Hearing Yamato's taunt, Jack's anger flared up instantly. "Yamato! Do you really think no one in this world can deal with you?"
"Yes, isn't that right?" Yamato nodded with a very serious expression.
"You..." Jack was so livid that his hair braids were practically standing on end. He truly couldn't win an argument with her, and every exchange only left him more frustrated.
"Young Master, that's quite enough," Haruko stepped forward, interrupting the two before the ship's deck became a battlefield.
Yamato laughed heartily, "Since Haruko says so, fine then. I'll behave."
Jack glared at Yamato, his face twisted with displeasure. He turned away and waved his massive hand at his men. "Tie everyone up and send them to the mining camp!"
"Yes, Lord Jack!" his subordinates shouted. They immediately moved to secure Ashura Doji and the group of samurai, binding them in heavy iron chains and dragging them toward the transport ships.
Once the prisoners were handled, Jack turned back to Yamato and Haruko. "Why are you two even here?"
"We came to find you, obviously. Next time you head out on business, bring us along. We need to get some fresh air and see the world, too," Yamato said with a bright smile.
Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes. She didn't care about the mission; she just wanted to go out and have fun. "Do you have an opinion on that?" Yamato asked, glancing at him sideways.
"How could I? Do I even dare to have an opinion of you? You are the Young Master of the Beasts Pirates, after all," Jack said sarcastically, still trying to vent his lingering frustration.
"Pfft... I didn't expect you to be capable of sarcasm, Jack. I thought you were just a simpleton," Yamato burst out laughing.
Haruko stood nearby, a faint smile touching her lips. Under Yamato's constant "training," it seemed Jack was actually starting to develop a sharper tongue. She wondered if this counted as progress for him.
"Shut up, you bastard Yamato!" The veins on Jack's forehead were throbbing. In the entire crew, only Yamato dared to call him a simpleton; even Kaido wouldn't use that word with him.
"Alright, alright, don't be so angry. That's an exclusive nickname I gave just to you. It shows we have a great relationship! Look, do I call anyone else a simpleton? No, right?" Yamato tried to appease him with a grin.
"I'd only believe that if I were a complete fool. You are incredibly wicked," Jack muttered, rolling his eyes several times. The idea that being called a simpleton was a sign of a "good relationship" was total rubbish.
"How could you say that? You're really hurting your good friend's feelings," Yamato said, slapping his arm hard.
Jack's face twitched at the impact. "Tch, what 'good friend'? Since when were we friends?"
Yamato raised her hand again, intending to give him a few more friendly whacks, but Jack had learned his lesson. He quickly stepped back, causing Yamato's hand to miss completely.
"Let's head back to the ship, men!" Jack shouted to his remaining subordinates, ignoring Yamato entirely as he walked away. "We sail in three days," he added over his shoulder.
Yamato watched him go, smiling and shaking her head. "I didn't expect that simpleton to be such a tsundere."
"Lord Jack truly respects and fears you, Young Master," Haruko said as she walked over.
"Is that so? Why do I feel like he doesn't show me any respect at all?" Yamato asked.
Haruko gave her a look. "That's only because the Young Master is a bit slow-witted when it comes to social cues."
"Haha, you think so?" Yamato laughed.
Three days passed quickly, and it was finally time for Jack to set sail. Yamato and Haruko boarded Jack's pirate ship early in the morning.
"Finally out at sea! I can finally relax and enjoy myself," Yamato cheered.
"Yamato, relax all you want, but stay out of my way," Jack warned her. If he had any choice in the matter, he never would have let her on his ship again.
"I know, I know. Don't worry, you do your job and I won't bother you," Yamato said dismissively. She skillfully ordered a few crew members to bring a lounge chair to the deck and immediately lay down to soak up the sun.
The veins on Jack's forehead jumped violently at the sight, but he took a deep breath and turned his head away. Out of sight, out of mind.
"Hahaha! Jack, look at that disgusted face. You're such a straight-laced guy!" Yamato teased.
"Stop talking nonsense. It's none of your business," Jack snapped.
Yamato flipped over on the chair. "Jack, you should be more gentlemanly when speaking to a lady. Otherwise, a guy like you is definitely going to stay single forever."
"Shut up! You're so long-winded! Are you some kind of old hag?" Jack was infuriated.
"How could I be? I'm as beautiful as a flower and in the prime of my twenties. Jack, are your eyes broken? Should I call the ship's doctor to give you an exam?" Yamato asked, spreading her hands wide.
Jack rolled his eyes. This woman was truly narcissistic. Beautiful as a flower? More like a weed, he thought.
"Ahem, Lord Jack, has the location for this weapon transaction changed?" Haruko asked, interrupting their bickering.
"Yes," Jack replied, his focus returning to the mission. "The location for this deal has been moved to Ika Island."
The weapons produced in Wano by the Beasts Pirates were always exported to a specific underground organization. The leader of that group was a man nicknamed "Joker." In reality, Joker was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea: the "Heavenly Yaksha," Donquixote Doflamingo.
"Jack, since when did the Beasts Pirates get involved with this Joker guy?" Yamato asked.
"It's been quite a few years. To be precise, they approached us first. We've been selling our surplus weapons to them ever since," Jack explained. Joker acted as the middleman, buying the weapons from Wano and reselling them to various warring nations across the Grand Line.
"Oh, so he's just a middleman. That Joker really knows how to run a business," Yamato nodded.
"Joker has massive influence in the Underworld. While he isn't quite at the level of the 'Underground Kings' yet, he's a major power. Most importantly, he's desperate to maintain a good relationship with us," Jack said.
"Hmm. It sounds like he wants to latch onto one of the Yonko to make his life easier. Another restless fellow," Yamato said, narrowing her eyes.
She knew exactly who Donquixote Doflamingo was and what he was planning. Like Kaido, Doflamingo had suffered great tragedies in his childhood that had left him twisted and corrupt.
"How do you know he's restless?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. As far as he knew, Joker was a reliable business partner.
"Jack, do you know that Doflamingo is actually a Celestial Dragon?" Yamato asked calmly.
Jack's pupils contracted in shock. "A Celestial Dragon?! You're not lying, are you?"
Haruko was equally startled. The World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons—how could one of them become a pirate and a Shichibukai? Logically, weren't they all supposed to live in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise?
"Why would I lie? Donquixote is one of the ancient bloodlines of the Celestial Dragons. You'd know that if you ever picked up a history book," Yamato said with a smirk.
Jack and Haruko were stunned into silence. They hadn't expected to learn such a secret about their business partner. What shocked them even more was that Yamato knew it. Her intelligence and knowledge were becoming genuinely terrifying.
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