Yamato wasted no time. Under her watchful eye, her subordinates swarmed the Whitebeard Pirates' vessel, stripping it of every chest and silk bag in the hold. The haul was impressive; it appeared the Second Division had recently completed a successful streak of plundering other pirate crews, only to have their hard-earned spoils snatched away in an afternoon.
Standing on the deck of her own ship, Yamato looked down at Marshall D. Teach and his companions as the anchors were weighed.
"Thanks for the treasure," she called out, her voice carrying easily across the water. "Oh, and be sure to say hello to Whitebeard for me. Considering the history between him and my old man, I'd be more than happy to call him 'Uncle'."
The Whitebeard pirates exchanged confused glances, but Yamato wasn't finished. Her expression shifted, becoming more contemplative.
"Pass on one more message for me," she added slowly. "Tell him that Kozuki Oden's death was meaningful. This world is never short of naive fools, and Oden was certainly one of them."
The majority of the crew stood there in a daze, the weight of her words flying over their heads. However, a few of the veterans—and Teach in particular—seemed to catch the underlying sting of her statement.
"Let's go," Yamato commanded, turning her back on them with a casual wave. The Beasts Pirates' fleet began to pull away from the prehistoric shores of Ebit Island, their hulls heavy with stolen gold.
"Zehahaha! What an arrogant brat," Teach laughed, watching the ships shrink into the distance. "We really drew the short straw this time, running into a monster like that. Still, we should count ourselves lucky that no one died. That's a win in the New World."
Hearing Teach put it that way, the rest of the men felt the sting of their bruised egos fade slightly. He was right; in a world where encounters with the children of the Yonko usually ended in a bloodbath, walking away with their lives was a mercy.
However, none of them noticed the coldness buried deep within Teach's eyes. While his mouth was laughing, his gaze was dark and predatory. Deep inside, a restless ambition swirled, his mind already calculating the power dynamics of the New World. It took him several long minutes to suppress that inner darkness and return to his facade of a bumbling, cheerful pirate.
"Alright, enough standing around," Teach said, clapping his hands together. "Let's get back to the hunt. We still have an objective to finish."
"Teach is right! We can't go back empty-handed. Let's get that dinosaur meat!" the others cheered, their spirits lifting as they headed back into the jungle.
Meanwhile, Yamato's fleet had already put a significant distance between themselves and Ebit Island. The waves of the New World were choppy, but the mood on the lead ship was light.
"Young Master, why did you say those things to them?" Haruko asked, leaning against the railing. "The part about Oden seemed... provocative."
Yamato blinked, looking at her friend with an innocent expression. "No real reason. I just thought it would make for a cooler exit. Don't you think it added a bit of flair, Haruko?"
Haruko stared at her, momentarily speechless. "Uh... I suppose so."
"Hahaha! Exactly!" Yamato laughed, then leaned in closer. "By the way, Haruko, what did you think of that crew?"
Haruko thought for a moment, crossing her arms. "They didn't even have the courage to draw their weapons against you. Most of them aren't worth mentioning. However, that curly-haired man... he was different. He had this sense of composure that felt out of place. I don't know if I'm just imagining things, but he felt strange."
"That man, Blackbeard Teach, is no ordinary pirate," Yamato said, her eyes flickering with a knowing light as she thought of the chaos that man would eventually unleash. "Your intuition is sharp."
"Blackbeard Teach?" Haruko was surprised. "How do you know his name? You didn't even talk to him."
Yamato gave her a mysterious, lopsided smile. "Just remember that name, Haruko. You're going to be hearing it a lot more in the future."
Haruko simply nodded, though she was clearly only half-understanding the weight of the warning. After that, the expedition concluded, and Yamato's group set a direct course back toward the closed borders of Wano Country.
A few days later, in a different sector of the New World, a massive pirate ship shaped like a giant whale cut through the waves. This was the Moby Dick, the flagship of the strongest crew on the seas.
"Pops, we're back!" Teach shouted as he stepped onto the deck, followed by the weary members of the Second Division.
