Alastor took a deep breath, signaling Yamato to stop. Although his body hadn't reached its limit yet, his injuries were severe, and he needed to conserve energy for the return home. "I'll give you a ride."
Yamato approached and helped Alastor walk out of Ghost Island. Upon reaching the shore, Alastor glanced at the shackles on Yamato's wrists and said, "Go back; you can't leave Ghost Island."
Yamato shook her hands bitterly as she put on the shackles. "That old man, Kaido, put these on me, saying they'd explode if I left the island. Who knows if it's true?"
As a time traveler, Alastor knew Kaido's words were true; Yamato's shackles would indeed explode, with devastating consequences.
Alastor patted Yamato's shoulder firmly. "When I master Ryuo, I'll help you remove those chains."
Yamato smiled sweetly. "I'll wait for you; don't play tricks!"
After bidding farewell to Yamato, Alastor left Ghost Island by boat, heading to his home in Kuri, Wano mainland, where Kozuki Oden had risen to fame.
Alastor arrived in Bakura Town, Kuri, where he served as team leader. The town's Hundred Beasts pirate leaders were Holdem, with a man-made Devil Fruit lion-form ability, and Speed, with a horse-form devil fruit ability. Both answered to Jack, one of the Three Disasters.
"Master Alastor, welcome back!" A team member rushed to greet Alastor.
"Ah, Master Alastor, what happened? You're severely injured!"
Alastor's flat tone brooked no inquiry. "Mind your own business."
The team members retreated in fear.
Alastor entered his room, lay down, and assessed his injuries. Yamato had been merciless, but he had asked for it. After resting, Alastor searched for food, knowing the system would aid recovery through eating. However, his supplies were dwindling, mostly given to Yamato. Food was scarce in Wano due to Kurozumi Orochi's misrule and Kaido's focus on weapons production.
As a small Hundred Beasts leader, Alastor received some safe food weekly, but his rations were meager. Feeding Yamato for three years had depleted his stores.
"Now that the system has awakened, I can reveal my strength. It's time to rise through the Hundred Beasts ranks and secure more funds and food." Previously, Alastor had avoided attention, prioritizing caution.
Except with Yamato, he never showed his true strength in front of others. But today was different. With the help of the system, he had to go through more battles and suffer more injuries to become stronger.
Hiding his strength was no longer necessary.
The Hundred Beasts Pirates respects strength; the lower ranks can challenge the upper ranks, and if they win, they can replace them. Alastor focused on the position of his immediate boss, Holdem.
"Challenge Holdem tomorrow."
Alastor made up his mind, wiped out all the food left in the house, and fell asleep soundly.
---
Next morning:
Alastor was pleasantly surprised to see that his body had recovered to its original state, the broken ribs reconnected, and there was not even a trace of a scar on his bronze-colored muscles. He punched, hard and strong, exactly the same as before. No, it was stronger than before!
He punched himself in the chest again, and there was a thumping sound, and no pain at all.
"The defense power of 150 points is 15 times that of my original one. Even if I want to get hurt now, it will not be easy."
Alastor was very satisfied with the improvement of his defense and would continue to improve until no one could threaten him anymore.
He punched, hard and strong, exactly the same as before. No, it was stronger than before!
Alastor was very satisfied with the improvement of his defense and would continue to improve until no one could threaten him anymore.
---
Beep.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door of the room.
Alastor frowned. Was it the blind person from yesterday who came to disturb him again?
"Brother, brother, it's me, let me in!"
However, the voice of a cute girl came from outside the door.
"It's Tama!"
Alastor quickly opened the door, and a small figure slipped in.
The little girl was wearing a light green kimono skirt, her purple hair was combed into the sky, her face was flushed, and she was panting heavily.
"What's wrong, Tama, did someone bully you?"
Obviously, Alastor and the little girl Tama had known each other for a long time, so he asked with concern.
Tama swallowed her saliva, then said in fear:
"It's the snake's subordinates, they want to catch me."
