On the deck, Yamato stood at the railing, gazing at the endless sea and the azure sky. Where the water and sky met in a single, seamless color, she felt utterly amazed.
"So this is the ocean. It's truly beautiful," Yamato said, leaning against the ship's railing. She felt refreshed and happy to finally be out in the world.
Maria and Haruko were also overseas for the first time. Seeing such a vast scene, they found it equally stunning. Jack looked at Yamato's amazed expression and felt a secret sense of satisfaction. Unlike Yamato, he had started taking charge and working for the Beasts Pirates long ago. Now, he was the famous "Jack the Drought," a lead performer with a bounty of 360,000,000.
Meanwhile, Yamato was still a nobody without a bounty, and the same applied to Maria and Haruko. Thinking of this, Jack couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of gratification.
"Hey, Jack, bring me a chair over here—no, make it three," Yamato said, looking back at him without any politeness.
Jack rolled his eyes. This woman really treated him like a servant. "I'm not your subordinate. Don't call me; call someone else."
"Jack, you really are a straight-laced guy," Yamato laughed before calling over a few crew members.
The subordinates quickly brought over three lounge chairs. "Young Master, Lady Maria, Lady Haruko, please let us know if you need anything else."
"Okay, I've got it," Yamato said casually. She lay directly on the lounge chair, lazily soaking up the sun.
Sailing at sea was actually quite boring, and one had to find ways to pass the time. As she lay there, the Haki within Yamato's body was constantly flowing and emanating. She was slowly consuming her energy, which was a form of cultivation. Haki often breaks through during intense battle, but she knew that by completely exhausting her reserves and pushing her limits, her strength could still skyrocket.
Generally, limits are easier to break during life-or-death situations. For Yamato, breaking through while resting wasn't easy because it was too gentle; only through constant accumulation could she reach a breakthrough. It was a slow process that wouldn't allow for a rapid increase in a short period, but she stayed disciplined.
In addition, Yamato used her weapon to cultivate by constantly coating her spiked club with Armament Haki. This method was common among powerful swordsmen who wrapped their blades in Haki so the metal wouldn't be damaged in battle. No matter how ordinary a weapon was, it wouldn't break as long as it was protected by Haki.
Moreover, if one constantly wrapped a weapon in Haki over a long period, it could develop into a permanent Black Blade. A Black Blade represented a warrior's ultimate achievement; for example, the legendary Ryuma of Wano had turned his sword, Shusui, into a Black Blade. Over the years, Yamato had been nurturing her spiked club like a sword, wanting to see if she could achieve that same quality. It served as perfect training, killing two birds with one stone.
"Maria, Haruko, you guys come here too. It's very comfortable," Yamato shouted to them.
"We'll look at the scenery for a while first," Maria replied with a smile.
Yamato nodded. "Then rest when you're tired of looking."
What exactly are you here for, a vacation? Jack complained in his heart. However, he didn't say anything. He knew sailing was tedious and only got worse as time went on. He wanted to see if Yamato could actually adapt to life at sea; if she couldn't, he planned to mock her ruthlessly.
On another pirate ship, Kaido stood with King, Queen, Sasaki, and Who's-Who.
"King, where is the first target?" Kaido asked.
"The initial target is Mera Island. It's the closest to Wano Country and only takes a day's journey to reach," King replied. He paused for a moment before continuing, "After occupying Mera Island, we will follow the established route to take all the islands surrounding Wano. This expedition is expected to take eight months, with eleven inhabited islands to be occupied. Once finished, all these waters will be the territory of the Beasts Pirates."
"After the territory expands, we'll arrange for manpower to garrison every island. We will need to stop then to grow the scale of our crew. Next, we'll rest and reorganize. Once the new manpower is integrated, we'll conduct a second expedition to continue expanding," King explained, giving a rough outline of the itinerary.
Hearing the report, Kaido nodded. "It's a bit slow. Only eleven islands in eight months? Can't we be more efficient?"
"No, Big Brother. This is the first major expedition for the Beasts Pirates, and we cannot be careless. It's not about how fast we go, but about ensuring total success. Once this concludes perfectly, it won't be too late to pursue efficiency in the future," King said seriously.
"I understand. I'll follow your arrangements," Kaido said, dropping the subject.
A day passed, and they arrived at Mera Island.
"That's Mera Island. All hands, hear my command: surround it!" King ordered.
Immediately, the dozen or so pirate ships of the Beasts Pirates moved to encircle the island according to the plan.
"The pirates are coming!" The residents of Mera Island soon discovered the fleet and fell into a panic. Many people at the port ran toward the center of the island in fear.
"Run! The pirates are here!" people shouted.
In a short while, the island was in total chaos. The timid hid in their homes, while the brave took up weapons, prepared to resist.
"It's no use! The entire island is surrounded. There's nowhere to run!" Those who wanted to flee despaired when they saw the pirate ships stationed across the horizon.
"Next is the intimidation, right? Just leave it to me!" Kaido couldn't wait any longer. He transformed directly into a giant dragon, soared into the sky, and flew toward the island.
"Big Brother..." King was dumbfounded. It seemed all his previous words had been spoken in vain.
"He really just does whatever comes to mind. He probably needs the Young Master's discipline," Queen said, puffing on a cigar. He believed that if Yamato were here, she would definitely be able to make Kaido behave. Sasaki and Who's-Who listened quietly; they didn't dare join in on a conversation criticizing their captain.
"Forget it. Since Big Brother has already rushed out, let's follow him," King said. He made temporary adjustments, leading the others to land on the island immediately to follow Kaido's lead.
On Jack's ship, Yamato and the others saw Kaido transform and fly out.
"That idiot. Can't he understand human speech, or has he drunk his brain into stupidity?" Yamato cursed unreservedly.
Maria and Haruko were caught between laughter and tears. This time, it really did seem to be Kaido's fault for ignoring the plan.
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