Ray knew perfectly well that the woman who had come to find him was named Yamato, not Kozuki Oden.
She was merely a fervent admirer of that idealist Oden.
Or rather, ever since she was a child, she had been captivated by Oden's spirit of sacrificing himself for his ideals.
She had adopted his ideals as her own life's goal, to the point of trying to become him.
Ray's feelings toward Oden were rather neutral.
Not particularly good, but not bad either.
Based on the memories of the storyline, Oden was someone who yearned for the world beyond Wano's borders.
After experiencing numerous adventures with Whitebeard and Roger, he eventually reached Laugh Tale, witnessed the truth of the world, and discovered the purpose of Wano Country's existence.
After that, Kozuki Oden devoted his life to the ideal of changing the world.
He also sacrificed his dignity and life to protect his people and his followers.
His spirit was commendable, but his actions were somewhat.... dumb.
Oden was quite similar to Vivi from Alabasta—both were naive perfectionists who hoped to win a war without anyone having to sacrifice themselves.
In the end, this mindset only led to more sacrifices.
As for the woman standing before him, Ray didn't have a bad impression of her.
She had been left to fend for herself by Kaido since childhood, growing up in a perilous environment where survival depended entirely on her own abilities.
When Kaido saw that Yamato idolized Oden, not only did he not support his daughter's dreams, but he also threw her into a life-threatening cave to starve.
His brutal methods did indeed forge Yamato into a skilled fighter, but at the same time, they destroyed any chance of a genuine bond between father and daughter.
'What kind of father raises his daughter like that?'
'Ahem... actually, there is one.' Ray thought wryly.
Sesshomaru's approach wasn't all that different from Kaido's.
He threw his own daughters into the wild too.
But Sesshomaru's initial intention was to protect his daughter and wife from danger, whereas Kaido's motive was purely to mold Yamato into a fully functional human weapon to rule Wano.
Of course, this parallel was also one of the reasons why Ray felt a certain fondness for Yamato.
Though it might be more accurate to say that guilt was at play.
The memories he had been recalling tonight kept bringing him waves of self-reproach.
Overprotecting Rin had made her life monotonous and simple, while neglecting his own daughters had caused them to suffer greatly.
Even after reuniting with them, he only spent time with them occasionally, offering pitifully little in terms of familial affection.
Whether these memories truly belonged to Ray or not, the emotional resonance felt undeniably real.
Now seeing Yamato, he couldn't help but feel a certain sympathy.
Especially since Yamato was a user of the Dog-Dog Fruit, which stirred an inexplicable sensation of kinship within Ray.
That's why he hadn't felt anger at Yamato's sudden intrusion, merely glaring at Cavendish instead for being loud.
...
At this moment, Yamato's gaze toward Ray was filled with anticipation and curiosity.
She had been closely following world events through newspapers smuggled into Onigashima.
Recent papers had clearly documented one particular incident:
Ray slaying the Yonko Big Mom.
Such a feat—even her wretched father might not be able to accomplish it alone.
That afternoon, she had overheard Beast Pirates intelligence officers reporting to Kaido about a remarkably handsome man entering Wano Country.
He defeated Sasaki who's guarding the waterfall entrance, and later took down Page One and Ulti effortlessly.
Yamato's intuition immediately sparked.
'An intruder both handsome and powerful—could it be Ray arriving in Wano?'
And since Ray was a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, did that mean Ace's brother—Luffy—had also come to Wano?
She had been waiting so long for this day that her hopes had nearly withered!
Thus, using her Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami, she transformed into her beast form.
Relying on incredible speed and keen senses, she located the outsiders ahead of the Beast Pirates scouts.
Only to find Cavendish first.
Handsome, yes—but unfortunately not Ray.
His strength seemed mediocre, making him an unlikely ally in her quest to defeat Kaido.
Fortunately, Cavendish mentioned Ray's name, allowing her to finally meet the strongest member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Hello, Ray! I am Kozuki Oden!" Yamato bowed energetically.
"I want to join you in defeating Kaido and saving Wano Country!"
Yamato bluntly voiced her thoughts without hesitation.
Hearing this, Ray confirmed his suspicion.
Just as expected—she came seeking his help in "patricide."
Their goals aligned perfectly since Ray wanted Kaido dead too.
But Ray added one condition.
"Then tell me your real name."
Ray's golden eyes pierced through her.
"I don't collaborate with dead people."
His words completely derailed Yamato's prepared persuasion!
Pursing her lips and frowning, she hesitantly replied, "But... I am Kozuki Oden!"
In response, Ray merely stared coldly before turning away as he issued an order to Cavendish.
"See her out."
"EHHHH?!"
Cavendish was utterly bewildered—he truly couldn't grasp his boss reasoning now.
'Was her name fake?'
'But why would she use a false identity? Things could have been cooperative—now ruined!'
'How can you negotiate if you're dishonest?!'
Yet Cavendish had no choice but to obey Ray's command.
Gesturing politely, he escorted Yamato down the mountain.
"This way, Miss..."
As she was led away, Yamato considered speaking further.
But she sensed Ray's palpable disappointment in his tone and chose silence.
On the descent, both Cavendish and Yamato who's equally confused by the situation began conversing awkwardly.
...
Dawn broke.
Ray, who had slept poorly through the night, was roused by the gentle morning sun filtering through the leaves.
Throughout the night, he had been troubled by his dreams.
But upon waking up, most had faded from memory like mist.
Ever since his fusion rate broke through 70%, he would often experience memory fragments belonging to Sesshomaru.
And after meeting Tama, this process accelerated.
When he saw Yamato last night, he also recalled the matter of Sesshomaru's two daughters, Setsuna and Towa.
At this moment, Ray grew increasingly doubtful of his own identity.
'Was I truly just a simple transmigrator?'
'Did I and Sesshomaru truly share some kind of connection?'
'And what was the deal with the System that treated me with utmost respect?'
Although he couldn't reach a clear conclusion for now, Ray felt he was getting closer and closer to the truth.
As long as his fusion rate continued to break through, one day he would understand everything.
As for the effects these memories were having on him?
It seemed he had gained a bit more humanity...
For example, yesterday, he demanded that Yamato state her own name because he couldn't stand this girl disregarding herself and choosing to become a puppet of 'Kozuki Oden'.
Perhaps it was because Yamato's Inu Inu Fruit made Ray feel a sense of kinship.
Or perhaps he saw shadows of Setsuna and Towa in Yamato.
But in the past, he would never have spoken such words for a stranger.
He would have just used her and moved on.
Ray, who always adhered to the principle of minding his own business, had made an exception last night.
And when he woke up this morning, he still wanted to see whether Yamato had understood his meaning.
Thus, Ray got up, shook out his long silver hair and prepared to head toward the village.
But just as he was about to take a step...
ZOOM!
Yamato's aura appeared at the foot of the mountain, rapidly approaching Ray's location.