Two days later, Yamato and Haruko arrived at Islande Island. Yamato looked around, surprised to see so many pirate crews cutting wood and stacking heavy lumber.
"Second Uncle, Third Uncle, have you already started the construction?" Yamato asked.
"Not quite yet. We're just preparing the lumber for now. There are still many important things that need your final decision," King smiled, reporting on everything they had accomplished over the past few days.
After listening to the detailed report, Yamato nodded in pleasant surprise. "Not bad at all, Second Uncle, Third Uncle."
"So, there are no problems with the work we've done?" King and Queen both laughed, clearly relieved by the praise.
Yamato nodded and asked to see the two architectural plans they had designed. King and Queen quickly handed over the large blueprints they had discussed with their subordinates. Yamato picked up the heavy parchment, studied the diagrams for a while, and easily understood most of the layout.
"Regarding the first plan, look right here. Comparing these two designs, the first one is clearly better. The construction difficulty is much lower, and there is no need to drastically change the overall structure of the island. We only need to modify and process the finer details. As for the second plan, the construction difficulty is far greater. Many natural areas would need to be completely reconstructed, which is far too time-consuming and energy-draining. If I remember correctly, the season here will change in a little over three months. Considering everything, it's much better to choose the first plan. We just need to make some minor adjustments based on what I just pointed out, and it will be perfect," Yamato carefully analyzed the advantages of the blueprints.
After hearing Yamato's clear analysis, King and Queen nodded repeatedly in absolute agreement.
"As expected of the Young Miss, you even understand complex civil engineering," the two top commanders praised Yamato endlessly. They had just been discussing how knowledgeable their Young Miss was, and she had immediately proven them right.
Black Maria walked over, looking highly amused. "Yamato, how do you know all this? Did you read it from a book again?"
"You saw through me so quickly! That's right, I read it from a book. Am I amazing or what?" Yamato puffed out her chest with a proud expression.
"You really are amazing. I never expected our Beasts Pirates to have someone so cultured and well-read," Black Maria smiled warmly.
"Haha, don't praise me too much, or I'll get completely arrogant," Yamato laughed brightly.
Following her decision, Yamato began to guide the workers. She walked across Islande Island, directing her subordinates to trim the wild landscape and build the massive foundational framework for their new base.
Kaido stood on a nearby hill, watching with a very strange expression. His daughter was walking around the island like a common foreman, expertly directing the lower-ranked crew members to work. It made him, the legendary Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates, look like a useless decoration.
"Big Brother, I told you the Young Miss is very capable. There is absolutely nothing she doesn't understand. By the way, where exactly do you want to live? The Young Miss said there are fantastic locations all over the island. Building a room anywhere up here would give you a high-end sea-view room," King laughed as he stood beside the massive Yonko.
Kaido looked completely confused. It was his first time ever hearing such a strange term. "Sea-view room? What on earth is that?"
"The Young Miss said a sea-view room is simply a room where you can clearly see the ocean view. Generally, it would be built right by the seaside, but the terrain here is naturally much higher, so many places on the cliffs are perfectly suitable for building sea-view rooms," King explained patiently.
Kaido's brain struggled to keep up with the concept. He really didn't understand these modern, strange ideas. When he lived on Onigashima, his personal room was just a massive, hollowed-out stone cave. It had absolutely nothing to do with a proper house. Moreover, they were rough pirates. They never cared about where they lived; as long as they had a place to drink and sleep, it was perfectly fine.
"Just set it up casually. Why make it so insanely complicated?" Kaido waved his large hand dismissively. His main point was that he didn't care and anything was fine.
"Then we will do exactly as the Young Miss suggested. Big Brother, where do you want to live? The highest peak in the middle, or the lower valleys around the edges?" King asked again.
"Of course I want the highest place in the middle. Does that even need to be asked?" Kaido grunted without a second thought.
"I knew you would say that, Big Brother. Don't worry, the Young Miss had already guessed you would choose that spot, so everything is already arranged for you," King smiled warmly under his dark mask.
"Hmph, that is exactly what she is supposed to do," Kaido folded his massive arms across his chest.
After officially leaving Wano Country, Kaido found that he was basically in a constant state of not managing anything. The daily affairs of the Beasts Pirates were now entirely decided by Yamato. Truth be told, Kaido felt much more relaxed. He didn't have any heavy burdens, and he no longer had to obsess over his past failures every single day. For the first time in decades, Kaido truly understood what it meant to be leisurely. On the surface, his past life looked like a drunken stupor of absolute freedom, but in reality, his tense nerves had never relaxed for a single day. Perhaps this peace was simply the natural change that came after a grand ambition was finally shattered.
"King, what do you honestly think of the brat?" Kaido asked suddenly, staring out at the ocean.
"The Young Miss is the smartest pirate I have ever seen, bar none. She may not understand complex, high-level technology like Queen or Vegapunk, but nothing in this world can truly stump her. Moreover, she has a vision that far surpasses ordinary people. She can always see very far into the future. Many years ago, the Young Miss told me about the future development of our Beasts Pirates, and everything she predicted has been verified one by one," King laughed quietly.
