Playing House

"Mamama!! Lofan, how close is this girl's Thunder Bagua to Kaido's?"

"About twenty percent. It only looks the part."

The more Big Mom watched Yamato, the more she liked her. The way she flailed about really did resemble Kaido!

She did not think things through as thoroughly as Katakuri did.

After all, she was the queen of Totto Land. These days, acting on her likes and dislikes was her rule in most situations.

"What?!"

Hearing Lofan judge the move she had trained so hard to master that way-

With her efforts belittled to such an extent, she wanted nothing more than to smash her club over his head right then.

Then she would see whether that bespectacled man could still wear that infuriating smile.

Remembering his criticism of Oden, Yamato suddenly came up with a plan.

She pretended her stomach hurt unbearably and kept shifting slightly, rubbing a layer of dust onto her pink dress.

Once she had wriggled within a suitable distance, Yamato unleashed a slash of sword energy straight at Lofan.

"Narikabura!"

Normally, Narikabura was a powerful upward attack Yamato unleashed after briefly gathering strength.

But since she was lying on the ground, the clever Yamato had thought to swing sideways instead.

This sudden development was not outside Katakuri's expectations, but he could no longer be bothered to stop her.

He simply leaned against the wall to rest again, focusing all his attention on Lofan once more.

He had finally understood: of everyone present, he was the only one taking Yamato seriously.

Lofan did not even move. His powerful reiatsu came cascading down like a thousand-foot waterfall.

It obliterated Yamato's sword energy with overwhelming force, then vanished just as quickly.

"It seems Kaido really does dote on you, Yamato."

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

"Doesn't he? He started calling you his son and had everyone in the Beasts Pirates call you young master.

Even though you beat up your old father every day, he still hasn't killed you, despite his temperament.

For him, that counts as doting on you. He's even given you plenty of attention."

"That..."

"So has that given you the wrong idea? Have you become far too conceited and arrogant, just like Oden?"

Still smiling, Lofan adjusted his black glasses, and a surge of killing intent erupted from his deep eyes.

It was like the instant when dusk swallowed everything.

All sound vanished from the world, and her eyes could barely make out a few points of light.

Her body instinctively stopped breathing, and even her thoughts briefly ceased.

Because life could not withstand such terror of death, Yamato knew she had just died once.

"Weakness and ignorance have never been obstacles to survival. Arrogance is."

Kneeling, Yamato struggled to prop up her upper body. She wanted to say something.

But her body was still suffering the aftereffects, trembling incessantly. Unable to speak, she could only watch Lofan turn around.

"This is why I need insights into the Soul-Soul Fruit.

I believe I've shown ample sincerity. I hope we can build on this good start to our relationship."

That's it. Why did I find it strange? Why did I keep feeling something was wrong, an unease I couldn't put into words?

Because no one here has truly looked at me. No one's gaze has ever lingered on me.

No one cares, whether you're Oden or Yamato...

"Mamama! Lofan, I have plenty of other daughters. Would you consider one?"

Big Mom had already made her calculations.

Apart from the terms Lofan had originally proposed, the demands she had deliberately added could now be treated as suggestions.

Before what happened to Kaido, she had treated Lofan as a wager.

Yet he had taken his seat before her through his own strength. Strength determined treatment.

That principle held true wherever there were people.

"Perhaps there'll be an opportunity in the future."

Big Mom shared her experiences with the Soul-Soul Fruit with Lofan, and the two engaged in an animated philosophical discussion about souls.

The only regret was that he had not obtained any of Big Mom's Homies.

She said they would settle the exchange once she had Zou's Road Poneglyph in hand.

Now that Big Mom had taken action, she naturally wanted to see her policy through to the end.

Lofan gave an evasive answer, saying he knew the name Zou.

But there was no Log Pose that could point the way.

Big Mom now controlled Wano Country. An in-depth investigation would clearly establish that Lofan's information was correct.

Lofan did not want Big Mom to possess three Poneglyphs so soon.

The follow-up to his play involving Kaido had yet to take effect. He had to let the bullets fly a little longer.

This meeting could be considered a pleasure for both host and guest. As for the treacherous schemes hidden beneath the surface, those were simply part of the business.

Lofan once again left Totto Land by stepping through the air. His destination: Dressrosa.

The Five Elders.

"CP0's findings are in. His background is indeed clean."

The Five Elders placed absolute trust in this strongest intelligence agency, which answered directly to the Celestial Dragons.

"Then we'll see whether he proves to be a man with sufficient ambition, as Kong said."

"It's good that he wants something. Wealth, power, fame.

What the World Government can give him is beyond anything any of the other remnants can offer."

Strength was the entry requirement for becoming an Admiral. What mattered most was accepting the Celestial Dragons' orders.

And the reason Garp refused to become an Admiral was that he did not want to clean up after those bastards.

As for Lofan, Kong could see the ambition in the young man's heart.

That was the perspective of someone at the very top.

These people weighed their daily actions against the world as a whole.

Naturally, they could easily grasp the scope of the actions taken by those beneath them.

As for CP0's findings, they were naturally all stories Lofan had tied up neatly while training away from home with Kong.

An orphan, an accident, amnesia.

Even if they investigated to the ends of the earth, the airtight logic and evidence had long since been welded into place.

They could hardly claim that a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old child had already been plotting against the World Government back then.

And that the World Government could find nothing to investigate.

So-called trust was merely a matter of giving you the answer you wanted to see.

"I have no intention of deceiving anyone. It's just that none of you knows my true face."

After leaving Totto Land, Lofan deliberately left traces of his presence on several islands.

Kingdoms under the World Government, some famous tourist islands, and so on.

Doing this took roughly another week.

Now, with more than half his vacation over, he returned to Dressrosa to complete the final step of this plan.

Because "Heavenly Yaksha" Doflamingo had the legal cover of the title Shichibukai.

He had naturally become the leading figure of the underworld, busy every day with his thriving business.

Today, he had deliberately put off all his affairs, just as he had on the day they met.

He sat on the balcony beneath the same sun, waiting for the same person.

Calling Doflamingo beforehand was a way to show respect, as well as to see how he would respond.

But Doflamingo had agreed on the spot. Presumably, this was his answering signal:

Everything else must take a back seat to our joint venture.

Doflamingo's sincere, unequivocal attitude had indeed greatly improved Lofan's opinion of him.

A clever partner who knew when to advance and when to retreat, even if he was a little too clever.

Still, that was more reassuring than a mediocre partner with no foresight.

The actions of clever people could generally be anticipated. Fools always took you by surprise.