"I'm so sorry! It was my own doing... I stole your food... and even shared it with others without permission... It has nothing to do with them!" Yamato bowed down to the Beasts Pirates' Little Brother.
At this moment, several children were being held hostage by his accomplices behind him.
"Tch... You call this an apology? Kneel a hundred times and I'll let one go... Also, don't just stand around, go and search for the food he stole! The food that's already been eaten... whatever you can use to pay the debt, then pay the debt!"
With this "True Upper Rank" order, his Little Brother kicked open the doors and searched the house, finding the food Yamato had just given them, and... they stole what they could and smashed what they could.
This has made our already difficult life even worse...
"True Upper Rank" are the lowest-ranking combatants in the Beasts Pirates. Don't be fooled by the term "lowest-ranking"—they are considered official combatants within the Beast Pirates, and their strength is roughly equivalent to that of ordinary crew members in the Red-Hair Pirates!
They possess the kind of combat power that, even as a lowly soldier, wouldn't seem like cannon fodder in a top-tier war.
However, under Sig's Psychological Suggestion, he didn't recognize Yamato at all...
There are several True Upper Rank in front of them now. Although they are no match for Yamato in Yamato, they have already taken hostages. In fact, Yamato doesn't dare to kill them, otherwise the village will definitely face retaliation!
Without Sig urging him, Yamato gritted his teeth and began to kowtow. In the blink of an eye, his forehead was red and tears welled up in his eyes, clearly indicating that he had used considerable force.
Thirty percent was resentment, and seventy percent was anger—a form of anger that Sig was very familiar with... anger at his own powerlessness!
Not only were the bound children crying and screaming, but the surrounding area was also a scene of hell on earth. In the face of the Beasts Pirates and the henchmen of the Kurozumi Family, the ordinary villagers of Wano Country offered no resistance and had no human dignity whatsoever.
It's easy to distinguish between the Beasts Pirates' henchmen and the Kurozumi Family's lackeys. The latter wear clothes resembling those from Wano Country, and as always, they are bright and shiny, unlike the current dilapidated Wano Country. The former, on the other hand, are dressed in a rather "sexy" manner, except for their double-horned headdresses.
I don't know what Kaido's aesthetic sense is, but many of the burly men in the Beasts Pirates wear fishnet pants and stockings, and leather masks are a common sight. It's even more common to see them wearing shirtless overalls that accentuate their chest muscles and chest hair.
"You're really obedient..."
"Hahaha, bang it louder!"
"Weren't you just acting all tough? Was it this hand that sent me flying?"
While mocking her, the other person noticed Yamato's weakness and stepped on her right hand, grinding it between their legs.
Just then, a cry reached Yamato's ears...
"Wait, wait, that wasn't stolen, it's herbs we picked from the mountain... No! It's useless to you. If you take it, Grandma... she..."
There was a young girl trying to fight with the Kurozumi Family's lackey over something, but naturally, she was kicked away helplessly!
Yamato, Yamato quickly stopped him, saying, "Wait! I was going up the mountain to gather..."
Indeed, Yamato went up the mountain to collect the medicinal herbs Yamato learning that someone was sick. On the way, he even had a fight with a group of Oden, killed a ferocious beast that had become mentally impaired by the poison, and then brought them back.
"Shut up! Everything on the mountain belongs to General Kurozumi and Kaido. How dare you lowly commoners pick it yourselves? The old woman is dead, so what? What a waste..."
While scolding him, True Upper Rank turned and stepped on Yamato's head.
With its eyes and nose buried in the mud, its ears became increasingly sensitive to sound, allowing it to hear cries and screams from the surroundings, as well as... the pitiful screams of a few who resisted.
Thinking about what I've seen and heard over the past month, about the people in the village who were starving and skin and bones, about the deformed bodies and the figures lying in bed waiting to die after chronic poisoning...
It's not twelve years from now. The environment is much better than it would have been twelve years later. However... the population of Wano Country is also much larger than it would have been twelve years later.
We are currently in a period of sharp population decline!
Conversely, twelve years later, although the environment was even more desolate, the population had decreased, allowing them to barely make ends meet.
Therefore, Yamato has seen over the past month is, from a sensory perspective, even more intense than the hell that will occur twelve years later.
Yamato that moment, Yamato suddenly realized—even if I didn't resist, and it seemed like I had saved those children, wouldn't they still have a hard time growing up safely?
And many more people...
Even Kaido, who could blow Yamato's head off, couldn't make her bow down.
Yamato was able to abandon her dignity because she followed Oden's will. When she kowtowed, it was because Yamato thought of Kozuki Oden, who was threatened to perform a naked dance in the street and lose all face.
However, at this moment, after watching the people of Wano Country being oppressed for a month, and even being oppressed Yamato a guy who kept saying "if it were Oden"... a different thought suddenly popped into his head!
Was Oden right?
Oden, did I... do the right thing?
Sensing Yamato's intention to resist, though unseen by those around, Yamato's shadow rose to its feet, becoming a mere shadowy figure that whispered to Yamato, "If it were Oden, he wouldn't resist to avoid innocent harm."
This wasn't the first time Yamato had tried to rebel during this month, but each time Sig "reminded" her.
Because Sig that it was just a momentary outburst of anger, and afterwards Yamato would only reflect on himself—that he was not as good as Oden, and that he needed to continue to work hard!
Only by truly making Yamato confront the shackles called "Kozuki Oden" can she truly break free from them!
"I..."
"It is unacceptable for Oden to see his subjects die because of his actions!"
"But then..."
"What kind of 'Oden Oden' can't even protect the people he can see with his own eyes!"
"If this continues, they..."
"And there's Oden's Wife's prophecy! Eight years have passed... no, eight and a half years, it will be over in eleven and a half years, Wano Country will be able to await its great savior."
"But..."
"No buts! You should use this time to continue kowtowing... and think about what to make tonight to feed your loyal retainer! Also, your loyal retainer hasn't changed his underwear for days. Don't have to remind him every time you go wash up, okay?"
Yamato:...
At that very moment, Sig seemed to hear a cracking sound.
Xiao True Upper Rank suddenly felt the thing under his feet stiffen its neck, and couldn't help but get annoyed, saying, "What? What do you want to do? Is there something you're unhappy about...?"
"Thunder..."
"Huh? What thunder?"
"Chirp..."
"Ha?"
"Eight..."
"Are you going to call me 'Dad'?"
"A divination!"
Yamato suddenly erupted, True Upper Rank Koshin of the Beasts Pirates completely off guard. Before he could react, Yamato had already stood up, grabbed the iron rod beside him, and unleashed an attack that turned Koshin into a bloody pulp...
"What do you want to do? We... we'll kill these brats..."
"Wait... wait! This is... you are...!"
"Wait! If Kaido finds out, he'll..."
With such a prominent sign proclaiming "Thunder Bagua," even Sig's half-hearted attempts at "Psychological Suggestion" could no longer make them ignore Yamato's identity...
"Oh." Yamato responded coldly, then unleashed his Conqueror's Haki while continuing to swing his iron rod at those who were not unconscious but were stunned.