Kaido sat upon his elevated throne inside the grand hall of Onigashima, sake gourd resting in his massive hand. The torches along the walls flickered violently, as if even fire feared the dragon's mood.
Before him stood Yamato, arms crossed and chin raised without hesitation.
"So," Kaido began, voice low and heavy, "you are saying a man wearing an Oni mask came… cut the stone sealing the cave… and took the samurai imprisoned away?"
His sharp gaze bore into her, searching for the smallest crack in her story.
"Yap," Yamato shot back instantly. "Go and ask the others if you don't believe me."
The hall fell silent.
Several Beast Pirates nearby swallowed nervously. No one spoke to Kaido like that.
Kaido's mouth twitched slightly.
This girl… she really was something. Courage flowed in her veins like wildfire. She did not lower her eyes, did not tremble, did not retreat.
Sigh… he thought irritably. If only she wasn't hell-bent on fighting me to 'liberate' Wano.
"You didn't try to stop him?" Kaido asked, voice tightening slightly.
Yamato lifted her chin higher. "I was chained. What did you expect me to do? Bite him?"
A few pirates nearly choked holding back their reactions.
Kaido's eyes twitched.
"Watch your tone," he warned.
Yamato leaned forward slightly. "What? You're the one who locked me up without food!"
"You fought me again," Kaido replied flatly.
"Because you're wrong!" she snapped.
For a brief moment, their Haoshoku Haki flared unconsciously, clashing invisibly in the air. The ground cracked slightly beneath Yamato's feet, yet she did not kneel.
Kaido studied her carefully.
Her spirit… it's growing.
"Tch," Kaido grunted, turning away. "Get out of my sight."
Yamato didn't wait for permission.
After saying what she wanted, she turned on her heel and walked away without bowing.
Kaido's grip tightened around the sake gourd.
What kind of attitude is that? he thought angrily. I am her father.
The hall trembled faintly from the pressure of his irritation.
But beneath that irritation lingered something else—an unwilling respect for the strength of her will.
Outside, Yamato exhaled sharply once she was out of sight.
"Hah… stupid dragon," she muttered.
She ran toward the back of Onigashima where jagged cliffs overlooked the raging sea. It was quiet there, far from the drunken laughter of pirates.
"This is fine," she said to herself.
She began stretching seriously, rolling her shoulders and cracking her knuckles.
"Kai said to grow stronger," she murmured. "So I will."
She grabbed her kanabo and swung it repeatedly against the stone cliff. Each strike echoed thunderously.
"Again!"
Boom.
"Again!"
Boom.
Sweat began forming quickly, but she didn't stop.
"You think I can't get strong?!" she shouted into the wind. "Just wait!"
---
Back in Wano, Kai landed quietly near Kuri, setting the three rescued samurai down gently.
"This is where you'll stay for now," he said, Oni mask still covering his face.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru bowed. "There are still loyalists hiding in this region."
"Good," Kai replied. "Gather them slowly. No large movements."
One of the other samurai looked at him carefully. "And you?"
Kai crossed his arms. "I'll visit. Every few nights. We'll spar."
Ushimaru narrowed his eyes slightly. "You intend to grow through battle."
Kai nodded. "And so will you."
"Against us?" one of them asked skeptically.
"Yes."
Ushimaru smiled faintly. "You are bold."
Kai's voice deepened slightly behind the mask. "You'll need to be sharper than you are now. When the time comes, hesitation will mean death."
They agreed.
As promised, Kai returned several nights later.
Under the moonlight in a hidden clearing, he stood opposite Ushimaru.
"No Conqueror's infusion," Kai said calmly. "Pure swordsmanship."
Ushimaru nodded. "Agreed."
Steel clashed.
Their blades met with sparks flying into the night air.
"You're holding back," Ushimaru observed mid-swing.
"So are you," Kai replied smoothly, parrying and countering.
Ushimaru smirked. "Testing me?"
"Always."
They exchanged rapid blows, footwork precise and controlled. Kai deliberately kept his size manipulation at adult form, maintaining the illusion of the Oni Samurai.
Ushimaru lunged with a powerful downward slash.
Kai sidestepped. "Too wide."
"You criticize mid-fight?" Ushimaru retorted.
"Best time to learn."
They clashed again.
The other two samurai joined shortly after, turning the duel into a three-on-one battle.
"Surround him!" one shouted.
Kai laughed lightly. "That won't work twice."
He pivoted smoothly, blocking one blade while kicking another attacker backward.
"You're adapting fast," Ushimaru admitted.
"I have good teachers," Kai replied.
"Who?"
"Two monsters."
The fight lasted until dawn.
When it ended, all three samurai were on one knee, breathing heavily.
Kai stood with only minor scratches on his sleeves.
"You've improved," Ushimaru said honestly.
"So have you," Kai replied.
He vanished soon after, shrinking to ant-size to search once more for Hiyori and Kawamatsu.
But again, nothing.
"Kawamatsu… you paranoid fish," Kai muttered midair. "You're hiding too well."
---
He returned to his safe house before sunset.
Inside, Toki lay peacefully on the bed.
Kai approached slowly.
She looked younger now—closer to her late twenties, perhaps early thirties. The Seraph Contract had stabilized her body completely.
"She should wake up soon," Kai thought quietly.
He placed a hand lightly on her forehead.
"Wake up," he murmured softly. "Wano still needs you."
After preparing food and feeding her carefully again, he stepped outside.
His thoughts drifted beyond Wano.
There was something else he needed to prevent.
The auction.
The sale of the Boa sisters.
His jaw tightened.
"I won't let that happen," he whispered.
He had limited time.
But now, with Roger's will, Oden's raw power, and his own Seraph core fused completely, his growth would be monstrous.
He trained harder.
Longer.
More brutally.
He would fight Ushimaru and the others at night. Train alone at dawn. Practice Haki control by balancing pebbles midair while infused with Armament.
Sometimes, he flew to Onigashima just to see her.
Each time, Yamato would sense him and sprint toward him.
"Kaiiiii!"
She would leap without hesitation.
And every time, he caught her.
"You're getting heavier," he teased once.
"Shut up!" she barked. "That means I'm growing stronger!"
"Or eating too much."
She swung her kanabo at him immediately.
"Say that again!"
He blocked it casually.
"Oh? That swing was cleaner."
"Of course it was!"
They sparred often now.
Mid-combat, she would grin wildly.
"Don't dodge! Fight me properly!"
"I am fighting properly," he replied smoothly, deflecting her blow.
"You're smiling!"
"So are you."
Their clashes echoed against the cliffs.
At one point, she charged recklessly.
Kai sidestepped and tapped her forehead.
"Predictable."
She pouted. "I'll hit you next time!"
"I'm counting on it."
After training, they would sit near the waterfall.
"Do you think I can beat him one day?" she asked once, staring at the horizon.
"Yes," Kai answered without hesitation.
"Really?"
"Yes. But not by copying Oden."
She blinked. "Then how?"
"By being Yamato."
She smiled quietly at that.
As Kai flew back toward Wano that night, wind rushing past him, he allowed himself a small sigh.
He really did love this girl.
Not just her strength.
Her spirit.
And he would make sure that when the storm finally came…
She would stand at his side, not in chains.