"Young Master, welcome back." As Yamato stepped through the courtyard gate, two maids immediately rushed forward to greet her.
Yamato offered them a small smile. "Mhm. Go and prepare a large bento for me. I'm heading out later and won't be back until this evening."
The two maids exchanged a confused glance. While they didn't understand the sudden request, they didn't dare question their master's business and obediently went to the kitchen.
"Hey, Yamato, what are you up to?" A girl's voice called out a few moments later.
A teenager, likely sixteen or seventeen years old, walked into the courtyard. She had long, flowing orange hair adorned with intricate hairpins. She was tall, beautiful, and possessed a striking figure. Much like Yamato, she also had a pair of horns on her head, though they were shaped differently. This was Black Maria. She wasn't an ordinary human either; she carried the blood of a special race.
"Maria, I'm heading out to train. If my old man comes looking for me, just tell him that," Yamato said, looking up at the older girl.
Despite her mature appearance, Maria was actually only one year older than Yamato. They had known each other since Yamato was three years old, and having grown up together, they were as close as sisters. Kaido even treated Maria as his own adopted daughter.
Maria blinked, staring at Yamato. She felt a shift in the younger girl's energy. "Yamato, just make sure you take care of yourself," she said softly, offering a gentle reminder.
"Don't worry, Maria. I'll be back by sunset," Yamato replied with a grin. She truly valued Maria's friendship. She also knew that in the future, Maria would become one of the Tobi Roppo, the elite officers of the Beasts Pirates.
Before long, the bento was ready. Yamato went to her room and retrieved a heavy spiked club. As Kaido's daughter, it was only natural that her weapon of choice mirrored his own.
"I'm heading out, Maria!" Yamato called out. With a five-tier bento box in one hand and her spiked club strapped to her back, she vanished through the gates.
Watching her go, a thoughtful glint appeared in Maria's eyes before she smiled to herself. "She's starting to look more and more like Lord Kaido every day."
On the other side of the region, Yamato had already cleared the city limits. She moved quickly, leaving the Flower Capital behind and entering the rocky terrain of Hakumai.
Currently, with the exception of Kuri—which was still under the control of the Kozuki family—the Shogun Orochi held the Flower Capital, while Kaido controlled every other region of Wano. His influence was everywhere.
"Time to start," Yamato said, reaching the base of a jagged mountain. She set her food and her club aside.
She walked up to a boulder that was roughly as tall as she was. She crouched low, gripped the base of the stone with both hands, and growled under her breath. "Up you go!"
She threw every ounce of her strength into the lift. Her arms and legs trembled violently, and her face turned red from the effort, but she actually managed to hoist the massive rock.
"Phew!" Yamato balanced the boulder across her shoulders and began to perform squats.
She knew she had to prioritize her physical conditioning. In the Grand Line, raw physical strength was the foundation upon which all other powers were built.
"One... two..." she counted silently.
By the time she reached seventy repetitions, Yamato was drenched in sweat. She didn't stop, pushing through the burning sensation in her muscles because she knew she hadn't reached her absolute limit yet. Her constitution was incredible; any other seven-year-old wouldn't have been able to even budge the rock, let alone squat with it.
Time passed, and sweat poured off her like rain, blurring her vision. She panted heavily, relying on pure willpower to keep moving. She had passed three hundred and fifty reps and was finally nearing her breaking point.
"Three hundred sixty... three hundred sixty-one... three hundred sixty-two... three hundred sixty-six!" Yamato roared.
As she shouted the final number, she collapsed backward. The boulder hit the ground with a dull thud as she sprawled out in the dirt. She gasped for air, her entire body feeling numb and heavy.
So tiring, she thought, closing her eyes.
She lay there for ten minutes, allowing her body to recover. "My recovery speed is definitely top-tier," she noted, feeling the strength returning to her limbs.
After resting for another half hour, she stood up and hoisted the boulder once more. This time, she started a weighted run. She knew that a balanced training plan would yield better results than just lifting heavy weights. She set a steady pace and began to lap the base of the mountain.
One lap, then two, then three. By the time she finally stopped, more than two hours had passed.
Thud!
Both the girl and the rock hit the ground again. Yamato lay in the dirt, soaked in sweat and covered in dust.
Gurgle!
Her stomach let out a thunderous growl.
"Haha! It sounds like a storm is coming," Yamato laughed at the sound of her own hunger.
She crawled over to her bento box and tore into the food. Within minutes, every scrap was gone. Feeling her energy return, she refused to waste more time resting and went straight back into her drills.
The daylight hours slipped away in a blur of exertion. As evening approached, Yamato dragged her exhausted, aching body back toward the city. When she entered her courtyard, she found Maria and several maids waiting for her.
"What's going on, Maria?" Yamato asked, wiping dirt from her forehead.
Maria smiled, though there was a hint of caution in her eyes. "Lord Kaido is inside. He's waiting for you."
"I see. Go ahead and get dinner ready, I'm starving," Yamato said. She dropped her empty bento box and walked toward the main hall.
Inside the room, a massive figure sat on the floor, holding a giant bowl of sake. The man had black hair cascading over his shoulders and a burly, mountain-like frame. A pair of thick, sweeping horns protruded from his head, and his long mustache hung down like dragon whiskers. His eyes were cold, looking down on the world with total disdain. His presence alone filled the room with an overwhelming pressure.
This was Kaido, the King of the Beasts and the man known as the World's Strongest Creature. To an ordinary person, standing before him would feel like facing a natural disaster.
"Old man, do you need something?" Yamato asked. She sat down directly across from him, her spiked club still leaning against her shoulder.
"Worororo! Yamato, Maria tells me you've been out training?" Kaido laughed, sounding genuinely surprised as he watched her sit. He could see that his daughter looked different—there was a new focus in her eyes.
"Mhm. I want to get stronger, that's all. Don't interfere with me, old man," Yamato said, meeting his gaze without flinching.
Kaido raised an eyebrow. This was the first time Yamato had ever spoken to him with such absolute determination.
She really has changed, Kaido realized. His daughter had found her ambition.
"Worororo! Fine. Since you've found your spark, go ahead. I'd like to see just how far you can get on your own," Kaido said, nodding in approval.
For the first time in a long while, Kaido found himself feeling quite interested in his daughter's future.