"That bastard Kaido!!!"
That day, the entire Whole Cake Chateau remembered what it felt like to be dominated by an enraged Big Mom.
Perospero, covering his ears nearby, kept making eye signals at Katakuri.
But this time, even Katakuri couldn't think of words to dissuade Big Mom.
His younger siblings hadn't even set foot on Dressrosa before being beaten black and blue by the Beasts Pirates.
He was itching to launch a blitzkrieg on Dressrosa himself.
Of course, unlike Katakuri, Big Mom didn't care about Cracker and Smoothie's condition. What pissed her off was Kaido's blatant slap in the face.
'What did he mean?'
'I send people to Dressrosa to capture Donquixote Family, and you turn around and beat up my people?'
'Do you think I'm made of mud?'
'We're going to war!'
'We must go to war!'
In Big Mom's eyes now, this was no longer about the minor character, Donquixote Doflamingo. It was about her reputation as an Emperor.
Nearby, Doflamingo, bound by chains and lying on the ground like a dead dog, revealed a smug smile.
He knew it. Kaido would never give up the Donquixote Family, that cash cow.
He bet right!
Big Mom noticed Doflamingo's smile, and her sinister gaze immediately swept over.
Perospero, very understanding, stepped forward and flipped Doflamingo over with his cane.
"Feeling smug, pink brat?"
Big Mom loomed over Doflamingo like a monster, gradually opening her maw.
"Cough... cough... Of course."
Doflamingo let blood trickle from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with mockery for Big Mom.
He knew very well: as long as Big Mom didn't see the expression she wanted, she wouldn't casually kill him.
If he showed even a hint of weakness or retreat now, it would only make Big Mom lose interest, letting him be executed.
Sure enough, Big Mom just glared fiercely at Doflamingo but showed no intention of killing him here.
"You said, what's the name of the one who defeated you?"
Under Big Mom's gaze, Cracker and Smoothie were too terrified to speak. Finally, Cracker spoke up.
"She... she called herself 'Yamato', a hero of Wano."
"Hero?"
Big Mom immediately recalled another person she knew who called himself a hero.
'Uzumaki Naruto.'
'Could he be related to that brat?'
'No, that's not right.'
Quickly, Big Mom realized something was off.
'If that person called Yamato called herself a hero, how could she mix with Kaido's underlings?'
She might not know the past grievances and agreement between Naruto and Kaido, but she knew Naruto had once attacked the Beasts Pirates' forces.
'Logically, Kaido and Uzumaki Naruto should be enemies.'
'But...'
Big Mom looked down at Cracker and Smoothie below.
To defeat two of her Sweet Commanders… and with such a crushing, overwhelming victory.
That level of strength probably even Katakuri couldn't claim certain victory.
'Where did Kaido find such a ruthless character?'
No matter how hard she thought, Big Mom never considered Yamato being Kaido's daughter.
But right now, the more crucial thing was regaining her honor.
"Everyone, prepare to set off!"
"Destination: Onigashima!"
Big Mom slammed her palm on the armrest, letting out a deafening roar.
"Yes, Mama."
The other members present all knelt on one knee, accepting the order.
Cracker and Smoothie also knelt, about to speak, but were interrupted by Big Mom.
"As for you two—"
"Losers have no qualifications to remain [Sweet Commanders]."
Hearing this, Cracker's face turned pale, then red. In the end, he silently lowered his head.
In contrast, Smoothie, hearing she was stripped of her Sweet Commander's title, didn't react much, as if she had expected it.
…
Leaving aside how big a fuss Whole Cake Island was making, or the imminent clash between two Emperors at Onigashima, there's no need to consider that for now.
At this moment, Sasuke only had one thing to say.
"You, where exactly are you planning to go?"
Not long after they left Dressrosa, Yamato suddenly volunteered to be the helmsman.
Considering neither he nor Baby-5 had much solo sailing experience, Sasuke just agreed.
Anyway, they had no destination, so they might as well let Yamato, a 'veteran', lead the way.
But when they reached the first resupply island, Sasuke sensed something off.
This island... he seemed to have been here before.
Earlier, on the Happo Navy's ship, they seemed to have resupplied on this island.
To this, Yamato's response was, "That's right, that's right, we're heading this way."
Considering some routes could be intricate and overlapping, repetition was possible, so Sasuke was half-convinced.
But today, when the Red Line appeared in his field of vision, he couldn't hold back anymore.
Yamato, questioned by Sasuke, looked down at some object, then said,
"It's correct. Trust me."
"But aren't we heading toward the first half of the Grand Line?"
"You... you're not planning to find Naruto, are you?!"
Sasuke finally figured it out.
According to Yamato herself, she had always wanted to see Naruto again.
"Shh—"
Yamato whistled nonchalantly. Unfortunately, she didn't seem good at it, so no sound came out, forcing her to mimic the whistle with her mouth.
Sasuke still stared intently. Even Baby-5 beside him took on a somewhat 'bully-backs-up-the-bully' attitude, glaring along.
Of course, she didn't care where they went or who they met, as long as she could stay by Sasuke's side.
And during this time together, Baby-5 had also gained a slightly deeper understanding of Yamato.
Though she looked scary, she was actually a kind-hearted good person… at least, she wouldn't take advantage of her personality to bully her, just like her Darling.
Seeing she couldn't hide it anymore, Yamato let out a long sigh.
"Sigh… Alright, alright, I'll be honest."
As she spoke, she reached into her seemingly bottomless chest. Under Baby-5's flushed cheeks and Sasuke's speechless gaze, she pulled out a crumpled piece of white paper.
Having seen something similar before, Sasuke immediately recognized it.
'A Vivre Card.'
'That guy Naruto's Vivre Card?'
"Actually, I wasn't really lying to you, right..."
Yamato said this while occasionally glancing up at Sasuke, then, knowing she was in the wrong, muttered softly.
"Doesn't Naruto-sama count as a strong person..."
'Fine, her point made sense.'
Sasuke massaged his temples.
Fortunately, most of his weakness had recovered, or he'd probably have another headache now.
"At worst... when I get to Sabaody Archipelago, I'll just find another ship myself."
Yamato pouted.
"..."
"Forget it. We'll go, then."
Sasuke suddenly remembered Naruto's current situation and changed his tone.
'That guy Naruto... he's probably caught between two women, torn and helpless...'
'Don't worry, I'm sending you a third.'
'As everyone knows, a triangle has stability.'
For once, Sasuke felt a trickle of mischief in his heart.
"Huh! Really?"
Seeing Sasuke relent, Yamato immediately beamed with joy.
"You, you're really a good person!"
As she spoke, she reached out and patted Sasuke's shoulder hard.
Sasuke, wincing from the pat, forced himself to keep smiling.
"Of course."
'Of course, once you get there, I'll have quite the show to watch.'
He was also looking forward to what expression Yamato would make when she saw her long-admired Naruto-sama already had two wives.
—Who said Sasuke didn't hold grudges?