"You've made me unhappy all day. I'll have to keep teaching you a lesson."
The mace whirled through the air once more.
Alastor shook his head, laughing. Yamato could be mischievous like a little girl sometimes, but it was endearing in its own way.
As long as he didn't call himself Kozuki Oden, Alastor found Yamato's qualities impressive—especially her strength.
The two resumed their sparring.
Both restrained their power, knowing that if they went all-out, the cave would collapse quickly. And a noisy battle would easily draw attention from others on Onigashima. Alastor wanted to keep his relationship with Yamato private for now.
During this training session, Yamato came close to becoming a top powerhouse. Even when she held back, she inflicted moderate injuries on Alastor multiple times, raising his defense level to 1,500.
"If we keep going, it'll be dawn soon. Let's stop."
Alastor looked at the faintly brightening sky and said, "It's time for me to go back. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you—I've mastered Ryou. Once I get better at it, I'll be able to unlock the cuffs on your wrists."
For Yamato to become the general of Wano, she would first need to be free of Onigashima. Unlocking her shackles was the first step.
Of course, if Yamato chose to ask Kaido about it directly, Kaido might actually agree to remove them. But knowing Yamato, taking the initiative to submit to Kaido was less likely than reaching the stars.
"See you next time, Yamato."
Alastor waved as he left.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Joy Boy!" Yamato yelled, though she wasn't sure if he heard her.
She watched him leave until he disappeared from view, then touched her waist as if his hand were still wrapped around it.
Yamato muttered, "What a troublemaker."
…
Returning to Kuri, Alastor instructed his subordinates to bring food.
He devoured hundreds of pounds of food by himself.
In exchange, his injuries healed completely.
Alastor rubbed his stomach; he still felt a bit hungry. Though he loved being able to recover by eating, it was a bottomless pit.
His recent expedition had brought in more than 500 million berries, plus the spoils from raiding the Navy's G5 warehouse. For now, he had enough food and money. But at this rate, his supply would only last a few months.
Becoming one of the Tobi Roppo had granted him a larger food allowance, but it was still a drop in the bucket for his needs.
The harsh environment in Wano allowed only a few plots of safe farmland, and most of that food went to Onigashima and the Flower Capital for Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi. The people received very little, leaving them poor and malnourished.
"With my current status, I can order my men to gather food from outside. But feeding the whole of Wano… that's another challenge."
Whether to realize his original ambitions or help Yamato rule Wano one day, reforming Wano's state was a necessity. And the key to that was food.
Without solving Wano's hunger, any other promises would be empty words. When the Kozuki clan or the Straw Hats arrive, the people of Wano would still rebel against oppression.
"We need Wano's land to grow food again!"
Wano's environmental pollution came from two main sources: the debris of artificial Devil Fruits and the toxic runoff from Kaido's weapon factories.
The Devil Fruit debris could be controlled by simply collecting it. But the weapon factories were a thornier issue, as Kaido himself insisted on them.
Kaido had been born in the Kingdom of Vodka on the Grand Line. With monstrous talent from a young age, he was seen as a threat by the Navy. To pay their tribute to the World Government, Vodka sold Kaido to the Navy, setting him on his path as the "Strongest Creature."
In his youth, Kaido even used the Navy as his personal food supply, purposefully getting captured so he could eat in prison—a rather creative approach.
Now Kaido aimed for a great war that would engulf the Celestial Dragons, nobles, civilians, Navy, and pirates alike. His dream was a world ruled by power and anarchy, with himself as the Pirate King.
Wano was the base from which Kaido produced weapons for this eventual war. So there was no way he would allow interference with his factories.
Alastor thought long and hard but found no simple solution. Defeating Kaido was the only way, but that was a distant goal.
"I'll leave Yamato to figure it out. She's Kaido's daughter, after all. If she demands it strongly enough, she might sway him."
Despite Kaido's harsh treatment of Yamato—starving her, imprisoning her, even threatening her life—she was still alive, had mastered Thunder Bagua and Conqueror's Haki, and even possessed a Mythical Zoan fruit. If Kaido hadn't secretly helped her, Alastor wouldn't believe it.
Perhaps Kaido didn't even realize he was such an effective teacher, but he was undoubtedly one of the toughest "dads" in a world full of strange parents.
As he pondered, Speed approached and spoke respectfully:
"Lord Alastor, General Orochi invites you to a banquet at the General's Mansion in the Flower Capital tonight."
