At the same time—
Kaido spent an entire night flying back to Onigashima.
Thanks to the fusion with a first-generation divine body, his speed was vastly improved—otherwise, returning this quickly would've been impossible.
But his urgency wasn't just about delivering a Devil Fruit to Ron.
More importantly…
he needed to give his good sonYamato a generous spray of the Soft-Heart Spray.
At last…
he might finally witness a filial side of his child.
With excitement bubbling in his chest, Kaido pushed open the door to Yamato's prison chamber and spoke in a deep voice,
"Yamato…"
"Are you still planning to keep being this willful?"
In the pitch-black room, a cool female voice answered,
"Call me Kozuki Oden."
"You ox-headed ape—"
Before the words could finish—
Kaido flashed forward and delivered a ruthless barrage of big slaps straight to Yamato's face.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
After a series of heavy impacts, the servant tasked with caring for Yamato finally couldn't bear it anymore. She grabbed Kaido's arm and cried out,
"Please stop, my lord! If you keep hitting her, Yamato will really die!"
Tears soaked Kaido's arm…
and accidentally dripped onto the nozzle of the Soft-Heart Spray.
"Hmph!"
Kaido flung the servant aside and snorted coldly.
"I hope you're still this stubborn in a moment."
As he spoke, he raised his arm and pressed the spray directly at Yamato's face.
Hiss—
The potion, mixed with traces of the servant's tears, dispersed into a fine mist.
Feeling the moisture on her face, Yamato cursed,
"You old bastard!"
"What are you plotting now? If you've got the guts, just beat me to death!"
However—
To Yamato's shock—
Kaido didn't get angry at all.
Instead, he began unlocking the chains while crying loudly,
"Son… it's not easy for me either!"
"Why can't you understand your father just once?!"
The crying continued for several long minutes.
Just as Kaido prepared to inspect the results—
he suddenly realized—
his kanabo was gone.
In the next instant—
Yamato leapt into the air, gripping the kanabo Hassaikai, now wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, and swung it down at Kaido's head!
"Enough with the fake tears—your act disgusts me!"
"Go die already! One day, I—Kozuki Oden—will rid Wano of this scourge!"
"Glacial Fang Slash!"
Kaido: "???"
Over the next few minutes—
under Yamato's Conqueror's Haki coating, Devil Fruit abilities, and a smooth chain of thunderous combos—
the completely unguarded Kaido was beaten straight into the ground.
Knowing she still couldn't win outright, Yamato didn't linger. She tossed aside Hassaikai and fled immediately.
Watching his child's retreating figure—
Kaido's heart shattered.
Wasn't the spray supposed to soften hearts…?
Why did Yamato hit harder than ever today?
Moments later, Kaido pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
Soon, Donquixote Doflamingo's voice came through.
"What is it?"
Kaido asked gravely,
"Why isn't the Soft-Heart Spray working anymore?"
"Go ask the tavern about it."
Doflamingo laughed.
"No need. The great King Grey Wolf once said—
'When Soft-Heart Spray is tainted by the tears of the weak, it turns into Hard-Heart Spray.'"
Kaido didn't reply.
He hung up the call, lay sprawled on the floor, and muttered to himself,
"My life is suffering…"
"All I want… is a good son."
Over the following days—
Wano Country launched its largest manhunt ever.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Myriad Worlds Tavern—
Seeing the thin man standing at the entrance, Silvers Rayleigh and Homelander both showed faint surprise.
A normal human?
And a timid one at that…
This was the first time since arriving at the tavern that they'd seen an ordinary person.
Meanwhile, Liang Bing and Kaisha raised their brows.
After analysis—
they discovered that this man's power was increasing at a geometric rate.
"Welcome."
"Mr. Escanor."
Ron glanced up and greeted him with a smile.
Escanor—
a powerhouse from the world of The Seven Deadly Sins.
One of the Seven Deadly Sins' knights—
the Sin of Pride.
He was today's randomly invited interworld guest, without any special modifiers.
At the moment, Escanor looked timid and hunched—
yet his strength was terrifying.
At noon, even the Holy Lord would have to eat a couple of slaps from him.
Right now, it was nearing midday—but the sky was cloudy.
Otherwise, Escanor would never have entered the tavern in this state.
"You know me?" Escanor asked nervously.
"Oh… right. Since you invited me, of course you would."
"The voice said your alcohol is excellent, so I came."
He surveyed the tavern while approaching the counter and sat down.
"You and I are in the same trade."
"If the wine displeases you, feel free to say so—we can exchange pointers."
Ron smiled.
Before Escanor could reply, Rem arrived with a bottle.
"This is sweet potato shōchū. Please enjoy."
As the faint aroma drifted into Escanor's nose—
he felt slightly intoxicated already.
Unable to resist, he opened the bottle, poured a glass, and took a sip.
Gulp.
The moment the liquor slid down his throat, a crisp, refreshing sensation burst across his palate.
Unlike wine's heavy richness, sweet potato shōchū carried a gentle fragrance—smooth, mellow, and clear like spring water.
"Excellent."
"I've never tasted alcohol this good!"
A sharp glint flashed in Escanor's eyes as he asked,
"This is made from sweet potatoes, correct?"
Ron nodded.
"That's right.
"In my homeland, it's a drink brewed with nostalgia."
As he spoke—
a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds and streamed through the window onto the bar.
In that instant—
Escanor's body underwent a subtle change.
His thin frame swelled with muscle, his white shirt bursting apart to reveal dense, knotted abs.
Leaning back in his chair, the earlier timidity vanished as arrogance filled his voice.
"So that's why I taste a hint of sweetness."
"I like the alcohol here."
Ron chuckled.
"If you like it, you're welcome anytime."
"By the way—
"You mentioned fainting earlier. Did you run into some trouble?"
Escanor lifted his chin slightly, his tone calm and absolute.
"Nothing worth mentioning."
"Just a filthy insect."
"He dared threaten my companion."
"That is his sin."
"I will personally grant him death."
Hearing this, Rayleigh and Homelander instinctively glanced at Escanor—
then both of their eyes widened.
A living transformation?!
Moments ago, he looked like someone apologizing just for being alive.
Now—
he radiated supreme arrogance, as if heaven and earth existed solely for him.
Rayleigh asked blankly,
"What's going on?"
"Is this another lunatic like Homelander?"
Homelander: "!!!"
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