Evening.
Once again standing in the prison cell, Orion watched Yamato devouring her meal with gusto, his expression slightly bemused.
He didnt expect Yamato to actually memorize the entire handwritten copy of the Three Character Classic word for word.
What surprised him even more was that Yamato had developed her own unique insights into some of the passages.
Especially the line, "To feed without teaching is the father's fault."
Yamato had used it to mercilessly criticize Kaido.
"Fleet Admiral Orion… how long are you planning to keep me locked up?"
Finally, after eating and drinking her fill, Yamato wiped her mouth and sat up straight like a warrior, looking directly at Orion.
"Last night, I learned a lot about you from the Marines. Every one of them spoke of you with respect—more than I ever had for Kozuki Oden—"
Before she could finish, the mention of "Kozuki Oden" triggered a ghostly apparition.
Without warning, a Negative Hollow materialized and slipped into Yamato's body before she could react.
"I—"
The moment the Negative Hollow entered her, Yamato nearly shattered on the spot.
She glared wide-eyed at the infuriating little girl who had just thrown a ghost at her without hesitation, her lips trembling in frustration.
Then, with practiced ease, she dropped to her knees and wailed in despair.
"I'm beyond redemption! Just let me die in peace!"
Perona promptly stepped forward, hands on her hips, leaning down to glare at Yamato with an exaggerated fierceness.
"Don't you dare mention that good-for-nothing, incompetent waste Kozuki whatever-his-name-is in front of the Fleet Admiral again, got it?"
As Perona's words hung in the air, Yamato, though already back to normal, remained kneeling.
Her fists clenched tightly.
But after a moment, on the verge of exploding, she took a deep breath and forced herself to relax.
Sitting cross-legged with a composed expression, she declared earnestly, "I was wrong!"
"Don't rush to apologize!"
Orion smiled warmly and casually pulled out another handwritten booklet from his coat, tossing it in front of Yamato.
"This is The Disciple's Rules, also personally written by me. Memorize it—you'll be tested tomorrow."
With that, he picked up the Three Character Classic that Yamato had already committed to memory and just like that morning, turned and walked away without another word.
"Take care, Fleet Admiral!"
With Perona—the evil little girl capable of driving people to despair—still present, Yamato didn't dare say anything out of line.
She picked up The Disciple's Rules from the floor and called after Orion.
"Make sure you come early tomorrow!"
****
As Orion and Perona left the cell, the Marine guards assigned to watch Yamato immediately stepped inside.
Seeing them, Yamato set The Disciple's Rules aside and spoke bluntly, "Hey, Marine! Can you tell me more about Fleet Admiral Orion's stories?"
"Didn't we go over them last night?"
One of the soldiers approached the bars, chuckling.
"What? have you given up on Kozuki Oden and switched your admiration to the Fleet Admiral? Now that's progress!"
Yamato wasn't in the mood for banter. "Are you gonna tell me or not, you bastard?!"
"Where do you want me to start?" The soldier straightened up, instantly serious.
To every Marine, their Fleet Admiral was the sun, a hero, the most radiant existence in this world.
Being able to share stories about him was an honor.
The story of Fleet Admiral-sama was in itself an honor for them.
"Anything is fine!" Yamato blinked and said decisively, "Anyway, I won't be getting out anytime soon—I've got plenty of time!"
"Then this story will be quite long," the soldier unconsciously straightened his back, his face full of pride as he began recounting to Yamato everything he knew—rumors he had heard, things he had witnessed firsthand—about their Fleet Admiral, down to the smallest details.
As the soldier vividly narrated, Yamato was completely drawn in, frequently gasping in surprise.
Whenever the soldier paused, Yamato would immediately press for more.
Before they knew it, midnight had arrived.
The more Yamato listened, the more energized she became, while the soldier, mid-sentence, tilted his head and dozed off.
"Hey! Why are you sleeping?!"
Yamato never expected the soldier to fall asleep sitting up.
She immediately stood up and fuming, "You stopped right at the best part, you cliffhanger bastard! I'll kill you!"
"Tell me what happened after the Fleet Admiral was arrested and imprisoned!"
"Hey, hey—hey!!!"
Under Yamato's roaring, the soldier weakly opened his eyes, looking like he was on the verge of tears.
"Have mercy please, it's almost dawn. Let me sleep a little and I'll tell you more tomorrow, alright?"
Yamato waved her hand dismissively, declaring firmly, "No. You have to tell me now. What happened after the Fleet Admiral was arrested and imprisoned? If you don't continue, I'll keep yelling until sunrise!"
"Fine, fine, I'll talk," the soldier rubbed his eyes, then straightened his posture and resumed the story.
When the soldier reached the part about the military coup, Yamato's eyes instantly lit up.
"So cool! A real man should be like that!"
After a brief pause, Yamato's expression suddenly turned awkward.
"Hearing you say it like this, Kozuki Oden really can't compare to the Fleet Admiral!"
"He's not even fit to lick his boots!" The soldier mercilessly mocked before continuing.
"The Fleet Admiral once said this: 'The ruler is the boat, the people are the water. The water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it.' That so-called Oden, as the heir to Wano's throne, not only failed to treat his people well but even openly abducted women in the streets. And you idolize someone like that? Are you out of your mind?!"
"Do you know what policies the Fleet Admiral has enacted in Wano now?"
"Let me tell you—the Fleet Admiral had Wano's first mayor Crocodile implement land reform, reclaiming all land for the Marine and then distributing it freely to the people based on population. The people only need to pay a tiny fraction of their harvest as tax the following year."
"Do you know what makes this policy so brilliant?"
"Never mind, an idiot like you wouldn't understand."
"Let me spell it out for you—by reclaiming all land for the Marine, we've eliminated the nobles and landlords from hoarding territory. Anyone who dares to bully the people or seize their land again will be declaring war on the Marines!"
"On top of that, the Marine base is already under construction. Once it's completed, most of the Marine soldiers stationed in Wano will be young men recruited from among Wano's own people. Not only will they protect Wano, but they'll also earn a decent salary every month—defending their homeland while supporting their families!"
"Just based on these two points alone, that so-called Oden or whatever his name is isn't even worthy of polishing Orion-sama boots."
"The most important thing is, even if someone like Kurozumi Orochi were still alive, Wano Country would remain the same as before, with its people still divided into rigid social classes."
"But now it's different. Wano has no nobles, no royal family—only mayors, goverment workers and marine soldiers maintaining order. Everyone else is completely equal!"
Watching the animated soldier speak with such enthusiasm, Yamato blinked as a beautiful vision involuntarily surfaced in her mind, immersing her so deeply she could hardly snap out of it.
After a long moment, realizing she'd been lost in thought, Yamato quickly regained her focus.
She picked up The Disciple's Rules book beside her and moved to sit cross-legged in the corner.
"You should go to sleep!" she said.
"I'm going to read now!"
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