New World, The Moby Dick
For the past several days, the atmosphere aboard the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates had been unusually lively. The source of this newfound energy was a single young woman, who was at this very moment singing and dancing on the deck, surrounded by cheering pirates who treated her like a long-lost sister.
From his position near the ship's rail, Marco, the First Division Commander, watched the scene with a sense of disbelief. Logically, this should have been impossible. As one of the Four Emperors, their relationship with the Beasts Pirates was, if not one of open war, then one of deep-seated rivalry. Yamato, as Kaido's daughter, should have been met with suspicion and hostility.
Yet, in less than ten days, she had completely won over the crew.
Marco had, of course, investigated her story thoroughly. His first step was to contact Ace. The joy in their voices when he connected the Den Den Mushi was genuine and unmistakable; they were clearly dear friends. Ace had even made Marco promise to take good care of her. In a private follow-up call, he learned even more. He learned that Yamato was a die-hard admirer of their former Second Division Commander, Kozuki Oden, to the point of obsession. He also learned about the brutal and complicated relationship she had with her father.
Later, the Beasts Pirates grunt who had delivered Yamato confirmed the final piece of the puzzle: Kaido had officially severed his father-daughter relationship with her. Marco didn't doubt it for a second. After hearing about Yamato's long history of defiance, he felt it was a miracle Kaido had tolerated her for this long.
But none of it answered the most important question: why? Even if Kaido had disowned his daughter, why send her specifically to them, his direct rivals? The question gnawed at Marco.
Then there was the matter of her strength. While Ace's word carried weight, the initial reception had been frosty. That changed the moment she was challenged. The crew watched in awe as she transformed, revealing a powerful Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. She wielded Conqueror's Haki with the same raw force as her father and fought with a ferocity to match. Yamato was, in combat, a perfect copy of Kaido. Among all of Whitebeard's division commanders, almost no one could stand against her. Even Marco himself could only fight her to a draw.
Despite this monstrous power, her personality was the complete opposite. She was beautiful, with a pure and innocent demeanor that was utterly disarming. It was impossible for the rough-and-tumble pirates not to like her. And so, in just ten days, everyone had accepted her, completely overlooking the fact that her father was their enemy. Many of the crew had started saying that Yamato seemed like she was born to be a Whitebeard Pirate, and had only ended up as Kaido's daughter by some cosmic mistake. Now that Kaido didn't want her, it was perfect; she could join their family instead.
Marco glanced over at the towering figure of Whitebeard, seated in his massive chair. He could tell the Old Man was fond of the girl, and was seriously considering the crew's proposal. Still, Marco was worried. A move like this, from one Yonko to another, was never simple. What was Kaido really planning?
Just then, Yamato, having finished her merrymaking, walked over to them, her face flushed and beaming.
"Uncle Whitebeard! Big Brother Marco!" she said cheerfully. "When can I go find Ace? These last ten days have been the happiest of my life, you know! You've shown me so many things I only ever read about in Oden's logbook. It makes me feel like I'm getting closer and closer to him, but it also makes me want to see my best friend!"
Her earnest words pulled Marco from his thoughts. He remained silent, deferring to his captain.
Whitebeard let out a low chuckle, his voice filled with a fatherly affection that everyone on the crew recognized. "What's this, little girl? You don't like staying here with us?"
"No, that's not it at all!" Yamato shook her head happily. "I love it here! That's exactly why I want to find Ace so badly."
The crew quieted, confused by her logic. She then said something that made Whitebeard roar with laughter.
"I want to help Ace defeat that Blackbeard guy, and then, I want to have a decisive battle with Ace! Once I defeat him, I can become the Second Division Commander of your crew, Uncle Whitebeard!"
For a moment, the Whitebeard Pirates were stunned into silence. Then, the entire deck erupted in laughter—not of mockery, but of pure, enthusiastic support.
"Oh, looks like Captain Ace is in trouble!"
"He's going to come back and find his job has been taken!"
"I'm voting for Captain Yamato! How about you guys?"
"Me too!"
Seeing everyone cheering for her, Yamato blushed, a little embarrassed by the overwhelming welcome.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Alright, little girl! As long as you can defeat Ace, I'll make the decision myself. He'll have to give up the position of Second Division Commander to you!"
"Really, Uncle Whitebeard?!" Yamato's eyes lit up with pure joy.
"Gurararara! Of course, it's true!"
The ship filled with another round of laughter and celebration. But then, Whitebeard's expression grew serious. "But tell me, little girl. Why? Why do you want to join my crew and become the Second Division Commander?"
Yamato answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "To become Oden, of course! Big Brother Marco told me Oden used to be the Second Division Commander. As long as I take that position, I'll be one step closer to truly becoming him."
This answer didn't surprise Whitebeard, who had already learned everything from Marco. He looked at her intently and asked a different question.
"And what about you, little girl? Who are you?"
The sudden, philosophical question made Yamato pause, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Gurararara, it's alright," Whitebeard said, his voice softening. "You may not know now, but you'll find the answer to that question one day." He then turned to his first mate. "Marco, send her to Fish-Man Island. After that, whether she finds Ace or not will depend on her own abilities."
"That's great!" Yamato exclaimed. "I've read about Fish-Man Island in Oden's journal! I hear it's a really beautiful place!" The thought of seeing Ace soon, combined with the thrill of following in Oden's footsteps, made her smile even brighter.
Marco sensed a deeper meaning in the Old Man's orders, but he didn't question it. He simply nodded. "Come with me."
"Okay! Goodbye, Uncle Whitebeard! Goodbye, everyone! I'll be back to be your commander!" Yamato waved enthusiastically.
"OOHHH!!!" the crew roared in response.
As he watched her go, Whitebeard was left alone with his thoughts, his gaze distant. "Kaido, what in the world are you plotting?"
Next to his chair, held down by a sake bottle, was a newspaper. The headline detailed the breaking news from a few days ago: Kaido had found the legendary city of gold.
Meanwhile, leagues away, Kaido's floating island had already arrived at its next destination: the Florian Triangle.
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