"Yo, Teach! What did you guys bring us?" The other crew members crowded around, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the cargo. "Dinosaurs? Nice! It's been ages since we've had prehistoric steak. Looks like we're having a banquet tonight!"
"Thatch! It's your time to shine!" a young man with a distinct pineapple-like hairstyle called out. "Get the grill going, it's a dinosaur feast!"
"No problem at all! Leave it to me," Thatch, the Fourth Division Commander, replied with a grin, already adjusting his chef's whites.
At that moment, a deep, booming voice vibrated through the deck—a voice that commanded absolute authority. "Teach, did the trip go smoothly?"
Sitting in a massive chair surrounded by medical equipment was a man as tall as a small mountain. His bare chest was covered in scars, and his striking white mustache was shaped like a crescent moon. This was Edward Newgate, better known to the world as Whitebeard.
"Well, Pops, there was a bit of a hiccup on the way," Teach said with a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. "All the treasure we gathered got stolen."
The deck went silent. The laughter died down instantly as the crew processed the news.
"What? Who has the guts to rob a crew flying the Whitebeard flag?" one pirate snarled. "They clearly don't know what happens to people who provoke us!"
"Speak up, Teach! Who was it? We'll go settle the score right now!" the various Division Commanders shouted, their hands moving to their weapons.
Whitebeard remained silent, his keen eyes moving from Teach to the other members of the Second Division. His instincts told him that if a veteran like Teach had let the treasure go, there was a very good reason for it.
"Zehahaha! I'm afraid that won't be so easy," Teach laughed. "That person was a total monster. I don't think any of you could have handled her."
The crew grew even more curious. Who could possibly intimidate Teach into saying such a thing?
"Teach," Whitebeard rumbled, his curiosity piqued. "Who was it?"
"Pops, you're going to be surprised when you hear this," Teach said, dropping the suspense. "It was Kaido's daughter, the 'Onihime' Yamato."
"Kaido's daughter?!" A chorus of shocked gasps erupted across the deck.
Even Whitebeard looked surprised, a rare spark of interest appearing in his eyes. He hadn't expected to hear Kaido's name, let alone news of a daughter he didn't know existed.
"Wait, wait... what actually happened?" Marco the Phoenix asked, stepping forward. As the First Division Commander and a Mythical Zoan user, he was usually the most level-headed of the bunch.
"I'll give you the full story later," Teach said. "But Pops, she asked us to say hello to you. She even said she'd be happy to call you 'Uncle' because of your history with her father."
Teach then repeated the rest of Yamato's message, including the biting comment about Kozuki Oden.
"What is that supposed to mean?" one of the pirates shouted, his face turning red with fury. "Is she trying to pick a fight with the Whitebeard Pirates? Does she think being Kaido's kid makes her untouchable?"
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard suddenly burst into a thunderous laugh that shook the very air. "What an arrogant little brat! Did Kaido really raise a child like that? I find that hard to believe!"
The rest of the crew watched their captain in a daze, completely confused by his reaction. "Why is Pops laughing?"
"Pops, is it true?" Marco asked, his brow furrowing. "Did you really have a history with Kaido?"
"That was a long time ago, son. Nothing worth talking about now," Whitebeard said, waving the question away and signaling that the topic was closed.
Marco knew better than to push further, but Teach stepped in to drive the point home.
"Pops, you should tell the brothers never to go looking for trouble with that woman," Teach warned seriously. "People will die. Her Conqueror's Haki is truly terrifying. Zehahaha!"
"Teach is right," the other Second Division members chimed in, shivering at the memory of the red and black lightning. "She's a monster, plain and simple. Just like her father."
Whitebeard looked at the fear in his sons' eyes and realized they weren't exaggerating.
"Listen to Teach," Whitebeard commanded, his voice heavy with authority. "Do not provoke the Beasts Pirates."
It was clear to everyone now. The rumors were true. A starting bounty of 1,300,000,000 for Kaido's daughter was no fluke—she was a genuine threat.
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