Chapter 15 – Why Not?

Yato buried the gold in the cave and left a shadow to guard it. The seastone shackles and baton were left with the shadow of one of the bandits. With that settled, he resumed his routine, intense training, keeping an eye on Dadan, and spending nights with Makino.

Three days passed until Yato confirmed that Dadan could still have children. To make this discovery, he used the falcon to spy on her in the bathroom, a questionable but effective method. Knowing this, he calculated that she would enter her fertile period in ten days, which fit perfectly into his plans.

Using the falcon, he found out where Luffy was training and decided to take advantage of the information. He prepared himself and headed toward the area, keeping a safe distance of about a hundred meters. There, he started roasting a boar he had hunted and left marinating for two days to enhance its flavor. The scent quickly spread through the forest.

In less than five minutes, Luffy appeared, eyes shining and drool dripping from his mouth.

"Uwaaa! That smells way too good!"

Yato smiled, seeing his bait working perfectly.

"Hey, my name is Yato."

"I'm Luffy! And I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!" he said with his usual energy.

Yato feigned surprise and curiosity. "King of the Pirates huh? Sounds like a big dream. Want to eat with me while you tell me more about it?"

Luffy didn't hesitate. "Of course!"

The two sat down and began devouring the boar, with Luffy obviously eating most of it. Between bites and exaggerated praise for the food, their conversation flowed naturally.

"This is the best boar I've ever eaten! Are you a cook or something?" Luffy asked, still chewing.

"Just someone who enjoys good food" Yato replied, smiling. "But what about you? Besides wanting to be the King of the Pirates, do you have any other dreams?"

Luffy paused for a second, thinking. "Hmm... no. Being the King of the Pirates is already the biggest dream of all!"

Yato chuckled. "And what do you think you need for that?"

Luffy clapped his fist into his palm. "I need a strong crew, an amazing ship, and to find the One Piece!" He grinned confidently. "And I'm leaving in a month to start my adventure!"

Yato pretended to ponder for a moment. "That sounds exciting. I've always wanted to travel the world, explore new places... I guess my dream is to be an adventurer."

Luffy's eyes lit up at his answer. "Then come with me! You can be one of my nakama!"

Yato smiled internally. "Hmm... sounds fun."

Luffy raised his arms excitedly. "Then it's decided! You're joining my crew!"

After finishing off three whole boars, Luffy stretched his arms and yawned. "I'm gonna train a bit more!"

Yato nodded, using the moment to continue his own training, punching a nearby rock. It wasn't as big as the previous one but it served its purpose.

After hours of training, the sun began to set. Luffy stretched his arms and yawned. "I'm heading to Dadan's camp now. Wanna come?"

Yato smiled. "Why not?"

And so, the two headed together toward the bandits' mountain camp.