Chapter 1306: Five Elders and Five Magistrates at Your Disposal
Chapter 1306: Five Elders and Five Magistrates at Your Disposal
The Fleet Admiral position was clearly decided—Kuro couldn’t refuse unless he wanted to abandon everything, but quitting now would be a massive loss.
His only option was to find a contingency plan.
In Wano Country’s Rabbit Onsen region, once a hot spring district, Kuro had transformed the entire area into a prison and weapons factory. With its abundant mineral resources, it was the perfect place for prisoners to labor.
Overseeing this minefield was Yamato, the daughter of the former Four Emperors’ "Beast King" Kaido, and one of the first prisoners stationed here.
Yamato lounged on an oversized chair she’d personally modified, a wine gourd in hand. Leaning beside her was a blunted, spikeless Wolf’s Spirit Thundercloud. From this vantage point, she watched the prisoners toil below.
"Hey, let that guy rest—the one on the left swinging the pickaxe with one hand. He’s already hit his quota, and doing it one-handed is impressive!"
Yamato called out to a canine-faced figure wearing eye-shaped paper masks—Baohuang’s former Wano Country intelligence agent, now serving under her. After all, as Kaido’s daughter, she naturally inherited authority over the Beasts Pirates.
"Yes, Yamato-sama!" The Smiled agent bowed and hurried off.
"Call me Young Master Yamato!" she snapped, frustrated, clutching her slender chest where her feminine features barely showed. "I want to become a legendary man like Oden!"
Her words were interrupted by a voice from the sky: "How? By parading naked through town like Oden?"
Yamato looked up, recognizing the familiar yet infuriating figure descending from the air. She shot to her feet, gripping her weapon. "What are you doing here?!"
It was Kuro, who landed casually and took Yamato’s vacated seat without ceremony. "I’m Wano Country’s Shogun—I have every right to be anywhere here."
He kicked up his legs, grabbed a cluster of grapes from the table, and munched. "Mmm, fresh Devil Fruit. Living the life of a prisoner suits you, doesn’t it? Though I suppose people might accuse me of favoritism—I’m actually very strict."
"What do you want?" Yamato cut through his banter.
Was he here for nostalgia? Hardly. They had no warm memories to share. Logically, this man had killed her father, defeated her allies, and crushed her dreams. Yet, strangely, she felt no resentment. Any initial anger had faded over time.
Killing her father? She and Kaido had never been close—she’d spent their final battle trying to defeat him herself.
Harming her friends? Luffy was a pirate, and so was she. Even if they couldn’t sail together, their bond remained.
Crushing her dreams? Well… Kuro had rebuilt Wano Country. The people no longer suffered under the tyranny of the "giant serpent Shogun." His rule, though grudgingly admitted, was better than her own would’ve been. That’s why she’d settled here, gradually seizing control of Rabbit Onsen’s operations. Not officially loyal, but functionally no different—just lacking a title.
"I need to ask you something. Hmm?" Kuro paused mid-sentence, his gaze snapping to the minefield below. Several prisoners glared at him with palpable fury. Among them stood a young man with a samurai topknot resembling Oden, flanked by the nine Red Scabbards.
"Did they get arrested too?"
"Did you forget your own prisoners?!" Yamato retorted, stepping protectively in front of Kuro. "Momonosuke’s my friend. You’re ruling Wano now—leave him be."
"Do I look that low-class? If I wanted him gone, I’d have done it already." Kuro rolled his eyes. "Forget them—I’ve got something to say. I’m about to become Fleet Admiral."
"Fleet Admiral?!" Yamato’s eyes widened. The term wasn’t foreign—she’d learned of the World Government’s oppressive Navy from foreign prisoners. "So you’ll be busy soon, leaving Wano unguarded. I need someone reliable to manage it. Yamato, interested?"
"Are you giving me the Shogun position?!"
"Think bigger", Kuro said. "Not Shogun—Acting Governor. Pick either the Five Elders or Five Magistrates roles."
The Shogun title was non-negotiable—Wano was his stronghold. Daimyos were obsolete; he’d eliminated them for stability. Choosing Yamato wasn’t arbitrary. Previously, he’d never consider it. But now, with Kuzan’s allegiance uncertain and the Admirals’ ranks thinned by Tatsumaki’s Mariejois assignment, he couldn’t manage Wano and the Navy alone. Gramps (Garp) was retired, and even if active, his "supervisory" role and reluctance to fight full-power made him unreliable.
Yamato, though underestimated, proved passionate and sincere. Raised isolated in Wano, her worldview had been shaped by Kaido’s pirates until Oden’s legend inspired her. Limited choices—emulate Kaido’s tyranny or Oden’s idealism—made her decision inevitable. Who wouldn’t choose justice over bloodshed, especially a young girl craving heroic romance?
Just as Kuro recalled that dead shrimp… R, the fan of Sea Warrior Sora.
(End of Chapter)
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