Chapter 12 – The Dawn of Change

Yato woke up feeling... different. His body felt stronger, faster. The energy inside him had changed, as if he had crossed an invisible threshold.

He knew exactly what that meant.

Makino was pregnant.

Turning his head slowly, he saw the woman still sleeping beside him, clinging to him. Her face was slightly sweaty, her hair sticking to her skin, but what caught his attention the most was the satisfied smile still lingering on her lips. A reflection of the intense exercise they had shared in bed for hours.

For a moment, Yato just lay there, feeling the warmth of her body against his.

"It was worth it."

He only grew stronger by impregnating women who appeared in the One Piece manga, anime, or movies. Makino had been the first, but she certainly wouldn't be the last.

But he couldn't waste time.

Despite his increase in strength, he was still weak. He wasn't sure, but he probably couldn't even defeat Alvida, Luffy's first enemy. And that meant that, in this world, he was still nothing.

That had to change.

"Who's next?"

He tried to remember all the women who appeared in the story on this island. Only one name came to mind: Dadan, the mountain bandit who raised Ace and Luffy.

But there was a problem.

She was already older when Luffy was a child. Was she still fertile? He didn't know, but he was going to find out.

As he pondered this, he felt Makino shift slightly against him.

She was waking up.

---

At first, Makino looked confused. Her eyes blinked slowly as she woke up, her expression showing a brief moment of incomprehension.

Then, the memories of the previous night hit her all at once.

Her face turned completely red.

Yato watched with amusement as she buried her face in the pillow for a moment, clearly embarrassed. But despite her shyness, the smile on her face didn't disappear.

"Good morning," he said, his voice still rough from sleep.

Makino took a few seconds before replying, still half-hidden in the pillow. "Good morning…"

She took a deep breath and looked at him, the redness still evident in her cheeks.

"Last night… was…"

"It was incredible," Yato finished, a smirk appearing on his lips.

Makino hid her face again, murmuring something inaudible. He chuckled, pulling her closer.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes… I just… I think I might be pregnant."

Yato raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Makino sighed, covering her face with her hand. "It wasn't a safe day…"

He smiled. "Then it's very likely that you are."

Makino looked at him, a little hesitant. "And you…?"

Before she could finish her sentence, Yato pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I'll take responsibility."

Makino froze for a moment before relaxing in his arms.

If she knew that, in his mind, "taking responsibility" meant keeping her under his control so he could impregnate her as many times as possible, she might have reacted differently.

But for now, she simply snuggled into his chest, a soft smile on her lips.

---

Hours later, Yato was already in the forest, searching for strong animals to fill the five new slots he had gained by impregnating Makino.

It didn't take long to find worthy prey.

He managed to capture:

1 falcon 

1 bear 

3 tigers 

With that, his shadow army now consisted of:

2 falcons

2 bandits

5 bears

6 tigers

He felt the presence of each shadow in his mind. Obedient, lethal, ready to strike at any moment.

But it still wasn't enough.

---

Using one of the falcons, Yato began scouting the surrounding areas, searching for the bandits' hideout.

It didn't take long to find.

The large wooden barracks stood out among the trees. It was the hideout of Dadan's bandits, one of the largest in the region, located relatively close to the village.

Men came and went, some carrying food, others resting outside. But Yato wasn't interested in them.

He wanted Dadan.

And thanks to a new power that came with Makino's pregnancy, he could uncover something crucial before making a move: Shadow Vision.

Now, he could see through the eyes of his shadows.

With this, he had the falcon perch at a high point near where Dadan was, and he began to observe her.

She was sitting in a corner of the barracks, smoking a cigar. A large, robust woman with a tired look, but still commanding respect among her men.

But Yato wasn't just watching her posture.

He needed deeper information.

If Dadan had already gone through menopause, he wouldn't be able to impregnate her.

But that wasn't something he could find out immediately.

So, he left the falcon on watch, ready to observe any sign of bleeding in the coming days.

If Dadan was still fertile…

She would be his next conquest.