Chapter 92: 091. I Won't Jump, Not Even If I Die!

"I'll give you the answer this afternoon. Your training ends here."

With those words, King turned and walked away.

To this, Moses responded calmly:

"Why are you taking my weapons with you?"

King paused mid-step, then turned and swung his arm, hurling Cold Dew and the baseball bat toward Moses with a sharp whistle through the air.

Moses chuckled and shook his head, raising his hands. With a slight sway of his body, he caught both weapons firmly in his palms.

At that moment, a dissatisfied voice spoke up. Moses turned to see Yamato staggering to her feet before walking up to him:

"Why did you ambush me?"

"I didn't ambush you. King said 'begin,' and then I attacked. I didn't do anything wrong."

"You jerk! King clearly said we were supposed to team up and beat him, not fight each other!"

"Isn't it the same? If we fought him, you'd get beaten up. If I fought you, you'd still get beaten up."

Moses patted Yamato's shoulder with a grin. "There's no difference, really.

Unless you think King would go easy on you?"

Yamato's eyes flickered uncertainly. He wasn't wrong—King never held back. Every time she got beaten by him, it hurt just as much as this.

Thinking about it that way, maybe it wasn't so bad after all.

Her expression grew dazed.

Seeing her bewildered face and wavering gaze, Moses laughed. "See? It's the same either way—whether it's me or him beating you up.

In the end, you're the one getting pummeled."

Still smiling, Moses called for Bear Cub to carry Ulti and her brother away from the canyon.

Yamato followed behind, pointing at the still-unconscious pair. "Aren't you going to deal with them?"

Moses replied casually, "You do it."

Yamato wrinkled her nose in disgust, shaking her head like a rattle drum. "No way!"

"Suit yourself."

Moses had no intention of bothering with those two.

As if he hadn't heard the things they'd said when they first arrived.

One was a scheming troublemaker.

The other was a brainless idiot.

Yamato stuck close to Moses without saying a word, though it was unclear what she wanted. For now, she was quiet, so Moses let her follow.

They made their way back to the Beasts Main Camp.

Moses and Bear Cub returned to their room.

Bear Cub unceremoniously dumped Ulti and her brother onto their beds.

Yamato followed them in and even closed the door behind her.

Moses sighed. "Why are you following me? Don't you have your own room?"

Yamato hesitated, looking down at the shackles on her wrists before raising her head with hopeful eyes.

"Can you help me take these off?"

She quickly added,

"Don't worry, I won't cause trouble. I'll just stay in your room. I'll put them back on before I leave."

Her expression was pitiful.

Once someone has tasted the sweetness of freedom, they'll never want to return to being a caged canary.

And Yamato was never meant to be a caged bird to begin with.

She was a falcon, born to soar the skies.

Yearning for freedom, longing for the open blue.

Seeing the hope in her eyes, Moses' gaze darkened with thought. He spoke:

"I don't know why Kaido put those on you, but I imagine you shouldn't get your hopes up about running off once they're unlocked.

If he finds out and gets angry, he might lock them back on permanently—sealing the keyhole shut. Then I wouldn't be able to help you again in the future."

"That's all I have to say."

Moses returned to his room, took out a small iron piece from his waist pouch, and had Yamato's restraints off in less than a minute.

"I'm going to take a bath. Make yourself at home."

He headed to the washroom with Bear Cub for a bath.

Inside, there was a large wooden tub for soaking.

Outside the bathroom,

Yamato clasped her wrists and sat on the wooden floor, savoring the long-forgotten feeling of "freedom" that she had nearly lost.

A silly grin involuntarily spread across her face.

After a while, feeling sticky all over, she went to another bathroom to wash up.

She soaked for nearly half an hour.

Moses walked into the living room, drying his damp hair.

At that moment, Yamato's slightly embarrassed voice came from the other bathroom:

"Um... you're Moses, right? Could you lend me some clothes? Mine are all sweaty and smelly."

