Soon, Vir emerged with his arms lined with plates of food.
Before he even reached the table, the aroma had already arrived.
Yamato’s eyes lit up immediately.
Moments later—
“Wow! Vir! You can cook too?! This is amazing!!”
“Ace never told me about this! This is so good!”
Yamato spoke through mouthfuls of food, absolutely devouring everything in front of her.
Watching her eat at a speed that rivaled Luffy’s, Vir couldn’t help but break a sweat.
A female version of Luffy wasn’t just a joke, huh…
*Buuurp~*
With a loud belch, Yamato finally finished her feast.
Then, without warning, she just collapsed backward.
And fell asleep…
Vir: Huh?
Wait, are people all like this these days?
Could this be some kind of infection from Ace?
Give it a bit more time and she’ll be dozing off mid-bite just like him.
*Pop~*
“Hmm? Did I just fall asleep?”
Vir: …
So that’s your thing—fall asleep fast, wake up even faster, huh?
“Vir! Can you finally tell me about Ace now? Burp~ Yawn~”
She yawned while rubbing her stomach, making Vir’s eye twitch involuntarily.
What a character.
“Ace, huh.”
“He’s probably off somewhere in a dark corner… quietly crying right now.”
Vir said lightly, eyes calmly meeting Yamato’s.
But his words stunned her.
Ace? Crying?
Ace would never cry.
Just as she was about to question him, Vir reached into his coat and pulled something out.
A small piece of paper.
And at that moment…
Tiny sparks of fire flickered across it.
The paper was slowly burning away, little by little.
Extremely slowly—
But still burning.
“A Vivre Card?” Yamato instantly recognized it.
A friend of Vir’s? It looked like… they weren’t going to make it.
But what Vir said next made Yamato jolt in shock.
“This is Ace’s Vivre Card.”
Vir spoke with a calm, flat tone.
But the moment those words landed, Yamato’s once-carefree heart was thrown into chaos—waves crashing within her.
Just like when Luffy first heard the news.
She froze.
Then immediately began patting herself down in a panic!
Finally, she reached into her clothes and pulled out the same kind of paper!
And just like Vir’s, her Vivre Card was also burning slowly.
Sparks, curling edges.
Yamato’s pupils shrank violently.
A horrified expression froze on her face.
It’s real.
This is really Ace’s Vivre Card!
Ace…
Is dying?
Her one and only friend…
Is dying?
Yamato’s heart trembled.
It felt like something had pierced straight through her chest.
An overwhelming pain tore through her body.
Cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
Her breathing grew heavy, ragged.
Memories of their time together flashed through her mind.
Ace (in her memories): “Why is your heart cuffed as well?!”
His furious words had once reignited her fighting spirit.
But now… Ace’s determined face was slowly being consumed by flames.
Fading away.
‘No. No!!’
‘NO!’
‘I can’t let Ace die!’
‘I have to save him!’
‘He’s my only friend!’
‘I won’t let him die!’
‘We… We made a promise!’
‘We swore we’d go on adventures together!’
‘He can’t just… disappear like this!’
‘But—’
‘Where is he?!’
‘Where is Ace?!’
‘I don’t know…’
‘Who would know?’
‘Vir!’
‘Vir must know!’
With that thought—
Yamato snapped back to reality!
But sitting across from her, Vir’s demeanor had completely shifted. He was serious now—calm, focused.
His brows slightly furrowed, eyes deep and unwavering.
He stared at Yamato, watching her expression closely.
Yamato, panting hard, asked anxiously, “Vir!”
“Where is Ace?! I have to save him!!”
Yet Vir didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he remained silent, his gaze fixed on her as if waiting for something.
Then, finally—
“What identity will you use to save him?”
Vir suddenly asked, his voice calm and low.
His gaze pierced into her, as if searching deep within her soul.
Yamato blinked, startled, a bit confused by the question.
She didn’t understand.
“Ace is my friend. He’s your friend too.” She said.
Vir nodded. “Yes. And what about you? Who are you?”
Yamato’s expression clouded with uncertainty. She was stunned.
‘Who am I?’
‘I’m… the man who will become Kozuki Oden.’
The words she had just declared rang back in her mind.
But why was Vir asking her this?
Did she do something wrong?
Vir’s intentions were clear.
He wanted to break this girl’s mental shackles—so that she could join the Straw Hat crew.
As for why?
Simple.
First, Yamato was strong.
Second, she was an important figure in the world of pirates.
What did that mean?
It meant she was a magnet for negative points.
And with the system upgrade…
You think those shiny new features and fancy store items come cheap?
Dream on.
The saying “you get what you pay for” was something Chopper had learned the hard way.
With Yamato around, earning those precious negative points would be way easier.
But if she kept chanting “Oden, Oden” every day…
Forget Vir—everyone else might struggle to accept her.
Not because the Straw Hat crew had strict membership rules.
But because her dream, her very identity, was at odds with Luffy’s journey.
She was shackled.
The moment her dream became “I want to become someone else”…
She was walking a path that strayed from her own.
Everyone else says: “I want to be as great as so-and-so.”
But her?
“I want to become Kozuki Oden!”
“I want to carry on Oden’s mission!”
“I want to protect Oden’s family and friends!”
“I want to protect Oden’s country!”
“I want to fulfill Oden’s dream of opening the borders!”
…
See the problem?
Does that make any sense?
She wasn’t living as herself anymore.
She had become someone else entirely.
So, Vir was trying to set her free.
It might not work this time.
But it was worth a shot.
If Kaido were here, he might just bow down and thank Vir…
“Are you Yamato, or are you Kozuki Oden?”
Vir’s voice rang out again—calm, but demanding.
“I’ll only tell Ace’s friend where he is. Ace only wants his friend to save him. But who is Kozuki Oden? I don’t know him. And neither does Ace.”
Yamato slowly looked up, eyes filled with hesitation.
Why?
‘Why can’t I go save Ace if I’m Oden?’
‘Do I… have to abandon my dream?’
‘But becoming Oden—that’s been my goal for as long as I can remember…’
She clutched Oden’s journal tighter to her chest.
The conflict in her eyes only deepened.
‘Would Ace really not want Oden to save him?’
‘Damn it!’
‘What’s so wrong with being Oden?!’
‘Oden was an amazing man!!’
Vir: “Oden was great. But—”
“Ace’s friend… is Yamato! The one who who wanted to go on adventures with him! That Yamato!”
His words struck her like a hammer.
And in that moment, she remembered—
The strange look Ace had given her when she spoke of her dream.
That strange, hesitant gaze.
Ace… thought she was wrong too.
But he didn’t say anything.
He respected everyone’s dreams.
In that moment…
Yamato started to doubt.
Was she really… wrong?