"Big Brother is the boss of the Beasts Pirates; he can do whatever he wants," Jack said, siding directly with Kaido. Besides, as long as Yamato was unhappy, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
Yamato glanced at him, clearly unimpressed by his simple-minded loyalty. "I can't be bothered to care about him. A person with such a simple mind shouldn't have any plans anyway. Let's not overthink it and just follow along; it saves us the trouble. Let's go, Maria, Haruko. Let's take a walk around the island and see how things are. We'll leave the rest to them."
With that, Yamato leapt from the ship, her pink haori fluttering in the wind as she landed gracefully on the shore. Maria and Haruko followed close behind her.
"Hey, you three! Don't just wander off on your own!" Jack shouted from the deck.
Yamato looked back and flashed a taunting smile. "Jack, who do you think you're talking to?"
"You, of course, Yamato!" Jack's veins bulged with anger; he hated when she played these mind games with him.
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening! It's just a turtle reciting scriptures. Let's go, girls, ignore him. He's just my old man's brainless fanboy," Yamato said. She left Jack with a view of the back of her head as she walked toward the island's interior. Maria and Haruko both laughed at her sharp wit and followed.
Seeing this, Jack stomped his feet in a fit of rage. "Yamato, you jerk..."
The subordinates looked at each other, trying to hide their smirks. Jack's display of powerless rage was actually quite funny to witness.
"We're going onto the island too!" Jack roared, desperately trying to suppress his anger.
"Yes, Lord Jack!" The subordinates moved into action immediately.
In an instant, the leaders and officers of the Beasts Pirates led their men onto the island, while the remaining ships continued to maintain the blockade.
On the island, the residents were in a state of total panic. The sheer number of pirates was overwhelming, and they had completely surrounded the coast. One look at the massive fleet was enough to know that a powerful force had arrived. Even more terrifying was the dragon in the sky—a creature from myths and legends—looking down on everyone with cold, predatory eyes.
"My name is Kaido. From this day forth, this island is my territory. I will accept no objections," Kaido spoke while in his Divine Dragon form. His voice boomed like a god's, and his Haki leaked out, weighing down on the souls of everyone below.
"Kaido?" Most of the islanders had never heard the name before.
However, a few well-informed individuals turned pale. Their expressions changed drastically as they whispered in terror, "The great pirate who stands equal to Whitebeard and Big Mom... Beast Kaido!"
At that moment, a large group of pirates approached from the harbor. They were the main force of the Beasts Pirates, led by King and Queen. They looked aggressive and battle-hardened.
"From today on, this island belongs to the Beasts Pirates. Our people will begin managing this place," King announced loudly to the gathered residents. "In other words, the Beasts Pirates will now be responsible for the security of this island. In exchange, you only need to provide tribute on time. Rest assured, we won't be too excessive, provided you don't cause trouble. Otherwise, don't blame us for what happens next."
The residents listened, and although they were angry at being colonized, they were mostly filled with fear. They understood the situation: the island was now Kaido's territory. If they paid their protection money on time, their daily lives wouldn't change much.
"That's how it is. From today on, the flag of the Beasts Pirates will be planted here. You all understand, don't you?" Kaido's voice rumbled from the clouds, making everyone tremble.
No one dared to speak up. In the face of a legendary dragon, no one could muster the will to resist. If they provoked him, the outcome would be catastrophic. Since they could continue living in peace, they chose to treat the tribute as a small price to avoid disaster. Besides, with Kaido's flag flying, they wouldn't have to worry about other pirate crews causing trouble. There were both pros and cons, but they had no right to object regardless.
"It looks like occupying this island will go smoothly. I have to say, the idiot old man's intimidation factor as a dragon is quite strong; it immediately saps their will to resist. Maybe he should just go on expeditions by himself in the future. It would save so much trouble," Yamato remarked, looking up at the sky as she walked down the now-deserted street.
"That probably wouldn't work. Lord Kaido can't handle the administrative side of things alone," Maria said with a smile.
Yamato nodded. "True. If it's charging into battle, he's perfect. But asking him to do anything that requires a brain is really asking too much. Whatever, let's keep walking. Although we've technically occupied the place, the governing we do next is the most important part."
Maria and Haruko nodded in agreement. They knew that while conquering a land was easy, governing it was the real challenge.
Over the next day and a half, Yamato and the others finished handling the affairs of Mera Island and continued their expedition. However, while it was called an "expedition," it mostly consisted of Kaido playing a very specific game.
"That childish, middle-aged big idiot," Yamato muttered. She felt speechless every time she saw Kaido transform the second they reached a new shore. It was obvious he had become addicted to the dramatic entrance.
Coincidentally, the intimidation effect was exceptionally good. They took three islands in a row without losing a single soldier in combat.
"Isn't this quite good? Things have become very simple," Maria said with a laugh. So far, the Beasts Pirates' expedition was going perfectly, and not a single real battle had broken out yet.
"I just find that idiot old man of mine pretty annoying," Yamato said bluntly. Maria and Haruko looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.
"Two months and we've only occupied three islands. As expected, expanding territory is a very time-consuming process," Yamato said, leaning back in her lounge chair on the deck.
At this rate, it was no wonder the expedition was expected to take eight months for only eleven islands. Uninhabited islands were excluded from the target list, serving only as landmarks or places to restock food and water.
Over these two months, the fleet had passed five uninhabited islands. Some had harsh climates, while others were lush primeval jungles unsuitable for long-term human habitation. They hadn't encountered any powerful enemies along the way, only small-fry pirates who were dealt with easily.
For every island they occupied, the crew would leave behind 100 to 200 men to garrison the area, manage the local affairs, and ensure the tribute was collected. All the treasures and Berries gathered were then transported back to Wano Country. By this point, the total manpower for Yamato's expedition had decreased by nearly 600 people.
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