Moses gave Bear Cub a look. "Go find her a set of my clothes."

Bear Cub trotted off obediently.

Soon, Yamato emerged.

She wore a white short-sleeved shirt on top.

And a pair of black shorts below.

She walked out barefoot.

Her hair was still wet, and her cheeks were flushed, making her look quite alluring.

However, due to size differences, Moses' clothes fit her a bit snugly, especially around certain curves.

Yamato held her old clothes in her hands. "Where can I hang these to dry?"

Moses pointed to the balcony in his room.

A short while later.

Yamato sat cross-legged on the sofa next to Moses, looking thoroughly refreshed.

She grinned foolishly at her freed wrists, with a thick diary resting on her knees.

Moses glanced at the cover—unsurprisingly, it was that diary.

Noticing his gaze, Yamato's eyes sparkled mischievously as she said mysteriously:

"This is my treasure. It records the amazing adventures of a certain group. Since you helped me earlier, I'll let you take a look."

With that, she handed the thick diary over.

Moses raised an eyebrow. Since he had nothing better to do, he took it and began flipping through from the beginning.

Seeing that Moses didn't refuse, Yamato's eyes lit up instantly.

She hadn't given up on her earlier idea of recruiting him. In fact, ever since her defeat at Moses' hands, that thought had only grown stronger.

She mused to herself,

Oden's diary is such a great thing. After reading it, Moses will definitely admire Oden just like I do. Then we'll be on the same side!

Heh heh heh!

He'll surely join me in standing up against Kaido then.

Yamato propped herself up with her hands and leaned in closer to Moses, peering at the diary with a delighted expression.

She never tired of reading it.

The more she read, the more fascinating it became.

But why was Moses frowning? Was there something he didn't understand? Should I explain it to him?

...Nah.

I'll wait until he asks.

Some parts of Oden's diary are indeed profound. It took me a long time to understand them too.

Putting the thought aside, she continued revisiting the diary alongside Moses.

Time passed slowly.

Moses turned the pages one by one, and the living room was filled only with the sound of their breathing, Bear Cub's, and the rustling of diary pages.

The diary entries were incredibly detailed, chronicling the person's life from youth to adulthood and finally middle age.

The youth section only recorded the most significant events.

But from adulthood onward, the entries became much more thorough.

As he kept flipping through the pages, Moses saw many bizarre landscapes and the familiar tales of love and hatred described in the diary.

It was a relatively objective personal narrative biography.

Many characters appeared within its pages—Whitebeard, Roger, Rayleigh, Garp, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and so on.

Suddenly,

The sound of turning pages stopped abruptly. The diary's date remained fixed on that day in March of Ocean Cycle Calendar 1502, and the final entry was left unfinished.

At this moment, Yamato looked at Moses with sparkling eyes, filled with an extraordinary admiration:

"So, what do you think? Moses, don't you think Oden was a great hero and a remarkable man?"

Moses rubbed his temples, closed the diary, and returned it to Yamato. He felt an indescribable frustration. Hearing Yamato ask for his thoughts, he could only force a smile and give a somewhat objective evaluation:

"Well... remarkable, sure. But as for a hero... he probably... doesn't qualify."

Yamato froze for a moment, then grew visibly annoyed and muttered:

"Reason?"

"His life was certainly full of ups and downs, but his character... was a bit odd. Yes, odd. His way of thinking felt abnormal to me, hard to understand."

Yamato's eyes widened in anger:

"How is it hard to understand?"

"Before the age of fifteen, he could be called a little troublemaker—skilled in drinking, gambling, fighting, and arson. Fine, those are minor things. We can chalk it up to immaturity."

"But at fifteen, he really outdid himself. He seized a temple to use as his residence and regularly forced ordinary women into his harem. That's not nothing. He was the son of this country's shogun—practically a prince. If he wanted to indulge in some wild habits, I could dismiss it as personal preference."

