A while later, in a Japanese-style tatami room, Caesar and Yamato were gorging themselves on food.
A small mountain of food was piled before them, filling the room with a mouthwatering aroma.
As dish after dish disappeared into his stomach, Caesar could feel his stamina recovering rapidly, the muscle soreness fading as vitality flooded his body.
*Zoan Fruit users really have absurd constitutions!* Caesar felt that if he kept this up, it wouldn’t be long before he could naturally awaken that god-tier technique: Return of Life.
“Gulp, gulp, gulp…
*Aaah—*” After chugging a whole bottle of red wine in one go, Yamato let out a satisfied sigh.
Seeing her like this, Caesar couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“The way you drink is an absolute mirror image of your dad.” “I am nothing like that bastard!” Yamato curled her lip.
“Regardless of whether I become Kozuki Oden or not, there’s one thing I must accomplish no matter what: beating Kaidou!” “Why?
Because he’s stopping you from going out to sea?” “No…” Yamato bit her lip, slamming the wine bottle heavily onto the floor.
“When Kaidou locked me up, I received the kindness of a single meal from three samurai.
That was what solidified my resolve to carry on Oden’s legacy.
I promised them that one day, I would fight alongside them!” “Just as you said, Oden might not have been the smartest guy, but no matter what, I can’t just stand by and watch what’s happening to Wano!
If Kaidou hadn’t colluded with Kurozumi Orochi, Wano would never have ended up like this!” “The kindness of a single meal?” “That’s right!” “Then how many meals have you eaten from Kaidou?” “What choice did I have?!” Yamato’s face darkened.
“I’m his daughter!
I never had a choice from the very beginning!
Besides, that guy tried to kill me multiple times!
What kind of father tries to kill his own daughter besides that bastard?!” Caesar looked puzzled.
“To be honest, it looks to me like he goes pretty easy on you.” “Hah—?!” Yamato glared at him in annoyance.
“Where on earth do you see him ‘going easy’ on me?!” “You said you want to be a man, right?” “Yeah!” “When we came back earlier, whether it was Ayu or the pirates on patrol, they all called you Young Master or Young Lord instead of Young Lady, right?” “So what?” “And you said you want to become Kozuki Oden?” “Yeah!” “So Kaidou locked you up and treated you like an enemy, letting you challenge him as much as you wanted, yet here you are, perfectly alive and well?” “Y-Yeah…” Yamato’s voice began to falter.
“So what you’re saying is: not only does he have to treat you as a son and as Kozuki Oden just like you asked, but he’s also not allowed to kill you the way he would kill the real Kozuki Oden?” Caesar mused thoughtfully.
“Ah, so your plan is to make him beat himself to death with his own kanabo?” Yamato’s pretty face flushed deep red.
“T-That’s not it at all!” “Then you just don’t have the resolve to actually be Kozuki Oden?” “…” Yamato lowered her head, completely speechless.
Caesar’s eyes lit up, and he chuckled cheerfully.
“I get it now!
You’re just an ungrateful brat, same as me!” “S-Shut up!
You bastard, Caesar!” Flush-faced and burning with humiliation, Yamato pounced on Caesar, knocking over several wine bottles in the process.
Her pale, smooth arms locked tightly around his head, and she opened her mouth wide to bite right down on his skull!
“Om!” “Whaa!
Ow!
Are you a dog?!” Caesar cried out in pain, shoving frantically at her head.
“Thag’s righd!
I’m the uzer of the Dog-Dog Fruid, Mythicaz Veast Moden, Oguchi-no-Makami!” Yamato mumbled indistinctly, slobbering all over his hair.
“Get off me!
Those handcuffs are made of Sea Prism Stone!
I’m losing my strength here, hey…” “Bwahaha!
Caesar, you bastard!
Stop tickling me!” After a round of horseplay, the two collapsed onto the tatami mats.
Caesar wiped the drool from his hair while Yamato stared at the ceiling with pursed lips, lost in thought.
After a long silence, she spoke softly.
“Do you think…
these handcuffs are really rigged with explosives?” “From my brief interaction with Kaidou, I don’t think he’s the type to joke about something like that.” Caesar warned her solemnly, “Pirate conflicts aren’t child’s play.
Kaidou and Kozuki Oden stand on completely opposite sides.
You’re Kaidou’s daughter, yet you want to become Kozuki Oden.
To Kaidou, as a father, that’s nothing short of betrayal.” “Yet he tolerated your behavior and let you continuously challenge him under Oden’s name.
I think…
he doesn’t kill you because you’re his child.
But the moment you make up your mind to leave, you cease to be his child in his eyes and become just another Kozuki Oden.” “Oden might have been a bit naive, but he was undeniably strong.
