Upon hearing Kaido's defensive grumbling, King and Queen both averted their eyes, sharing a silent thought: Well, in that regard, you father and daughter are pretty much identical.
Everyone in the crew knew that Kaido didn't actually do much of anything on a daily basis; he was almost always drinking. When real matters arose, King and the others were the ones who stepped up to handle them. Aside from being their ultimate weapon in a fight, Kaido's primary role was essentially serving as the crew's mascot leader. Expecting him to actually manage specific administrative affairs was a lost cause.
"Alright, dismissed if there's nothing else," Kaido said, pushing himself up. "Seeing that stinky brat Yamato has put me in a foul mood. I won't feel right without a proper drink."
He turned and lumbered out of the hall. The remaining members exchanged glances, several of them wanting to say something but ultimately keeping their mouths shut as the Governor-General departed.
"I think Yamato is right," Ulti blurted out without a second thought. Being more carefree than the others, she didn't care about being polite. "Kaido is just a drunkard who doesn't do anything useful besides drinking."
"Sis, don't talk nonsense!" Page One hissed, hurriedly trying to stop her before someone important took offense.
Ulti wasn't afraid. "I didn't say anything wrong! Whatever, I can't be bothered with this anyway. I'd rather go do my own thing with my favorite Pei-chan." With that, she latched onto her younger brother, and the two siblings left the area, bickering and roughhousing as they went.
The remaining few looked at each other, the tension slowly bleeding out of the room.
"I have a lot of work waiting for me back in Udon," Queen said, taking a long puff of his cigar as he walked toward the exit. "I'm off. Don't bother me unless it's actually important."
Seeing the group break up, Who's-Who and Sasaki also got up to leave. "Come on," Sasaki gestured. "Let's go grab a drink of our own."
Soon, only four people remained in the large hall.
"Second Brother, I'll be heading out on business in a few days," Jack said, addressing King.
"Mhm. But we've only just returned from the expedition," King replied with a nod. "It's not too late for you to rest and recuperate for a bit before you start handling affairs again."
"I understand," Jack said after a brief moment of thought. He didn't object; even he could use a break after months at sea.
King then looked toward Black Maria and Haruko. "Has anything happened while we were away?"
"Nothing particularly special," Maria mentioned offhandedly. "That rookie, Portgas D. Ace, came by once. He was taught a lesson by Yamato and then he left."
"Portgas D. Ace... that 'Super Rookie'?" King sounded quite surprised. He hadn't expected that the rookie pirate—the one who had defeated Hana Fuda and indirectly caused his death—had been to Wano Country so recently. It was a pity that Kaido had taken them all on an expedition at the time; otherwise, they definitely wouldn't have let him leave the island alive.
"Why wasn't that guy killed? Why let him leave?" Jack asked, his expression twisting with dissatisfaction. "With Yamato's strength, finishing him off should have been easy."
If he had been there, Jack was certain he would have crushed the boy.
"Well, Jack, you'd better ask Yamato that yourself," Maria said with a slight, knowing smile.
Jack's expression froze instantly. His dissatisfaction vanished, replaced by a flicker of genuine fear. "Since it's already happened, asking now is pointless," he muttered, quickly dropping the subject.
Haruko watched him with a strange expression. Jack really had been... disciplined differently by Yamato. She remembered how arrogant Jack used to be, fearless of anyone or anything. Now, whenever Yamato was involved, he turned timid in an instant. No matter how you looked at it, his sudden change in attitude was incredibly amusing.
Even King's eye twitched at Jack's fearful demeanor. But then again, considering he was afraid of their own Young Master, it was somewhat understandable.
Yamato didn't stay on Onigashima for long. She preferred her independence and returned to live in her wooden house in Hakumai. She had no interest in managing the daily chores of the Beasts Pirates. Unlike Maria and Haruko, she was free to come and go as she pleased.
By the way, that simpleton Jack often goes out on business, right? Yamato thought to herself. Perfect timing. I feel like getting some fresh air, too.
She hadn't joined the last expedition because she couldn't stand being around Kaido for that long, but now she was feeling restless. Having made up her mind, she headed back to Onigashima to track down Jack.
"Second Uncle, where is that simpleton Jack?" Yamato asked after searching for a while. Unable to find him, she sought out King.
"Jack? I think he went to Kuri," King replied. "There's a man named Denjiro there, one of the Nine Red Scabbards. He's occupied a mountain stronghold and comes out to rob our supplies from time to time."
"Oh, the idiot old man said he wanted to recruit him, right?" Yamato recalled. "How long has it been? Is it still not done? Why are we still playing around with him? Why not just capture him and send him to the mining camps in Udon?"
To Yamato, the situation seemed utterly ridiculous.
King actually found himself agreeing with her. "How about you go handle it then, Young Master? You can be the one to send him to the mining camps."
Since Denjiro was a former vassal of Kozuki Oden, he certainly possessed significant strength. Since he insisted on opposing the Beasts Pirates, he couldn't blame them for putting him to work. After all, Kaido's original intention was recruitment, but he hadn't specified exactly how the recruitment should happen.
"Isn't that simpleton Jack already there? Let him handle it," Yamato countered.
"Jack alone probably can't subdue him," King said, shaking his head. "Those vassals of Kozuki Oden are no simple opponents. Even within the Beasts Pirates, aside from Kaido, myself, and Queen, only you have the ability to deal with them easily. As for Jack, although his strength has improved, it still isn't enough to take down Denjiro."
"Then why don't you or Third Uncle go?" Yamato asked, rolling her eyes.
"Haha, I have matters here and I can't get away," King laughed lightly. "It's a perfect task for you to handle in passing, Young Master."
"Second Uncle, you really are that idiot old man's favorite babysitter, aren't you?" Yamato waved her hand, fully aware that he was just trying to keep her busy. "Fine, I'll go take a look when I get there."
King smiled, knowing he couldn't fool her. "Then I'll trouble you with it."
"Cut it out. There's no need for formalities between us, Second Uncle," Yamato said, raising her hand in a wave as she turned to leave.
King watched her go with a smile. Although Yamato was always at odds with Kaido, she never disregarded what he said. Their personalities are just too much alike, King thought. It was exactly why the father and daughter clashed so often.
After leaving King, Yamato went to find her friends. "Maria, Haruko, are you busy?" she asked, walking into their quarters.
"Not particularly. Why?" Maria looked up, surprised by the visit.
Yamato grinned. "I was thinking, since we didn't go on the last expedition and have been stuck here for so long, I'd like to find a chance to go out and relax. How about you two come along with me?"
Maria and Haruko immediately understood what she was suggesting.
"Count me out," Maria said with a gentle smile. "Even though I'm not swamped, I still have things I need to finish here. Why don't you take Haruko instead?" Maria was more reserved by nature and wasn't nearly as keen on spontaneous adventures as Yamato was.
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