Dawn.
At the port of Oni Island, hungover pirates were still dozing off.
Tap tap!
Tap tap tap!
Light footsteps approached as Yamato, transformed into her Great True God form, quietly boarded a ship, attempting to steal it and set sail.
However, having never learned navigation, Yamato had no idea how to properly steer the vessel, causing it to spin in circles.
The commotion quickly roused the pirates on guard duty by the shore, plunging the entire port into chaos.
"Young Master Yamato... what are you doing?! Come back at once!"
"Young Master, if you leave this island, the shackles will explo—ahhh?!"
"Wait, Young Master Yamato's shackles are gone?! Wh-what?! Who did this?!"
"Which idiot gave the shackle key to the Young Master?! Kaido-sama will kill them when he finds out!"
Seeing her escape plan exposed, Yamato dropped the act—today, she was setting sail, and not even Jesus could stop her.
Bang! Clang!
With a single swing of her club, Yamato knocked out the screaming Beast Pirates one by one, using sheer force to threaten a few into boarding the ship and sailing it for her.
"Wahahaha! I'm free~"
...
...
Skull Hall, main chamber.
"What the hell?! Yamato was locked with Explosion Shackles! How could she escape?!" Page One exclaimed in shock upon receiving the news.
"Perfect! If I can catch the runaway Yamato and bring her back, Kaido-sama will definitely promote me to Executive when he finds out!" Ulti cracked her knuckles, eager for action. "P-P, quit dawdling! Hurry up and come with me!"
Beast Pirates' Secretary Office.
"Ehhh?!"
The petite secretary, Hotei, let out a startled squeak upon hearing the news.
In an instant, she guessed the "culprit."
The only person who had asked her for the Explosion Shackles and key yesterday was Luo Xia.
Out of fear for Luo Xia, she hadn't even questioned him before leading him to retrieve the key.
Who would have thought that Luo Xia hadn't taken the shackles and key for some "exciting" interrogation game, but instead for...
"Marula, if Kaido-sama finds out, I'm dead..." Hotei trembled, on the verge of tears.
Left Brain Tower, Pleasure District.
Black Maria's beautiful face shifted through a range of expressions. Luo Xia had just asked her about the Explosion Shackles' key yesterday, and now Young Master Yamato had escaped—it didn't take a genius to connect the dots.
Though the key hadn't come directly from her, if an investigation traced it back to her for pointing Luo Xia in the right direction, she might avoid execution, but she wouldn't escape punishment—likely a brutal beating.
No!
She had to capture Yamato before Kaido returned!
Of course, she stood no chance against Yamato in a fight. More importantly, this was Luo Xia's mess.
While she was more than happy to help Luo Xia with certain... physical needs, she had no interest in cleaning up after him.
"Luo Xia-sama, there's something I need to tell you..."
"Huh? What? Yamato ran away?!" Luo Xia was stunned upon hearing the news from Black Maria.
"Yes. Not long ago, Young Master Yamato hijacked a ship and fled Oni Island. Normally, that would be impossible because of the Explosion Shackles, but..." Black Maria's tone was pointed.
"That ungrateful brat! I didn't remove her Explosion Shackles so she could run away!" Luo Xia couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
His original intention was to have Yamato assist him in training at her full strength to improve his proficiency in Armor Dragon Slayer Magic.
Indeed, Yamato, freed from her Sea-Stone restraints, had brought him immense surprises.
After a full day of intense combat yesterday, his proficiency in Armor Dragon Slayer Magic had risen by another three percentage points, reaching 25%.
He had even planned to ask Yamato for another training session later, but now he was being told she had run away?
"Sir, the ship is already waiting at the harbor. We can set sail at any moment to pursue Young Master Yamato," Black Maria said.
"Good," Luo Xia agreed readily, quickly dressing and preparing to leave. But just as he was about to step out, his footsteps suddenly halted.
Wait!
A ship?!
Luo Xia's expression visibly darkened, more so than even when he had faced Kaido on Sirius Island. He had realized a critical issue.
This was the world of pirates, where over ninety percent of the terrain was ocean, and travel relied on one mode of transportation—ships.
Dragon Slayer Magic from the Fairy Tail world was excellent in every way, except for one fatal flaw.
Just as Devil Fruit users in this world were cursed by the sea and couldn't swim, Dragon Slayer Wizards were cursed by all forms of transportation—they couldn't ride any vehicle.
This wasn't just a problem for ordinary Dragon Slayer Wizards. Even the monstrously powerful Black Dragon King Acnologia from the Fairy Tail world had ultimately been undone by his weakness to seasickness.
"What's wrong, Lord Luo Xia? If we don't hurry, we won't catch up!" Black Maria urged.
"Ahem, a regular ship is too slow. Take me to King—he should be back by now, right?" Luo Xia said solemnly.
"Well, Lord King returned yesterday, but..."
Because a ship was too slow, he wanted to find King the Conflagration? What kind of logic was that? To have King help capture Yamato and bring her back?
Yes!
That had to be it!
Before long, Luo Xia arrived at King's living quarters.
Whoosh!
Before Luo Xia could even get close, King transformed into a Pteranodon without a word, bursting through the roof.
"Hey, brother, don't rush off—give me a ride!" Luo Xia called out repeatedly.
Though Dragon Slayer Wizards couldn't ride vehicles, they could hitch a ride on their comrades.
In Luo Xia's eyes, King, who had helped him unlock his Dragon Power, was now an inseparable brother. It was only natural to ride his flying comrade for travel.
Unfortunately, his brother was too excited to see him and flew off too quickly—Luo Xia missed his ride.
Just as Luo Xia was about to ask Black Maria if there were any other flying ability users in the crew, excited shouts erupted from the Skull Hall below.
"He's back! Lord Kaido has returned!"
...
...
At that very moment.
At the mouth of Wano Country's Kuri region.
"Young Master Yamato, we can't go any further! Ahead is the great waterfall—if we go over, the ship will be smashed to pieces!"
"That's right! If you really want to set sail, please take a safer route!"
"Exactly! I know a way—there's a hidden port in Hakumai that can get us out safely!"
The kidnapped pirates all chimed in frantically.
"Don't try to fool me. Of course I know about the hidden port, but they'd never open it for me. Besides..."
Yamato stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the vast sky ahead.
"Oden wrote in his log that Whitebeard and the Whitebeard Pirates, Pirate King Roger and the Roger Pirates—they all entered and exited the country through here. This is the true romance of pirates! I shall follow their example. Men, let's go~"
"Nooo... Aaaah!"
Amid the terrified screams of the Beast Pirates, the ship plunged from the waterfall's crest, seemingly destined to shatter upon impact.
At that moment, dark purple Flame Clouds materialized out of thin air, catching the falling vessel and lifting both ship and crew skyward.
Before anyone realized, the sky had become shrouded in thick, rolling storm clouds. From their swirling depths emerged a dragon's head at the very center.
"Gurararara! Yamato, tell me—how did you escape?"