"No problem at all. Now that we have left Wano Country and finished building our new headquarters, there is no harm in going out to have some fun," Black Maria nodded in immediate agreement. Back when they lived on Onigashima, she never entertained the thought of sailing out to sea just for leisure, but things were completely different now. She finally possessed some well-deserved free time.
"Young Miss, when exactly are you planning for us to set off?" Haruko asked quietly. She knew that once her Young Miss made up her mind about something, absolutely nothing could change it.
"Let us get everything ready first. We will set sail in two days. Our plan is to wander around our own territory first before we head out to explore other regions. We will just take it one step at a time," Yamato replied, having already mapped out the details in her mind.
"Fine, whatever you say, Yamato," Black Maria said with a smile, offering no objections.
"Good. Maria, you and Haruko go make the necessary preparations. While you are at it, see if any of the other sisters want to join us. If they are willing, bring them along. I am going to report our departure to Second Uncle, and then we will set off immediately," Yamato said before turning on her heel to leave.
Maria and Haruko exchanged amused glances and laughed together. "Let us go. It is time to start preparing."
A short while later, Yamato arrived at the central building where King was handling administrative duties.
"Second Uncle, I am planning to head out for a bit of a wander. Maria and Haruko are coming along with me. I just wanted to let you know," Yamato stated directly.
King looked up, surprised for a brief moment. "That is fine. In that case, I will assign an official mission to you, Young Miss. You can patrol our territory while you are out enjoying yourself."
"A patrol, huh? Fine, no problem. I accept," Yamato muttered after thinking it over. Since she already intended to travel through their own waters before heading into the wider sea, combining her vacation with a patrol was incredibly convenient.
Two days later, Yamato and her chosen group were fully prepared.
"Alright, everyone, let us set off!" Yamato shouted excitedly from the deck of the pirate ship docked at the harbor.
With her command given, the vessel slowly pulled away from the stone pier, gradually leaving the shores of Islande Island behind as it sailed into the open ocean. Yamato had intentionally kept the crew size small for this particular voyage. Aside from Maria and Haruko, the passengers consisted of a few dancers, a dozen regular subordinates, and a small detachment of Artificial Devil Fruit users to handle the ship's defenses.
"Young Miss, these are the major events that have taken place across the seas recently," Haruko noted, carrying a large stack of freshly printed newspapers over to the deck chair. Because Yamato had been completely absorbed in supervising the massive construction efforts on Islande Island, she had not looked at the news for quite a long time.
"I have only been ignoring the outside world for a brief period. I doubt I have missed anything too significant, right?" Yamato murmured as she picked up the top paper and began scanning the headlines.
"Actually, quite a lot has happened during this time. You will see for yourself once you read through them, Young Miss," Haruko replied.
Yamato began reading the columns slowly, and it did not take long for a look of genuine surprise to flash across her face. "The Revolutionary Army actually launched a direct assault on Mary Geoise? They must have been aiming to liberate the slaves. That is definitely their usual style of doing things."
"Yes, it is. The reports state that all four of the Revolutionary Army's deputy commanders appeared simultaneously and managed to release the slaves inside the Holy Land. Admirals Aramaki and Fujitora engaged them in combat, but the battle ended without a decisive result. In the end, the slaves were successfully rescued, and rumors suggest that Fujitora deliberately held back during the clash," Haruko explained.
"Fujitora went easy on them? That makes perfect sense. After all, he is completely different from a person like Aramaki," Yamato nodded, finding the blind Admiral's behavior completely natural.
Turning the page, Yamato moved on to the next major article. "That fatso Blackbeard completely wiped out Law's Heart Pirates? That guy has some nerve, daring to ambush people right on the borders of the Beasts Pirates' territory! He is getting far too arrogant!" Yamato raised an eyebrow, her expression turning cold.
According to the newspaper, Marshall D. Teech had led his main crew to blockade a specific shipping route, waiting like a vulture for Luffy, Law, or Kid to sail into his trap after they departed from Wano Country. Law's luck had been incredibly poor; he happened to choose that exact path and ran straight into the Blackbeard Pirates. Following a brutal battle, the Heart Pirates were completely defeated. Their captain, Trafalgar Law, barely managed to escape alongside his Mink Tribe subordinates.
