"El, when are we going out on an adventure?"
After Yamato joined the group, she quickly integrated with Carina and the other girls.
As someone with a personality similar to Oden and Luffy, Yamato's simple nature was just like a child's. How could Carina and the other girls possibly reject her?
El also felt that Yamato was truly like a child, and he held plenty of goodwill toward her—the only issue was that she spent all day clinging to him, asking him to take her out on an adventure.
On this day, El found himself once again being pestered by Yamato. Thanks to their height difference, she had made him lie down with his head on her lap like a child.
"I've told you several times already: after we finish planning the blueprints, I'll take you out on an adventure."
"Once the Sky City is completed, our floating island can go anywhere in the world. Where do you want to go by then?"
Yamato looked at El with a wronged expression before replying, "But Carina said the Sky City won't be finished for at least another year, and we won't travel anywhere until then."
"You've waited for more than ten years. Can't you wait one more year?" Looking at Yamato's face, El couldn't help pinching her cheek as he laughed.
"It's different!"
Hearing El's reply, Yamato immediately stood up, knelt down in front of him, and defended herself. "For the past ten years, I was imprisoned on Onigashima by that shitty old man. I thought I'd never have a chance to go on an adventure. But now I'm free—of course I don't want to wait any longer!"
Snap!
El gave her a flick on the forehead without mercy. He watched Yamato cover her forehead with both hands, her cheeks puffing out slightly, and said ruthlessly, "Even if you don't want to wait, you'll have to wait."
"Eh? How could this be?"
Yamato's expression began to crumble. Seeing that she was about to cry, El couldn't help but sigh and said softly, "Fine. I can take you out on an adventure ahead of time—but you need to complete a task first."
"What task?"
Hearing this, Yamato's expression immediately shifted from nearly crying to bursting with excitement. She leaned in front of El eagerly, assuring him, "No matter what task it is, I'll complete it!"
"Oh, really?"
El couldn't help but show a mischievous smile. Yamato, who had just boasted in front of him, felt an ominous premonition in her heart. After letting her nervous expression hang for a while, he finally spoke again with a smile.
"In that case, then for the next month, you will learn about dressing up as a woman from Carina and Nami, and you'll learn ladies' etiquette from Robin."
"As long as you continue every day for a month to wear women's clothing, no longer proclaim yourself as a man, stop shouting Gol D. Roger's name, and maintain the appearance of a lady—even if it's just acting—as long as it lasts for a month, I'll count it as you completing this task and take you out for adventure ahead of schedule."
With a slight pause in his tone, El used provocation to block Yamato's next words. "If you don't have the courage and confidence to complete this task, then just wait a few months, and I'll take you out for adventure then."
"Who... who said I have no courage..."
Yamato, who had been turned pale with fright upon hearing the content of the task, immediately fell into El's trap and shouted with a red face, "I-I-I'll definitely complete this task!"
Almost as soon as she said these words, Yamato immediately regretted it. However, El didn't give her any chance to back out. "Very good. I clearly heard what you said. If you regret it or give up halfway, don't blame me for making fun of you..."
"El, I hate you!" After hearing El's words, Yamato let out a scream and fled the scene in embarrassment.
But the next day, Yamato's actions made El admire her—because she genuinely asked Carina and Nami for advice on women's dresses and Robin on ladies' etiquette.
It could be seen that, in addition to hating evil and being full of justice, Yamato also kept her word very seriously. She did what she said, even if she didn't want to.
El had to admit that this protagonist-like character was indeed very pleasing in some aspects. In truth, El didn't really want to change Yamato; he just wanted to make her realize that she was still a woman. No matter how many times she called herself a man in the future, it was just a cover-up.
Yamato would transform from someone with a psychological complex into an actress. The former required special treatment, while the latter simply needed her acting skills to be exposed.
However, if he truly wanted to change her perspective, he couldn't force her to think she was a woman instead of a man. He had to let her become aware of it on her own initiative.
That was why El gave her such a task and used provocation to lure her into the trap.
When it came to keeping her word, Yamato would definitely carry it out very seriously. And for a girl who had been wild for more than ten years and knew nothing but fighting, suddenly having to learn about ladies' etiquette and dressing as a woman—it didn't take much thought to realize this was an extremely difficult thing to do.
In the early stage, Yamato would definitely think that being a woman was really strange. But when she got used to it, she would inevitably feel more awkward because she would realize that she was actually becoming accustomed to these things. Even if it was just acting and temporary, she wouldn't be able to stop thinking that she was truly a woman—and El's purpose was exactly that realization.
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