"So, the brat anticipated everything long ago? Even my inevitable defeat?" Kaido raised a thick eyebrow in sheer surprise. How come he didn't know anything about these grand plans?
"Haha, Big Brother, don't you know what you were like back then? You absolutely never listened to what the Young Miss said. You should be able to notice that you are a bit different now, right? I was just influenced by the Young Miss, but I still follow you completely. Otherwise, after all these long years, why didn't I ever say anything? It's because I deeply understand your stubborn character, Big Brother. The Young Miss also understands your character perfectly, so she never took any forceful action and just waited patiently for the right time," King shook his head slowly.
Hearing King's honest words, Kaido fell completely silent. Yes, he was very different from who he was before. If Straw Hat Luffy hadn't defeated him in that brutal rooftop battle, he might still be blindly immersed in his violent ambition, unable to see anything else around him. Standing at this exact point in time, Kaido felt that he wasn't the kind of person who refused to listen to others anymore. But he knew he really was exactly that kind of tyrant in the past. In other words, King and Yamato were simply following his lead, accompanying him loyally to the very end of his old era.
"Doesn't your head hurt from thinking about so many complicated, emotional things?" Kaido glanced at his right-hand man sideways.
"Big Brother, are you talking about yourself or us?" King asked in return.
Kaido was completely silenced by the sharp question. "Forget it. I won't think about such complicated things in the future. I'll just do what a simple pirate should do."
He finally figured it out; he wouldn't engage in building any grand Pirate Empire anymore. Hearing Kaido say this, King smiled beneath his mask and nodded. His captain was finally back on the right track.
Soon, an entire month passed by.
After this intense period of daily construction, Islande Island had changed drastically. Many sturdy wooden buildings had sprung up everywhere. Although most were still just basic frameworks, anyone could easily see what the grand pirate base would look like after completion.
"Damn that Onihime. She actually treats me like a common laborer," Admiral Aramaki grumbled bitterly. Wearing heavy Sea Stone handcuffs and dirty prison clothes, the powerful Marine walked across the dirt while carrying a massive stack of cut lumber on his shoulder.
Over this past month, Aramaki had deeply experienced the exhausting life of a manual laborer. Every single morning, after getting up and eating a simple breakfast, he was forced to go straight to work. After a brief lunch, he would rest for a short while, then continue hauling wood and rocks until dinner time. At night, the pirates forced him to work two hours of grueling overtime. As a dignified Marine Admiral, when had Aramaki ever suffered such humiliating hardship? But under the enemy's eaves, one had to bow their head to survive. If he refused to work, let alone getting beaten half to death, he wouldn't even be given any food or water.
"Your immediate superior isn't in a hurry to redeem you, so maybe they have already regretted the deal. In any case, our Beasts Pirates don't keep useless idlers around. If you want to eat, you have to work. Even if you choose not to eat, you still have to work! When your Fleet Admiral finally sends word and is willing to spend the money to redeem you, you will be liberated. Until then, just work honestly. Don't worry, we won't exploit you excessively."
Those were Yamato's original, mocking words to him. Working exactly like a slave, Aramaki had endured it for an entire month.
"It's been a whole month. Why is there absolutely no movement from Marineford? Could it be, just as she said, that the Marines are actually planning to give up on me entirely?" Aramaki felt significantly worse the more he thought about it. Rationally speaking, it was highly impossible for the World Government to abandon a valuable military asset like him. But it had been so long without any rescue, making it incredibly hard for Aramaki not to let his paranoid imagination run wild.
That same noon, Yamato was happily inspecting the island's construction progress alongside Haruko. Suddenly, the special transponder snail that had been completely silent for a month finally began to ring loudly.
"Young Miss, the Marines are finally contacting us," Haruko said eagerly, quickly pulling out the ringing snail.
Yamato grabbed the receiver and connected the call. "Hello! This is Yamato, the woman whose beauty ranks easily in the top three of the entire world. Who is this calling?"
Haruko was completely stunned by the greeting. The Young Miss's skin was still as thick and shameless as ever.
On the other end of the line, the caller was obviously thrown off by Yamato's ridiculous introduction. It took several tense seconds before a deep, gruff voice finally came through the speaker. "It's me, Sakazuki. Onihime, I have already sent the ransom money to the designated Marine Branch. Release Aramaki immediately."
"Oh, so the money has finally arrived! The Fleet Admiral is so generous and awesome. I will send Admiral Aramaki over to you immediately. Don't worry, he hasn't suffered any real hardship here. He has been well-fed and well-watered every single day, and I think he has even gained a little weight," Yamato said pleasantly, outright lying about the manual labor.
Haruko stood on the side, covering her mouth to hide her giggles.
Sakazuki remained completely silent for another long moment before speaking in a dark tone. "I truly hope what you said is true."