Hearing this, Yamato also sensed something was off. A great hero couldn't act like this. Heroes were supposed to protect civilians, not oppress them. She hurriedly interjected:

"That was just his immature phase! He got better later. Look here—"

She flipped to a specific page in the diary and pointed it out to Moses:

"Oden fought criminals, gathered talented people, quelled chaos, and transformed the long-troubled lawless zone of Kuri into a paradise. He even taught the people there farming and construction techniques."

"This great feat even earned him the title of Kuri Daimyo from his father, the shogun of Wano at the time."

As she spoke, Yamato's eyes brimmed with admiration.

Hearing this, Moses smirked and retorted:

"And then, just a few years later, he grew bored with this mundane life. He was willful, ignoring the country's laws, and became obsessed with chasing adventures overseas. In the end, despite his subordinates' pleas and objections, he abandoned his responsibilities and left Wano with Whitebeard—Edward Newgate, who happened to arrive there."

"He cast aside all his duties, his followers, and his people without a second thought. He could've at least appointed a Kuri Daimyo to oversee things in his absence, but he didn't. He just ran off excitedly and vanished."

"For years, there was no word from him."

Yamato's face stiffened, her eyes trembling slightly. Hearing Moses' words, she also felt that this was indeed wrong. Flipping through the diary in a hurry, rustling through the pages, she suddenly let out a sigh of relief at one page and pointed, saying:

"Oden was unconventional in etiquette and passionate about helping others."

Moses continued with his sarcastic remarks:

"And then, to bid farewell to his old friend, he ignored the family's objections, set up a pot on the burning remains to cook oden, eating it with great relish."

"Gah—" Yamato's forehead broke out in cold sweat, her eyes growing anxious. Her pupils darted around until suddenly, they lit up:

"Oden was willing to dance naked in public for five consecutive years to rescue the people imprisoned by Kaido and Orochi in Wano Country. He was a truly great man."

Moses looked at Yamato with pity, no longer willing to mock her. Seeing his expression, Yamato immediately bristled.

Literally.

Her teeth not only turned into fangs, but her entire body entered a semi-beast state, her eyes filled with anger: "What kind of look is that?"

Moses sighed helplessly: "Before setting sail, Oden was notorious as a madman who disregarded any sacrifices. For some reason, after returning from his voyage, he became so naive.

But he was still an adult, right? The obviously deceitful words of Kaido and Orochi—he actually believed them and acted accordingly.

If he had endured humiliation to secretly gather strength and attempt a counterattack, I would still respect him as a man. But he did nothing, lost the people's support, and only panicked when Kaido and his men revealed their true intentions, charging recklessly with the last nine retainers who still supported him. It's just baffling.

Wasn't he very close with the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates? If he couldn't do it himself, why didn't he ask for help? For the sake of so-called pride? Yet he trampled his own pride into the mud—for a full five years."

After finishing in one breath, Moses exhaled deeply, looking at Yamato with pity.

Yamato opened her mouth, her eyes suddenly reddening. She wanted to retort but found herself speechless against Moses' words.

"Yesterday, you told me you wanted to be a man like Oden?"

Yamato's mind was in chaos, her eyes filled with confusion—a mix of indescribable grievance and a sense of resignation:

"Yes? What about it? Are you going to scold me like the others too?"

Moses didn't answer her question, instead asking: "If Kaido were to die right now, would you be sad? Tell me the truth."

Yamato froze again, unsure why Moses would ask such a thing. But searching her heart—if Kaido really died now, would she be sad?

Probably... yes.

After all, he was her only family. Even though he was a villain, a scoundrel, who often beat her half to death and shackled her, making her grit her teeth in hatred.

Watching Yamato lost in thought—one moment grinding her teeth in anger, the next looking pitifully wronged—Moses understood.

