"King, you explain!"
Kaido took a long swig of liquor, his expression gloomy, and left the explanation to his most trusted lieutenant.
With a cold expression, King took out a newspaper and flung it into Queen's face.
"Hanafuda was killed."
"Huh? What?!!!"
Queen froze for several seconds before finally remembering who Hanafuda was. His tiny eyes nearly popped out in shock.
Hanafuda, the "Lizard King," one of the Shichibukai!
But that wasn't the important part. Hanafuda had another special role: he was the Beasts Pirates' front man.
All the weapons the Beasts Pirates produced were sold through Hanafuda. Without him as their middleman, their weapons business would inevitably take a major hit.
After all, the Beasts Pirates were notorious for their brutality and violence. They were a crew of reckless brutes, without a single person who was good at business!
Moreover, last year, "Red-Haired" Shanks had defeated the giant prince Loki and established himself in Elbaf. This had earned him the title of Emperor of the Sea and cemented the balance of the Four Emperors.
Now, the Four Emperors' struggle to carve up the New World had reached its fiercest stage. To that end, the Beasts Pirates were preparing for their largest expedition since the crew's founding.
For their economic lifeline to run into trouble at a critical moment like this-it was easy to imagine how serious a disaster that was.
"Which bastard did it?!"
Queen angrily opened the newspaper.
"Fire Fist" Ace!
The entire front page covered "Fire Fist" Ace's defeat of Hanafuda, the "Lizard King." Without a doubt, this was a world-shaking event!
"Fire Fist?"
Who the hell was this kid?!
Queen stared wide-eyed. He racked his brains but couldn't remember anyone by that name. When he saw that Fire Fist was listed as one of the Supernovas, his tiny eyes bulged again.
"What? A rookie???"
A rookie defeated one of the Shichibukai?
Was this some kind of joke?!
Everyone who became a Shichibukai was a powerhouse. Even Queen had to treat those monsters cautiously. How could one of them lose to a rookie?
Queen leaned sideways toward King and asked in disbelief, "This brat was the one who killed Hanafuda?"
"No."
King's reply was flat.
Thud!
Queen toppled to the floor, then sprang back up like lightning. Grabbing King by the collar, he roared, his face and neck bright red.
"Then why didn't you say so earlier, you bastard, King?!"
"I just wanted to watch you make a fool of yourself, you idiot, Queen."
King revealed his true intentions.
Queen: "..."
One of these days, he was going to kill this torture-loving freak!
Having satisfied his personal desire to toy with Queen, King stopped wasting time and took out a formal visiting card that had just arrived on Onigashima.
"The real killer who finished Hanafuda off is also one of the Shichibukai!"
"The 'Heavenly Yaksha,' Doflamingo!"
"This is the visiting card he sent!"
Doflamingo, the "Heavenly Yaksha"!
Queen's and Jack's expressions shifted slightly.
Naturally, they knew something about Doflamingo. He had become one of the Shichibukai five years ago and entered the New World that same year.
He was said to be a villain with connections everywhere. In just five years, he had made a name for himself in the New World's underworld, and his relationship with the World Government was highly murky.
He had a foot in both the criminal and legitimate worlds!
"That bastard wants to replace Hanafuda?"
Queen finally caught on.
As fellow Shichibukai, they were theoretically allies and forbidden from killing one another. But what great pirate would obediently follow those rules?
The fact that the newspaper hadn't reported it meant Doflamingo had taken advantage of Fire Fist's victory over Hanafuda to finish Hanafuda off in secret.
And then there was the visiting card he had sent.
Clearly, Doflamingo wanted to replace Hanafuda, hitch himself to the Beasts Pirates, and become the underworld's new middleman!
He certainly had ambition!
"Muhahaha! If he wants a slice of the pie, he'd better be able to stomach it!"
Queen sneered.
Hanafuda had worked with the Beasts Pirates for over a decade, only to be killed just like that. If they swallowed this insult, how could they ever show their faces again?
