But the problem was that she wasn't very bright. She imagined she was Kozuki Oden and fought against her own father.
That was another thing he disliked about her.
Where you stood determined how you thought. He was now a member of the Beasts Pirates, and he would be relying on them for his livelihood for a long time to come. Naturally, he had no fondness for rebels within the ranks.
Still...
His experience in the Flower Capital had served as a reminder.
His current status was low, and his strength was only just beginning to develop, which made everything inconvenient. But once Kyoshiro was involved, everything went smoothly.
That was the benefit of status.
He needed a real backer, or at least someone whose name could intimidate others. Ulti alone clearly wasn't enough, but the girl before him was a perfect fit.
In Wano Country, aside from Boss Kaido, who would dare disrespect the Oni Child?
Even Shogun Orochi had to show her some deference!
The key was figuring out how to fool this girl, and how to get her the status and treatment the Oni Child deserved. Only then could he properly use her name as a shield.
"Grrr~~"
The girl's stomach protested.
Good broke into a smile, picked up the bowl, and scooped up a heaping spoonful.
"Really not eating? Then I'll eat it."
"..."
Her hungry gaze immediately locked onto him.
Slurp~~
Yamato swallowed hard.
At that moment, that bowl of white rice seemed like the most delicious treasure in the world to her. Who knew how happy a single bite would make her?
The next second, a spoonful of fragrant rice was pushed into her mouth.
"Mmph!!!"
Flavor exploded across her tongue!
Yamato couldn't help squeezing her legs together, her eyes welling with tears.
Delicious~~
More. I want more!
"Go on, eat."
The bowl of white rice was placed in the girl's hands.
This time, Yamato didn't hesitate. She wolfed it down like a starving ghost reborn, even licking the bottom of the bowl clean.
"There's a grain of rice beside your mouth."
At Good's reminder, the girl hurriedly picked the grain from the corner of her mouth and popped it in, then spent a long time thoroughly sucking her finger.
This is happiness!
After a long while, the girl looked at Good. Her shining eyes were filled with trust, as though she were looking at a beloved friend or relative.
And worry.
"Thank you, but if Father finds out you gave me food..."
"Then just don't tell him."
Good answered with a smile.
Only he and Yamato were in the dungeon. No one outside would know what happened here, as long as neither of them told anyone.
On that point, he trusted the girl.
"Yes, I'll definitely keep it secret!"
Yamato made a solemn promise.
Although her stomach wasn't full, her body had experienced unprecedented satisfaction. Only then did she finally turn her attention to Good himself.
A somewhat familiar burly frame, a somewhat familiar gleaming bald head, and a somewhat familiar vicious face.
She felt as though she had seen him somewhere before.
Images of the man beating her mercilessly surfaced unbidden in her mind.
Yamato blinked. As she realized who he was, tiny beads of sweat instantly covered her cheeks. Then her eyes bulged in fright, and even her tongue curled into a wavy line.
"Waaaaaaah!!!"
Her scream echoed throughout the dungeon.
"It's you!"
"..."
Good covered his ears, exasperation written all over his face.
Had this girl only just recognized him?!
Chapter 10: Keep on Bluffing
The night was deep and quiet.
A campfire burned inside the dungeon.
Yamato covered her bloodied backside with both hands, her body trembling slightly. Her gaze held both the trust she had just developed in Good and an irrepressible fear.
Her brutal experience on the mountain behind the base had left her deeply traumatized.
Even her father had never beaten her like that!
Good kept adding wood to the campfire. Glancing at the girl who didn't dare come closer, he found it rather amusing.
She was hundreds, even thousands of times stronger than him. Did she really need to be this scared?
She didn't even dare speak.
With the atmosphere growing awkward, Good had no choice but to speak first.
"Yamato."
"Here."
Yamato jolted in fright and hurriedly straightened her back.
Watching her startled response, Good reassured her helplessly, "Don't be so nervous. I'm not a demon."
"..."
No, you are!
Yamato looked indignant.
She had already been powerless to resist, yet he had still used such a cruel move against her. Even demons weren't that vicious.
Her backside still hurt!
Good looked utterly exasperated and changed the subject.
"Yamato, I've heard a few things about you, but I don't understand why you keep opposing Lord Kaido. Could you tell me?"
"Because I'm Oden!"
Yamato answered reflexively.
Good narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Kozuki Oden?"
"Yes!"
At the mention of Kozuki Oden, Yamato grew noticeably more excited. The fear in her eyes disappeared, replaced by an eagerness to share.
"You know Oden too?"
"A little."
Good nodded.
He had asked precisely to bring up Kozuki Oden. If he wanted to win over this obsessed girl, he had to start with Oden.
Yamato's eyes shone as she said excitedly, "I want to become a man like Kozuki Oden and live freely, but Father wouldn't let me become Oden. Instead, he beat me up and imprisoned me on Onigashima."
As she spoke, Yamato raised both hands, revealing the seastone shackles around her wrists.
"..."
If I were your dad, I wouldn't just beat you. I'd break your legs too!
Good silently grumbled to himself.
If someone's well-behaved daughter suddenly started shouting that she wanted to become their greatest enemy, who could stand it? Not breaking her legs already counted as doting on her.
Good asked softly, "Yamato, why do you want to become Kozuki Oden?"
"Because Kozuki Oden was the greatest samurai in the world. I witnessed his life and his end with my own eyes. I admire him!"
Yamato began talking without pause.
When she was eight, she had witnessed Kozuki Oden's heroic death and that legendary hour-long execution by boiling. From then on, she had admired Oden immensely.
Later, she had learned about some of Kozuki Oden's heroic deeds, such as pacifying Kuri, which only strengthened her resolve to become Oden.
The more she spoke, the more excited she became. She even revealed the secret that she had obtained Oden's journal, along with his experiences at sea.
She talked for a full two and a half hours.
She had no friends and had never opened her heart to an outsider in more than a decade. Now, the comfortable atmosphere in the dungeon and her newfound trust in Good had finally given her a chance to pour it all out.
Although she hadn't said it aloud, the girl already considered Good, who had risked being killed to give her white rice, her only friend.
Good listened patiently until she finished, then asked, "So that's why you keep challenging Boss Kaido?"
"Yes!"
Yamato nodded firmly and said with anger and frustration, "I'm Kozuki Oden, so I have to defeat my father and liberate Wano Country. But I'm not strong enough."
"Yes, I understand."
Good nodded to show he understood.
Yamato asked happily, "Good, do you like Oden too?"
"No, I don't."
Good waved his hand without hesitation.
As an outstanding landlord, his first priority was to abandon his conscience.
But even if he ignored his conscience, he wouldn't cross the line by saying he liked Oden just to please the girl.
"Oh."
First Impression.
Dejected, the girl began tracing circles.
"Yamato."
Good narrowed his eyes and switched into bluffing mode.
"You aren't Kozuki Oden."
"I am!"
Yamato immediately glared at Good in anger.
Good shook his head. "If you really were Kozuki Oden, you wouldn't rebel against your father. You would obey his arrangements instead."
"Huh?"
Yamato froze for a moment, feeling as though her brain couldn't keep up.
Before you continue