Wano Country, outside the western waterfall.
On the undulating sea, the waves surged as a giant pink pirate ship sailed through the mist. Ahead, several giant koi fish were leaping, thick reins tied to their bodies and connected to the massive vessel behind them. It was the ship of the Big Mom Pirates. Many figures stood on the deck, led by none other than the Yonko, Charlotte Linlin, with her sons and daughters standing behind her. However, Charlotte Katakuri was nowhere to be seen; it seemed he had been assigned to stay behind and guard Totto Land.
Sailing all the way here, they had destroyed every Marine gun battery in their path, preparing to force their way into Wano Country. Soon, those koi fish began to climb the waterfall, pulling the pirate ship upstream against the powerful current. Just as they were about to reach the top of the waterfall, a dark shadow appeared in the sky with a cluster of flames trailing behind it. It was King.
"Something is coming!" the crew shouted, quickly spotting the dark shadow ahead. "That's a Pteranodon! It's King the Conflagration of the Beasts Pirates! Attack, quickly!"
Big Mom's sons and daughters immediately understood what the opponent was there for and launched a barrage of attacks at King at once.
"King, are you here to stop me?" Big Mom shouted, looking up at the sky.
"Of course. I won't let you set foot on the land of Wano Country, Mandara!" King replied. He dove down, his body spinning rapidly as he deflected the incoming attacks. He quickly closed in on the ship and, under the terrified gazes of Big Mom and her children, slashed through the reins.
"Oh no!" the Big Mom Pirates panicked. If they fell now, the whole crew would be drinking seawater. The biggest problem was that almost all of them were Devil Fruit users.
"You bastard, King! How dare you!" Big Mom was enraged. Prometheus instantly transformed into a fire cloud to support her, and she charged toward King. Simultaneously, Napoleon turned into a great sword and landed in Big Mom's hand. She swung a massive slash at the Pteranodon.
King pulled up quickly, narrowly avoiding the blow. He hovered high in the air, looking down at Big Mom and the falling ship. "Turn into sea foam," he muttered.
Watching the falling ship and her screaming children, Big Mom was fuming. They hadn't even reached Wano Country yet, and she, a Yonko, was the only one left from the entire crew.
"King, you've got some nerve!" Big Mom stared at him, her eyes cold with malice.
"Is there any reason I shouldn't? It's a pity I couldn't kick you down as well," King said indifferently. Although he was no match for Big Mom in a direct fight, he didn't need to fear her in the air. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop her from entering Wano now that she was airborne.
"I'll settle the score with you after I see Kaido," Big Mom growled, clearly not intending to get too entangled with him. Her goal was still to enter Wano to see Kaido and then find Straw Hat Luffy to settle their final account. As for her children, if they fell, they fell; she knew they wouldn't die easily. Even if they did, she didn't care. People who were of no use had no value in her eyes.
Hearing Big Mom say this, King didn't react. He simply turned around and flew away. Seeing him leave so abruptly, Big Mom was stunned for a moment.
"He's just leaving?" She thought King was going to continue blocking her path, but she hadn't expected him to retreat so decisively. It seemed he didn't want a prolonged fight. "At least you're sensible," she laughed, chasing after him toward the mainland.
Halfway there, a giant pink dragon flew in from the distance.
"Young Master, why are you here?" King was somewhat surprised to see Yamato appear.
"An honored guest has arrived, and I'm here to welcome them," Yamato said, looking into the distance as a mass of burning fire clouds approached.
King was taken aback. "Did Big Brother ask you to come?"
"No, I came on my own. I knew you couldn't stop Big Mom, Second Uncle. She was bound to get through," Yamato explained.
"Young Master, this isn't good. If Big Brother finds out you're welcoming Big Mom as an honored guest, he'll probably be furious," King's mouth twitched. No matter how you looked at it, Big Mom was an invader and an enemy of the Beasts Pirates. As the heir to the crew, Yamato welcoming an enemy instead of attacking felt inappropriate.
"Second Uncle, you don't understand. The relationship between my idiot father and Big Mom isn't that simple. You'll see when the time comes. Go and wait with him for now; it'll give you a shock later," Yamato chuckled.
Hearing Yamato say this, King seemed to understand that something deeper was going on. "Fine, then I'll head off first." With that, King flew away, prepared to watch the drama unfold. Watching King leave, Yamato went to meet Big Mom.
"Kaido? No, who are you?" Big Mom looked at the flying pink dragon, almost mistaking the form for Kaido.
"I am Yamato. Kaido is my old man," Yamato introduced herself.
Big Mom looked at Yamato with a surprised expression, then recalled something. "Didn't you come to my Tea Party? I remember Katakuri invited you."
"That's right, I was there. But for various reasons, I didn't get to say hello to you," Yamato nodded.
Big Mom nodded understandingly and then laughed. "Speaking of which, it was my oversight. I was so looking forward to that wedding cake that I forgot all about you. Otherwise, I certainly would have greeted you. After all, you're Kaido's child. In a way, I'm also your elder; you should call me 'Great Aunt'."
Yamato hadn't expected Big Mom to be so easy to talk to and was a bit surprised. However, it wasn't bad to get on her good side, as she wanted to ask about Kaido's past.
"Alright then, I'll call you Great Aunt," Yamato nodded. She released her transformation, reverted to her human form, and landed in front of the Yonko.
