The New World was once again thrown into a state of high alert. After nearly two years of silence, the Beasts Pirates had launched their second major expedition. This time, however, things were different. Kaido and Yamato had split their forces, striking out in two separate directions to expand their territory simultaneously.
"The Beasts Pirates are moving already? And they've divided their strength? They must be incredibly confident in that Onihime's power!"
"It's not surprising. After the first expedition, the Marines slapped a bounty of 1,300,000,000 on her head. Her strength is the real deal. Besides, she's Kaido's daughter—how could she be anything less than a monster?"
"Underground intel says the woman even dares to trade blows with her old man. They allegedly collapsed an entire coastline during a 'spar' that lasted only a few minutes."
"Onihime is definitely the strongest person in that crew after Kaido himself. She might even be more dangerous than the Lead Performers!"
As the news spread, every major faction in the New World watched with bated breath. The Marines were no exception. At Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stared at the latest intelligence reports, his expression grim but unsurprised.
"It has finally begun," Sengoku muttered.
"Sengoku, are the Marines just going to sit back and watch again? How about letting this old man take a little trip?" Garp suggested, leaning back in his chair.
Sengoku glanced over at him. "Since when did you become so proactive about work?"
"I heard Kaido and his daughter split up. That sounds like a golden opportunity to me," Garp replied with a grin.
"It's not that simple. Even if we successfully took one of them down, the consequences would be catastrophic," Sengoku said, shaking his head. He knew exactly what Garp was implying.
"True. Kaido is a madman. If you push him too far, he'll make sure nobody has a good time," Garp agreed. He paused for a moment, his tone turning more serious. "That brat is so strong at such a young age, yet her way of doing things is completely different from Kaido's. I'm curious to see what kind of person she really is."
Garp continued, "You can't truly know someone without meeting them. Is she a future enemy, a massive threat to the world, or something else entirely? We need to know."
Sengoku sighed, finally catching on. "You just want to sneak off and meet the girl while Kaido isn't around to stop you."
"Haha! Exactly. Determining her true colors is a necessity for the future of the Marines," Garp laughed.
Sengoku fell silent. He had to admit that confirming Yamato's personality was vital. If she shared her father's bloodlust, she was a ticking time bomb. If she was different, they might be able to manage the threat.
"Fine. If you want to test her, go ahead," Sengoku said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just remember, this wasn't an official order. You're going because you're a stubborn old man who won't listen to reason."
Garp glared at him. "You over-shrewd old fox."
Sengoku ignored the comment. Garp's reputation for being willful was legendary; he was the perfect person to take the heat if things went sideways.
"Then I'm heading out. Keep me updated on her coordinates. I need to find a good spot to trade a few punches with that brat," Garp said, standing up to leave.
"Consider it done," Sengoku nodded.
In the New World, Yamato stood at the helm of the lead ship, commanding half of the Beasts Pirates' total manpower. A fleet of ten pirate ships sailed across the waves, heading in the opposite direction of Kaido's division.
Yamato sat on the deck, lighting a cigarette. A look of deep contemplation flashed in her golden eyes. She wasn't sure exactly when she had picked up the habit, but she found that a light cigarette was a nice way to relax. Unlike Kaido, she didn't care for heavy drinking; she hated the way alcohol made her head feel fuzzy.
Exhaling a thin cloud of smoke, she looked up at the azure sky. "I can feel it so clearly... so why can't I awaken it yet?"
It had been over ten years since she had consumed her Artificial Devil Fruit. In that time, she had never stopped training, pushing her abilities to the absolute limit. She was now standing at the very threshold of Awakening.
"Is it because it's an artificial fruit?" Yamato wondered, her gaze blurring slightly. "Is it because there isn't a 'devil' residing inside it? Or am I missing something else?"
She wasn't like her father. Kaido didn't care much for Devil Fruit development, preferring to focus almost entirely on Haki. He was heavily influenced by the legacy of Gol D. Roger, believing that Haki was the only true path to becoming the Pirate King. Yamato, however, wanted it all. She aimed for the peak of both Haki and Fruit mastery.
"If there's no devil inside the fruit to awaken..." Yamato's eyes suddenly sharpened, glowing with a fierce golden light. "Then I'll be the devil myself. My will is the devil's will!"
The moment the realization struck her, streaks of red and black lightning erupted from her body. The sudden surge of Conqueror's Haki caused the surrounding seawater to churn and vibrate violently.
"Yamato! What the hell are you doing? Why are you blasting your Haki for no reason?"
Jack shouted as he looked around at the dozens of subordinates who had collapsed, foaming at the mouth. He was furious at being caught off guard by the sudden pressure.
"Yeah, Yamato, did something happen?" Maria and Haruko asked as they approached, looking confused.
"Sorry, sorry!" Yamato laughed sheepishly, quickly making up an excuse. "I was just... uh, blast fishing. Yeah! I was trying to catch some dinner."
"Blast fishing?" They looked over the side of the ship. Sure enough, several large fish were floating belly-up on the surface.
Jack wasn't buying it for a second. "You expect me to believe that? If you keep throwing your Haki around recklessly, I'm going to toss you overboard to feed the fish yourself."
"Oh, Jack, don't be so mean," Yamato said with a playful grin. "You should show a little more grace toward a lady. Stop saying such scary things."
"What grace do I need to show a guy like you? Stop acting so weird," Jack muttered, rolling his eyes.
Yamato stood up, her grin widening. "Jack, I think your skin is getting a little itchy. Do you need me to scratch it for you?"
Seeing the look in her eyes, Jack turned and walked away without saying another word. He didn't stay a second longer. Maria and Haruko couldn't help but giggle at his hasty retreat.
"That simpleton," Yamato laughed. "He's so bad at fighting me, but he just can't help picking a fight anyway."
She turned to Haruko. "Where are we now? How long until we hit the first target?"
"Young Master, it will take us another two days to reach the first island on the list," Haruko replied.
"Two days, huh?" Yamato nodded. It made sense; since they were operating well outside of Wano's immediate waters, the journey was bound to be a long one.
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