Chapter 196 – The Feeling of Heartbeat
"Since you refuse to step aside, I have no choice but to knock you down."
Yamato lowered the kanabo mace slung over his shoulder, his voice low and firm.
"Oh? You're really going to fight me?"
Who's Who narrowed his eyes, his posture sharpening.
"Master Yamato, if you insist on this… don't blame me if you get hurt. I won't be holding back!"
As one of the Tobi Roppo—the elite six within the Beasts Pirates, second only to the All-Stars—Who's Who was extremely confident in his strength.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Yamato didn't bother to answer. With a flash of speed, his kanabo crackled with divine lightning as he swung—sending Who's Who flying straight out of the prison, his body smashing through the walls and vanishing into the distance.
After knocking him away, Yamato rushed to the iron bars of the cell where Momonosuke was imprisoned, grabbing at the lock.
"Idiot… no matter how reckless Master Yamato is, he's still Lord Kaido's son. You really underestimated him, Who's Who!"
A woman's mocking voice echoed from behind.
"Ulti…!"
Recognizing the voice, Yamato's body tensed. He immediately raised his kanabo, spinning around and blocking the incoming strike.
At that instant, Ulti—slender and fierce—lunged straight at him, her forehead glowing with armament Haki.
"Headbutt!"
Boom!!
The impact sent Yamato crashing backward into Momonosuke's cell door, the ground quaking beneath the shockwave.
"Ugh! That hurts, damn it!" Yamato winced, then shouted angrily, "Ulti, don't get in my way! I came here with determination—if we keep fighting, Father will definitely find out!"
"Master Yamato," Ulti said coldly, her arms folded, "I don't know why you're trying to free that brat, but it's not happening!"
"Then I'll just have to beat you down too!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Yamato swung again with blinding speed.
Ulti didn't flinch. As one of the Tobi Roppo herself, she had no fear of Yamato. Tilting her head slightly, she coated her forehead in Armament Haki, meeting the strike head-on.
"Ulti Mortar!"
Boom!!
The two blows collided with thunderous force. The resulting shockwave split the floor, sending both of them staggering backward.
"Damn it… she's too strong. I can't take her down quickly!" Yamato hissed, gripping his weapon tightly.
"Take you down? Don't make me laugh!" Ulti sneered. "Your attack might imitate Lord Kaido's Thunder Bagua, but yours is only a Four Thunder Bagua at best. You're leagues below him!"
"Yamato, you bastard!!"
A furious roar came from behind.
Who's Who, who had been blasted away earlier, came storming back, his katana drawn.
"It's shameless to attack me while I wasn't ready!" he snarled. "Master Yamato, surrender now, or I won't guarantee your safety!"
"Fufu~ You're not thinking of killing him, are you?" Ulti said quickly. "If you do that, Lord Kaido will kill you."
"Tch… you're right." Who's Who sheathed part of his blade, glaring coldly. "Then let's beat him half to death and drag him before Lord Kaido."
"Agreed!" Ulti nodded sharply.
The two Tobi Roppo closed in, one from the left and one from the right.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Yamato clashed with them fiercely. The battle raged from the prison all the way outside the mansion, shaking the entire area.
"Eh? Aren't those Lady Ulti and Lord Who's Who?"
"Yeah, and they're fighting Master Yamato?! Why?!"
"Should we report this to Lord Kaido?"
"Idiot! Lord Kaido's drinking right now—if we interrupt him, we'll be dead before we finish speaking!"
"Right… let's just pretend we didn't see anything!"
Around them, the Gifters exchanged nervous glances, silently agreeing to look the other way.
---
"Now's my chance!"
Hidden in the shadows, Shinobu—the kunoichi of the Kozuki retainers—saw Yamato's battle spill outside. With the guards knocked unconscious, she darted toward Momonosuke's cell.
Just as she reached for the lock—
Slash!
A blade pierced straight through her back.
"—!"
Before she could turn, the sword was ripped free and then swept across her neck in one smooth motion.
Her head rolled before she could even see her killer.
"What a disappointment… all this commotion, and only a small fry shows up."
The towering figure of King the Wildfire stood there, shaking the blood off his blade. He sheathed it with a faint click and turned his gaze toward the battlefield outside.
"So, Master Yamato's here—and trying to free the Kozuki brat?" King frowned. "What in the world is he planning…?"
He paused, then shook his head. "Never mind. There's no way he'll succeed anyway."
Turning away, King vanished back into the shadows.
---
Outside, the battle between Yamato, Ulti, and Who's Who grew even fiercer. Despite Yamato's raw strength, he began to falter against the combined assault of the two Tobi Roppo.
"Ulti Meteor!"
Ulti seized the moment when Who's Who forced Yamato back and slammed her forehead into his mask with tremendous force. The mask cracked apart, and Yamato's body was hurled through the air.
"Eh?"
Just as Yamato was sent flying, Ace, who had just arrived in the Flower Capital, looked up—only to see someone crashing straight toward him from above.
Reacting instinctively, Ace caught the falling figure in his arms, holding her bridal-style.
The shattered mask slipped from Yamato's face, revealing her features beneath the broken fragments.
Ace's eyes widened. For a moment, he forgot to breathe.
It felt like something had struck straight into his heart.
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PS: Yes—Yamato is the heroine. ❤️
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