Chapter 401: Yamato's Redemption
Wano Country Battlefield
The colossal corpses of Kaido and Linlin lay sprawled in a pool of blood, the crimson sea reflecting the dying sun.
The fall of two Emperors of the Sea was akin to declaring the absolute end of an era.
The surviving pirates had long since lost their will to fight. Weapons hit the ground with sharp clatters as they fell to their knees upon the blood-and-fire-soaked earth, crying and begging for mercy:
"The Emperors of the Sea are dead!!!"
"We surrender! Please don't kill us!!!"
The few die-hard loyalists who refused to yield had barely raised their blades and guns before they were blasted into charcoal by Enel's lightning spears. Their scorched bodies fell in the center of the battlefield, accompanied by a pungent, burning stench.
A few surviving Visual Den Den Mushi broadcast this scene to the entire world—
"The Emperors of the Sea... are dead!!!"
"The Pirate Era... is finally coming to an end!!!"
The globe shook! Some covered their faces, weeping bitter tears, while others raised their glasses in wild celebration, falling to their knees in manic laughter.
Cheers and shouts converged into a monstrous tidal wave of sound. The very foundation of the Pirate Era had collapsed with a deafening crash!
—In the center of the battlefield, Ace slowly walked up to Roy, leading Otama by the hand.
He unfurled a brand-new Justice coat, solemnly draping it over Roy's shoulders.
Roy quietly fastened the buttons. His cold gaze swept over the ground littered with corpses and wailing prisoners, his voice steady: "Clear the battlefield. Treat the wounded."
Otama hid timidly behind Ace. Her small figure trembled slightly, but she couldn't help stealing a glance at the man who had so effortlessly struck down the Twin Emperors.
Noticing her, Roy actually crouched down. He reached out and gently rubbed her hair, which was blackened by smoke and dust, his voice softening:
"You must be Otama, right? Ace mentions you often... You are very brave."
Otama's eyes grew red, tears rolling down her cheeks. She nodded frantically, choking out a cry:
"Th... Thank you for saving everyone!"
Right at that moment, a flash of lightning flickered.
Enel sauntered over lazily, carrying a figure over his shoulder. A teasing smirk played on his lips:
"Roy, this guy keeps yelling that he's Kaido's son... Should I just fry him right now?"
The figure's hands were bound by explosive handcuffs. Though covered in blood, the person stubbornly struggled to raise their head, roaring:
"I already told you, I'm not a pirate!!! I want to protect Wano Country!!!"
—It was none other than Yamato!
Hearing the voice, Ace froze for a moment before a nostalgic smile broke across his face. "Yo, Yamato! Long time no see!"
Yamato instantly looked as if she had found her savior, crying out with teary eyes: "Ace!! Hurry up and explain it to them!!!"
Roy raised his hand, his fingertips swiping through the void.
SNIP—!
The power of space precisely severed the handcuffs. The explosives hit the ground with a dull thud.
Yamato stared blankly downward, looking at her finally freed hands. Tears uncontrollably welled up as her voice trembled:
"Mr. Roy, you... you believe me?"
Roy stood up, his gaze blazing like a torch. "I've checked your file. You never participated in the atrocities of the Beast Pirates. Instead, you've sheltered civilians on multiple occasions."
"Yamato, your father was a tyrant—but you are not."
Yamato's entire body jolted, tears falling like rain. The heavy chains that were completely severed weren't just the ones on her wrists, but the invisible shackles pressing down on her heart.
Just then, Ace's voice rang out, carrying a trace of worry and hesitation: "Yamato... even though Kaido treated you like that, he was still your... father. And Big Brother Roy was the one who—"
As his words faded, Yamato's heart suddenly tightened.
She instinctively looked up, her gaze falling upon the colossal corpse lying in the pool of blood not far away.
—Dragon scales mottled and broken, bloody mist drifting through the air.
—The "Strongest Creature" who had crushed Wano Country under his iron hooves for decades was now completely silent and lifeless.
The burnt, metallic stench of blood still floated in the air, yet in Yamato's heart, those heavy shackles that had bound her for a lifetime finally shattered with a resounding CRACK.
Relief. Liberation. Freedom.