"Indeed. For Blackbeard to actively operate so close to our sphere of influence suggests he is somewhat disregarding our presence," Black Maria noted as she walked out onto the deck. Two dancers followed closely behind her, carrying trays of fresh food and drinks.
"Could that fat, black-bearded bastard still be holding a grudge over what happened during the Summit War?" Yamato asked, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. During the battle at Marineford, she had personally executed one of his high-ranking crew members and nearly sank his entire group. It was perfectly normal for Blackbeard to harbor a deep resentment against her, meaning this sudden provocation near their territory might very well be an act of petty revenge.
"I believe he simply assumed the Beasts Pirates had been completely broken and suffered unsustainable losses after the battle in Wano, which is why he gathered the courage to act so boldly," Maria said with a knowing smile. Teech could certainly be considered an ambitious warlord, but his actual courage was remarkably small; he would never willingly provoke a fully functional Yonko crew without calculating the risks first. If it were not for the massive chaos the Straw Hat alliance had caused in Wano, Blackbeard would never have dared to linger near their borders.
"Blackbeard must be hunting for powerful Devil Fruits again. He undoubtedly wanted to steal Law's Paramecia-type Ope-Ope no Mi. To think he managed to let the captain escape even with a full ambush—he really is quite useless," Haruko said, shaking her head in disdain.
"Haha! His entire situation can only be described as 'like father, like son'—except completely in reverse. If he actually possessed his father's raw strength to match his own treacherous scheming, he might truly have become the next King of the World," Yamato laughed out loud.
"Like father, like son? Yamato, who exactly is Blackbeard's father?" Maria and Haruko asked simultaneously, both catching the hidden meaning in her words. Everyone knew Edward Newgate loved adopting crew members, but those were all foster sons; the legendary Whitebeard had no biological children of his own.
"The former ruler of the seas who sought to become King of the World, Rocks D. Xebec," Yamato revealed slowly.
"Rocks?" Maria and Haruko repeated the name blankly. Since they had been born and raised under the isolationist policy of Wano Country, they were completely ignorant of the hidden history regarding the Rocks Pirates.
"Let us put it this way: decades ago, Rocks was an overlord even more terrifying than the Pirate King, Gold Roger. My idiot father was once nothing more than an apprentice crew member on Rocks' ship. Aside from him, Charlotte Linlin, Whitebeard, and several other legendary pirates were all serving under his command," Yamato explained.
Maria and Haruko were visibly shocked to hear such a monstrous lineup. To have future Yonko serving as mere subordinates meant the captain's individual power must have been absolutely unfathomable. It was no wonder he held the terrifying title of a man who challenged the world.
"Blackbeard is Rocks' biological son. However, this secret absolutely could not be revealed to the public until Blackbeard had fully established his own power, because the authorities within the World Government would never allow his bloodline to survive. Now that he has grown into a Yonko himself, he naturally no longer fears their retribution, even though his actual combat strength still falls far short of his father's legacy," Yamato said, shrugging her shoulders. In her estimation, Teech had only inherited Rocks' absolute ambition; in terms of martial pride and character, he was nothing like the legendary captain.
"Young Miss, based on what you just said, Whitebeard was once a trusted crew member under Blackbeard's father, yet Blackbeard still chose to murder Whitebeard at Marineford. That goes far beyond simple betrayal; that is completely ungrateful and entirely devoid of human morals," Haruko realized, her expression shifting to disgust.
Yamato nodded firmly. "Exactly. Blackbeard is a true villain who will resort to any despicable method to achieve his ultimate goals. In that regard, he is completely different from the man Rocks was. Back in the day, Rocks could genuinely be called a charismatic hero; otherwise, proud powerhouses like Whitebeard would never have gathered under his banner. It is just a tragedy that he fell so suddenly at the height of his power; otherwise, who knows what massive changes would have reshaped the world today."
"How could an individual that powerful suddenly perish? For a powerhouse operating at the absolute pinnacle of existence, was there anyone alive capable of actually killing him?" Maria asked, her curiosity deeply piqued.
