When Kaido suddenly called her name, Yamato subconsciously raised her head. What she saw stunned her—there was a genuine smile on her father's face, something she had never witnessed in all her years.
"You found me a good son-in-law," Kaido said, his voice growing weaker but his eyes focused on her with unexpected clarity. "From now on, you should stay with this brat."
For as long as Yamato could remember, she had never seen such an expression from the man who had imprisoned and tormented her. Not once in her childhood had he looked at her with anything resembling the pride or satisfaction he showed now.
"Idiot," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "Do you think I will forgive you just because you make this expression now?" Despite her words, tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. "Damn old man..."
She watched as Kaido's eyes gradually closed, the satisfied smile never leaving his face as his immense life force finally ebbed away. The Emperor of Beasts, the man who could not be killed by blade or cannon, by drowning or falling, had at last met his end.
Yamato couldn't hold back any longer. Her nose reddened, and two streams of tears flowed freely down her cheeks—tears for the father she never truly had, tears for the relationship that could never be repaired, tears for what might have been in another life.
Luffy said nothing. Words seemed inadequate in this moment. Instead, he simply placed a comforting hand on her back, then gently pulled her into an embrace, allowing her to grieve in whatever way she needed.
At that moment, the five women—Vice Admiral Gion, Boa Hancock, Viola, Princess Mansherry, and Koala—approached cautiously, having witnessed the final confrontation from a respectful distance.
Their eyes widened as they gazed upon Kaido's body, an unspeakable shock etched across their faces. Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, the Beast Pirate who had ruled the New World with an iron fist for decades—dead. Just like that.
When they had set out on this mission, none of them had truly believed they could kill Kaido. Their most optimistic hope had been that their combined forces might repel him, forcing the Emperor to retreat and buying Wano precious time.
But to their astonishment, Luffy's current strength proved so terrifying that he had defeated Kaido single-handedly, without requiring their assistance. More impressively, he had achieved this victory while dominating the battle from start to finish, emerging without any serious injuries himself.
This level of combat prowess exceeded even what the World Government acknowledged as its highest fighting force—the three Marine Admirals.
The women stood in stunned silence for several moments before Vice Admiral Gion finally broke the spell. She glanced from Yamato, who was still quietly crying against Luffy's shoulder, to Kaido's lifeless form suspended in Luffy's magnetic field.
With visible discomfort, she turned to Luffy and asked hesitantly:
"What should we do with Kaido's body? If we could bring him back to headquarters..."
Before Gion could finish her suggestion, Luffy gently interrupted her.
"Let's not," he said firmly but kindly. "After all, he's Yamato's father." He shifted his gaze to meet Yamato's tearful eyes, seeking her silent approval before continuing. "I'll speak with Fleet Admiral later. The man is already dead—whether we have his body or not makes little difference now."
As he spoke these words, Luffy released the magnetic field that had been holding Kaido's massive form in its cruciform position. The Emperor's body began to fall freely, descending toward the sea below.
"Kaido was a remarkable figure," Luffy continued, his voice carrying a solemn respect despite everything the Beast Emperor had done. "And since he lived as a pirate, let him return to the sea as one."
They watched in silence as Kaido's body plummeted toward the ocean. With a subtle gesture, Luffy summoned the Eight Trigrams Mace—Kaido's legendary weapon—and magnetically guided it to follow its former master. The massive kanabo settled at Kaido's waist, accompanying him on his final journey to the ocean floor.
The assembled group observed this scene in respectful silence, bearing witness to the end of one of the sea's greatest and most terrible overlords. Not until Kaido's massive form had completely disappeared beneath the waves did anyone move or speak.
Yamato took a deep breath, seemingly drawing strength from the ocean air. She wiped away her tears and visibly rallied her spirits.
"Let's go," she said with forced brightness. "Let's return and tell Ain and the others the news. They're probably still worried about us."
Looking at Yamato's apparent recovery, Koala asked with gentle concern:
"Yamato, are you really okay? Kaido was still your..."
Yamato cut her off with a dismissive wave of her hand, her expression hardening.
"Oh, did that bastard think I would forgive him just because he said something halfway decent at the end?" Her voice took on an edge of bitterness. "How he treated me when I was a child, how he killed so many of my friends—I haven't forgotten any of it."
"Um... I understand," Koala replied with an awkward smile, unsure how to respond.
As a Revolutionary Army officer, Koala recognized she was an outsider to this complex family dynamic. It wasn't her place to judge the relationship between father and daughter, or to determine whether Kaido's final words were an attempt at redemption or merely another manipulation.
But one thing she knew with certainty: Kaido had been a pirate who committed countless atrocities, while Yamato had proven herself kind-hearted and honorable. No matter what, Koala would stand firmly by Yamato's side.
"Alright," Luffy said, sensing the need to move forward. "If there's nothing else, let's head back. I'm concerned about what's happening on the other battlefield."
He gestured for the women to gather closer as he prepared to transport them all back to Wano Country.
"I have no idea how they're faring against Charlotte Linlin," he added, referring to the other Emperor—Big Mom—who had arrived in Wano alongside Kaido.
"Don't worry," Viola reassured him. "After all, two Admirals are working together there, and Vice Admiral Garp is present as well. Charlotte Linlin shouldn't be able to escape."
Viola believed Luffy's concerns were unnecessary. The Marines had prepared extensively for this operation. On paper at least, the probability of defeating Big Mom seemed extremely high.
But only Viola, Mansherry, and Yamato, who weren't familiar with the inner workings of the Marine, would think so optimistically. The others—Koala, Gion, and Hancock—all responded with skeptical snorts.
Luffy himself was mentally cursing a certain lazy admiral, knowing all too well what to expect.
As a Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate, Gion understood the Marine's situation best. She provided an analysis for the others:
"First of all, the key figures in this operation are Admiral Akainu, Admiral Kizaru, and Vice Admiral 'Fist' Garp. Among them, Vice Admiral Garp's fleet was positioned furthest from the battlefield. Even traveling at maximum speed on one of our newest warships, it would take him nearly a day to reach the combat zone."
She continued with a frown, "Between the two admirals already on-site, Akainu is definitely the aggressive one. He would never miss this opportunity to eliminate an Emperor."
"And then there's Admiral Kizaru..."
At the mention of this particular officer, even Gion couldn't suppress a weary sigh.
There was no mystery about it—Kizaru was notorious for his lackadaisical attitude and tendency to put in minimal effort. Anyone who knew him, particularly those who had fought alongside him like Hancock, harbored serious doubts about how much this man would actually contribute to the battle.
Luffy was even more certain the outcome would disappoint. He'd had enough encounters with the light-man to know exactly what to expect.
"Kizaru? Actually fighting seriously against an Emperor?" Luffy scoffed. "Come on—as he always says, it's just a modest government salary. Why would he risk his life?"
The others nodded in reluctant agreement. For all his incredible power, Admiral Kizaru was perhaps the most frustrating Marine officer in history—a man who could potentially be the strongest in the world if he ever bothered to try.
"Well," Luffy said with a determined expression, "we've done our part here. One Emperor down—and that's something the world hasn't seen in decades."
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