Boom~!
Dark red Haki lightning exploded violently, radiating across the entire area.
"Hey, what's wrong with you guys?"
"What in the world... is happening!"
The bewildered pirates screamed in shock as they watched their comrades suddenly collapse, foaming at the mouth with their eyes rolled back.
The next second, they too froze, their eyes instantly turning white before they lost consciousness and fell to the ground uncontrollably.
"Conqueror's Haki! That's Conqueror's Haki!" Page One exclaimed in alarm.
"It's not Lord Kaido releasing it—this is Yamato's Conqueror's Haki!" Black Maria widened her beautiful eyes in shock.
"Dammit! That idiot Yamato actually has Conqueror's Haki? That's not fair! Why does she have it and not me? Why does Luo Xia like her and not me?" Ulti gnashed her silver teeth, her face full of resentment.
"What?! That Yamato actually..."
King's pupils constricted sharply, his face beneath the mask filled with shock.
King had long known about Yamato's kingly disposition, so that alone wasn't surprising.
What truly made King's expression change at this moment were the faint traces of black-red lightning coiling around Yamato's kanabo, A-Jian.
"That's... Conqueror's Haki Coating!!!"
Amidst the exclamations of the crowd, Yamato transformed into her Great Divine Wolf Human-Beast Form, mustering every ounce of her strength to activate Swift White Snake Drive as she charged toward Kaido.
Kaido naturally sensed the overwhelming killing intent from behind. Turning his head, he saw the kanabo infused with Conqueror's Haki descending upon him.
Boom!
Rumble—!
Yamato's emotionally charged strike, empowered by Conqueror's Haki Infusion, sent Kaido flying dozens of meters.
After delivering this blow, Yamato herself was exhausted, and A-Jian slipped from her grip.
But she had no time to worry about that. Summoning her last ounce of strength, she transformed into her Okuchi no Makami Beast Form.
The pure white wolf opened its massive jaws, clamping onto the back of Luo Xia's collar, and with a single leap, covered dozens of meters.
In just over ten seconds, Yamato had already carried Luo Xia out of the great hall, sprinting wildly toward the back mountains.
"Big Brother Kaido, you..."
King approached the fallen Kaido, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably at the sight of the blood trickling from Kaido's forehead.
"Wororororo, not bad at all!"
Kaido of the Beasts laughed instead of getting angry.
"Lord Kaido, should I bring them back?" King asked.
"No need! They can't escape this island anyway!"
Kaido grinned.
Because he suddenly realized something—why should he be angry that Luo Xia had taken a... 'liking' to Yamato?
He was never the kind of doting father who cherished his daughter above all else!
If anything, he had always been displeased with Yamato's rebelliousness over the years, abusing her at every turn.
If not for the fact that Yamato had eaten the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami—a Mythical Zoan he had gone to great lengths to obtain—he might have already...
It was only because Yamato had the potential to become a powerhouse that he tolerated her repeated provocations.
Locking her away on Oni Island was also part of his plan to gradually break her and make her serve his purposes.
To Kaido, his daughter Yamato was nothing more than a tool in his hands—a chess piece.
Before, Yamato's value had been limited to her own potential. But now, she had gained another, far greater value.
She would be the chain that bound Luo Xia. Since Luo Xia had taken an interest in Yamato, not only would Kaido not stop it—he would actively encourage it.
In this way, Kaido could further control Luo Xia through Yamato as a chain.
Moreover, after witnessing Yamato's explosive anger earlier, Kaido realized this scheme could work both ways.
That is, he could use Luo Xia to restrain Yamato, making her obediently serve his purposes as well.
What a beautiful... no, perfect arrangement—killing two birds with one stone...
"Wororororo, bring me some sake, men! Today is truly a fine day!" Kaido laughed heartily.
...
...
Meanwhile.
At the mountain cave hideout on Oni Island's rear peak.
Two bloodied, battered figures lay collapsed together.
Only after bringing Luo Xia back did Yamato finally release the tension holding her up. She collapsed to the ground, reverting to human form.
Luo Xia: "..."
Though covered in blood with over a dozen broken bones, his condition wasn't actually that bad—he could still take a few more hits.
But considering how desperately Yamato had fought to help him escape, he couldn't refuse her goodwill. Besides, he'd already gained today's proficiency points.
With Armor Dragon Slayer Magic's proficiency reaching 27%, Luo Xia was perfectly satisfied. His standards weren't high—just steady daily progress was enough.
After resting for five minutes, Luo Xia carried Yamato (who was lying atop him) to a nearby pool. He quickly removed her bloodstained kimono and began cleaning her wounds, applying medicine, and bandaging them...
During the process, whether from his rough handling or accidentally touching sensitive areas, Yamato's delicate body occasionally trembled slightly.
"I'm sorry... Luo Xia... It's all my fault for dragging you into this..." Yamato murmured in her unconscious state, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Luo Xia wiped away the girl's tears. He certainly wasn't angry about being implicated in Yamato's escape attempt.
If anything, he was grateful for it—otherwise, he wouldn't have found an excuse to have Kaido as his sparring partner.
Maybe for the first couple days, Kaido might humor him out of novelty, but eventually he'd definitely refuse to continue.
The current arrangement was perfect—with the public agreement of 10,000 strikes divided over 200 days, neither party could back out.
After settling Yamato on a soft mat and tucking her in, Luo Xia finally tended to his own wounds.
Soon finished with his bandages, he looked around the cave for food but couldn't find even a single grain of rice.
During their morning escape, Yamato hadn't brought bedding or medicine... only all their food supplies.
Now those provisions lay at the bottom of the sea. Left with no choice, Luo Xia went out to try his hand at fishing.
Two hours later, when Luo Xia returned with plentiful catches, Yamato had already woken up and was attempting to get up.
"Your injuries haven't healed yet. What are you doing up? Lie back down!" Luo Xia frowned.
"Oh!" Yamato obediently complied, lying back down as motionless as a well-behaved schoolchild.
"Luo Xia, you're injured too. Don't overexert yourself—let's rest together," Yamato said with concern.
"It's fine, I'm alright! My injuries aren't serious!"
As he spoke, Luo Xia snapped his fingers to ignite a campfire and began preparing their meal.
Yamato: "..."
Not serious?
How could they not be serious!
He must be saying that so I won't worry.
A long silence followed.
"Luo Xia, I'm sorry. It's all my fault for dragging you into this. You were so kind to remove my Explosion Shackles, but all I could think about was running away. I didn't even consider what would happen to you if I... Mmm—"
Yamato's words were abruptly cut short as something large stuffed her mouth, silencing her.
"Eat!" Luo Xia fed her piece after piece of sliced salmon sashimi.
At first, Yamato wanted to resist and finish her apology.
But soon, she was completely lost in the delicious taste of the salmon sashimi, unable to help herself.
Before long, she had devoured three two-meter-long salmon and let out a satisfied burp.
"Good girl! Now go back to sleep." Luo Xia patted Yamato's head.
"Oh~" Yamato's eyes curved happily at the praise, and she drifted off into a blissful slumber.
The next morning.
When Yamato awoke from her dreams, Luo Xia was no longer by her side.
Skull Dome, main hall.
"Kaido, I'm here!"