The time women spend bathing is generally longer than that of men, but this does not apply to Yamato. In less than ten minutes, she emerged from the bathroom, including the time it took to get dressed.
From Maria’s expression, it was evident that she felt she hadn’t cleaned herself thoroughly, but under Yamato’s insistence, she felt somewhat helpless.
“Dad, where’s Jack?”
The wet, gradient-colored hair of white, green, and blue hung down the back of her head, simply tied back with a leather tie. Arceus had been suspicious of her hair color at first, after all, Kaido’s hair was originally pure black.
Especially after seeing Kozuki Toki, there were certain similarities in their hair colors, but if it weren’t for the timing, Arceus might have suspected that Kaido had some involvement with Kozuki Toki during his disappearance.
“Dry your hair, or at least wrap it in a towel, I believe I’ve told this to you before.”
“It’s too much trouble, and I’m perfectly fine, no issues.”
Most people couldn’t escape the torture of illness. Even strong individuals like Whitebeard and Roger couldn’t avoid falling ill. However, for someone with Yamato’s constitution, common illnesses were probably no match for her immune system.
“No means no. I’ll let it slide this time. If I see you like this again, you’ll have to continue training with your father.”
Saying that, a burst of hot air was released, perfectly drying her hair. Maria, basking in Yamato’s warmth, experienced the same feeling.
“Don’t we have a Rotom hair dryer? Remember to use it next time.”
“Got it, Dad. But where did Jack run off to?”
“He’s over there.”
Arceus gestured toward the sea, where a series of bubbles were rising. It was clear evidence of Jack’s presence. Soon, a nose emerged from the seabed and reached the shore, and Jack, in his human-elephant form, climbed out of the water.
In the original timeline, the Mammoth Devil Fruit’s Human-Beast form was similar to Maria’s form, which is a half-human and half-elephant. However, that form was most likely the result of Queen’s drug modification.
Devil Fruit users could undergo such transformations, but pure Pokémon Devil Fruit users couldn’t. So Jack’s Human-Beast form was similar to most Devil Fruit users, resembling a human with elephant features.
“It’s pretty cool, huh? As expected of Dad’s power.”
Yamato knocked on Jack’s body, and listening to the metallic thud, expressed her opinion.
“But with this body, won’t Mr. Kaido beat even harder?”
Maria, standing nearby, poured cold water on Jack’s enthusiasm. Given his focus on defensive combat, his main training involved taking hits. According to Kaido’s eccentric theory of teaching based on a student’s ability, Jack suddenly felt that his future was somewhat bleak.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. In the end, no matter what, we’ll end up tired and half-dead. There’s really no difference.”
At this moment, Yamato, on the contrary, had resigned herself to this unpleasant fact and said something that was impossible to refute. In short, it was absolutely impossible to relax under Kaido’s training.
“By the way, Dad, the newspaper said you and Dad destroyed the entire—”
“Shikkearu.”
“Yes, Shikkearu Kingdom. Is it true?”
After Jack accepted the impending cruel reality, Yamato asked Arceus, but she seemed to have forgotten the complex name of that country, prompting Maria to remind her.
As for whether the name of this country is complex or not, it is definitely complex for her.
“No, we only destroyed the capital and the king. They touched something they shouldn’t have, and this was the inevitable consequence. This is the same reason why your Ohara was destroyed. You didn’t have the necessary strength, but you touched something you shouldn’t have.”
The latter part of the sentence was clearly not addressed to Yamato but to Robin; the ear in the blind corner of his vision could not escape his perception.
“Come out, no need to hide. If you have any questions, you can ask them in person.”
Yamato would not ask this question unless she saw something strange in person. Over the years, they have established this absolute trust between them.
This was not surprising; any normal parent would not be doubted by their children no matter what they said, even if they are not their biological child.
Clearly, this was done for someone else. The Flower-Flower Fruit was indeed convenient for eavesdropping and other things. As her abilities strengthened, even if she remained stationary, she could gather the information she wanted through her extended limbs.
Not long after, Robin walked over. It seemed that she had mentioned this matter to Yamato while she was bathing, and she had agreed to inquire on Robin’s behalf.
As for why they didn’t ask Kaido, he wouldn’t deign to answer such a question. Even if he did, it would probably be something like【If they were destroyed, they were destroyed. What’s there to care about? They were too weak.】
So, Yamato chose to wait for Arceus to return.
“While the news in the newspapers isn’t entirely true, you must be concerned about this issue due to the Buster Call incident back then.”
“That’s right. You’ve managed this country so well, but when it comes to the outside world, it’s like…”
“I didn’t have to answer your question originally, but Yamato considers you a friend, so I’ll tell you a bit more. Everyone has their taboos, and they touched upon my greatest taboo.”
As he spoke, he displayed a plate in front of Robin. Archaeologists from Ohara had all seen images of the plate. Given Ohara’s identity, they were destined to never get along with the World Government, so he wasn’t worried about revealing this information to them.
“Anyone who attempts to keep my plate, no matter who they are, wouldn’t be forgiven. Similarly, if you can find information about it for me, you can gain a lot.”
“I never harm the innocent. The civilians of that country had ample time to evacuate, but the Marines fabricated some things. You should know about that too. Initially, you Ohara people were all seen as ‘madmen trying to destroy the world.'”
“We certainly were not.”
“This is a twisted world. When others suspect you have a weapon to destroy the world, you’d better actually have one. I heard you became a scholar at the age of 8, so you should understand this logic.”
Robin’s mental growth was slower compared to her endless life of fleeing, but she still understood the most basic principles.
“You explore history, but who can guarantee that the history left behind 800 years ago is the absolute truth? History is written by the victors, and you have so much left to investigate.”
Afterward, Arceus left first. He had other things to do, but this also reinforced another idea in Robin’s mind. She wanted to explore the truth of the world and find out what had happened in the distant past.
However, she didn’t have much time to contemplate this matter and was soon pulled away by Yamato.
“Let’s go, Robin. You’ve got your answer, so let’s go have some fun. It’s not often we get a break.”
“Uh?”
“Let’s talk about the future later. What can you do now?”
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