—These were her most visceral feelings.
For countless nights, the cold iron chains and explosive cuffs had been branded into her soul;
She had been suffocated countless times by the fate of being treated purely as the "Son of Kaido" and a "tool for succession";
For countless years, the entirety of Wano Country had been shrouded in the shadow of "Kaido."
And now, that shadow had dissipated.
Yamato slowly exhaled. For the first time, the oppressive weight in her chest truly lifted.
Even the air tasted sweet, as if the entire world was finally opening its arms to her.
However, when her gaze fell upon that massive corpse once more, a trace of complex emotion inevitably surfaced.
—Bloodline.
—Father.
Even if he was a cruel set of shackles, he was ultimately the man who had brought her into this world.
Yamato's eyes wavered for a split second, but she quickly reined in her emotions.
Deep down in her heart, a soft voice echoed:
"If you hadn't been such a tyrant... if the relationship between us as father and daughter hadn't been so twisted... maybe things would have been different."
Yet, in this world, there were no "ifs."
A sliver of sorrow and regret brushed past her heart, but it didn't drag her down; instead, it forged an even deeper resolve within her.
Yamato straightened her spine, holding her head high as she looked toward Roy.
—It was this man before her who had ended Kaido, pulverized her cage, and torn apart Wano Country's nightmare.
An unprecedented, blazing light ignited in her eyes.
"Let the Old Era be buried alongside him."
"And I, in this New Era, will protect Wano Country, and protect true freedom!"
Yamato took a deep breath of the air thick with blood and fire, yet her state of mind was as clear as water.
There was no wailing, no hypocritical mourning, and no blind, manic revelry.
There was only a heart that had truly broken free from its father's shadow, looking up toward the future—resolute and free.
—To her, Kaido's death was the absolute pulverization of her cage.
—And she could finally, truly, be herself.
Roy looked at Yamato, a flicker of approval and scrutiny passing through his eyes.
He had seen through her character long ago—cheerful, straightforward, harboring a deep hatred for evil, and possessing a blazing sense of justice.
These virtues were her edge, but also her burden.
Roy spoke in a deep voice, every word striking like a heavy bell: "Are you truly willing... to protect Wano Country?"
Yamato froze, a flash of confusion appearing in her eyes.
She had clearly already made up her mind, so why was Roy still asking?
However, Roy didn't elaborate.
He merely turned around, his gaze sweeping over the ruined battlefield: "Issho, Enel... I leave the cleanup to you."
Immediately after, he stood with his hands behind his back, looking back at Ace, Otama, Zoro, Kuina, and the still-confused Yamato. His voice was impassive:
"You all, come with me."
"The true nature of Wano Country... if you can still hold true to your heart after seeing it—"
"Then having you be the ruler of Wano Country... wouldn't be out of the question."
"VROOM—!!"
The mangled remains of Kaido and Linlin vanished instantly. Spatial ripples suddenly expanded, swallowing the silhouettes of the six people. In the next heartbeat, they appeared in the sky above the Flower Capital.
—The news of Kaido's defeat had long since spread throughout Wano Country.
Yet, the scene before Yamato was entirely different from what she had imagined.
The streets of the Flower Capital were dead silent. The citizens wore numb, pale expressions.
There were no cheers, no shouts, no ecstasy of liberation and freedom.
There was only numbness and a profound, deep-seated unease.
Oppressive whispers echoed through the alleys:
"Is Kaido... really dead...?"
"Are we truly free?"
"We're not just going to get... another new tyrant, right...?"
The air seemed to solidify, so heavy it was suffocating.
Yamato's eyes went wide, her heart giving a violent lurch.
She originally thought that Kaido's fall would bring the same sense of liberation and ecstasy to the people that she felt in her own heart.
At the very least—at least someone with Oden's bloodline should have stepped forward to lead the masses in raising their flags and shouting in triumph.
However, reality was like a basin of ice water, completely dousing her burning blood.
Roy half-narrowed his eyes, his gaze landing on the distant Shogun's Palace. He stroked his chin:
"Hmm... in terms of spatial coordinates, the current focal point... should probably be right about there."
Standing with his hands behind his back, he led the group slowly toward the Shogun's Palace.
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