“I’d like to see how you guys plan to sneak in this time.”
For anyone planning to kidnap or assassinate him, the first step was to get close to him. If he could prevent them from getting close in the first place, he could reduce the chances of such things happening from the root.
In the past, he thought the ID card system was a bit excessive, but now he sees it as the policy that makes him feel the safest.
Not leaving Wano Country? That’s no big deal.
If he wanted to, he could still leave. As long as he wasn’t too conspicuous, even those agents wouldn’t be able to lock onto his whereabouts.
The safest way, of course, would be to go out with a powerful backer, but he didn’t want to do that. Following Kaido was no different from walking into Impel Down and handing himself in.
He often walked the line of danger. While Kaido himself will definitely not die, Queen might if he follows him.
Arceus was relatively safer, but following Arceus might result in beatings from Shayna, which wasn’t a good choice either.
After checking over the report he had written, Queen didn’t find any issues. Just as he was about to submit it, a new idea suddenly crossed his mind.
“Miss Yamato… no, I should say our esteemed and beloved Oni Princess might actually be a big help.”
If he could trick Yamato to go out with him, not only could he avoid being inexplicably dragged into extremely dangerous situations, but he also wouldn’t get beaten up by unknown people.
Yamato’s strength was one thing, but more importantly, she had a safeguard left by Arceus. When he thought about it, going out with her seemed like a very safe choice.
The most important thing is that, compared to Kaido, who seems carefree but is actually very cunning, Yamato is much easier to trick. As for the last time when Yamato blackmailed him, he considered that to be just an accident.
Now that Yamato had more autonomy, if he could successfully trick her, many problems would be solved.
However, he forgot one thing: if something really happened, he might still end up in trouble.
Queen wasn’t weak. Though a large part of his 1.7 billion bounty was due to him becoming the scapegoat, his equipment and various disgusting tactics made him a tough opponent, like a pesky hedgehog.
But he lacked a clear understanding of his own strength because the enemies he faced were each more formidable than the last—from the last two surviving Lunarians Shayna and King, to the couple Setsuna and Zeraora, and now the tireless challenger Yamato.
Not to mention the “amiable” teachings from Kaido, which gave him a serious misconception about his own strength.
After all, he is a scientist. Apart from the initial development phase and some special missions later on, he has had few opportunities to fight others, to the point where he is still perfecting his own survival strategies.
“Speaking of which…Miss Yamato seems to have been delayed. This might be a new opportunity.”
Arceus had told her to spend half a month experiencing the reality of the world, so she should have returned to Onigashima yesterday. Since she hadn’t come back yet, it was obvious something had happened.
Whatever it was, this was a great opportunity to trick—ah no, comfort her, so he could secure a massive protective umbrella.
A slightly sinister smile appeared on Queen’s face, as if he was plotting something.
…
“Achoo, achoo!”
“Oni Princess, you might have caught a cold. Maybe we should try another method so we can return sooner.”
“No way, I’ve never caught a cold. How could I catch a cold from something like this? It must be some ba*tard talking bad about me behind my back.”
On the small ship, the four of them continued their journey, but compared to the bright and lively state they were in at the beginning of their voyage, they now appeared somewhat disheveled.
Penniless. That word perfectly described their experience. Yamato had thought her secret stash of money would be enough for this trip, but after they set out, she realized that everything in her cloud bag except Takeru was gone.
They were all adults, with hands and feet, so they wouldn’t starve to death. As for where their stuff went, there’s a certain type called Dark-type, and a move called Thief.
It’s a move that would bring tears to the eyes of pickpockets worldwide. With it, the title of King of Thieves was already in hand.
Without any supplies or even a flag associated with the Beasts Pirates, they had to rely entirely on themselves.
Originally, they had started their return journey a few days ago, but a small mishap occurred along the way.
The New World’s weather struck them hard, and though the ship wasn’t damaged, most of the supplies on board were lost in the massive storm.
Returning to Wano Country from here will take some time, and going without food and water is impossible unless it’s a life-or-death battle lasting several days. No one would endure starvation and thirst otherwise.
During this time, Yamato truly understood how difficult it was to survive in the New World. Because they weren’t flying any flags, the ship appeared to others as just an ordinary shipwreck, which attracted quite a bit of trouble.
People like Orlumbus, who would see their targets as too poor to rob and turn to helping them instead, were rare. Most pirates wouldn’t care about the condition of the people they were robbing—they’d take whatever they could.
Even if there was no money, a bottle of milk or a piece of driftwood could become their target. These pirates didn’t set sail for adventure, to realize a dream, or to make a name for themselves.
They were simply bullies who found joy in bullying the weak, the worst kind of pirates.
And in the process, cannon fire was inevitable. Yamato adhered to one principle: if someone just wanted to fight, she might show mercy, but if anyone dared to touch her ship, they would pay the price.
She’d rather take a cannonball to the face than see the ship lose even a single piece. The cost would be too great otherwise.
“Oni Princess, maybe we should… be a bit more direct. Without replenishing supplies, returning to Wano Country might be a bit difficult…”
“Yeah, after all, we’re pirates. Even if you don’t like it, Oni Princess, we could always write an IOU if necessary.”
Speed and Mizerka both hoped Yamato would hurry up, so they could head back. These youngsters, born and raised in Wano Country, had never experienced such hard times. No matter how tough their training had been, they never lacked logistical support.
It was only in this environment that they realized how much they had benefited from the Beasts Pirates. The method they were suggesting, of course, was to plunder. With Yamato’s usual habits, she would definitely pay for supplies rather than forcibly take them from ordinary people.
As for working to earn money, that was out of the question. That job was simply not suited for them.
“Let’s wait a bit longer. Sooner or later, some pirates will pass by, and once we rob them of their supplies, we’ll be able to go back. Damn it, why can’t we run into any more kind-hearted people like those before…”
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