"Lady Maria, I really should stay here and help you with your work," Haruko said, hesitating.
Maria shook her head firmly. "That won't be necessary. I want you to follow Yamato and keep an eye on her. Don't let her run wild out there."
"Hey, hey, Maria! That's not fair," Yamato cut in, rolling her eyes as if she were being treated like a problem child. "How could I possibly run wild? Don't you know how good my temper is?"
"Well, most of the time you are quite mature and calm," Maria replied, adopting the tone of a protective older sister. "But occasionally, you do things that people just can't understand. Someone still needs to be by your side to watch over you."
"That's just because you guys don't understand my vision; it's not me running wild. I've always been very wise," Yamato said confidently. She sat down and skillfully lit a cigarette, taking a slow drag.
Maria chuckled softly. "Haha, you're the only person in the world who would think that." Truth be told, Yamato had a certain level of confidence that ordinary people simply couldn't imitate.
"Alright, it's settled. Haruko, you follow Yamato. You don't need to worry about anything here. It won't do for Yamato to travel without an escort; after all, she is the Young Master of the Beasts Pirates," Maria said, finalizing the decision.
Seeing that Maria's mind was made up, Haruko bowed her head in compliance. "I understand, Lady Maria."
"Yamato, from now on, Haruko is your personal guard. You must take her wherever you go," Maria urged in a tone that left no room for argument.
"Yes, yes, I hear you. You've even arranged a personal guard for me; I really am a lucky one," Yamato said, acting obediently for once.
"Stop being cheeky. Haruko, keep a close eye on her from now on," Maria added.
Haruko nodded seriously. "I will."
"Phew, alright then. I need to make a trip to Kuri, so I'll be heading out now," Yamato said, dropping her cigarette butt and crushing it into the floor with her boot.
"To Kuri? Do you have official business there?" Maria asked curiously.
Yamato nodded. "Yeah, that simpleton Jack went to Kuri. It seems the Nine Red Scabbards are causing trouble again. Second Uncle wants me to lend a hand and send that guy straight to the mining camp."
"I see. It really is time someone dealt with that fellow. Even if Lord Kaido wants to recruit him, letting him run wild like this isn't an option," Maria agreed.
"Alright, I'm taking Haruko with me then!" Yamato walked over, slung a heavy arm around Haruko's shoulders, and began to swagger out of the room.
"Young Master, take your hand off me!" Haruko cried out, feeling her feet nearly leave the ground as she was hauled along. She hurriedly patted Yamato's arm to get her attention.
Yamato realized she was being a bit too rough and let go. "Sorry, sorry!"
"Young Master, I must solemnly remind you: do not act like those rowdy men outside, putting your arms around people's shoulders at every turn," Haruko said sternly.
"Is that really not allowed? We're both women anyway, so it should be fine, right?" Yamato asked, blinking in confusion.
"No. If you do this again, Young Master, don't blame me for using brute force to correct your behavior," Haruko said bluntly.
Seeing that Haruko was genuinely serious, Yamato backed down. "I know, I know. I definitely won't do it next time."
"Young Master, remember what you said today," Haruko warned. She decided she needed to be as strict as a teacher sometimes; otherwise, Yamato would just laugh off her mistakes and brush them aside.
"Alright, alright, let's go. Let's go find that big simpleton Jack," Yamato said, quickly changing the subject to avoid further lecturing.
In the Kuri region, near Mount Atama, the air was thick with the scent of blood and dust. At the foot of the mountain, two groups were locked in a violent struggle. On one side were the Beasts Pirates led by Jack, and on the other were Denjiro and his band of samurai.
Jack, wielding his two strangely shaped, sharp sickles, was in the middle of a fierce duel with Denjiro. "You bastard! If Big Brother didn't want to recruit you, I would have killed you long ago. To dare come out and cause us trouble, you must be tired of living!" Jack shouted, his face twisted with murderous intent. In his view, rebels like Denjiro should be slaughtered immediately; keeping them around was just asking for a disaster.
"So what? Kill me if you can, but you won't be able to do it alone, Jack," Denjiro sneered, meeting Jack's heavy strikes head-on. Since Kozuki Oden's execution over ten years ago, Denjiro had long since lost his purpose in life. He no longer cared whether he lived or died. He had become a lone wolf, filled with a deep despair for the world.
"You think I can't do it? You bastard, today I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of!" Jack's expression turned savage. Even if he couldn't kill the man today, he was determined to leave him half-dead.
"You think I'm afraid of you?" Denjiro replied with a look of pure disdain. If he were facing Kaido, King, or Queen, he might be worried about losing, but Jack was a different story.
The fight grew more intense by the second. Soon, both men were bleeding from multiple wounds, but they continued to trade blows as if their injuries didn't matter. Suddenly, the sky began to darken. Thick, black clouds swirled violently above them, rippling outward like waves on a stormy sea. A terrifying aura descended from the heavens, startling both Jack and Denjiro and forcing them to pause their battle.
"Who's there?" Both men backed away from each other, looking up at the sky with solemn expressions. They could both sense that something incredibly powerful was approaching.
The black clouds rippled in perfect circles, and a horrifying pressure of Haki emanated from the central vortex.
"Could it be Big Brother?" Jack wondered aloud. He instinctively thought of Kaido, as these weather phenomena usually occurred whenever Kaido appeared in his massive dragon form.
"What's happening? Something is coming!" The lower-ranking pirates and samurai looked at each other, their faces pale with fear.
Denjiro—who was currently known as Ashura Doji—stared intently at the center of the swirling vortex. The sheer pressure of the Haki made the hair on his arms stand on end. In the current Wano Country, there was only one person left who could produce a feeling like this: Kaido.
"Is he coming for me?" Ashura Doji gripped the hilt of his katana tightly. If it really was Kaido, he knew he was doomed; he would either be captured or killed on the spot.
"Look! Something is coming out!" a samurai suddenly shouted, pointing upward.
Everyone watched in awe as a massive shadow emerged from the heart of the vortex. A giant dragon head peeked out from the clouds.
"A dragon! It's Kaido! Kaido is here!" The moment they saw the dragon head, the samurai were scared witless, their courage failing them. In today's Wano, everyone knew the terrifying power of the Governor-General.
However, Jack and the other members of the Beasts Pirates didn't cheer immediately. Instead, they watched in total surprise. "Young Master!" they exclaimed.
The giant dragon flew out of the dark clouds. Its body was covered in vibrant pink scales, and its golden fur shimmered in the dim light. Its golden horns looked majestic, flanked by another pair of light red horns on the sides of its head. Even more strangely, this pink giant dragon was wrapped in beautiful, snow-white flame clouds.
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