This straightforward and cheerful girl still saw Kaido as her father in her heart. He said calmly,

"Kaido suddenly dropped dead, and you held a funeral to cremate him. Then I came and divided his bones into five portions, using one portion as firewood to cook a pot of oden on the spot, eating it with great relish. How would you feel about that?"

Yamato's eye twitched. Hearing such words and imagining such a scene, an inexplicable anger rose in her heart. She gritted her teeth. "Why divide it into five portions?"

"Kaido was a big guy. It's more economical this way. Might even get four more rounds of oden out of it."

A hint of displeasure flashed in Yamato's ice-blue eyes as a chill emanated from her.

Seeing this, Moses said calmly, "This is Oden. The man you want to become."

Yamato's expression froze instantly.

Unless it happens to you, you'd never understand the heartache of those involved.

When she'd read this part in the diary before, she'd only thought Oden was straightforward.

But now... it seemed a bit twisted.

Under Moses' relentless and factual analysis, her idolization of Oden and the mental filter she'd applied to him had begun to shatter. Yet she still wanted to salvage it.

But then Moses continued, "Since you want to be Oden, and you clearly admire him so much, why not follow in his footsteps? Experience your idol's life firsthand."

Yamato asked blankly, "What do you mean?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she had a vague sense of foreboding, feeling that Moses' next words would be hard to hear—challenging the boundaries of her heart.

"Oden had a harem in his youth, changing brides every night. How old are you now?"

Yamato's face went blank. She had an inkling of what Moses was getting at, but part of her was already resigned to it. She answered irritably, "A few months shy of 14."

"I hear girls in this country sometimes marry and have children at 13. Do you want to—"

At this point, Yamato, now half-transformed into her Zoan-Type state, covered Moses' mouth with her furry hands, her face flushed with embarrassment and frustration. "Don't say it! I don't want to do that!"

Feeling the soft paw pads against his mouth, Moses blinked, then pried Yamato's hand away and examined it. The palm had pink paw pads. He pressed his thumb against one—remarkably similar to Bear Cub's when he was just born. They were pleasantly soft and damp, with a slight stickiness that would surely provide a firm grip on weapons in battle.

Devil Fruit users really were impressive. Even Zoan-Types had such intricate details.

Glancing at Yamato, Moses nodded. "Fine, we'll skip that. But Oden also danced naked for five years. How about you—"

Yamato expressionlessly clamped her hand over Moses' mouth again, declaring firmly, "I won't. Never."

Moses nodded and asked, "If you won't even do the things Oden did, do you still want to be him?"

Yamato bit her lip, staring stubbornly at Moses, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears that quickly crystallized and fell. "Why won't any of you let me be Oden? Why take away my freedom?" she said, her voice trembling with hurt. This time was different—before, she would have brushed off their words, but now she felt lost. She wanted a reason to stop her idolization.

Moses rolled his eyes and muttered in exasperation:

"Be whoever you want to be, it's none of my business. You're nothing to me anyway. But out of mercy, I'll tell you one more thing: If you live just to become someone else, you'll never be free.

Because that version of you isn't you at all. Oden is Oden—he had his own adventures and life.

And you?

You want to live just to become Oden?

Then who is Yamato?

Who are you right now?

If the freedom you seek is just living as someone else's shadow, then your life is truly pitiful.

Ya-ma-to!"

Moses said no more to her after that. His words were spoken—whether she chose to start anew or remain a ghost was up to her.

Yamato stood there, lost and bewildered. So Oden wasn't perfect after all, she thought.

"No, Oden isn't as flawed as you say."

Her words still held resistance, but in her heart, she wondered:

Then should I still try to be him?

Is the freedom I want just becoming someone else's shadow?

Her thoughts churned violently, and in that moment, Yamato realized—her heart, which yearned for freedom, was rebelling.

The name "Oden" now felt different, leaving her with an unsettling discomfort.

Seeing Yamato's dispirited, dazed expression, Moses said nothing more. The crack had already formed.

The idol's illusion had shattered.

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