"Rocks died during the incident at God Valley, an island that has been completely erased from the world maps. The official history distributed by the Marines claims that the Pirate King Roger and the marine hero Garp joined forces to execute him. But the reality is that Rocks died due to the direct intervention of the World Government's highest authority, specifically the Holy Knights. Roger and Garp only formed a temporary alliance to fight Rocks out of sheer necessity, and their clash only resulted in his tactical defeat," Yamato explained.
"Why did Roger and Garp find it necessary to team up just to fight him?" Maria asked, her confusion deepening.
Yamato let out a low chuckle, a strange, knowing light flashing deep within her golden eyes. "That is because Rocks fell directly into a calculated trap. He was forcibly controlled by the mysterious existence ruling behind the World Government using an unknown ability, which essentially transformed him into a mindless devil. In truth, Rocks possessed the intellect to realize it was a trap, but he chose to sail into it anyway because God Valley was his ancestral homeland. His people, his wife, and his young children were all located on that island. So, even though he knew that going there guaranteed his demise, he went without a single moment of hesitation. The ultimate result was his fall."
Hearing Yamato reveal these deeply buried historical secrets caused both Maria and Haruko to feel a cold dread pool in their stomachs. If even the man who nearly conquered the world could be casually erased by the hidden might of the World Government, just how terrifying was the true foundation of the organization that ruled the globe?
"Rocks' ultimate objective was to overthrow that mysterious existence hiding behind the World Government. Unfortunately, he failed to make sufficient tactical preparations before confronting them, which led to his defeat and death. Blackbeard was just a young child when those events took place, meaning the tragedy must have left an indelible scar upon his heart. That is likely why he is obsessively accumulating power now, preparing himself to make a final move against the absolute rulers of the world," Yamato sighed, feeling a rare moment of emotion.
"His father possessed superior strength and still failed. Given that Blackbeard is weaker than Rocks was, can he truly expect to succeed?" Maria asked, her voice filled with deep skepticism.
Yamato shook her head slowly. "That is not necessarily true. Blackbeard is a practical villain who values his own survival above all else. He would never willingly place himself in a hopeless situation, let alone throw his life away for sentiment. That is completely impossible for him. If Rocks had chosen to abandon the people at God Valley and acted with a bit more cold-blooded pragmatism back then, the history of the world would be entirely different. Therefore, the fact that Blackbeard shares none of Rocks' emotional vulnerabilities is actually a massive advantage for his survival. It means he possesses no sentimental weaknesses; every single action he takes is calculated entirely on personal interest and raw ambition."
"That may be true from a tactical perspective, but it is impossible for anyone to genuinely respect a man like that," Maria said, shaking her head. Even a brutal tyrant like Kaido possessed more twisted honor than Teech.
"Haha! I find him completely detestable myself, but his actions have nothing to do with us anyway. Let the villains fight amongst themselves," Yamato laughed, tossing the article aside. She turned her attention back to the newspapers and quickly spotted a headline concerning the Captain of the Kid Pirates.
"Huh? You have got to be kidding me! Right after Law got his crew wiped out by Blackbeard, Eustass Kid managed to get his entire fleet annihilated as well? And it was Red Hair Shanks who did it? Did those two rookies pick up some kind of curse while they were staying in Wano Country?" Yamato muttered, completely dumbfounded by the sheer absurdity of the news. They had only just celebrated their victory over the Yonko in Wano, yet the moment they sailed out into the New World, both captains were thoroughly crushed one after another. Their terrible luck was almost comical.
"You cannot really compare the two situations, Yamato. Law was ambushed passively, whereas Kid actively brought disaster upon himself. He sailed directly to Elbaf with the specific intention of challenging Red Hair," Maria explained, having already skimmed the details.
"Is that guy completely brainless? He suffered a devastating defeat during his last attempt and even lost his left arm to the Red Hair Pirates, yet he possessed the audacity to challenge them again so soon? Does he honestly believe he can match a Yonko crew in a straightforward war?" Haruko asked, entirely speechless.
