Yamato pointed at the chests of gemstones. "I got lucky and snatched these from some pirates we ran into. I figured since these things are more suitable for us women, I'd just keep them for us."
"Maria, you take these. They're perfect for you to use. I've already started wearing a few myself. Look at me! I'm practically radiating one specific word: expensive!"
"Pfft... Expensive?" Maria laughed, her eyes crinkling. "Shouldn't it be a 'noble aura'? But honestly, Haruko did this for you, didn't she? It looks especially fitting."
"Same difference! But Maria, how did you know Haruko did it? Why couldn't I have done it myself?" Yamato retorted, crossing her arms.
Maria glanced at her with an amused expression. "I know you well enough, Yamato. You don't have that kind of talent for coordination."
"Even you say that... Alright, fine," Yamato grumbled. She hadn't expected Maria to reach the same conclusion as Haruko so quickly, but she reluctantly accepted the defeat.
"By the way, about that incident with the Whitebeard Pirates," Maria said, her tone becoming more serious. "You and Haruko probably knew before we did, right? You must have met that Blackbeard. What kind of person is he?"
Yamato nodded and gestured for Haruko to take the lead. Haruko then described Blackbeard's appearance and the unsettling impression he left on her, including some of Yamato's own cryptic comments.
"Is that so? He sounds like a very scheming person," Maria noted. "One is Whitebeard, the other is Blackbeard. I wonder if there's some special connection between them. Imagine if Blackbeard actually replaced Whitebeard to become one of the new Four Emperors."
"Pfft—!" Hearing this, Yamato accidentally spat out the tea she had just sipped.
A large patch of Yamato's pants was instantly soaked. She coughed, not expecting Maria to suddenly drop such a massive spoiler disguised as a joke. More importantly, Maria had actually hit the nail right on the head.
Seeing Yamato's intense reaction, both Maria and Haruko were stunned. "What's wrong? Did you drink too fast and choke?"
"Yeah, just a bit of a mishap. It's nothing!" Yamato laughed awkwardly, quickly brushing the tea off her clothes.
Maria and Haruko exchanged a long glance. It felt as though she had been genuinely startled by that last sentence. "Was what Lady Maria just said that scary?" Haruko asked, handing a handkerchief to Yamato.
Yamato took it and wiped her mouth. "Maria's guess is actually a bit scary. But, I think it's not entirely impossible."
"Ara ara, I just said it offhand. I didn't expect there to really be such a possibility," Maria laughed, though she still felt the likelihood was quite small. If Blackbeard had the power to replace a legend like Whitebeard, he wouldn't have been scared enough to flee into the night.
"Alright, let's stop talking about those gloomy things. Maria, come pick out the gemstones you like. Dress yourself up to look even better," Yamato said, expertly changing the subject.
Maria nodded. "Alright."
The three of them began sifting through the chests, selecting pieces that suited Maria's elegant style.
"Young Master, you should just watch from the side," Haruko told Yamato, effectively banning her from helping.
"Uh... Fine." Yamato sat down nearby, lit a cigarette, and watched them work.
After a while, Maria had finished her selection. "They look good, but you're using too few gemstones," Yamato offered, providing a completely unprofessional critique.
"Young Master, looking good is about what is suitable. This amount is just right for Lady Maria," Haruko said with a helpless look. Yamato's aesthetic sense was truly bizarre; she seemed to think that wearing more jewels always meant looking better. Just a short while ago, Yamato had tried to cover herself in so many stones she could barely move.
"Alright, alright, you two decide," Yamato conceded.
"Thank you for the gemstones, Yamato. I really do like them," Maria said with a gentle smile.
"I'm glad. The remaining gemstones are yours too, Maria; you decide what to do with them. Haruko, are you sure you don't want more? I saw you only took a few," Yamato said.
Haruko shook her head. "Those are enough for me."
Seeing Haruko's resolve, Yamato didn't press her further. After a short pause, Yamato suddenly pulled Haruko into a hug and grinned. "Since we're finally home, let's all three of us go take a bath together today! It's been a long time."
"Indeed, the last time was several months ago," Maria agreed.