As a former rival, Kaidou probably feels that since you inherited Oden’s name, you ought to be prepared to die like him.” “So…
it’s not like he completely doesn’t care whether I live or die?” Hearing Caesar’s words, Yamato felt a surge of confusion.
“Caesar…
what do you think I should do?” “By the logic of these seas, you should follow your heart.
However…” Caesar paused, a smirk tugging at his mouth.
“I’ve always believed that if you’re confused, it just means you aren’t strong enough!
Maybe by the time we actually have to make a choice, we’ll already possess the strength to decide everything—and we can just blow right through him!” Hearing this, Yamato instantly perked up!
Thinking was not her strong suit, but fighting?
That she could do!
“You’re right!” Yamato sat up and clenched her fists tightly.
After a few seconds of silence, she suddenly threw her hands into the air.
“If I’m confused, I just have to smash through it!
I’m still not strong enough!
I need to get even stronger!” Seeing Yamato regain her spirit, Caesar chuckled.
“Not bad.
Now that’s what a crewmate of mine should sound like.” Yamato looked at Caesar curiously.
“Speaking of which, I still don’t know your reason for setting sail, Caesar.
Are you going to be a pirate too?” “Me?
I don’t really have a grand goal.” Caesar shook his head with a laugh.
“I just want to find a few companions I like, explore these open seas, and see the world.
As for what kind of person I’ll become…
the world will give me an answer eventually.” Yamato pulled an awkward face.
“I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean!” “Putting it in simple terms…” Caesar smiled warmly.
“There are only two paths for my future: if I can’t become the most noble person in this world, then I’ll become the freest person on these seas.” “Noble…
free?” Having never been out to sea her entire life, Yamato couldn’t quite grasp what “most noble” meant, but she certainly understood what “the freest person” implied.
“Does that mean you want to become the Pirate King too, Caesar?” “Why not?
Someone’s got to sit on that throne, so why shouldn’t it be me?” Caesar chuckled mischievously.
“Besides, I don’t care about titles like ‘King.’ As long as I’m happy and free, that’s enough.
Isn’t the Pirate King just the freest guy on the ocean anyway?” “The freest…” Looking at Caesar’s uninhibited smile, Yamato’s eyes suddenly blazed with brilliant light.
She scrambled upright, pulled out a worn booklet, and held it out to Caesar with both hands, her excitement overflowing.
“Listen to me, Caesar!
The Pirate King, Gol D.
Roger, said something just like that!” *Of course it’s similar—that’s literally Roger’s answer.* Though, to be fair, Caesar genuinely thought that way too.
He was never an overly ambitious type.
His attitude toward the main quest was mostly “since I’m already here, why not give it a shot?” What if the reward really was immortality?
But doing his best was enough.
He was a Vampire Fruit user, held clues to Pure Gold, and had Kaidou as a top-tier instructor.
Even if he failed the quest, with his strength, living a carefree life for eight hundred or a thousand years wasn’t a bad deal at all.
“In that case, Caesar!
I’m definitely going to help you become the Pirate King!” “Hey, don’t say it like that!
That’s not even my main goal!
You make it sound like I’m bound to fail otherwise…” Sensing that his stamina was mostly restored, Caesar looked at Yamato.
“Speaking of which, you’ve already mastered Armament Haki, right?
Can you teach me?” “Of course!” As Yamato spoke, she extended her fist.
A subtle ripple flickered over it, and in the blink of an eye, her fair, smooth little fist turned jet-black.
Caesar flicked it with his finger; it felt like tapping solid steel.
Caesar was puzzled.
“How on earth do you trigger this power?” “With conviction!” Yamato gave him an utterly deadpan, serious face.
“…” *Conviction!* *It’s always conviction!* Caesar sighed.
This kind of shonen-idiot explanation was far too abstract.
Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind.
A few seconds later, an invisible aura suddenly erupted outward with Caesar at its center.
As he concentrated his focus, the aura gathered instantaneously, coiling tightly around his right fist.
*Crackle—* A thread of dark-red lightning danced like a viper before bursting outward violently!
“Is this…
Conqueror’s Haki infusion?!” Yamato stared at Caesar in dumbfounded shock.
“How can you have learned Conqueror’s Haki infusion when you haven’t even mastered Armament Haki infusion yet?!” “I’d like to know too!
Are these two even under the same system?!” Caesar raised his right fist in front of his eyes, examining the changes closely.
The dark surface of his fist gleamed with a metallic sheen, red lightning flashing across it from time to time.
As Conqueror’s Haki remained infused, his stamina drained rapidly.
Maintaining this fist used up as much stamina as throwing a thousand full-power punches!
“Phew…” As the Haki dissipated, Caesar let out a long breath.