During the war in Wano Country, only Straw Hat Luffy had truly unlocked the individual power required to defeat a Yonko head-on. Law and Kid were still significantly lagging behind him in terms of absolute combat strength. Although the two of them had successfully combined their powers to bring down Big Mom, the nature of their victory was entirely different from the overwhelming display Luffy had shown against Kaido. Even though the World Government had issued an identical bounty of
3,000,000,000
Berry to all three captains, it did not mean they operated on the exact same tier of individual strength. Kid had clearly failed to realize his own limitations, leading his crew into a completely predictable slaughter against Shanks.
"Brave but incredibly foolish, completely brainless, a simple brute—that describes his character perfectly," Yamato stated, completely losing interest in the defeated captain. She paused for a moment as another detail in the article caught her attention. "Elbaf is the legendary homeland of the Giant Race, right? I recall hearing that Red Hair maintains an exceptionally close relationship with them. We should definitely find an opportunity to visit Elbaf and explore their kingdom in the future. What do you two think?"
Hearing the suggestion, both Maria and Haruko looked up with genuine interest. "The kingdom of the giants sounds fascinating. We would love to see what the actual World Tree looks like with our own eyes." The Giant Race was widely considered one of the most unique and reclusive societies in the world, boasting a ancient civilization that held a massive amount of appeal.
"Excellent! Then it is settled. We will definitely find a chance to head over there and have some fun in the future," Yamato decided. She was highly curious to see the actual scale of the giants' sovereign nation.
Immediately after, Yamato picked up the latest report concerning the Straw Hat Pirates, and the information contained within was even more shocking than the previous articles.
"Egghead Island has been completely obliterated, and Straw Hat Luffy has been branded the murderer of Dr. Vegapunk? This specific style of sensationalized reporting... it must be the work of that bird-brain Morgans again," Yamato scoffed, completely refusing to believe the official narrative. However, she truly had not expected that while she was focused on constructing her new headquarters on Islande Island, the Straw Hat Pirates' journey through the government research facility had already reached such a chaotic conclusion.
"Yamato, do you believe the world's greatest scientist is actually dead?" Maria asked curiously.
"The older the ginger, the more pungent its flavor. Vegapunk is, after all, the most brilliant mind in existence; he is definitely not an idiot. How could a man like that fail to secure a proper escape route for his own consciousness?" Yamato noted, shaking her head. She felt entirely certain that Vegapunk had survived the incident in some capacity.
The World Government had clearly authorized a full-scale Buster Call against Egghead Island because they discovered the scientist was actively decoding the Poneglyphs and uncovering the forbidden truths of the Void Century. Although the newspaper deliberately omitted the finer details of the military engagement, Yamato's instincts told her that the Gorosei themselves had likely deployed to the front lines. Unfortunately for the authorities, their operations had been thoroughly disrupted by an ancient, eight-hundred-year-old machine that unleashed a stored burst of Conqueror's Haki.
"Joy Boy..." Yamato whispered, her eyes flickering with an intense curiosity. The concept of physically sealing Haki inside an object for future use fascinated her deeply. Furthermore, the fact that the stored Haki remained perfectly functional after eight centuries was absolutely mind-blowing. Although her own Conqueror's Haki had reached an exceptionally powerful level, she currently possessed no understanding of how to externalize and store her willpower in such a manner. If her memory served her correctly, the energy released by the ancient robot was a compression of Joy Boy's absolute strongest Conqueror's Haki.
"That is definitely something I can dedicate myself to studying next," Yamato thought to herself. If she could master the technique of sealing her own Haki inside weapons or objects, it would add an incredible layer of versatility to her arsenal. Even if the process carried severe limitations, possessing what amounted to a pocket-sized ancient weapon was the perfect countermeasure for handling extreme threats.
"Let us make a brief detour past the ruins of Egghead Island during our voyage just to see what the Buster Call did to the place," Yamato suggested after checking their navigational charts.
"No problem at all. Wherever you choose to lead, we will follow. How could we possibly object to your choices?" Maria replied with a warm smile.
"Of course you cannot object! You all have to follow my lead on this ship. Wherever I point, that is where we sail. From this day forward, you are all coming with me to roam the open seas, explore hidden lands, and have the grandest adventure possible! Full speed ahead!" Yamato shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice carrying across the water. She wanted to witness every beautiful sight this vast world had to offer with her own eyes. Only then could she ensure her presence in this era was not left in vain.
Her true journey of absolute freedom had finally begun!