Naruto didn't speak, but he didn't think like Yamato. Instead, he felt that Kaido and King seemed to be accumulating some kind of emotion.
Especially Kaido; he felt like an angry volcano to Naruto, already on the verge of erupting—it seemed something big was about to happen.
In the time that followed, no one guided their training.
Naruto could only spar with Yamato, Jack, and the others. It was called sparring, but it was actually a group brawl, with Naruto alone taking on a group of people, including Yamato, and without using Chakra or weapons.
Although Jack and Black Maria had also made great progress in their strength, they were far from Yamato, let alone Naruto.
As for the siblings Ulti and Page One, they were still too young at the moment, at best serving as mascots.
One week later, in the evening.
"Naruto, wake up!"
Yamato suddenly shook the sleeping Naruto awake, then excitedly told him, "Black Maria just told me that the Beasts Pirates' expedition team is setting sail for the outer seas tomorrow! Let's go hide on the ship now!"
"Okay!"
Without hesitation, Naruto immediately got up and followed Yamato, preparing to sneak onto the Beasts Pirates' expedition ship.
However, when they went out, they saw a few figures already waiting for them.
"Jack, Maria, and also Ulti and Page One!"
When Yamato saw them, she immediately became excited and asked, "Are you all coming out to sea with Naruto and me too?"
"How could that be!"
Jack was the first to state his position, saying, "I'm a man who's determined to become Big Brother Kaido's right-hand man and a major figure of the Beasts Pirates, so I will absolutely not leave!"
After Jack finished speaking, Black Maria also spoke up, stating, "I'm sorry. Although I really want to go out to sea with you two and see the world, I've already joined the Beasts Pirates. If I were to go with you, Mr. Kaido and the others would probably kill me as a traitor."
"I—I want to go with you!"
At this moment, Page One jumped out and excitedly said to the two, "Big Brother Naruto, Big Sister Yamato, I want to go out to sea with you! Please take me with you!"
"Shut up, Page One!"
No sooner had Page One finished speaking than he was directly suppressed by his sister, Ulti. She then looked at Naruto and Yamato with complex emotions, saying, "We've also decided to join the Beasts Pirates."
"You guys—how could you!~"
Yamato was excited when she heard Page One wanted to leave with them, but then unexpectedly heard Run say that, and her mood immediately became dejected.
Jack was understandable; everyone knew he was a fervent fan of Kaido, had joined the Beasts Pirates early on, and was highly valued by Kaido.
But Black Maria and the Run siblings—Yamato had always thought these three would be her and Naruto's future companions. She never expected to be "betrayed" now!
Although Yamato's idea was just wishful thinking on her part, hearing the trio's decision now still made her feel very lost.
"Yamato, the sea is free, and everyone has the right to choose. Isn't that what you told me?"
Naruto took Yamato's hand and gently comforted her, then looked at the four of them—Jack, Black Maria, Ulti, and Page One—and said with a smile, "Don't mind Yamato's words. We're already very happy that you could come see us off."
Unlike Yamato, Naruto knew from the start that these four—well, three of them—already had their own choices in mind and certainly wouldn't go out to sea with them. So when Naruto saw them, he knew they were just there to see them off.
But even so, Naruto was already very happy.
"Hmph, who cares about such things!"
When Jack heard Naruto's words, he first spoke disdainfully, then stared at him and Yamato with complex eyes for a while before saying in a deep voice, "You two, don't just die out there. If I hear news of your deaths, I'll be very disappointed."
"Don't worry!"
Naruto gave him a thumbs-up and said with a confident smile, "We're very strong!"
"Hmph!~"
Upon hearing that, Jack snorted coldly, then turned his head away, chin raised, and said nothing more.
"Yamato!~"
Black Maria took Yamato's hand and gave her many instructions, speaking very carefully even though she knew Yamato probably wouldn't remember them all.
From this, it was clear that the two shared a very strong bond.
"Big Brother Naruto!"
Page One broke free from his sister's suppression and lunged into Naruto's arms, asking, "You'll come back, right?"
"Of course!"
Naruto nodded affirmatively, replying, "Yamato and I made a promise long ago: when we grow up, we'll challenge Uncle Kaido again—a very serious challenge—and we'll definitely win!"
"That's right!"
When Yamato heard Naruto's words, she immediately smiled and loudly said, "No matter how far we go, we'll definitely come back and give that Kaido guy a good beating!"
"Hmph!~"
Jack immediately snorted disdainfully when he heard this, saying, "That will never happen. Big Brother Kaido is absolutely unconquerable!"
"Hehe!~"
This time, neither Naruto nor Yamato refuted Jack's words, because some things you just need to believe in yourself; there's no need to force others to acknowledge them.
However, regarding their future victory over Kaido, both Naruto and Yamato were very confident and firmly believed in it.
"Alright, everyone!"
Naruto took Yamato's hand, looked at the four of them—Jack, Black Maria, Ulti, and Page One—and said seriously, "Let's say our goodbyes here."
"Hehe!~"
Yamato clasped Naruto's hand back, saying with a giggle, "If we meet again on the high seas and become enemies, I won't go easy on you, okay!~"
"Hmph, I won't lose to you two again!"
"You two, be careful out on the sea!"
"Bastards, who asked you to go easy on us!"
"Boss Naruto, Big Sister Yamato, I'll miss you, sniffle, sniffle!~"
A journey of a thousand miles ends with a farewell.
Moreover, Naruto and Yamato were planning to "stow away," so after a simple farewell at the door with the four of them, they quietly left and successfully "snuck" onto the Beasts Pirates' expedition ship.
Of course, this "successful infiltration" was only what Naruto and Yamato themselves thought. Little did they know, their actions had already been reported to Kaido by a "traitor," and the reason they were able to "successfully infiltrate" the Beasts Pirates' expedition ship was simply because of Kaido's tacit approval.
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