Though he hadn’t mastered Armament Haki yet, by some bizarre twist of fate, he had learned the much harder Conqueror’s Haki infusion first.
Judging from his level of control, it wouldn’t take long before he could use it with total proficiency.
*As expected, going from zero to one is always the hardest part.
Learning Conqueror’s Haki infusion on the first try…
looks like my talent isn’t inferior to King Luffy’s after all…* Of course, Caesar knew that with his original talent, achieving this would have been impossible.
But ever since he gained the “Overlord” talent, he could clearly feel his body becoming much more coordinated.
He could master many moves after seeing them just once, and the power inside him was growing exponentially every day.
*Knock, knock, knock…* Just as Caesar was pondering how to awaken Armament Haki, Ayu knocked on the door.
“Sir, Lord Kaidou requests your presence.” “Kaidou?” Yamato quickly stood up.
“I’m coming too!” The two walked to the main hall.
Inside the vast, cavernous room, Kaidou was reclining on a padded lounge, drinking.
Seeing them arrive together, a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes.
“Hm?
I didn’t expect the two of you to hit it off.” “Ah, just a coincidence.
I didn’t expect Yamato to be your daughter.” Caesar nodded.
He noticed that every single time he saw Kaidou, the man was drinking.
“Daughter?” Kaidou gave Yamato a strange look.
Knowing Yamato, she usually insisted on referring to herself as a man.
“That’s right!” Yamato slammed her kanabo onto the floor, declaring with high spirits, “I’ve decided!
For now, I’ll stay a woman!
A woman who’s stronger and better than any man!” “After this, I’m setting sail with Caesar!
As for becoming Kozuki Oden, I’ll make up my mind after I’ve seen the whole world!” “Hm?!” Kaidou sat upright abruptly, eyeing Yamato in disbelief.
“You…
are you serious?” “Yeah!
Dead serious!” Yamato nodded firmly, before knitting her brows again.
“However, one thing will never change: one day, I will beat you and open Wano’s borders!” “Hmph, so nothing’s really changed after all…” Hearing this, Kaidou stayed silent for two seconds before bursting into thunderous laughter.
“Worororo!
If you can do it, just try, you foolish daughter of mine!” “Daughter…” Hearing him call her that, Yamato puffed out her cheeks, looking slightly embarrassed.
She was so used to Kaidou calling her his son that switching back to “daughter” felt genuinely strange.
Before she could adjust to the term, Kaidou leaned back onto his lounge, giving Caesar a meaningful glance.
“Though why the sudden change of heart?
Did you take a liking to this kid?” “Of course not!” Yamato replied with utmost seriousness, “We made a promise that we’d set sail together one day.” “Hmph, suit yourself!
But whether you set sail or become Kozuki Oden, you’d better be prepared to die!
I won’t hold back!” Kaidou snorted coldly and turned to Caesar.
“I just heard from King that you mastered Conqueror’s Haki infusion?
Show me!” Caesar nodded and closed his eyes, searching for that surging feeling of infusing Haki.
*Boom—* Conqueror’s Haki erupted once more.
That indescribable, domineering aura obeyed Caesar’s will and clung to his right fist.
Dark-red lightning crackled violently as Caesar unleashed Conqueror’s Haki infusion for the third time today!
Compared to the previous two attempts, the startup delay was shorter, and his control over Conqueror’s Haki seemed even smoother.
“Worororo…
What weak Conqueror’s Haki.” Kaidou laughed heartily, though the admiration in his eyes grew even stronger.
“Still, you’re a freak, kid.
To learn the far harder Conqueror’s Haki infusion before Armament Haki…
even across the entire sea, the people who can manage that can be counted on one hand, and every single one of them is among the top powerhouses in the world…” “Since the two of you already know each other, why don’t you settle down, kid?
How about I marry Yamato off to you?
That way we’ll be family!
With your talent, it won’t take long for you to stand on equal footing with me.
When that time comes, the entire New World will be ours!” Yamato’s face darkened.
“No way!
Who wants to get married?!” “Oh?
Weren’t you just talking about running off with him?” “It’s setting sail!
Setting sail, you bastard dad!” “Same difference!” Kaidou looked at Caesar expectantly.
“How about it, kid?” Caesar spread his hands and sighed regretfully.
“Pass.
It sounds enticing, but I don’t plan on giving up the whole forest for a single tree.
I still want to get myself a few more women.” Hearing this, both Kaidou and Yamato tilted their heads simultaneously: “???” “Is that even a problem?” Yamato thought about it and said, “Even if the two of us get married, you can still go find other women, Caesar.
Aren’t all men like that anyway?” “Whose side are you even on, you idiot?!” Hearing her say that, Caesar’s eyes widened sharply, his resolve fiercely shaken!