Big Mom sized her up carefully, her surprise growing. "Ara ara, you're a girl! I thought you were a boy."
"Haha, although I'm a girl, my idiot father still raised me as a boy. Great Aunt, you can just treat me as one," Yamato laughed.
Hearing Yamato call her "Great Aunt," Big Mom beamed with joy. Honestly, she thought other people's children were better than her own; the more she looked, the more she liked Yamato. Moreover, she could sense that Yamato's Haki was extremely powerful, perhaps even rivaling her own. Even Katakuri, the most outstanding among her many children, seemed inferior to Yamato in potential.
"That fellow Kaido really has a good daughter," Big Mom muttered, feeling a pang of envy. She had so many children, yet not one could compare to Kaido's only child.
"Great Aunt, you're absolutely right. He does indeed have a good daughter," Yamato admitted shamelessly.
Big Mom was amused. "Yamato, did Kaido send you here?"
"No, I came on my own. My idiot father—Great Aunt, you should know him—is very awkward. He says things like 'don't come to Wano,' but in his heart, he really wants to meet his old friend. He just can't bring himself to lose face. Now that you're here, I'm sure he'll have a completely different look on his face when you meet," Yamato said bluntly.
Hearing this, Big Mom was very pleased. "You certainly have a way with words."
Seeing that Big Mom was happy, Yamato immediately seized the opportunity. "Great Aunt, I heard you and my old man used to be in the same pirate crew. Is that true?"
"That's right. I didn't expect you to know about those things," Big Mom said, a bit surprised.
"I'm quite curious about the old man's past. Can you tell me about it? I want to know what he was like when he was young," Yamato continued.
"Of course I can. When I met your old man, he was only nineteen. He had just joined the Rocks Pirates and was still a rookie—" Big Mom was instantly drawn into her memories and began telling Yamato about the old days. And so, the two of them sat on Prometheus, leisurely flying toward Onigashima.
"This brat is actually chatting with Mama," Prometheus watched in a daze. It was the first time it had seen Big Mom get along so well with a junior. Big Mom never showed a good face even to her own children, yet she was being incredibly friendly toward Yamato.
At Onigashima, King reported back to Kaido.
"That's fine then. It's nothing if that old hag Linlin comes alone. If she had brought her brats along, I really would have gone to war with her!" Kaido wasn't particularly angry.
"Also, Big Brother, the Young Master went as well. It seems she went to welcome Big Mom," King added.
Kaido was stunned, and Queen and Jack beside him were also taken aback.
"What is that brat up to?" Kaido was confused, not knowing what Yamato was playing at. However, knowing her, he figured there was some scheme involved. "Forget it, we'll see when they arrive."
At that moment, Haruko walked in. "Lord Kaido, the Young Master has already ordered the subordinates to set up a banquet."
Kaido was stunned again. "Is it for that old hag Linlin?"
"Yes," Haruko nodded.
"What on earth is that brat thinking? Not only did she go to welcome her, she even had a banquet set up. Could she be trying to suck up to her?" Kaido paused. "No, impossible. That brat has never even sucked up to me, her own father. She must be harboring some bad intentions."
Beside him, the Lead Performers looked at each other. Knowing Yamato, they agreed this wasn't simple.
"Let's go. I want to see what that brat is planning," Kaido said, leading the group out.
About half an hour later, Yamato arrived at Onigashima with Big Mom.
"We're here, Great Aunt. This is Onigashima, the headquarters of the Beasts Pirates," Yamato said as she jumped down from Prometheus.
Big Mom stepped down, and Prometheus turned into a small sun to follow her. "So this is Onigashima. Why does it look so gloomy? Has Kaido always stayed in a place like this?"
"Don't even say it, Great Aunt. I feel the same way. Staying in such a gloomy place every day affects your mood. Your Cake Island is much better, with bright sunshine and plenty of food," Yamato echoed.
"If you like it, you can come to my Cake Island to play often in the future," Big Mom said with a smile. The more she spoke with Yamato, the more she wished her own daughters were like her.
"Sure, Great Aunt. I'll definitely visit. Just don't find me annoying then," Yamato chuckled.
"Of course not. It'll be good for my worthless children to broaden their horizons," Big Mom smiled.
"Great Aunt, let's go. I've already prepared a banquet to welcome you. My old man and the others should be waiting," Yamato said.
"Ara ara, how sensible. I'm looking forward to meeting your old man," Big Mom beamed.
Yamato led Big Mom to the upper level of Onigashima. In the main hall, a large dining table was already covered with food. Kaido sat at the head of the table, exuding a powerful aura. King, Queen, and Jack sat on either side, with Maria and Haruko also present. All the core figures were gathered.
Footsteps sounded—one light, one heavy. Everyone turned toward the door in unison as Yamato and Big Mom walked in. The moment Big Mom stepped through the door, her gaze met Kaido's. In an instant, a murderous aura filled the room.
"Linlin, you old hag, you really dared to come! I believe I told you that if you showed up, I'd kill you!" Kaido stared at her, killing intent overflowing from his eyes.
"Who would be such a fool as to come here just to be killed? I thought you were just talking. Don't tell me you're serious, Kaido," Big Mom replied, meeting his gaze head-on.
Haki began to radiate from both of them, causing the atmosphere to grow increasingly tense. The pressure from both Yonko grew stronger, causing the entire room to tremble violently. Everyone present felt a crushing weight.