After the Marines issued the bounty poster, it caused quite a stir across the world.
The reason was simple.
That incredibly handsome face and the ridiculously high bounty.
“Ahhh~ I’m going to… go crazy… How can a man be this handsome!”
“I’m going to plaster his poster in every corner of my house! I want to see him every day—even in the bathroom!”
“I’m going to make underwear out of this bounty poster…”
The reaction was exactly what Vir had expected.
This bounty poster indeed earned him a massive wave of female fans.
But…
They were absolutely insane.
Insane to a degree that even Vir couldn’t have imagined.
And among them, shockingly, were some very powerful pirates…
“Mamamama~ This kid is quite the looker!”
On Whole Cake Island, Big Mom held Vir’s bounty poster, a satisfied smile on her face.
Her expression became even more delighted as she looked further down and saw the bounty amount.
Her gathered children saw her reaction and assumed she was planning to arrange a marriage between one of her daughters and Vir.
However, her next words left them all stunned.
“Katakuri! For the tea party next month, send someone to invite him here!”
Big Mom spoke absentmindedly, her eyes fixed on Vir’s poster.
“Understood, Mama. Are we arranging a marriage with him?”
The towering figure of Katakuri responded, assuming the same as the others.
“Marriage? What marriage! Just bring him here! I want him for myself! You worthless daughters can forget about it! Something this good won’t fall into your hands!”
Big Mom suddenly glared at her gathered daughters.
She then clutched the bounty poster to her chest as if protecting a treasured possession.
“A strong and handsome young man like this must have exceptional genes! It would be a waste not to combine them with mine!”
She spoke to herself, completely ignoring the shocked expressions of her children.
The gathered children cast a sorrowful glance at Vir’s image.
Another man about to meet his doom…
A bounty of one billion berries.
Truly astonishing—this guy named Vir.
He’s already surpassed Katakuri’s bounty.
Hopefully, he survives this.
A real shame for such a handsome guy…
…
Inside a spacious cave.
*Glug glug glug glug~*
*Boom!!*
*Splat.*
A massive gourd of sake crashed onto the ground, instantly crushing an unfortunate spectator.
“Haa~!”
A towering man nearly ten meters tall exhaled in satisfaction.
Then, he picked up the bounty poster in front of him.
“Tch tch! Where the hell did this guy come from? Which pirate crew is he the captain of? How did his bounty shoot up this high all of a sudden? He’s almost catching up to you, King.”
Kaido spoke in an irritated tone.
Hearing this, King glanced up at him.
“He’s not a captain—just the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. His captain’s bounty is barely pushing 400 million.”
Before King could finish speaking, Kaido let out a shocked roar!
“WHAT?!!”
The sheer volume of his voice made the entire cave tremble.
But then, Kaido suddenly started crying.
“What kind of world is this?! A guy worth 400 million has a doctor this strong?! Why didn’t he join my crew?! Waaaaahhh! This is so unfair! Glug glug glug glug~”
Kaido sobbed while chugging another massive gourd of sake.
His officers below merely exchanged glances, unfazed by the scene.
Just another typical Kaido moment.
“Haa~ No! This won’t do! King! Send someone to recruit him! See if we can bring him into our crew! We need a strong doctor too!”
Just as King was about to accept the task…
Suddenly.
A figure appeared at the cave entrance, dressed in a kimono, with horns on her head and a mask covering her face.
She stood there silently.
Yet in that moment, every single person’s gaze snapped toward her.
All eyes locked onto the figure who bore a striking resemblance to Kaido.
Everyone was wide-eyed in disbelief.
Clearly, her appearance was completely unexpected.
King and the others, upon seeing the newcomer, showed expressions of shock.
Their gazes then cautiously shifted toward Kaido.
Kaido, too, had frozen in place, staring at the figure standing before him.
His drunken haze seemed to clear slightly as his eyes sharpened.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, looking again.
Still there.
Huh?
Yamato?
Why is she here?
Didn’t he order people to capture her?
Why would she… come here on her own?
Kaido’s mind was in chaos.
He couldn’t figure out what Yamato was up to.
Did she realize what showing up here meant?
Her father, Kaido himself, could easily capture her!
So…
Why was she taking such a risk to appear here?
Unless…!
Kaido’s heart trembled violently!
A long-awaited possibility suddenly emerged in his mind.
His gaze toward Yamato turned expectant!
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Yamato finally spoke.
“This mission… let me handle it.”
It had been a long time since Yamato had spoken to her father.
Talking to him now made her feel somewhat uneasy.
Especially since she was making a request.
But the moment her words left her lips…
Everyone in the cave tensed!
They all turned in astonishment toward Kaido!
On Onigashima…
If nothing unexpected happened…
The New Year was coming early…
Sure enough!
Kaido’s previously composed expression suddenly cracked upon hearing Yamato’s words.
His face was filled with disbelief.
Even his eyes began to tremble slightly.
Had his own child… finally come to her senses?
Was she finally willing to ease his burdens?
To Kaido, this mission wasn’t easy, but it could greatly strengthen their crew.
Yet, he never expected Yamato to willingly appear before him, at the risk of being captured, just to offer her help.
At this moment, Kaido truly felt that Yamato had grown up.
One look, and he could tell she was genuinely serious about this mission.
She genuinely wanted to help recruit Vir.
There was no pretense in her intentions.
Gradually, Kaidou’s expression grew more and more emotional.
