CH279 "ODEN'S HEIR , DEVIL'S BARGAIN"
"You're such an asshole..."
Yamato clenched her jaw, fury flashing in her eyes.
Yamato glared at Ren, her voice rising with conviction. "Say whatever you want— I'll never give up on becoming Oden!"
Ren gave a half-hearted shrug. His Words weren't worth the effort.
"I'm not here to talk you out of it," Ren said coolly. "Figure it out for yourself."
Then, without warning, Ren stepped forward.
Yamato watched, confusion flickering across her face— just before her eyes widened in shock. Ren seized the sea-stone cuffs on her wrists and, without a moment's hesitation, squeezed.
"Click".
A pulse of raw, Armament Haki burst from his hand, crackling with overwhelming force.
The cuffs groaned, twisted— then shattered, their structure torn apart in an instant.
With a flick of Ren wrist, the broken fragments shot into the sky.
"Boom!!! Boom!!!"
The sound echoed like thunder.
And then, everything changed.
The twin explosions rang out like thunderclaps, sending shockwaves through the air as plumes of dark smoke curled skyward.
"Nani...?"
Yamato stood frozen, her eyes wide with disbelief. But beneath the shock, rage surged through her veins. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, each breath thick with fury.
"That bastard… Bastard father," Yamato growled, eyes burning red with anger. "Did he really plant explosives in the Sea Stone cuffs?"
Yamato had never truly believed it— not deep down. Rumors had reached her ears before, whispers that the cuffs contained more than just seastone. But she dismissed them, convinced it were all just Fabricated Lies. Now, faced with the smoking remnants and the near-death experience, she narrowly escaped, reality hit like a fist to her gut.
He really did it.
Kaido embedded explosives inside the very cuffs meant to restrain Yamato— her own daughter. It was set to detonate the moment she left the island.
Yamato had wanted to believe there was some line Kaido wouldn't cross. Even monsters had limits. Even tigers, they say, don't harm their own cubs.
But watching the sky light up in fire and ash after Ren shattered those cuffs— watching death reach for her and miss by inches— shattered any illusions Yamato had left.
"I saw it with my own eyes," she whispered bitterly. "Ren removed them, threw them away, and they exploded. Just like that."
Yamato stood there, surrounded by smoke and betrayal, feeling one thing above all else— utter disappointment.
Yamato dropped to her knees, her cries raw and broken, echoing through the smoke.
"I'll never forgive him..." Yamato whispered, voice trembling. "That bastard... my own father."
A hush fell over the scene.
"The handcuffs… they really exploded," someone muttered, disbelief thick in their voice.
"Wasn't that just a threat? Kaido actually—?"
In the distance, Nami, Robin, Karina, and others stood frozen. The shock hit them like a wave of icy wind, leaving goosebumps on their bodies and a chill crawling up their spines.
Some clutched their heads, as if trying to process what they'd just seen. The sheer cruelty of it— it was beyond comprehension.
Kaido of the Hundred Beasts… just how far would he go?
To stop Yamato from fleeing, Kaido had locked her in seastone shackles. But that wasn't enough. He had hidden explosives inside. Lethal ones.
There was no bluff. No warning shot.
Just a father's brutally taken decision— and a daughter is nearly lost.
And as the last echo of the blast faded into silence, the truth settled in: Kaido never intended to scare her.
He intended to kill.
For years, Yamato had worn the sea stone cuffs— silently, suffocating, and unyielding. She learned that those chains weren't just physical restraints; they were symbols of a cage Kaido father built to keep her spirit grounded.
Had Yamato had tried to escape all those years ago, the truth is chilling— she would've died instantly.
What kind of father plans for his child's death?
But Yamato stood tall, tears barely dry on her cheeks, and said with defiance, "Don't think this will change how I see you. I am Kozuki Oden."
The words cut through the smoke like a blade.
Turning to Ren, Yamato's voice rang clear and unshaken. "I'll never marry you. I'll never accept a life built on fear and cruelty."
Yamato's heart ached— yes. Kaido was her father. That truth once meant something.
But not anymore.
What Kaido did— what he planned to do— had severed that final thread. Whatever blood bound them. Now, no longer held any meaning. In Yamato's heart, Kaido was no longer her father.
From this day forward, Yamato was free.
The sea stone cuffs had fallen away, and with them, the last of Yamato's chains. She was done living in the shadow of someone else's will.
Now, all that remained was her dream— a long-buried desire for freedom, adventure, and the chance to live by her own ideals.
She would walk her own path.
And she would never look back.
"Don't get the wrong idea."
Ren's voice cut through the silence like a blade. His eyes met Yamato's, calm but cold.
"Just because I took off your handcuffs... doesn't mean you're free."
Yamato narrowed her eyes, gripping her mace tighter. "What do you mean?"
Ren didn't flinch, "Don't think for a second that you— or that bastard Kaido— can control me. Try to chain me again, and I swear, I won't hesitate."
The weight of Ren's words hung in the air.
This was the moment Yamato had waited for. Her resolve crystallized. No more fear. No more hesitation. If she had to die for her freedom, so be it.
Then Ren spoke again, calmly, almost too casually.
"I'm only warning you... don't try to run. Because I hold something more important than 'THOSE MERE CHAINS'"
Ren raised his hand slightly, fingers curled around something unseen.
"I have the heart of Fire Fist Ace."
Silence.
Yamato's eyes widened. "Ace's... heart?"
A wave of shock crashed over Yamato. Her grip faltered, her breath hitched.
Ren remained still, unbothered. "It's right here. Squeeze it, and Fire Fist dies."
Yamato stared at Ren, disbelief and fury curling inside her. Was he bluffing? Or had he really crossed such a line?
Yamato didn't know.
But she knew one thing— this fight was far from over.
Ace's life card still shimmered with vitality— proof enough that he remained alive, somewhere out there.
Ren had already confirmed it before. Ace has survived. Then how could someone else be holding his heart in their hand? How could that even be possible?
"It's the power of the 'OPE OPE no MI'. A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit," Ren said coolly, his tone detached. "It allows the heart to be removed from the body without taking the life that beats with it. But," he added, eyes narrowing slightly, "if that heart suffers any harm… That person will feel every ounce of the pain. Agony. And maybe even death."
His words fell heavy, but Ren remained impassive. In truth, he hadn't done anything. Not really.
The deal with Silvers Rayleigh had been laying bare. No deception. No tricks.
Ren still held onto a moral line, however thin. He hadn't crossed into cruelty— just a bluff. A gamble. One intended to unnerve Yamato. It was Ace, after all. Fire Fist Ace. That name alone carried weight.
Still, it was strange. A simple bluff shouldn't have shaken Yamato this much.
"WHATTTTT?!!!"
Yamato's voice cracked with disbelief, the shock evident in her eyes. Ren's calm explanation had struck deeper than expected. Her face, once composed, twisted with sudden panic.
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HELLO READERS.
I HAVE MADE A SHORT CHAPTER OR A CHAPTER WITH JUST 1200 WORDS. THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER WAS MORE THAN 2200 WORDS. SO WHICH WAS MORE FUN TO READ. A SHORT AND THRILLING CHAPTER OR LONG CHAPTER.
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