While the Celestial Realm above Medical Island was sealed off-
In the latter half of the New World, on Onigashima in the Wano Country.
"Thunder Bagua!" A girl wearing an ogre mask leaped high. The kanabo, Takeru, in her hand flickered with dark lightning as she viciously swung at another girl over twenty meters tall.
That over-twenty-meter-tall girl simply swung her arm, hitting the masked girl and sending her crashing into the snow.
"Hahaha, still not giving up, Yamato?" The freckled boy by the campfire laughed, grabbing a piece of firewood and tossing it into the center of the fire.
Yamato was someone they encountered when they broke into Onigashima to rescue trafficked girls. It was a classic case of 'crossing fists leads to friendship'.
Initially, upon hearing she was Kaido's son, they directly drew their blades and started a fight. After a close match between the two, another person on the pirate ship joined in.
As for the result... well, let's just say Yamato experienced what it felt like to be manipulated into various positions.
"Damn mad dog! Don't use your ability to cheat!" Yamato pulled off her ogre mask, calling out one of the titles she had seen on the wanted posters in the news these days.
—Mad Dog Princess, Sato Sakura, Bounty: 1.5 Billion Belly. And Wild Blade, Portgas D. Ace, Bounty: 500 Million Belly.
"I'm not using my ability. It's your own Haki that's insufficient!" Sato Sakura glanced sideways. "If your spirit is confined to a single country, you won't be able to bring out your Haki talent."
"How is it confined? I'm Oden! The future Shogun of the Wano Country!" Yamato revealed a smug little expression, rubbing her nose. "If you don't believe me, ask Ace. I showed him my journal!"
Ace helplessly raised his head and waved the book in his hand at Yamato. "You didn't write this... did you?"
"How could that be? I'm Ode..." Before Yamato could finish, she was interrupted.
"If you plan to become the Shogun of the Wano Country, why not just bow your head to Kaido? Then, whether it's opening the country or making the common people happy, wouldn't it be yours to decide with a single word?" Sato Sakura casually spread sauce on the grilled meat, blew on the rising steam, and took a big bite.
"No way! That bastard would never allow me to do that."
Drooling at the sight of Sato Sakura's grilled meat, Yamato wiped her mouth. "And why is your Haki so strong anyway? You're just a mama's girl!"
"At least my mother wants me to be free. And you?" Sato Sakura expressionlessly cut off a piece of grilled meat and tossed it to Yamato. "Whether it's becoming Oden or submitting to Kaido, which of those choices can bring you freedom?"
Honestly, the girl before her was imprisoned on Onigashima year-round, living a life of near-starvation daily, receiving Kaido's beast-level bloody education.
Under these circumstances, she hadn't had her will crushed or become a wreck. In fact, she had against the odds awakened Conqueror's Haki.
Shouldn't she be praised as truly worthy of being Kaido's bloodline?
"....."
After a long silence, the white-haired girl of the Oni race raised her bandaged hands, pressing her index fingertips together. "Probably... becoming Oden will achieve it!"
"Don't you have any plans of your own?" Ace finished reading the Oden journal and returned it to Yamato.
"Ugh, how would I know something like that?!" Yamato frantically messed up her own hair. "Why don't you tell me about your adventures?"
A discussion too deep would only cause this single-minded Oni girl's brain to crash. So she chose to stop thinking and instead probe into Ace's past adventures.
"Hehe, good taste! Let me tell you..."
Ace animatedly recounted his life story to Yamato, who listened with eyes shining, nodding repeatedly.
"Two idiots. Hopeless!" Sato Sakura gave them a helpless look and slowly ate her grilled meat.
"Wow, that's... so amazing!"
After hearing Ace's story, Yamato was incredibly excited. She threw an arm around his shoulder and cheered. "Later, after I become Oden, can I go on adventures with you too?"
"There you go with 'Oden' again. Can't you just talk about yourself?" Ace held his forehead, somewhat tired.
"I... I want to go on adventures with you!" Yamato took a deep breath and shouted.
Ace laughed heartily and pulled her up, about to walk off the island. "Hahaha, then what are we waiting for? Let's set off now!"
"No!" Yamato shook her head vigorously, raising the handcuffs on her wrists. "That bastard Kaido left explosive handcuffs on me. If I leave Onigashima, these things will explode!"
"Ha? Really? How could such handcuffs possibly exist in the world?" Ace rubbed his chin, suspiciously flicking the shackles a couple of times. "Sato Sakura, what do you think?"
What did she think? She was sitting and watching.
Without trying it first, how could she know if the thing was real or fake.
'But speaking of which, taking this white-haired idiot to the seaside for a trip… whether it was real or fake, seeing her panicked expression would probably be quite fun~'
"How about... we go try it?" The well-fed giant girl burped and suggested.
The other two, as expected, revealed tempted expressions. They hastily extinguished the campfire and the three of them went together to the edge of Onigashima.
At this moment, because of Kaido's departure and the underlings having been driven off, the usually bustling Onigashima was uncharacteristically quiet.
"Set sail! Set sail! Set sail!"
Yamato walked at the front, her crisp voice echoing on the island. She held a wooden stick, hitting roadside weeds, looking in high spirits.
They arrived together at the dock. Deuce and the others, who had already returned the rescued hostages to the Wano Country, happened to be sailing the pirate ship to Onigashima to pick them up.
Taking this opportunity, Ace and Sakura together dragged the now-hesitant Yamato onto the pirate ship. Amidst her conflicted expression, the ship sailed out to sea.
One nautical mile, two nautical miles, five nautical miles... The pirate ship got farther and farther from Onigashima, and Yamato, standing on the deck, felt an unprecedented sense of freedom.
Click!
The two handcuffs on Yamato's wrists emitted a crisp sound. Then, a ticking sound like a bomb countdown came out.
"!!!"
'Holy crap, it was real!'
'How could there be parents in the world cruel enough to put such dangerous things on their own children?'
Tick, tick, tick....
The countdown sound on the handcuffs grew more and more urgent. Yamato despairingly closed her eyes, preparing to meet death. "Farewell, Ace, Sato Sakura. I can't go on adventures with you after all...."
"Heh, got to see a good expression!" An icy voice reached Yamato's ears.
Then, she felt a huge hand grab her whole body. Indescribable Haki gathered, almost enveloping her entire body.
Flowing Haki from within destroyed the Seastone handcuffs. Sato Sakura directly flung the shackles away. Then, two violent explosions sounded.
Boom! Boom!
The tremendous explosions shook the sea, raising waves. The impact pushed the ship sideways.
Her body finally regained its power. Her Devil Fruit ability filled her limbs and bones. Once again free, glistening teardrops rolled down Yamato's eyes.
"I'm finally free—!!!"