Tears welled up in his eyes, beginning to blur his vision.
But this time, Kaidou didn’t burst into tears like before.
He didn’t let his emotions spiral out of control.
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, he wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
Then, he gestured for Yamato to come closer.
Seeing this, Yamato hesitated for a moment but eventually walked over.
“Do you really want to go?”
At this moment, Kaidou didn’t ask whether she could complete the mission.
He only asked if she wanted to go.
Perhaps Yamato’s determination had truly moved him this time.
It awakened the fatherly love within him that had been buried for so long.
On Yamato’s side, she was momentarily stunned after hearing Kaidou’s words.
She genuinely wanted to bring Vir back.
But it wasn’t about strengthening her family’s forces.
She just really wanted to meet Vir.
Even if she couldn’t bring him back, it didn’t matter—she simply wanted to get to know him.
A while ago, she had spoken with Ace.
Ace had raved about Vir over the call.
Talking about how Vir had treated his injuries, how his strength had skyrocketed, how he even lost a kidney…
Ace had rambled on and on about Vir.
But in the end, he concluded that Vir was a great guy—interesting and fun to be around. He told her that if she ever had the chance to set sail, she should meet him.
Naturally, Ace’s words filled Yamato’s mind with endless curiosity about Vir.
At the very least, the fact that Vir was both intriguing and a skilled veterinarian made her eager to meet him.
That’s right.
A veterinarian.
That’s what Ace had called him.
When Yamato saw Vir’s latest bounty poster, she was also shocked by the amount.
But soon after, she realized that Kaidou might take action.
After all, a pirate with a billion-berry bounty suddenly appearing in the New World—there was no way the Four Emperors wouldn’t either try to recruit or eliminate him.
Sure enough, after eavesdropping at the cave entrance, she heard exactly that!
She immediately volunteered to go.
But she never expected her father to suddenly become so gentle…
“I really want to go…”
Despite being surprised by Kaidou’s attitude, Yamato still answered firmly.
This statement wasn’t just about wanting to meet Vir.
It was also about stepping out of the country she had been trapped in for over a decade.
Her tone was filled with longing.
But to Kaidou, that longing sounded like his daughter’s desire to help him.
His heart was touched even further.
Perhaps this was just how fathers were.
They couldn’t bring themselves to be too wary of their own children.
Slowly, he reached into his robe and took out a key.
Under Yamato’s astonished gaze, he unlocked the shackles on her wrists with a click!
Yamato was utterly dumbfounded!
The chains…
Had been removed?
Really removed!
She… she could actually leave this time!
The chains were gone!
Wait!
Does that mean…
Does that mean she don’t have to come back?!
She could just go find Ace instead?!
Endless thoughts flooded Yamato’s mind.
But…
Kaidou turned around and pulled out a new set of shackles.
Under Yamato’s exasperated gaze, he snapped them onto her again with a click.
“Go, my child! I’m entrusting this task to you.”
“These new shackles are on a timer. They have the same explosive power as the old ones. If you don’t return within twenty days, they will detonate.”
“That kid is in the New World right now. Twenty days should be enough.”
With that, Kaido waved his hand grandly and barked at his subordinates:
“You! Prepare a ship for your young master!”
“And one more thing!”
“Tonight—WE FEAST!”
“EVERYONE! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!”
“BETTER SHOW UP TO THIS BANQUET! WHOEVER DARES TO SKIP IT—”
“DIES!”
Kaido’s thunderous voice shook all of Onigashima.
And soon, a deafening roar of agreement erupted in unison:
“WOOOOO!!”
The sheer volume of the roar made the people of Wano instinctively look in that direction.
Kaidou gently patted Yamato on the back and grinned. “Go on, I’ll be waiting for your good news.”
Yamato gave Kaidou a complicated look.
Then, she turned and left.
In her heart, a strange feeling stirred…
Was it… love?
No!
Impossible!
He was just using her!
Right…?
Well…
Yamato was truly a rebellious daughter…
Because of Oden’s influence, her hatred for Kaidou wouldn’t be easy to erase.
But…
Maybe Vir could treat that too?
After Yamato left.
Kaidou’s expression became even more gratified.
Looking at his subordinates, he proudly declared: “See that?! She didn’t say a damn thing about becoming Kozuki Oden this time! My daughter is finally coming back! HAHAHAHA!”
But as he laughed…
Tears quietly slipped from the corners of his eyes…
—
Meanwhile, things were much quieter over on the Red-Haired Pirates’ side.
They were merely surprised by how quickly Vir was rising in prominence.
But they didn’t dwell on it too much.
After all, only Shanks knew the truth.
Luffy was the one and only Joy Boy.
Vir?
He was just strong for now.
Luffy would surpass him eventually.
Only Luffy could bring an end to this era.
Everyone else was just a supporting character.
The protagonist would always be the one and only!
—
“Pops! Big news! HUGE news!”
Marco sprinted from the stern to the bow, holding Vir’s freshly updated bounty poster, his excitement barely contained.
His shout successfully gathered most of the crew around him.
“What’s with all the fuss?”
“What’s Marco freaking out about this time? Is that doctor finally here?”
“No way, Jozu said they just started heading back.”
“True.”
The crew buzzed with chatter.
Whitebeard, watching the lively atmosphere on his ship, couldn’t help but smile.
“What’s the news, Marco?”
Looking at Marco, who was practically bursting with excitement like a child eager to show off, Whitebeard felt genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.