Alastor frowned even tighter. "You didn't report my name?"
After all, Alastor was a cadre at the level of a small team leader, and he was quite famous in Bakura Town.
Tama said: "I reported it, but they didn't listen. They said it was Lord Holdem's order!"
Holdem!
Alastor's eyes narrowed slightly, flashing a dangerous light.
In the original story, Holdem also had a fancy for Tama's ability but was stopped by Luffy and others. It seems that because of his arrival, things had changed, and Holdem attacked Tama in advance.
Tama lowered her head, grabbed her fingers, and blamed herself. "It's all my fault. I went to the street to buy something on my own."
She raised her head again and looked at Alastor worriedly. "Brother, won't it cause you any trouble?"
Alastor rubbed Tama's head, smiled, and said: "Of course not. Holdem is nothing. Brother will avenge you later."
"Really?"
Tama suddenly turned from worry to joy. Her big eyes sparkled, and she clenched her small fist and waved it. "Brother, defeat those pirates! They always bully the people in the village!"
Alastor touched his nose. To be precise, he was also a pirate and in the same camp as those people.
"Ahem!" Alastor coughed and said: "Anyway, Tama, stay here and don't go out. Leave the rest to your brother."
"Yeah!" Tama nodded heavily.
Alastor went outside, closed the door tightly, and looked up at the sky. The sun was in the center. At three o'clock in the afternoon, it was just the right time to kill.
Bakura Town is considered a big town in the Kuri area, and the streets are relatively prosperous. But the people in the town were all pale and thin, looking like they had been malnourished for a long time. Some people even had limbs as thin as bamboo poles.
When Alastor first arrived, he would still be shocked by this, but after three years, he had long since gotten used to it. There was nothing he could do if he wasn't used to it. He could save Tama, but he couldn't save everyone. This is a world where strength speaks, and the weak have no choice.
Alastor remembered the first time he met Tama. At that time, Tama was only a three-year-old child, but she came out to sell a large pile of bamboo hats. Tama was born in a bamboo hat weaving village. Both of her parents had died, and she had to make a living by weaving bamboo hats at a young age.
Alastor recognized Tama and offered to help. On one hand, he really thought that the little girl Tama was too pitiful. On the other hand, he knew that Tama was a user of the kibi kibi no mi who could tame animals and was the natural nemesis of the Beast Pirates. Of course, Alastor wanted to hold this trump card in his hands as a preparation for the future.
Alastor then recognized Tama as his younger sister and would send some food to Tama from time to time. The innocent Tama had already regarded him as the most trustworthy big brother.
However, Tama's master, that Tenguyama Hitetsu, had not always trusted Alastor.
Tenguyama Hitetsu, heh!
Alastor couldn't help but sneer. The so-called Tenguyama Hitetsu was just a pseudonym. His real identity was Kozuki Oden's father, the previous shogun of Wano Country, Kozuki Sukiyaki!
After Kozuki Sukiyaki was overthrown by Kurozumi Orochi, he eventually escaped but has been hiding in the deep mountains and forests without taking any action. There was no organized force to resist Kurozumi Orochi, nor did he secretly summon the old members of the Kozuki clan to gather strength. He just watched—watched the people of Wano Country suffer, watched Kurozumi Orochi run amok—while he hid in a corner and made his own dolls.
What the hell!
As expected of Kozuki Oden's father, they are really cut from the same cloth—what a father and son pair!
Alastor scoffed at this, really didn't know how to complain. Therefore, when he usually went to see Tama, he didn't even bother to look at Tenguyama Hitetsu.
Alastor had also made up his mind a long time ago that he must correct Yamato's concept. Kozuki and his son were all rubbish, idiots, and did not deserve any worship.
With these thoughts in mind, Alastor came to Holdem's residence. As one of the two real fighters in Bakura Town, Holdem was pampered, and his living quarters were naturally magnificent. He himself was also a big fat man, with a shiny face, in stark contrast to the disheveled people.