"Woo~~~Wow~~~"
Nine-year-old Yamato.
Her lips trembled, and her big, teary eyes were filled with fear.
On the distant shore, she saw herself—ignoring the panicked shouts of the pirates—jump into the sea, trying to swim away. But then, a violent explosion erupted. Thick smoke rose into the air, and nothing was left behind.
The little girl was terrified. She couldn't hold back her tears anymore, crying loudly, "That bastard father… he really wants to kill me! Waaaahhh!"
"Hey, don't cry."
Wilhelm gently patted Yamato's head, trying to comfort her.
Looking into her teary eyes with a soft gaze, he asked, "Do you want to leave with me?"
"Really? Sniff Big brother, can you really take me away?"
Still sobbing, Yamato grabbed the hem of Wilhelm's clothes, looking up at him with tears streaming down her face.
She wiped her eyes with her small hands, her voice full of fear and sorrow. "Waaaahhh! I don't want to stay here anymore!"
"If I stay, I'll really die! Waaaaa~~~!"
"Hey, don't be sad…"
Wilhelm stroked her head again and smiled. "We're the same… If no one loves us, then we must love ourselves."
"Love ourselves…?"
Yamato, her tear-streaked face full of confusion, stared at Wilhelm.
"My name is Charlotte Wilhelm. If you want, I can be your family. From now on, you are my little sister, Yamato!"
"Family…?"
"Yes, real family. From today onward, I am your big brother, Wilhelm!"
"Do you want that?"
Yamato looked at the silver-haired boy standing right in front of her.
His deep, calm voice echoed in her mind.
"Yes, I want that…"
Her eyes sparkled, as if she had finally found hope. She nodded firmly, her small face still wet with tears. But this time, there was happiness in them too.
Gripping Wilhelm's clothes tightly, as if afraid he would disappear, she sobbed, "I have a big brother now… Wilhelm big brother…"
Not long after, her emotions overwhelmed her.
Her small, bruised body had reached its limit.
Tear stains still on her face, Yamato curled up in Wilhelm's arms and fell into a deep sleep.
"Gyahaha~ Boss, are we leaving now?" asked Pato the Tanuki.
"It's time to go back…"
Wilhelm stood up, holding Yamato in his arms.
The Beasts Pirates… He still had more to take from them.
But for now, the real powerhouses of the crew were either yet to appear or had fought beside Kaido for years. They were too loyal to be swayed.
Meanwhile, Marine Headquarters was making a big move in the first half of the Grand Line.
They had mobilized their forces on a large scale, forming a massive Marine fleet to launch an attack on the Big Mom Pirates.
Right now, Wilhelm didn't have time to stay in Wano and search slowly. But at the same time, there was no need to rush.
Once the conflict with the Marines was over, he could return to Wano when he had the time.
As for the Nine Red Scabbards, he could deal with them slowly.
Now
The Flower Capital was drowning in blood.
Kaido of the Beasts personally led his crew in a brutal crackdown, crushing the samurai who tried to rebel after the death of Shogun Orochi.
Meanwhile, Jin, also known as "Flame Disaster," led a group of pirates to suppress rebellions in other parts of Wano. His main goal was to ensure the weapon factories kept running—these factories were the backbone of the Beasts Pirates' economy.
In the past few years, the Beasts Pirates had grown rapidly, thanks to these arsenals.
But the cost had been devastating.
Wano's water, air, and farmland had been poisoned by the factories' waste. The environment had been severely damaged.
If things continued like this, the once-rich and self-sufficient Wano would become a barren wasteland—polluted and unlivable.
But the Beasts Pirates didn't care about the suffering of the people.
Suddenly—
"Boss Kaido, bad news…!"
A pirate rushed in, panicked and drenched in cold sweat.
Kaido sat on the throne that once belonged to Orochi, casually drinking from a gourd of sake. He frowned, annoyed.
"What's all this panic about? Useless fool."
The pirate hesitated, visibly shaking. "It's Master Yamato… Master Yamato—"
Kaido narrowed his eyes. "What about Yamato?"
"T-They ignored all warnings and jumped into the sea, trying to escape from Onigashima! But then—t-the bomb bracelet… it exploded…!"
"What!?"
Kaido's face darkened instantly.
He glared at the trembling pirate with bloodshot eyes, his overwhelming aura filling the room like a monstrous beast from ancient times. His fury was beyond words.
"Say that again!" His voice thundered.
"You're telling me… my son just died!?"
The sheer pressure of his presence made the pirate's legs give out, and he collapsed to the floor, shaking uncontrollably.
With a trembling hand, the pirate held out a Den Den Mushi. "T-This is from Lord Queen…!"
Even in his terror, he cursed Queen in his heart.
That damn bastard!
Queen must have messed up—he failed to keep an eye on Yamato, letting this disaster happen.
Now, instead of reporting it himself, Queen had sent his subordinate to take the first hit of Kaido's wrath, so he could soften the blow before explaining over the phone.
Kaido grabbed the Den Den Mushi, his massive fist clenching tightly, veins bulging with rage.
"Queen…!" His voice was a low growl, barely holding back his fury.
"Explain. NOW."
Even though Yamato was a useless son in his eyes, Kaido had never truly planned to kill him.
If he wanted Yamato dead, he would have just locked him up and let him starve.
The beatings, the starvation—they were all meant to break his will, to force him into submission.
The bomb bracelet? That was just for intimidation.
Kaido had always believed that Yamato was too much of a coward to actually try escaping.
And without his permission, no one would have dared to let her board a ship.
On the Other End of the Line…
"I-I'm really sorry, Brother Kaido…"
Quinn's voice trembled through the Den Den Mushi.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead. His whole scalp felt numb.
Inside, he cursed.
Damn it! You're the one who put such a dangerous bomb bracelet on your own daughter! How is this MY fault!?
But of course, he didn't dare to say that.
Instead, he forced himself to speak carefully, "We immediately sent people to search the sea, but… we couldn't find Master Yamato anywhere. Based on the explosion… she was probably… blown to pieces!"
"BOOM!!"
In an instant—
The Den Den Mushi shattered.
The pirate delivering the message vanished.
Even the surrounding buildings were completely wiped out.
"You useless trash! What the hell are you even good for!? You couldn't even keep an eye on a damn nine-year-old brat!!"
Kaido slammed his massive kanabo, Hassaikai, into the ground, shaking the entire area.
His overwhelming presence, like a demonic beast, made the air feel heavy.
Then, to everyone's shock—
He sat down.
His face twisted in grief.
Tears streamed down his cheeks as he sobbed uncontrollably.
"Ooohhh… Yamato…!"
"My precious son… wooohooo…!"
He always claimed that even if Yamato died, he wouldn't care.
But now, hearing that his precious son was truly gone—
Even a monster like Kaido couldn't suppress his emotions.
After all…
Yamato was his flesh and blood.
No matter how rebellious, no matter how much of a disappointment…
A child who awakened Conqueror's Haki at just eight years old was bound to become powerful in the future.
"ROAAARRR—!!"
A massive, azure dragon burst into the sky from the Flower Capital.
Flames hotter than hell itself erupted, engulfing the shogun's mansion and setting countless buildings ablaze in an instant.
"THUNDERBOLT!!!"
"OOOHHHOOOO—!!"
Dark clouds rolled in.
Lightning crackled.
The heavens themselves seemed to shake.
As the massive Seiryu dragon hovered in the stormy sky, its overwhelming presence blotted out the sun.
Every pirate, samurai, and civilian below trembled in fear.
Kaido of the Beasts had lost control.
And his rage would consume everything.
"BOOM…!"
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You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04