"What are those looks on your faces? Uta could beat the two of you senseless with her Devil Fruit ability alone. Training her Haki is only adding polish to something that's already strong."
"Besides, her fighting style is completely different from yours. She doesn't need to grind through brutal special training the way you two do. And on top of that, she's a girl."
Rayleigh walked over and gave both of them a hard knock on the head.
"What, did you want an elder like me to personally start hitting a young lady over the head? Who here would have the nerve to do that?"
"I'd never hit Uta!" Luffy hurriedly waved his hands in denial.
Ace, however, took another angle.
'If hitting her too hard was the problem, then hitting her lightly would be fine, right?'
But from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Rayleigh's gaze, which looked almost murderous, and forcibly swallowed those words back down.
Just then, Yamato came over at some point and raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so? Back when I trained, I got beaten up plenty."
Those words left Rayleigh completely speechless.
After all, there was a living example of a woman training Haki right here. But could anything Kaido did really be judged by normal logic?
In the end, Rayleigh could only scratch his head awkwardly.
It was not as if he could openly admit he was being biased.
No.
Absolutely not!
He was a famous teacher. How could he possibly be biased?
When Ace heard Yamato's words, he froze in surprise and looked toward Yamato, whose head was peeking out from beside his shoulder.
What did she mean by that?
Had she finally gained a proper understanding of her own gender?
Why was everyone acting strange? Luffy was like this, and now Yamato too.
This odd situation had begun after they came back from that strange world. All of them had changed from how they used to be.
Apparently, even he had changed too.
"Oden?" Ace called out tentatively.
"Don't call me Oden anymore, Ace! Right now, I am me. I am Yamato, Child of the Oni!"
Ace rubbed his forehead and sighed.
Right.
It seemed this person's gender understanding still had not been corrected. Rather than that, it had become more like it swayed back and forth, sometimes male, sometimes female.
Still, at least she was no longer constantly calling herself Kozuki Oden like before. That counted as progress, more or less.
Just then, Cain and Uta also finished their training and slowly walked over.
Everyone was discussing where to go for a meal when Yamato suddenly dropped a shocking piece of news.
Ace abruptly grabbed her clothes and asked anxiously,
"What?! You're leaving?! And you're going back to Wano?!"
Hearing Yamato's decision, his pupils shrank sharply, and he was completely stunned.
Among everyone present, no one understood what Yamato had gone through in Wano better than Ace.
That was exactly why his heart filled with urgency.
Yamato faced the light of the setting sun and nodded heavily.
"Mm-hm. I've thought it through. Running away like this won't solve anything in the end. I have to go back and challenge Kaido. I'll defeat Kaido and open Wano's borders! The people of Wano still need me."
"But with your current strength… that's far too reckless."
Ace frowned deeply, his voice growing heavier.
"This is freedom you finally managed to obtain!"
"I know all that, Ace. Don't worry! At most, Kaido will beat me up. He won't really do anything to me."
Yamato waved a hand lightly, then patted Ace on the shoulder.
"And besides, I ran out this time to save you in the first place. I left too suddenly back then, and there are still many things in Wano that haven't been resolved. As Wano is now, I really can't set my mind at ease and go adventuring with you. I can't be like Kozuki Oden. I can't abandon that place and ignore it."
She lifted her eyes toward the distant sky, her gaze falling in the direction where the sun was sinking.
Her tone became especially serious.
"I want to turn Wano into the country I've always hoped for—a country where everyone can eat their fill."
Ace stared at the light in her eyes and fell silent for a long while.
Inside, he struggled before finally making his choice.
His tense shoulders slowly relaxed. He stood on tiptoe and raised a hand, patting her shoulder heavily.
"…I see. I understand. Follow your heart and do what you believe in, Yamato!"
The evening wind blew past, ruffling her hair.
Yamato tilted her head, clearly stunned for a moment.
Ace smiled back at her.
The two of them, in that instant, looked just like they had back when they made their promise before parting.
Ace's encouraging words struck deep into Yamato's heart.
She immediately stepped forward, tightly hugged Ace, and shouted.
"AAAH! ACE! I'LL WRITE LETTERS TO YOU! AS EXPECTED, SAYING GOODBYE REALLY DOES MAKE ME RELUCTANT TO LEAVE!"
"YA… YAMATO, I CAN'T BREATHE."
Ace's cheeks were visibly being crushed hard by something, turning red as he shouted for help.
"Ah! Sorry!"
Yamato hurriedly let go, her own cheeks flushing as she looked apologetic.
Ace rubbed his chest and took a breath, the blush on his face not yet faded. Helplessly, yet with a smile, he said,
"Hah… finally, air. You'd better not forget. If you run into any trouble, contact me anytime. After all, we're friends."
"Mm!"
Yamato nodded heavily, her eyes shining.
"I won't foolishly wait around like Kozuki Oden. I'll find a way to contact you!"
"After all, you're the first friend I ever made in my life."
Hearing those words, Ace felt as if his heart had been struck hard.
Their fight when he first met Yamato, the heartfelt conversation they had shared, the Vivre Card he had given her, and the way she had waited by the shore.
Then came the Summit War, when she had thrown everything aside and went out to sea, drifting without direction, charging straight toward the execution platform to save him.
Ace could not hold himself together anymore. With a difficult expression, he turned around and spoke in a muffled voice.
"Hurry up and go!"
"Huh?"
Yamato froze, not understanding.
"I said hurry up and go!"
Ace's voice rose a little, carrying a faint tremor that was hard to notice.
"But…"
Yamato bit her lip, her feet refusing to move.
"That's enough. You don't have to say it. I understand."
Ace cut her off, his back held straight as he raised his head to keep the tears from falling.
"I know you don't want to leave me either, so hurry up and go…"
"Ace… I…"
Yamato hesitated, her eyes full of conflict.
"Do you really want me to say it out loud?"
Ace's shoulders trembled slightly.
"Do you want me to say that I don't want you to leave, that I want to go with you and save Wano together?!"
"But I have too many things tied to me too, and I can't go with you. Do I have to cry with you and shout out something that embarrassing?!"
"Do you want me to chase after you miserably as you leave? Is that what you want?!"
"Cain, take me away.... Farewells really are too hard to accept."
As he spoke, tears squeezed out little by little.
Yamato was suddenly caught in an awkward position. She stood there in silence for a moment before slowly speaking.
"I am leaving, yes, but I didn't say I was leaving right now."
"Huh? Then what was all that stuff I just said…"
Whooooo—
It was the sound humanity heard when the steam train was first invented!
Thick clouds of steam began pouring from Ace's head.
At that moment, he looked practically dead, crouching motionlessly in the corner.
Yamato, meanwhile, stood beside him with great interest, poking at the steam rising from his head.