socalfunplaces Chapter 196 Heart Knot
Chapter 196 Heart Knot
Chapter 196 A Knot in the Heart
Several days later, they were already very close to the waters of Wano Country.
Yamato stood quietly at the bow of the ship, his gaze fixed on the gradually clearing outline of the land ahead, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Many years have passed since she left this land with Luo Tian.
"What's wrong? Are you starting to miss the days when your old man beat you up again?"
Luo Tian noticed the strangeness in Yamato's expression, so he walked over to Yamato's side and teased him softly.
Upon hearing Luo Tian's words, Yamato was slightly taken aback. This time, Yamato did not argue with Luo Tian, a departure from his usual demeanor.
Yamato just shook his head with a wry smile.
"It's not because of that... I'm just thinking about what we need to do to truly liberate Wano Country. Is simply defeating Kaido enough? I've thought about this so much on this long journey, and I've discussed it repeatedly with Raizo and the others, but the deeper I think about it, the more confused and helpless I feel."
"Wano Country has always been in a state of isolation, which is not a problem that can be solved simply by defeating Kaido."
Luo Tian responded.
He then went on to explain.
"Defeating Kaido is only a prerequisite for breaking Wano Country's closed-door policy. That's why we brought Momonosuke with us on this mission, because he is the successor of Kozuki Oden. Only when he regains the position of Shogun can Wano Country's tradition of opening its borders be restored."
"Furthermore, there is the awakening of the people and the liberation of their spirit. I have already had Tesoro destroy the factory that produces artificial Devil Fruits. Abolishing the 'SMILE' enslavement, rebuilding education and industry, and restoring the people's confidence in the future are the keys to breaking down ideological barriers."
Yamato listened from the side, and although he didn't quite understand, he nodded to show that he understood.
Seeing this, Luo Tian gently patted Yamato's shoulder to comfort him.
"Don't worry, I'll help you. After all, you're one of my crew members!"
However, Yamato suddenly fell silent, gazing worriedly in the direction of Wano Country, as if she were concerned about something.
Luo Tian noticed Yamato's unusual behavior and quickly reminded him.
"Please don't do anything foolish! We're here for you, don't try to be strong on your own."
Upon hearing Luo Tian's words, Yamato snapped out of her daze, smiled, and said to Luo Tian.
"Okay, don't worry, I'm not stupid."
In the dead of night, all was quiet.
Yamato lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Although she had listened to Luo Tian's words during the day, her own thoughts were still churning deep inside.
She decided to go find Kaido first.
This decision was not made on a whim, but after careful consideration.
She did it not only for Wano Country, but also for herself.
From childhood to adulthood, Yamato was constantly abused by Kaido and deprived of her freedom, like a caged bird, imprisoned on the land of Wano Country.
Kaido demanded that she become a tool of his rule, burdening her with responsibilities and pressures that were not rightfully hers.
However, Yamato did not want to submit to Kaido's tyranny so easily.
She yearns for freedom, to break free from Kaido's control, and to rediscover her true self.
Therefore, Yamato decided to secretly go alone this time to confront Kaido directly.
She wanted to defeat the man who had tormented her and sever all ties with him.
Although Yamato had long since escaped Kaido's control, Kaido remained a shadow over her heart, an unresolved knot in her soul.
She believed that only by defeating Kaido could she truly gain freedom and allow Wano Country to break free from Kaido's rule and usher in a new dawn.
With their destination within reach, Yamato stood on the deck of the Dragon, gazing into the distance, where Wano Country was faintly visible on the horizon.
She turned and went into the cabin, chose a speedboat, and prepared to set off.
All of this was observed by Luo Tian, who was standing at the bow of the Dragon Soaring Ship.
He watched Yamato's departing figure silently, a complex emotion welling up inside him.
During the day, Luo Tian had tried to persuade Yahe not to do anything foolish, because Luo Tian knew that Yahe would do such a thing.
"Ah~"
"Fine, I knew I couldn't persuade you otherwise."
However, Yamato has its own principles and determination.
She firmly believed that she could complete it on her own without anyone's help.
Luo Tian sighed helplessly. He knew that once Yamato made a decision, it was very difficult to change it.
Since that's the case, he stopped trying to stop him.
As the Yamato speedboat sailed further and further away, eventually disappearing at the horizon, Luo Tian slowly turned around and returned to the cabin.
The next day, early morning
At breakfast time, Baby-5, Anna, and Angie had already prepared breakfast.
Everyone slowly took their seats, but Anna and Angie noticed that one person was missing from the table.
"That shouldn't be the case. Yamato-nee is usually the first one to arrive at meals."
"Yeah, is she sleeping so soundly today? Let's go wake her up."
Yamato was late in arriving, and Anna Angeli assumed he was still sleeping, so she planned to go and call him for dinner.
Luo Tian called out to the two of them.
"It's alright, no need."
"Oh, why? Did Yamato-nee do something wrong again? Are we not allowed to eat again?"
The two questioned Luo Tian in return.
"No, she had something to do, so she went to Wano Country on her own."
"what?!"
The previously noisy atmosphere in the restaurant was suddenly broken, and everyone's faces showed surprise.
However, amidst this uproar, a few people remained remarkably calm: Hawkeye, Issho, Enel, and Yan.
Although Yamato went there secretly without telling anyone, the Observation Haki of these people had already detected her actions last night.
Not only that, they also sensed Luo Tian's presence at the same time.
But Luo Tian watched Yamato leave silently, without making any attempt to stop him.
This made Hawkeye and the others realize that Luo Tian tacitly approved of Yamato's actions.
Given this, they naturally wouldn't bother to intervene.
So these people just continued eating as if nothing had happened.
"Dan, will we be able to reach Wano Country today?"
Luo Tian asked Xiang Dan.
"Yes, we expect to enter the country around this evening."
Dan thought for a moment and then responded to Luo Tian.
"Then speed things up and go pick up our silly crew."
Dan understood Luo Tian's meaning, picked up a piece of bread, and decided not to stay in the restaurant to eat. He got up and went to the cockpit to increase the speed of the voyage.