Yamato’s shift in attitude was beyond Caesar’s expectations.
He had thought that with her stubborn streak and years of worshipping Oden, it would take years of subtle influence to set her straight.
Caesar had even contemplated taking her to the Revolutionary Army’s territory when he had the chance, letting her truly understand what class struggle was before launching a full critique against Wano’s feudal system.
Instead, the girl had somehow managed a self-awakening!
The suggestion Caesar had given Kaidou earlier served two purposes: on one hand, it laid the groundwork for their eventual control of Wano; on the other, it forced Yamato to choose between the Kozuki clan and the people of Wano.
*The Kozuki clan is the legitimate ruler of Wano?* What a joke.
If the populace doesn’t recognize you, what legitimacy is left?
In the original story, the Kozuki clan was practically tied to the people of Wano, giving them the moral high ground.
What Caesar aimed to do was sever the two entirely, stripping the already fragile Kozuki of their final trump card!
That was Kaidou’s major flaw—turning a blind eye to underlying crises, utterly arrogant, far too brash, and excessively wild.
It wasn’t that the man didn’t understand these things, but rather that he simply didn’t care!
He placed far too much faith in his own raw power.
Strong as he was, he had unfortunately not reached the point where he could utterly stand above everything.
If Caesar hadn’t used wealth and the crew’s development as bargaining chips, Kaidou, with his temperament, wouldn’t have given a damn about whether the people lived or died.
But Caesar would not make such a mistake!
In his view, the education he had received in his past life was perhaps his greatest advantage as a transmigrator.
Outsiders didn’t understand cutting weeds out by the roots; they didn’t understand the Thirty-Six Stratagems, how a single spark could start a prairie fire, or the timeless question: *Are kings and generals born with nobility?* The core theme expressed in the entire story of *One Piece* could be summed up in a single sentence: *We are born free—who dares stand above us!* Any Chinese person could see right through the strategy of bestowing favors on the populace to erode the former ruler’s influence, but unless foreigners worked in related fields, they generally lacked that kind of political acumen.
It was an interesting phenomenon: put a Chinese person among a group of foreigners, and you’d find they seemed to know a little bit about everything.
Their specialized knowledge might be basic, but their general knowledge was ridiculously broad.
Given just a bit of training, they could pick up almost any trade quickly.
This wasn’t because Chinese people were inherently smarter, but because the compulsory education system thoroughly instilled five thousand years of Huaxia’s intellectual essence into them.
The test-oriented education that had once made Caesar complain endlessly had now become his greatest asset for political maneuvering in this new world!
Dividing the Kozuki clan from the people of Wano was an open, undeniable trap.
Without the separation, the people would starve.
With the separation, the Kozuki would completely lose all hope of resistance.
Kaidou had realized this, but as noted before, he didn’t care!
Yamato, on the other hand, hadn’t realized the subtle trap and was forced to choose between the two.
The straightforward girl could only vaguely feel that she had been played, yet couldn’t pinpoint where the problem lay—which was precisely why she felt inexplicably annoyed and wanted to beat Caesar up.
“9998…” “9999…” “10000!” By evening, on the seashore of Onigashima.
Caesar bore a massive barbell over his shoulders, performing heavy squats.
Half a month had passed, and while he still hadn’t mastered Armament Haki, his physical strength had grown by leaps and bounds.
With the same weight, he could barely hit nine thousand squats yesterday; today, he had broken ten thousand.
Every time he pushed past his limits, it was a massive leap forward.
*Thud!* He tossed the barbell aside, letting it crash onto the ground with a heavy sound.
Breathing lightly, Caesar stood up.
Sweat glided along the defined contours of his bare chest, glistening under the sunlight.
The muscles in his thighs felt slightly sore and swollen, but not enough to affect his walking.
By now, he could use Conqueror’s Coating to clash head-on with King in terms of raw power without falling behind, and his mastery over Conqueror’s Coating was growing sharper with every battle.
Because of that, King had banned his Conqueror’s Coating, declaring that until Caesar learned Armament Haki, he wasn’t allowed to use Conqueror’s Coating in spars—otherwise, King would activate Observation Haki and beat the kid to a pulp.
Returning to his quarters, inside the Japanese-style room, Yamato was sprawled on the tatami mat, eating potato chips while reading manga.
Her red dress draped loosely around her.
One hand propped up her chin while the other flipped through the manga pages, occasionally reaching into the bag of chips beside her.
Her bare, jade-like feet were flushed with a healthy pink, her lower legs crossed in the air, radiating youthful energy.
Ever since they had met, she had moved into Caesar’s place.
