Chapter 198 – Kozuki Oden's Voyage Diary
On a mountaintop near the Flower Capital of Wano, Portgas D. Ace descended slowly from the sky, carrying Yamato in his arms.
"If we're here, that guy probably won't chase us for the time being," Ace said, reluctantly setting Yamato down.
"Is it King?" Yamato asked, frowning. "That guy's also in the Flower Capital… Looks like their plan to execute Momonosuke was really just a trap!"
"Wasn't that obvious?" Ace sighed, shaking his head with a look of mild exasperation. "Also—why do you keep calling yourself Kozuki Oden the Second?"
"Because twenty years ago, I saw the death of that man with my own eyes." Yamato's tone grew passionate. "In that tragic hour, he was such a great samurai—and yet he died like that. And it was my own father who killed him..."
Her expression softened. "After that, I found this—" she reached into her clothes and pulled out a worn notebook, holding it high, "—the Voyage Diary of Kozuki Oden, in Kuri. Since then, it's been my Bible!"
"This diary," Yamato continued proudly, "even my father doesn't know about it. Oden recorded his heroic journey and everything important to him. Now that all the Nine Red Scabbards have perished, only I can inherit Oden's will!"
"Kozuki Oden's Voyage Diary?" Ace raised an eyebrow, studying the notebook in her hands. "Can I take a look?"
"Of course." Yamato handed it over eagerly. "You're the son of Gol D. Roger—and Oden once sailed on his ship. So I recognize you as my partner!"
"..."
Ace opened the diary, flipping through a few pages. After a moment of silence, he closed it, looked Yamato in the eyes, and said firmly—
"This diary is fake."
"What?!" Yamato snatched it back instantly, shouting, "You're lying! This is Oden's diary—it's real!"
But her voice wavered. Tears welled in her eyes before she even realized it, and then she crouched down, sobbing softly.
"You said… this diary is real, right?" she whispered, looking up at Ace pitifully. "It's really Oden's diary… right?"
Ace met her gaze seriously. "Stop lying to yourself. You told me you found this diary after your father beat you for saying you wanted to become Kozuki Oden—and that you disappeared for a while before picking it up in Oden Castle, right?"
Yamato nodded slightly, confused.
Ace continued, "As far as I know, Oden Castle was raided over ten times after Orochi and Kaido captured it. Do you really think neither Kaido nor Orochi would've taken something as valuable as Oden's personal diary? Think, Yamato. There's only one explanation for how you 'found' it—someone planted it for you to find."
He crouched down beside her, his voice soft but steady.
"Someone saw how much you admired Oden and deliberately used that against you—to drive a wedge between you and your father. Deep down, you've known it for a long time… you just didn't want to admit it."
Indeed, if one thought about it carefully, the story of Yamato discovering Kozuki Oden's diary had many flaws.
After witnessing the "Legendary Hour"—the execution of Kozuki Oden—Yamato's admiration for the man became pure devotion. She even told her father, Kaido, that she wanted to become Oden himself.
But Kaido—who bore the only scar Oden had ever inflicted upon him—despised Oden above all others. How could he tolerate his own child idolizing the man he hated most? Naturally, Yamato's confession ended in a brutal beating.
Yet children are rebellious by nature—the more you forbid them, the more determined they become. And when the mysterious "diary" appeared, it only fueled Yamato's obsession.
Her admiration grew into a conviction, and her bond with Kaido fractured further. Eventually, Kaido shackled her with explosive seastone handcuffs, supposedly to prevent her from escaping to sea.
Whether Kaido truly intended to kill her or merely believed she would never dare test the cuffs remained unclear. Perhaps he simply didn't care—believing that if she defied him again, the explosion would end her rebellion once and for all.
As for the person who had given Yamato the diary, there was only one likely suspect: Kurozumi Orochi.
Ugly as he was, Orochi's ambition was immense. He ruled Wano through Kaido's strength while secretly using Kaido's name to negotiate with the World Government.
In the original course of history, Kaido would later cut Orochi down without hesitation—perhaps because he had seen through these schemes. Though, knowing Orochi, there was a good chance he survived through deceit.
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"So," Ace said finally, resting a comforting hand on Yamato's shoulder. "Your true wish isn't to become someone else—it's to sail the seas and chase your own adventure. This fantasy about 'becoming Kozuki Oden' came from reading this diary and confusing his dream for your own."
He raised his other hand—and flames began to dance across his fingers.
"Ace! What are you doing?!" Yamato gasped as he set the diary alight.
"No!" she cried, reaching for it, but Ace gently blocked her hand.
"Even if everything in this diary were real," Ace said calmly, watching the flames consume the pages, "they're still someone else's memories. If you want, I'll take you to see adventures that are even greater."
He looked her straight in the eye.
"Remember this—you are who you are. You don't need to be anyone else. Understand?!"
Yamato stared at the burning diary as it crumbled to ashes in the wind. For a long moment, she felt as if her faith of twenty years had turned to dust.
Then, in the reflection of the dying fire, another light seemed to ignite in her eyes.
She wiped away her tears, smiled faintly, and stretched out her hand to Ace.
"Then… let's start over. My name is Yamato. Will you let me board your ship—and take me on an adventure, Ace?"
Ace grinned, clasping her hand firmly.
"Of course."
For a heartbeat, time seemed to stop. The smoke rose into the sky, and as their hands met, both of them felt as though the world had suddenly become brighter.
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