"Lord Queen! We've found two Young Master Yamato!"
"What? Two??"
"Queen" was drawn over by the sound of the explosion of the explosive handcuff. This "Onigashima" wasn't without surveillance, but the monitoring here was handled by small, modified animals. These creatures usually roamed around Onigashima and relayed information through special devices attached to their faces.
Although mechanical, they retained animal habits, and had long since scampered away due to the aftermath of the earlier battle.
Here, "Kaido" and "King" were among the few reliable fighters. "Queen" had assumed everything would be fine after seeing those two rush out, but clearly, a new trouble had cropped up.
When he arrived with the Gifters, what he saw were two Yamato chatting fervently; one of them even taking an attacking stance.
The Gifters created from inferior artificial Devil Fruits were mostly for show: intimidating in appearance, but lacking the outrageous prowess of the Gifters under Arceus's command. Especially when facing enemies far stronger than themselves, they were basically useless.
Everything touched by the cold energy was frozen at a speed visible to the naked eye. The Gifters, just moments ago charging forward, were now lifelike ice sculptures.
"Queen" was no exception. Despite his large frame, he couldn't resist Kyurem's freezing power. The Emperor of the Sea represented an enormous threshold.
Once power reached that level, ordinary calamity were simply no match for it.
Seconds later, an even larger ice sculpture appeared on Onigashima. But the cold wave didn't stop. The entire island was eventually frozen over by Yamato's power, plunging everything on it into silence.
"To think just ice could achieve this…"
"I had no choice. Even though I'm a lot freer than you, in some ways, we're both in the same boat."
Patting "Yamato" on the shoulder, Yamato showed a rare expression of helplessness. If you asked her why she was so strong, the answer would definitely be: because she had to be. No matter which Yamato, their childhood was negatively impacted by Kaido's kanabo.
So Yamato felt deep sympathy for her counterpart here. She could hardly imagine how hard life must've been without Arceus.
"But your life seems pretty happy."
"How should I put it... Would you record your daily torment? That's the kind of thing I'd rather completely forget, but I can't. Those painful memories constantly remind me, unless I beat the crap out of that b*stard father, I'll never have peace."
As she spoke, Yamato cancelled her transformation. Looking at the frozen Onigashima, a hint of pride appeared on her face.
"Phew, honestly, I've wanted to do this for a long time. Fighting without holding back feels so good."
"Holding back?"
"If I break any stuff in the house, Dad gets mad. But that b*stard father attacks without regard for timing or place. It's just such a pain."
"So... you don't have to care about that here?"
"Uh… you don't care about that either, right?"
"Not at all. It'd be great if that bull-gorilla dropped dead from anger!"
When she discovered that the handcuffs really could explode, and with immense power, "Yamato's" last shred of illusion about Kaido shattered. So whatever Yamato did, she wouldn't have any problem with it.
As long as she remembered to take her way. Otherwise, if she leaves, when "Kaido" comes back, she might suffer again.
"Ahem, you'll have to work on that yourself. Anyway, we've wasted enough time. Time to get down to business. Let's head to Hakumai first."
Yamato left Onigashima with "Yamato" and headed toward this world's Wano Country.
Hakumai, as the entry point to Mogura Port, wasn't located in the center like the Flower Capital, but was still highly valued by Arceus.
The monastery, hospital, fire station, residential area, and numerous Pokémon-related facilities were all located here, with Shayna as the de facto administrator overseeing the development of this region.
The Flower Capital might appear prosperous, but Hakumai and Kuri were the true centers of the Beasts Pirates. However, this Hakumai...
From a distance, Yamato had only seen countless chimneys spewing black smoke. But it was only upon arriving that she truly witnessed what this place had become.
Areas that were supposed to be farmland had long become wasteland. Filthy pipes leaked foul-smelling wastewater. Although there were still fish in the inland river, they looked mutated, their pupils emitting an eerie glow.
"This place makes me sick."
Yamato spotted a few civilians with malnourished looks, but the moment they saw her, they quickly fled. It was because of the emblem on her clothes; the flag of the Beasts Pirates made them run away in fear.
If this was the Wano Country under Arceus's administration, those same people would've approached her with cheerful greetings, perhaps even carrying freshly picked fruit from their fields.
"I've heard from other pirates on the island that most areas are like this. Only the Flower Capital is different because that's where Kurozumi Orochi resides. But if you're poor, you'll be kicked out from there too."
"So that's how it really is... Let's go check the other region."
Despite her distaste, Yamato had no intention of changing anything here. This wasn't her world. Based on what she knew of Arceus, there was no way he would abandon her here. She was certain she'd be leaving before long.
These matters should be left to the version of herself that belonged to this world. Right now, all she wanted was to confirm a few things.
Using the power of flight granted by Zekrom, the two Yamato swiftly surveyed the entire Wano Country.
The Udon region had become a heavily polluted zone. Without proper management, the quarries and arms factories had caused irreversible environmental damage. Though Kuri's forests were dense, the entire region was steeped in poverty.
The barren hills of Kibi had become even more desolate, with exposed remains visible in places. The Flower Capital, though seemingly bustling, lacked anything truly appealing.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the last region, Ringo. Like all the other areas, it featured dilapidated houses and silent streets. Yamato scooped up a handful of snow, and as her body heat melted it, the water that flowed was pitch black.
The seemingly pure white snow was a mere illusion; it had long been corrupted by pollution.
Though they were both Wano Country, it showed two extremes: one was heaven and one was hell.
"You've seen it now, right? This is what Wano Country looks like in my world. That's why I want to….want to liberate Wano Country."
She had originally meant to say "be like Oden," but recalled Yamato's earlier warning, so she rephrased her words.
"I've seen it. So without Dad, this is what the place turns into… As I thought, I truly can't agree with Father's ideals."
Originally, she had thought that without Arceus, Kaido would simply be a little more short-tempered. But now, she realized she had underestimated him. This kind of rule was exactly the type she loathed.
The "true" Wano Country only further solidified Yamato's belief: defeat Kaido and lead the Beasts Pirates down an entirely different path.
After all, Arceus had said he wouldn't intervene in the battle between father and daughter. That meant one day, if Arceus lost interest, an unrestrained Kaido might cause who knows what kind of trouble.
Yamato didn't want what she saw here to happen in her world. That's why her resolve to defeat Kaido became even stronger. Whether for herself or for others, she could not afford to lose.
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