Aside from her daily training, she hung around Caesar like an overly energetic dog, pestering him with endless questions about the world beyond the sea.
To be honest, she was a bit clingy.
So Caesar had pulled out his ultimate kid-calming kit: manga, snacks, and iced Coke.
The girl had instantly fallen into the trap, becoming completely obsessed.
The manga Yamato was reading was titled *Sora, Warrior of the Sea*, a comic created by the World Economic Journal based on Navy heroes and Germa 66.
It was quite famous worldwide, especially in the North Blue.
Because the North Blue actually had Germa 66…
To Caesar, who had read plenty of manga in his past life, the plot was average at best.
But to a world so starved of entertainment, it was practically a masterpiece.
No kid didn’t want a Germa 66 transformation suit—even if they were the villains!
Even someone as cold and detached as Trafalgar Law couldn’t stay composed when he saw Sanji’s Stealth Black, turning into a full-on commentator on the spot, which showed just how popular the comic was.
For Yamato, who had never set foot outside Wano, the impact of this manga was nuclear!
The good news: since she found this manga, she barely touched Oden’s logbook anymore.
The bad news: she wanted a Germa raid suit…
“Hey, Yamato, have you been reading manga since I left this morning?” “Huh?
Ah…” Yamato answered absently, completely unaware that Caesar had entered the room.
After a few seconds, as if realizing something was off, she raised her head to look at Caesar.
“Ha!
Caesar, you’re back!” “What’s with that ‘Ha~ you’re back~’?” Caesar imitated her silly grin before suddenly straightening his face, grabbing her smooth, delicate ankle, and dragging her away from the comic book.
“Don’t you ever train?
Reading manga all day won’t help you beat Kaidou.” Yamato gave a goofy giggle.
“Sorry about that!
I’ve never seen anything so fun before, so I got a tiny bit carried away, hahaha…” Caesar let out a soft sigh.
Her silly, innocent expression made it impossible for him to actually get mad.
And *never seen anything so fun before*…
spoken so pitifully, it was no wonder she had gotten completely brainwashed after picking up a beat-up notebook.
“Don’t get too hooked, or I won’t give you the rest of the series.” The comic was serialized in the World Economic Journal, but complete volume sets could be bought in bookstores.
The snacks and Coke were things he had collected in his system inventory; time was frozen inside the collection space, so nothing ever expired.
Caesar could even pull out a bowl of piping hot ramen at a moment’s notice.
“Got it!” After taking a quick shower, Caesar changed clothes and returned to the room.
Seeing Yamato still engrossed in her manga, Caesar didn’t disturb her.
He sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes to focus his mind.
Among the three types of Haki, he had already awakened Conqueror’s Haki and could use its initial applications in battle.
As for the other two, though he hadn’t mastered them yet, Caesar had caught a faint thread of inspiration through his recent battles.
During combat, there were occasional surges of raw power that felt restless, as if desperately trying to burst out.
There were also occasional flashes of intuition where he could guess King’s next move based purely on instinct, though the feeling remained hazy, as if obscured by a thick veil.
That feeling was infuriating.
It was like trying to admire flowers through a dense fog, or standing at the threshold of a door without being able to step inside.
It made one restless and unable to quiet the mind.
Still, Caesar wasn’t in a hurry.
After all, even Luffy’s Armament Haki had been hit-or-miss after six months of training.
For Caesar to faintly sense it after only a month of practice was already quite impressive.
It was worth noting that because Haki was an innate potential present in everyone, people who had never been trained in Haki would sometimes unleash its power by complete accident.
However, because most lacked understanding, they wouldn’t realize the existence of this power.
What Caesar needed to do now was to locate these two forces and draw them out!
Every day upon returning, he would sit in meditation to quiet his mind.
Though he hadn’t succeeded even once, Caesar could vaguely feel that his five senses and six perceptions were growing sharper!
With his eyes closed, he cleared his mind completely, his thoughts becoming as serene as a still lake.
For a moment, the room fell quiet, leaving only the sound of Yamato’s movements.
The rustle of turning pages, the crisp crunch of potato chips, the bubbling fizz of the Coke, Yamato’s occasional hushed cheers when the plot got exciting…
There was also the soft rustle of her skirt against the tatami, the rhythmic thud of her heartbeat, the pulse of blood flowing through her veins, and the steady breathing that signified the continuation of life.
Caesar listened silently, remaining still as a meditating monk.
Then, for a single instant…
The perceptual domain centered on him seemed to ripple slightly, like a drop of water falling onto a tranquil lake, sending out faint concentric rings.
Vaguely, Caesar heard it!
He tried to manipulate those ripples, using their force to push the lake water outward into the distance.