Click. The transponder snail hung up abruptly.
"Alright, the big boss has sent the money. This time I'll go completely alone; flying is much faster anyway. I'll leave the island's construction to you two," Yamato said to Haruko.
"No problem, we will watch over everything carefully. Hurry back, Young Miss," Haruko nodded.
Yamato quickly walked over to where Aramaki was hauling heavy logs.
"Hey, Admiral Aramaki! Your boss just sent word that the money has arrived. He asked me to send you straight back," Yamato called out to him.
Hearing this glorious news, Aramaki was almost moved to literal tears. He had finally waited for this beautiful day to arrive.
"Take him to the barracks to wash up, change him into brand new clothes, and comb his messy hair. He must look like there's absolutely no problem with him at all," Yamato ordered her nearby subordinates.
"No problem, Young Miss. The mission is guaranteed to be completed," the pirate grunts immediately grabbed Aramaki and dragged him away to get cleaned up.
Very soon, the subordinates brought Aramaki back.
"Not bad at all. Now he actually looks like a proper human being," Yamato looked at the freshly groomed Marine Admiral and nodded with deep satisfaction. The previous Aramaki was dressed exactly like a filthy street hooligan; now he finally possessed a bit of dignity again.
"Young Miss, this is the master key to his Sea Stone handcuffs," the subordinate said respectfully, handing a small iron key directly to Yamato.
Yamato took the key and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Tie him up tightly with a thick rope, and make sure to leave the other end a bit long."
"Okay, Young Miss. Please wait just a moment." Although the subordinates didn't quite understand why she wanted to do this, they strictly followed her instructions and bound the Admiral securely.
"Hey, what exactly are you doing?" Aramaki's face turned completely ugly. Was this crazy pirate going to do something excessive to him right before letting him go?
"Don't worry about it! I'm just packaging you up nicely. After all, I will personally send you to that Marine Branch later. You don't honestly expect me to drag you across the ocean, right?" Yamato patted his tense shoulder playfully.
"What do you mean?" Aramaki didn't understand Yamato's meaning for a moment.
"Alright, it's finally time to set off. Time to send our precious Admiral Aramaki home," Yamato tightly grabbed the long end of the rope with one hand. Instantly, her body glowed brightly as she activated her Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, transforming directly into her majestic, icy wolf-like beast form.
Aramaki's eyes widened in sheer horror as he realized her plan. "Could it be— Ahhhh! Onihime, you absolute bastard!"
Before he could finish his curse, Yamato leaped forcefully into the air. Aramaki was violently yanked off the ground, his whole body flying directly into the sky behind her.
"Haha, everyone look at that!" The members of the Beasts Pirates pointed at the sky and burst into roaring laughter.
Dangling helplessly at the end of the rope like a captured bug, Aramaki was dragged by Yamato as she flew higher into the sky, quickly disappearing above the fluffy white clouds.
"Onihime, you crazy maniac! Are you seriously planning to take me flying all the way to the Marine Branch exactly like this? Are you kidding me? Do you want to freeze me to death?" Aramaki yelled frantically, his face stinging painfully from the freezing, high-altitude wind.
"Otherwise, how would we get there? I'm a very busy person. I absolutely don't have the time to slowly send you back by ship," Yamato said matter-of-factly, her voice echoing clearly over the rushing wind.
"Then why didn't you just let your pirate subordinates send me on a boat? You didn't say it had to be you personally!" Aramaki was so completely angry that his nose was practically crooked. Wasn't this deliberately torturing him? Could any normal person think of such a twisted transportation method?
"Admiral Aramaki, don't forget, this trip is not just about sending you back. I also have to bring the ransom money back safely. That's a full
1,800,000,000
Berries! With
1,800,000,000
Berries on the line, how could I ever rest assured letting other people handle the transaction? Of course I have to do it myself," Yamato explained loudly.
"Is that your stupid excuse for abusing me?" Aramaki roared in absolute fury.
From Islande Island to that specific Marine Branch, even by a fast ship, it would be a seven or eight-day journey. Even if Yamato's flying speed was significantly faster, it would still take at least three or four full days to arrive. That meant he still had to endure the freezing, whipping wind for three or four days straight while dangling from a rope.
"Abuse is a bit of an extreme exaggeration. Admiral Aramaki, are you still a tough man? What's wrong with a man blowing in the wind for a bit? What's wrong with suffering a little tiny bit? I, a young woman, haven't complained about anything. As a big, strong Marine Admiral, are you truly embarrassed to say such whiny things?" Yamato completely despised his complaining.
"You— I—"
Aramaki was entirely speechless for a long moment. He clearly knew that her words were complete nonsense, but his frozen brain couldn't think of a single way to properly refute them. Seeing Aramaki's face flush bright red with helpless anger, Yamato sneered happily in her heart. If this guy thought he could win an argument with her, he was still falling far behind. If one takes such ridiculous words seriously, they fall directly into the trap.