Chapter 257: The Utmost Filial Piety
"Not at all, it was just a little spar! It's been years, Nereus. You really haven't changed one bit, urororo!"
Stowing away his Hassaikai, the Haki swirling around Kaido dissipated completely. He had no intention of continuing the fight.
This was Kaido's own assessment of the martial power gap. If he couldn't even handle Nanamo in his standard human form and was actually pushed into a disadvantage, then even if he went all out, he would be no match for Nereus.
Yamato already viewed Nereus through an indescribable, idolizing halo. If Kaido got brutally beaten to a pulp by the man right here, he would probably never be able to hold his head high in front of her for the rest of his life.
However, Kaido failed to realize that once certain impressions are formed, they are incredibly difficult to change.
Nereus's appearance hadn't changed much compared to the past, meaning he looked exactly the same as he did on the wanted poster from over a decade ago.
And tucked securely inside the biography Queen had given Yamato was precisely one of those bounty posters. Even someone who was completely face-blind would recognize that the man standing before them was Nereus himself.
At this moment, Yamato's eyes were once again seeing stars—only, the last time it was caused by the sheer terror of plummeting from the sky, while this time it was purely out of overwhelming excitement.
"Did this bastard... no, did Father actually finally do something a decent human being should do?"
In the past, whenever Yamato saw Kaido, she was either getting beaten or on her way to getting beaten. She never expected that Kaido dragging her out this time was actually to seek out Nereus.
This caused Yamato to temporarily ignore all the torment she had suffered along the way and conditionally return the title of "Father" to Kaido.
"Why aren't you staying in your Wano Country? What are you doing running over here?" Nereus asked. "Have you already conquered the entirety of Wano to the point where you can leave in peace?"
"Not yet," Kaido chuckled. "There are quite a few stubborn, old-fashioned fools among those samurai. But thanks to that very stubbornness, by offering up Kurozumi Orochi's head and claiming to support the Kozuki legitimacy, I've managed to seamlessly solidify my status as the Wisdom King, Protector of the Nation."
"..."
Nereus felt like Kaido had just described a completely alternate reality version of Wano's current situation. Following that, Kaido elaborated on a few more details.
"You're... actually quite a fast learner..." Nereus noted.
It was hard to find another nation on this sea with a political climate similar to Wano's; the people there possessed a baffling, almost fanatical devotion to the Kozuki clan.
Even Kurozumi Orochi had only managed to seize the title of Shogun by relying on his subordinate's Clone-Clone Fruit to perfectly impersonate Kozuki Sukiyaki.
Shifting all the blame onto Kurozumi Orochi, declaring that the Kozuki clan had been secretly murdered by him, and slightly altering Orochi's purely persecutory production quotas was enough to make a significant portion of the populace believe Kaido's narrative.
Even if there were true Kozuki heirs left, they didn't trust Kaido either. They merely hid in the shadows, leaving Kaido free to operate uncontested.
"But what does any of this have to do with you coming here?"
"I have a daughter," Kaido explained. "That idiot Queen showed her that storybook written by Wobbegong, and combined with how much Wobbegong violently hyped you up right in front of her last time, she absolutely idolizes you now.
"When I try to teach her, her rebellious resistance is incredibly strong. So... I want you to help me train her.
"As long as you don't kill her, you can torture her however you see fit. Just make her stronger.
"That brat worships you. She might actually listen to every word you say."
Since she was so resistant to his own teaching, he would just find an idol she didn't resist to teach her instead. Anyway, Nereus was more than strong enough; Kaido himself had received guidance from him a few times in his youth.
Having a powerhouse he personally acknowledged teach Yamato was something Kaido wasn't against in the slightest.
Furthermore, Nanamo's situation was enough proof that Nereus knew how to raise kids and knew how to make them actually respect him.
"Is our relationship really close enough for you to entrust your child to me?" Nereus raised an eyebrow.
"Urororo! I trust you! Besides, I won't let you teach her for free," Kaido declared, his eyes burning with ambition. "I yearn for a grand war—a massive war that will engulf the entire world and shatter everything!
"On the day you start that war, I will stand by your side as an ally."
"I'm a pacifist, you know," Nereus replied calmly.
"Yeah, yeah. Wipe out every enemy that gets in your way, and the world will be at peace."
Just as the Golden Lion firmly believed Nereus had some grand conspiracy, Kaido didn't believe for a second that Nereus's "peace" was achieved through mere words. No matter how you looked at it, the fleeting peace Fish-Man Island currently enjoyed had been beaten out of the world by Nereus's own two hands.
"Are you sure?" Nereus asked. "You should know very well that our ideologies are fundamentally different, and I don't agree with yours. If I teach her, I won't follow whatever curriculum you've planned out."
"Urororo! It doesn't matter! If you can make her stronger than me, then whatever ideology she upholds will naturally be the correct one!
"As long as that brat can defeat me, she can do whatever the hell she wants.
"She isn't lacking in talent, just a bit rebellious. I've already decided to leave her in your hands anyway. If she doesn't listen, just beat her into line."
Training Haki, physical constitution, and Devil Fruit abilities—the methods for cultivating these things were largely universal. The only thing that strictly required Kaido's personal inheritance was his kanabo techniques.
However, all of Kaido's techniques were derived from a single move: the Thunder Bagua. And Kaido had already drilled that foundational move into Yamato.
The remaining derivative techniques were uniquely suited to Kaido himself. If Yamato was to truly grow, she needed to develop moves that best suited her own style.
As her Haki and physique grew stronger, she would naturally figure things out on her own. Even if she couldn't, once she finished her training here and returned, mastering his advanced techniques would be as easy as flipping her hand.
"You bastard... Fine, I agree to this. You can come pick her up whenever you want," Nereus said. "For as long as she stays with me, I guarantee her safety."
"No need to keep her that safe," Kaido snorted. "How can a flower raised in a greenhouse weather the brutal storms of the sea? As long as she doesn't die, it's fine."
"Have you ever considered that her rebellion is entirely your own doing?" Nereus pointed out.
"I'm forging her from a weakling who can be casually bullied into a powerhouse!" Kaido countered gruffly. "I've indulged her temper on trivial matters, and now I've even brought her to meet her idol! Is that not enough?!"
Endless slaughter on the battlefield had long since calcified Kaido's personality. His extreme, hyper-violent brand of social Darwinism made him genuinely believe his actions were entirely flawless. This was a fundamental ideological gap; arguing about it was completely pointless.
Whether Kaido won or lost, he would always frame reality through this exact logic.
Kaido never once considered what Yamato herself thought; he simply executed what he deemed to be the correct method.
"Suit yourself," Nereus sighed.
"When I left all those years ago, I said I would challenge you again," Kaido stated, his tone shifting.
"Do you think you've surpassed me?"
"Considering I let that bastard Oden carve a scar into my chest, I'm obviously still not strong enough. But I still want to feel exactly how vast the gap between us is. Let's find a place later; I've been looking forward to this for over a decade. But for now..."
Having finished his discussion with Nereus, Kaido walked back over to Yamato.
"Just as you wished, I've brought you before the man you idolize. From now on, he will be the one training you."
"Really?!" Yamato's eyes lit up brightly.
"Of course," Kaido nodded, crossing his arms. "Now then, your father is about to leave. Do you have anything you want to say?"
"Um... why haven't you left yet?"
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