Anyone who dared provoke the Beasts Pirates had to pay the price!
"Aaaagh!"
"Quick, stop Lady Yamato!"
"Lord Kaido is discussing important matters with the All-Stars! No one is allowed inside!"
"Get out of my way!"
Suddenly, a commotion came from outside the doors.
It was Yamato's voice!
The Three Calamities' expressions darkened.
They were already simmering with anger, and now someone was causing trouble. It was hard not to get furious-but judging by the voice, it was their boss Kaido's daughter.
The three turned toward Kaido. When they saw his eyes, so dark they seemed ready to drip, their hearts lurched.
This was bad. Boss Kaido was truly angry!
Boom!
The banquet hall doors shattered.
Yamato appeared in the doorway with a spiked club over her shoulder.
Under everyone's gloomy gazes, the girl suddenly charged forward two steps and leaped. Curling up in midair, she landed before Kaido in a perfectly executed kneeling posture, smashing her forehead into the floor.
A wild-goose landing straight into a kneeling apology!
"Father! I'm sorry! I know I was wrong!"
"..."
Kaido, King, Queen, Jack.
(⊙x⊙;)×4.
Huh?
Huuuh???
Chapter 12: A Loving Father and a Dutiful Daughter!
Inside the banquet hall.
The girl knelt and admitted her mistakes in one flawlessly smooth motion.
"Father, I was wrong!"
"I've thought it through. I really was in the wrong all these years. I shouldn't have deluded myself into thinking I was Kozuki Oden. Please rest assured, I've realized who I am!"
"I'm your daughter, Yamato!"
"From now on, I'll do exactly as you say. If you say one, I won't say two. If you tell me to go east, I won't go west!"
With her forehead pressed against the floor, Yamato breathed an inward sigh of relief.
She had practiced this kneeling routine and these lines at least several hundred times in the dungeon. It had been hard to accept at first, but then she thought of how Kozuki Oden had even dared to dance naked. What was a simple apology to her father compared with that?
Teacher Good, I'll endure it!
The room was so quiet that a pin drop would have been audible.
Everyone stared at the girl kneeling in apology, stunned and speechless. Even the normally unsmiling King's mouth had formed an O beneath his mask.
Th-this...
They weren't dreaming, were they?!
Lady Yamato was actually bowing her head and admitting her mistakes to Boss Kaido?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Over the past fifteen years, Boss Kaido had beaten Lady Yamato countless times, and who knew how many of those beatings had brought her to the brink of death.
Even that hadn't beaten the defiance out of her!
Wait, could she be an impostor?
They quietly exchanged glances.
As they recalled, Orochi had once had a Clone-Clone Fruit user on his side who could copy someone else's appearance with just a touch.
But that person was already dead.
Besides, this was Onigashima. Sneaking in wasn't that easy.
After exchanging looks for a while, they tacitly agreed to sneak sideways glances at Kaido. This was a family matter, and they weren't getting involved.
At the head of the hall.
Kaido sat motionless, holding his half-drawn spiked club. After a long while, he silently slid it back beneath his cloak.
His eyes were filled with bewilderment.
He had fought battles all his life, but this was the first time he had encountered anything like this.
The person before him was Yamato. A person's build and appearance could be disguised with an ability, but there was no mistaking his daughter's presence.
But this wasn't right!
His daughter couldn't possibly be this obedient!
Could he be drunk?
Kaido thought it over and over, then pulled his spiked club out from behind his backside again and struck himself in the forehead.
Crimson blood trickled down between his brows.
Good. He wasn't drunk!
"Wororororo!!!"
Kaido burst into delighted laughter.
Good, good, good!
His daughter had finally submitted!
"Yamato, get up!"
"Yes, Father."
Yamato rose and stood properly. There were traces of blood on her forehead too. To avoid giving herself away, she had put real effort into that bow.
She had even smashed a large hole in the floor with her forehead!
Kaido happily waved his large hand.
Before you continue