"Teach, you need to prepare for the worst. That specific ability shouldn't be your only path forward, and we don't have time to waste on a gamble."
After Lafitte departed, Shiliew offered the warning. He was concerned that Blackbeard's obsession with a single fruit would stall their progress. The crew had no interest in playing games while the world was in flux.
"He's right, Teach. There are plenty of other powerful options out there. A Mythical Zoan wouldn't be a bad consolation prize," Katarina Devon added. As a Mythical Zoan user herself—possessing the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox—she knew the value of such rare powers.
While Mythical Zoans were technically rarer than Logia types, finding a specific one was a daunting task. In contrast, the Paramecia and Logia classes offered a much broader selection. Paramecia fruits, in particular, provided a chaotic variety of abilities and growth potential, making them the most practical choice for a replacement. After all, the very power Blackbeard coveted most was a Paramecia.
Blackbeard's expression remained grim as he nodded. "I understand. Obtaining that power is the optimal choice for the plan, but if I'm forced to settle for a substitute, we'll adjust the strategy accordingly."
"Captain, it doesn't matter to me. I'll follow you regardless. I'm not like these other guys," Burgess laughed, boasting of his deep-rooted loyalty.
Among the crew, Burgess, Van Augur, Doc Q, and Lafitte were the original members who had followed Blackbeard from the beginning. Their loyalty was absolute. In contrast, Shiliew and the others recruited from Impel Down were allies of convenience, joined by mutual ambition rather than devotion.
"Burgess, knock it off," Blackbeard muttered, waving him away. Shiliew and the newcomers ignored the comment; they knew where they stood, and the truth didn't offend them.
"My destiny... you will be mine," Blackbeard whispered, staring toward the Sabaody Archipelago. "Even if someone else claims it first, I'll tear it from them by any means necessary."
He was already mentally preparing for the possibility that the fruit had slipped through his fingers. As long as the World Government didn't lock it away, he was confident he could hunt down whoever held it—be they Marine or pirate.
Meanwhile, on the Sabaody Archipelago, Yamato and Haruko were deep into a frantic search. For three consecutive days, Yamato had scoured every orchard and fruit stall on the islands, driven by a specific theory.
However, they found nothing. Not a single Devil Fruit, let alone the legendary Tremor-Tremor Fruit that once belonged to Whitebeard.
"Young Master, I think we should call it," Haruko suggested, her voice tinged with exhaustion. "We've searched for three days without seeing so much as a shadow of a fruit. We really need to get back to the New World."
Yamato scratched her head, muttering in confusion, "This doesn't make sense. My theory was solid. Where did I go wrong?"
She wondered if the power hadn't had enough time to reincarnate when Whitebeard died at Marineford. If that were the case, with the funeral likely concluded in the New World, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had probably respawned far across the sea.
"That's probably it. I oversimplified things," Yamato said with a sheepish grin. "Sorry for dragging you through the bushes for three days, Haruko."
Haruko sighed but didn't look truly annoyed. "It's fine. It's not the first time you've chased a whim. Since there's nothing here, are we ready to go?"
"Yeah, let's head back. It's a shame we couldn't snag that power, but it is what it is."
Yamato shifted into her majestic Dragon form, allowing Haruko to climb onto her back before taking flight, leaving the Sabaody Archipelago behind. They soon reached the Sky Island closest to the archipelago to retrieve their vessel.
"Back to the New World! I wonder how much the landscape has shifted since the war," Yamato remarked as she stepped into their small boat. She gave a firm stomp, and the craft began to glide forward.
"With Whitebeard gone, the crew has lost its center," Haruko analyzed seriously. "Countless pirates will be hungry for his empty throne. The Whitebeard Pirates took a beating at Marineford, and people will see that as a weakness. The New World is likely in total chaos, especially within his former territories."
Haruko predicted that the remaining Yonko would soon make their moves to swallow up the power vacuum.
"Everyone's going to have their eyes on that seat," Yamato agreed. "Blackbeard was the frontrunner, but since Kizaru and I chased him off, he's probably still desperate to find Whitebeard's power. As for the rest of the opportunists, I don't know if they have the nerve to face Marco and the others. A dying lion is still a lion, and the Division Commanders are still top-tier fighters. The New World will be messy, but Marco should be able to hold the line for now."
Yamato felt a sense of relief. By booting Blackbeard from the battlefield, she had prevented him from stealing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power in front of the world. Now, it was down to luck. If the fruit still found its way to him, she'd have to accept that some people were just unnervingly lucky.
She realized how much she had already altered the timeline. Ace was alive, and Blackbeard had failed his primary objective at Marineford. The ripples of her actions were steering the world toward an unknown future.
"Does this mean I'm actually strong enough to change the world's path? Man, that feels good! Hahaha!" Yamato burst into a boisterous laugh.
Haruko looked at her, completely baffled by the sudden outburst. "Young Master? What's so funny?"
"Nothing, just thinking about something great."
"And that would be?"
"Secret!"