Kurozumi Orochi?
Alastor frowned. Just the mention of his name brought up a hundred ways to get rid of him.
Yamato had already made her stance clear, so there was no need to waste resources by keeping Orochi around.
As for Orochi's invitation, it was hardly surprising. Today was the day for Kuri's Paradise Farm to deliver food to the Flower Capital. Alastor, as the region's deputy overseer and actual leader, would naturally be welcomed by Orochi.
"Alright, I'll go."
Though he and Yamato had spent the night training, Alastor was full of energy and not the least bit tired.
He headed first to Paradise Farm, the only uncontaminated land in Kuri where safe food was grown.
Such an important place was, of course, heavily guarded, with both pirates from the Hundred Beasts and Orochi's subordinates watching over it.
However, after Alastor came to power, he had already driven away all of Orochi's subordinates.
At first, Orochi's followers were very dissatisfied, but a single look from Alastor scared them so much that they scrambled to leave.
Now, Paradise Farm was completely under Alastor's control.
Alastor told Speed, "Leave half of the packed food."
Speed was surprised. "But this is General Orochi's demand, and there's a fixed amount every month."
What would someone like him need so much grain for? If it weren't for the circumstances, Alastor wouldn't have given a single grain to Kurozumi Orochi.
Alastor calmly replied, "The thieves from Mt. Tama often come to steal, and this year's harvest hasn't been good."
Speed blinked and then flashed a gleam of admiration in her eyes.
She understood Alastor's implication and carried out the order, her face filled with excitement.
When everything was ready, the convoy set off for the Flower Capital.
Alastor rode a mighty lion at the front, walking with pride.
The Flower Capital was located in the center of Wano Country. The country itself was divided into six regions: Kuri, Kibi, Udon, Hakumai, the Flower Capital, and Onigashima.
Alastor passed through Ebisu Town, which was as poor as Kuri.
The common people were dressed in rags, with no food to eat. As they looked at the convoy loaded with food, their eyes glistened with hunger, and they swallowed desperately.
"Mom, I see food! I haven't eaten in days! I'm so hungry... I want to eat..."
A dirty little girl with shofar braids pulled at her mother's clothes and begged.
The mother was gaunt, her face disheveled from long-term malnutrition.
When she heard her daughter's plea, she trembled, covering the little girl's mouth and said urgently, "Don't say that! Don't say it! You'll get us killed!"
This conversation was overheard by a pirate lackey, who grinned sinisterly, rode toward the mother and daughter, drew the large sword at his waist, and shouted, "How dare you think about General Orochi's food? You're asking for death! If you want to eat, go to hell!"
With that, the minion swung his blade, intending to strike down the poor mother and daughter on the spot.
The people around them were so frightened they dared not even look up, their bodies shaking in fear.
The mother fell to her knees. "Please don't kill my daughter. It's all my fault. Kill me instead... kill me..."
The pirate's grin only grew more cruel.
But his blade never fell.
A cold, stern gaze fixed on him.
The lackey froze for a moment. He followed the gaze and immediately felt his soul leave his body. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling in fear.
"Lord Alastor!" he gasped.
Alastor looked at him coldly, then glanced at the mother and daughter, but ultimately rode away on his lion without saying a word.
The minion, thinking he had saved his life, wore a look of relief. He was about to mount his horse and rejoin the convoy when a figure appeared before him.
The minion blinked. "Master Billy?"
Billy was one of Alastor's followers, and with Alastor's rise, Billy's position had also grown.
Billy was a sharp-minded person who understood his boss's thoughts well, which was why Alastor had kept him around.
Billy looked at the minion and said, "How does your brain work? Don't you know that Mr. Alastor has a rule—no harm to the people?"
The minion looked bewildered.
"If your brain isn't working, don't bother with it," Billy added, swiftly drawing his knife. The blade flashed, and a moment later, the minion's body crumpled, bathed in scarlet blood.
Billy quickly shifted his expression to one of fawning and rushed to catch up with Alastor. "Lord Alastor, wait for me! The villain has dealt with that short-sighted fool!"
As the convoy moved away, the people of Flower Capital stood in stunned silence.
They couldn't comprehend what had just happened. How could it be that one of Orochi's men was dead, and yet the mother and daughter were unharmed? It didn't make sense.
The little girl with the shofar braids was the first to snap out of her daze. She clapped her hands and shouted in joyful tears, "Mom, it was Master Alastor who saved us!"