
"Exactly. They have the vitality of a cockroach and are completely fearless. Only an existence like that can influence the world and face off against the Yonko. Only someone like that can bring real change," Yamato nodded. She knew he was the most likely candidate for Pirate King. "I'm not interested in being Pirate King myself."
A few more days passed, and the news of the Levely was published.
"The Ryugu Kingdom is participating this year. Look at the Mermaid Princess—she's huge and very beautiful. She's definitely in the top three most beautiful women in the world, alongside me," Yamato commented, looking at the photo of Shirahoshi.
Haruko's mouth twitched at the "top three" comment.
"Fish-Man Island, huh? Haruko, after we toss away the mess that is Wano, let's make Fish-Man Island our first vacation stop. What do you think?" Yamato asked.
"Are you already planning your retirement, Young Master?" Haruko asked helplessly. It sounded like Yamato had already decided the Beasts Pirates were going to lose.
"You have to prepare in advance! The struggle will be over in a heartbeat. We've been to Sky Island 10,000 meters up; we have to go to Fish-Man Island 10,000 meters deep. Right?"
"You're the boss," Haruko sighed.
When they finally returned to Wano, they noticed the atmosphere was tense. Members of the Beasts Pirates were riding across the wastelands on animals as if they were on a high-priority mission.
"Hey! What are you guys doing?" Yamato called out.
The subordinates stopped and bowed. "Reporting to the Young Master! It's suspected that the Nine Red Scabbards have appeared. We are searching every town and village."
"I see. Who ordered this?"
"Lord King. Lord Drake and the new Tobiroppo, Lord Hawkins, are in charge," the subordinate answered.
"Alright, get back to it," Yamato waved them off. "A new Tobiroppo? Hawkins? I've heard that name."
"He's one of the Worst Generation, 'Magician' Basil Hawkins," Haruko reminded her.
"Right! How did he end up joining us?" Yamato couldn't remember the details.
"We'll ask Lady Maria when we get back," Haruko suggested.
They headed directly to Black Maria's quarters in Onigashima.
"Ah, you're finally back. How was Totto Land?" Maria smiled as she saw them.
"It was okay. I ate a lot of sweets, but I didn't get a chance to bring any back for you, Maria," Yamato said smoothly. Haruko knew it was actually because Yamato was too busy watching the "show" to remember.
"That's fine. By the way, many outsiders have sneaked into Wano. I think they are the people you mentioned," Maria said.
"What's the story with Hawkins?" Yamato asked.
"Governor-General Kaido went out a while ago and brought back Kid, Hawkins, and the others. Hawkins submitted, but Kid is still resisting, so he was thrown into the Udon Mining Camp," Maria explained.
"And Kid's subordinates?"
"Orochi requested them. They'll probably be used for his 'amusement,'" Maria said.
"He's still playing games? Doesn't he realize the twenty-year prophecy is up? He should be terrified of the Scabbards," Yamato said, surprised.
Maria smiled. "He is terrified. That's why he asked for the searches. Since you gave orders that an All-Star like Jack shouldn't waste time on this, the task went to Drake."