Then, as if provoked by something, the water surged forward, spreading impetuously in all directions!
*** “Get late-night snacks ready in the kitchen!
It’s almost time for the young master and young mistress to eat!” “Young mistress…
wait, Miss Ayu, are those two actually dating?” “Hey, if you want to die, don’t drag me down with you!
Are people like them really for us to gossip about?” “What’s the big deal?
The whole island is talking about it…” “Just cook the food and stop prying into things that aren’t your business!” *** “Ah my, Lord Briscola, long time no see!
Please, come inside!
You haven’t visited me in so long~” “Bwahahaha!
I’ve been too busy lately, so my apologies, little beauty~” “Eh?
A lot of guests haven’t come around recently.
Has there been a battle?” “Who knows, but I heard there’s going to be a big move for this year’s Fire Festival.
Enough about that—did you miss me, beauty?” “Tee-hee, you’re terrible~” *** “Lord Queen, Lord Kaidou asked me to check on the progress of your land purification research.
Time is running out.
If there are no results, he’ll have no choice but to contact the World Government and get Vegapunk to figure something out.
But before that, he’ll tear your lab apart.” “Shut up, Bao Huang!
Just give me a bit more time!
And what’s with that attitude?
I’m not inferior to that Vegapunk bastard, damn it!” “This is Lord Kaidou’s instruction…” “Ha!
So bossy!
That bastard boss!
Who does he think caused the land pollution in the first place?!
Damn it!
It’s all that bat kid’s fault!” “Caesar?
He’s really handsome, you know.
Totally my type!” “Huh?!!
You like *that* type?!
Wait, who cares about you, brat!
Don’t disturb me!” *** In an instant, countless chaotic voices flooded into Caesar’s mind, making his head throb with dizziness.
Inside the room, Yamato, who was reading manga, seemed to sense something.
She paused slightly and turned to look at Caesar.
Seeing his tightly furrowed brows, Yamato silently stood up and walked behind him.
Sitting cross-legged, she opened her arms, pulled Caesar back into her lap, and gently massaged his head with her soft hands.
Caesar, who was immersed in his first expansion of Observation Haki, suddenly felt his body go light.
The back of his head sank into an indescribably wonderful warmth and softness.
What a move—a double-breasted headlock!
With his eyes closed, Caesar continued using Observation Haki to explore the outside environment.
This was his first time successfully using Observation Haki.
Although the overload of information left him dizzy, he didn’t want to waste such a rare opportunity.
After a long while, Caesar slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, his head was cradled between two generous cushions of comfort, his face enveloped in an undeniable soft glow!
“How does it feel?” Yamato’s voice came from above.
Caesar looked up at her pretty face and said in all seriousness, “Very soft!” Yamato’s face darkened instantly.
“I meant how does it feel using Observation Haki for the first time!
Who asked you about that, dummy!” “It feels pretty amazing.” Caesar sat up and gestured to Yamato.
“Try throwing a punch at me.” *BOOM!* The moment his words left his mouth, a fist coated in pitch-black Armament Haki slammed hard into Caesar’s chest and abdomen.
Caesar’s back arched violently, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood!
His crimson pupils contracted sharply as he stared at Yamato in utter shock.
He almost expected her to innocently say: *I’m just a simple farm girl!* “Hey, Caesar, are you okay?!” Seeing this, Yamato’s face turned pale, and she quickly held him up.
“I just…
wasn’t ready yet…” “Oh, should we try again?” “…Forget it.
I’m fine.” Well, Zoan Devil Fruits really were something!
Zoan types possessed incredible vitality.
An injury like this would heal after a big meal.
Still, if this had happened before he ate his Devil Fruit, Caesar had no doubt that punch would have ended him right then and there.
Slumping back into Yamato’s lap, Caesar looked up at her pretty face once more.
Yamato blinked her big eyes, her gaze pure and clear.
“By the way, haven’t you embraced being a girl again?” “Ah, yeah!” “Is it really okay for me to lie like this?” “Ah, totally fine!” “You—” Caesar opened his mouth, but ultimately didn’t say anything.
With her carefree nature, she probably didn’t overthink things like this at all.
“If it’s Caesar, it’s definitely fine!” Behind him, Yamato suddenly grinned, her smile packed with vibrant energy.
“Hmm?
So if it were someone else, it wouldn’t be fine?” “Of course!
I’m a girl!
What are you thinking, dummy!” “Then why am I fine?” “Hmm—” Yamato thought about it carefully, then smiled again, a subtle blush appearing on her simple, cheerful face.
“I don’t know!
But if it’s Caesar, it’s fine.
After all, it’s Caesar, haha…”