Haruko looked at Yamato's face, which was pressed close to her own. Yamato's face wasn't a standard oval; it was slightly rounder and undeniably adorable. Haruko felt her heartbeat quicken slightly. "I'm fine with it," she said, forcing herself to remain calm.
"Yosh! To the baths!" Yamato cheered.
In the spacious bathhouse, Yamato swam through the hot water like a fish. Beside her, Maria and Haruko leaned against the edge of the stone bath, soaking contentedly.
"She's just like a child," Maria remarked, exhaling a cloud of smoke from her cigarette.
"That's right, Lady Maria. You have no idea," Haruko replied, becoming unusually talkative. "The Young Master is willful, mischievous, and sometimes a bit airheaded. But other times, she's incredibly imposing and has foresight that is truly admirable. Sometimes I don't know which side is the real her."
Maria smiled gently. "Whichever side it is, it's all Yamato. The mischief and the strength—that's who she is."
"But no matter how many sides she has, I've noticed she doesn't have a single feminine side," Haruko complained.
"Pfft! I realized that a long time ago. Lord Kaido raised her completely as a boy, after all," Maria laughed.
Haruko's eye twitched. So Lord Kaido was the one to blame for this lack of grace. "But, Haruko, you like that version of Yamato, don't you?" Maria asked with a knowing look.
"What's there to like or not like? I'm her personal guard. I have a responsibility to look after her," Haruko replied, her face flushing a deep red.
"Ara ara, what an indirect child," Maria laughed.
A few days later, news reached Wano that two Emperors had officially made contact.
"He really went to see Whitebeard," Yamato remarked while watering some flowers.
"Yes, just yesterday, Red-Haired Shanks met with Whitebeard on the Moby Dick," Haruko confirmed.
What had started as a simple defection was now a meeting between two of the most powerful men in the world.
"So, does that mean Fire Fist Ace has already gone out to pursue Blackbeard?" Yamato asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, I heard he set out immediately after the murder. Wait—" Haruko's eyes widened. "I haven't even mentioned that yet. How did you know?"
Yamato just grinned. "By the way, Haruko, are you interested in going to the Sabaody Archipelago for a little fun?"
Haruko was stunned. "Sabaody? Young Master, why there? That's the island closest to Marine Headquarters. It's incredibly dangerous."
"Haha, it's not dangerous at all. Don't forget I can fly! Even if all three Admirals surrounded me, I could still escape," Yamato said, waving her hand dismissively.
"It's not just about escaping! If the Young Master of the Beasts Pirates appears so close to Marineford, the World Government won't ignore it," Haruko sighed.
But Yamato was determined. "The world is big, Haruko! I have to see it. Sabaody is famous. If I don't go at least once, I'll live with regret."
"Regret? Is it really that serious?" Haruko's eye twitched. She didn't believe that reasoning for a second.
"Yes! So, let's go together. We'll bring Maria too!"
Haruko realized she couldn't stop her. "Fine. When do you plan to leave?"
"In a couple of days. Prepare an Eternal Pose for Sabaody, and we'll set off directly."
Yamato then went to find Maria, but Maria gently declined the invitation due to her duties at Onigashima. "You and Haruko go. Be careful, Yamato. I know you have your own reasons for this."
Two days later, Yamato went to inform King.
"Uncle, Haruko and I are heading out for a while. Contact us by Transponder Snail if anything urgent happens."
King was surprised. "Just the two of you? This style... it feels familiar." He immediately thought of Kaido's tendency to wander off.
"Don't worry, Uncle. I'm not like my idiot old man. This is a planned trip, not a drunken whim," Yamato explained.
King laughed. "I know you wouldn't act as recklessly as Big Brother. However, the seas are tense right now. Be careful."
"I have no interest in getting involved in those messy situations unless it's for our crew. I'll be in touch!" Yamato said as she left.
King watched her go with a smile. "In that aspect, she's quite different from her father."
Yamato met Haruko at the docks. "I've told King. Let's go!"
"Here is the Eternal Pose. Young Master, you're not planning to fly all the way there, are you?" Haruko asked.
"Of course not. That would be too boring!"
"But if we sail a ship, we'll be under heavy Marine surveillance the moment we leave our territory," Haruko warned. "The Marines watch the Four Emperors very closely."
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