As they sailed down the Cloud River, strange things were happening on the Sky Island they had just left. Several crates were drifting through the sea clouds; some had shattered, spilling vegetables and supplies into the mist.
In one intact crate filled with ordinary apples, the skin of a single fruit began to swirl into strange, ornate patterns.
Half a month later, Yamato and Haruko finally set foot back in Wano.
"We're finally home! It feels like we've been gone for a lifetime," Yamato said, stretching her limbs.
"It's been two months," Haruko noted. "But considering we fought in the greatest war of the era, the feeling is understandable."
"Oh, Haruko—don't give that bag of gold to the Idiot Old Man. Take it to Black Maria instead." Yamato handed over a heavy sack of gold nuggets she'd forgotten to exchange at Sabaody.
"Understood," Haruko replied. The Beasts Pirates were flush with cash, so a single bag of gold was a drop in the bucket.
A massive, hulking figure approached them. It was Jack the Drought, one of the three Lead Performers.
"Yo, Jack! Did you come all this way just to welcome me? How sweet," Yamato teased with a grin.
Jack nearly tripped over his own feet, his stoic mask slipping. The sheer audacity of the remark confirmed it: Yamato was definitely back.
"You've got some nerve, running off to Marineford to jump into a war between the Yonko and the Marines," Jack grumbled. "Kaido is waiting for you inside. Move it."
If he hadn't seen her on the live broadcast, he never would have believed she'd do something so reckless. Her boldness was becoming a problem.
"Thanks for the tip. Let's see what the Idiot Old Man has to say this time," Yamato shouted as she marched toward the upper levels. Jack rolled his eyes, feeling less like an All-Star and more like a glorified messenger.
Inside the upper hall, Kaido sat surrounded by the crew's top executives. As Yamato and Haruko entered, the room went silent.
"Yo! Is this a welcome home party? You guys shouldn't have," Yamato chuckled, taking a seat. No one else spoke, waiting for Kaido's lead.
"Yamato," Kaido began, his gaze piercing. "Did you know that war was going to happen?"
The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence. She had left Wano weeks before the incident and headed straight for the Grand Line. No one believed she had just "happened" to be at Marineford. The executives all shared the same suspicion: Yamato had some way of seeing the future.
"Nope! I just went out to relax and look for some treasure. I just bumped into the war on my way back and got a little involved. It's not that deep," Yamato lied, waving her hands dismissively.
"Hmph. That brat never gives a straight answer," Kaido snorted. He knew she was full of it, and the others did too. Regardless of how she knew, her foresight was terrifying. It was a shame she hated her father's guts; if she actually cared about the crew's goals, the Beasts Pirates would be unstoppable.
"With Whitebeard dead, the most important thing is tracking down his power," Queen interjected, shifting the mood.
The room grew tense. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was the strongest Paramecia in existence, capable of shattering the world itself. With Whitebeard gone, that power was up for grabs, and every major power on the planet would be hunting for it.
"Governor, should we mobilize a search party?" King asked, looking at Kaido.
Kaido's eyes narrowed. "Monitor the situation, but don't obsess over it. The odds of finding it are astronomical."
He knew the Marines and the World Government would be throwing everything they had into the search. It was a needle in a global haystack.
"Understood," King agreed. He knew the hunt for that fruit would turn the seas into a bloodbath. The Whitebeard Pirates, in particular, would likely kill anyone who even looked at the fruit, viewing it as their captain's sacred legacy.
"King, what's the status of the SMILE trade?" Kaido asked.
"The next shipment should arrive next month," King replied.
"Hurry it up. I want an army of Zoan users. We're still far below the numbers I need," Kaido commanded. At this rate, his dream of a Pirate Empire and a world-ending war felt too far off.
"I'm doing what I can, but I can't grow them any faster," King said flatly.
Yamato spoke up, "Second Uncle, what do you do with the failed SMILEs?"
King blinked, surprised by the question. "We toss them in the trash. Why? You want some garbage?"
"No, that's not good enough. Even the failures carry side effects that ruin people's lives. You need to dispose of them properly. Burn them until there's nothing left," Yamato insisted.
The executives exchanged looks, clearly thinking she was overreacting. It was just trash in a dump; what was the big deal?
"Forget it, I'll do it myself. From now on, send all the failed SMILEs to me. I'll make sure they're destroyed," Yamato said, ending the discussion.
"Fine by me," King shrugged, assuming she just needed a hobby.
Once the meeting adjourned, the group began to disperse. Yamato spotted Ulti and Page One near the exit.
"Ulti, stop smothering Page One and come hang out with us," Yamato called out. Ulti was twenty years old and still spent every waking second clinging to her younger brother.
"Yeah, Sis! Listen to her!" Page One pleaded. "You're an adult. Go hang out with the Young Master and the other girls. You need a life!"
"Shut up! You're my little brother, you don't tell me what to do!" Ulti snapped, immediately jumping onto his back and locking him in a chokehold. "Are you trying to rebel against me?"
"Let go! I'm trying to help you! Have you noticed you have zero friends?" Page One choked out as he struggled under her weight.
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