[You white-haired, red-horned brat, your heart is black too.]
This is the meaning behind Absalom's expression. He knew that the relationship between the father and daughter was not harmonious, but he did not expect that there was someone who wanted to escape every day.
"Please, no outsiders ever come to this place."
Oh, no, besides you, those World Government people in white suits will also come here, but those masked men don't look like good people. And nobody is more capable of escaping than you."
"Isn't Kaido your father? Your status here is second only to him, so why do you hate this place so much?"
"It's because of that bastard dad of mine that I don't want to stay here! Look at these bandages, this isn't tomato juice, it's real blood! If I stay here any longer, he'll beat me to death sooner or later!"
When Kaido is mentioned, Yamato has nothing but complaints. It seems that if you asked her to list all of Kaido's crimes, she could talk for days and nights.
"Why don't you cooperate with him and slip away in a few years when you take your own boat out?"
"No, that would take who knows how many years. I'm not even sure if I'll live that long. Besides, I don't want to be a pirate! That bull-headed gorilla looks like a brute, but he's actually incredibly cunning."
If I want him to trust me, I have to do things I don't want to do. I heard from other pirates that he's already preparing handcuffs for me, the kind that can explode.
This might be my last chance to escape. I've even packed my bags. Just help me become invisible and then get me off this ghost island.
When Absalom heard Yamato say she didn't want to be a pirate, he gained some understanding of the conflict between father and daughter.
On the open sea, it's perfectly normal not to want to be a pirate; most people wouldn't choose to embark on the path of piracy.
Even though countless pirates set sail every year, they are only a small fraction of the huge population.
However, in a pirate family like this, saying you don't want to be a pirate is the same as the grandson of a naval hero saying he wants to be the Pirate King. It's just that Kaido is more ruthless and has a stronger desire for control.
He felt that this was the right thing to do, so he asked Yamato to do the same. He didn't need his daughter to have any dreams; he just wanted her to obediently listen to his orders and follow his arrangements.
Kaido, who ignores the process and only wants the result, and advocates corporal punishment, only gets simple rebellion. The more he wants Yamato to do something, the more Yamato hates it.
Children who have never received love cannot understand what love is.
"And Dr. Oran didn't say..."
If Absalom had grasped the general outline of the problem earlier, now he understood the cause of the incident—it seemed to be something he had brought upon himself.
Oran doesn't keep a diary. If anything is written down, it's definitely for someone else to see. He can fulfill the function of a diary by relying on his special memory. At most, it just takes him a little time to recall a certain event.
But just because he doesn't write it himself doesn't mean that the people around him won't make some strange compilations. Maybe in a few years, Oran will see something like a book called "Oran's Sayings".
"The defenses on Ghost Island are actually quite lax. The main problem is that I can't get a ship. That bastard old man definitely won't find out, so there's no risk for you."
The terrain of Wano Country makes it easy to defend and difficult to attack, and difficult to enter and exit. However, the management of the beasts here is not monolithic, but rather quite chaotic.
The most outrageous scenario is the Onigashima battle in the original timeline. Kaido had 30,000 subordinates, but in addition to these 30,000, there were 5,000 enemies who had infiltrated. On average, one in every seven people was an enemy.
The main limitation on Yamato is its means of transportation. Kaido's subordinates control the harbor, so small boats can't get out at all. Yamato, who can't sail, also doesn't have the ability to sail long distances on her own.
The risk of being exposed while mixed in with the Beasts' ship is also very high. Given Kaido's personality, she was certain that he could really lock her up, and if she failed even once, it would all be over.
However, Yamato doesn't know Absalom well enough. The problem he's struggling with is whether helping Yamato leave here means saying goodbye to the red-light district.
Even if he did that, Kaido doesn't have conclusive evidence that he did it, but pirates don't act like the Navy.
The World Government and the Navy advocate procedural justice, believing that actions must be based on legitimate reasons, which pirates do not.
For safety's sake, it's best not to come.
"I'm telling you, stop worrying about it. We're not allies. Even if we were, it's normal for pirates to form alliances and cause trouble for each other."
"That bastard father of yours has already taken in that chameleon, don't you want to do anything about it?"
"Wait a minute, let me sort this out, I'm a bit confused."
Absalom pulled out a small box and fiddled with it. It was a special communicator; there were some things he felt it was better to ask.
Signal transmission takes some time, and different worlds have different characteristics. This pager-like decoration is a long-distance radio based on the principle of a long-distance Den Den Mushi (snail telephone stick). Signal reception also takes a little time.
It took a minute or two for Oran to receive the message after Absalom sent it.
"Dad, Abu's message. He said he encountered something strange in Wano Country."
Oran's machine had just been placed on the table, and Leliana, upon seeing it, relayed Absalom's message.
"It seems their family relationship isn't very harmonious. How should I reply to Abu?"
"Let him do what he wants. It doesn't matter; if he wants to do it, then he can do it. By the way, I remember you mentioned that Gamenio has a severe allergy to fur? Will he still be able to find the Beasts' Den then?"
"Who knows? Well, I'll just reply to Abu with 'whatever'?"
"Let's go back like this."
Their trade with the animals was a purely seller's market.
Over the years, they have accumulated a considerable amount of sea stone and iron ore. Oran is still discussing some things with the merfolk. Once the mining work begins here, some trades will become dispensable.
Moreover, transactions between major powers are not so easily interrupted. The World Government has annual orders for weapons and seastone from Kaido. As long as things don't escalate to the point of complete breakdown, even minor conflicts won't affect the transactions, unless Kaido is willing to give up these beast-transforming drugs.
Whether the deal goes through or not, it won't have much impact on Piltover.
As for psychological burden, that doesn't exist.
Just as Yamato understood, they were never allies, but merely trading partners. Apart from contacting each other once a year for transactions, they had no other interaction.
True allies are those who share life and death, advance and retreat together. But after selling things for a few years, this superficial relationship is hardly an alliance.
Kaido won't work for Oran in the New World for Oran's benefit, and Oran won't put in the effort for the development of the Beasts either; it's simply a matter of each getting what they need.
Besides, pirate alliances are just groups of people with similar interests temporarily banding together for mutual support. Piltover has gradually grown into an unshakeable giant, so others are willing to negotiate peacefully.
If this giant were to fall down one day, those who seemed friendly before would suddenly bare their fangs. They would be lucky if they didn't take the opportunity to kick the giant, let alone help him up.
"This might be good news for you; Lord Oran has no objections."
Absalom was familiar with Oran's habits. Although he often acted as a riddle-maker, he was very clear when giving orders. If something could not be done or had to be done, he would provide the standard.
This casual answer implies that Oran doesn't care at all; as long as his subordinates are satisfied, he'll do whatever they want.
"No. It's just a brothel; how can I let myself be controlled by such desires? If I can't even control this, how will I ever do anything important for my master in the future?"
Absalom muttered to himself, looking very conflicted, but in the end, as if he had suddenly realized something, he made his own decision.
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