Chapter 10: Kaido’s Shock

"No! I have to fix Yamato completely!"

"Not just her gender perception—I'll make her the most dutiful child imaginable!"

Jack shut the door behind him, stepping into the room with a sly grin.

"Heh, kids, huh? They love a good fairy tale!"

"If that doesn't work, I'll show her some romance dramas!"

Dragging a resistant Yamato into the room, Jack ignored her protests.

"What are you doing, you big dumb elephant?! Stop bothering me!"

"I still need to make my seven-pronged escape!"

"Relax, Yamato," Jack said, clearing his throat.

"Have you ever heard the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?"

"Snow White riding a dwarf?"

"No! Seven dwarfs! Sit down, and I'll tell you all about it!"

Fairy tales proved to be irresistible to Yamato, who started with disdain but quickly became engrossed. After a few stories, she clung to Jack, pleading for more.

In the following days, Jack doubled down, determined to reform Yamato. He carefully selected tales where princes and princesses played key roles. Not stopping there, he narrated Romeo and Juliet and The Butterfly Lovers as well.

The results were remarkable. Yamato's crying underwent a dramatic transformation. Previously, she'd sob uncontrollably, shaking others' heads and ending with a dramatic wipe of her face. Now, she cried quietly, dabbing her tears with a handkerchief, sniffing delicately, and sometimes emitting bird-like chirps of emotion.

Jack was delighted. "A few more days of this, and I'll introduce stories about filial piety. By the time Kaido-sama returns, he'll be utterly floored!"

Meanwhile, a group of pirates eavesdropping outside Jack's room exchanged worried glances.

They sneaked away and whispered among themselves.

"Hey, what's with Jack dragging Yamato into his room all the time?"

"You don't think..."

"Come on, Jack's only eight years old!"

"And so is Yamato. There's no way they understand that sort of thing... right?"

"Then how do you explain those stories he's telling? What's this about The Butterfly Lovers and married women strategies?"

"Jack said it himself—kids were getting engaged at eight in the Three Kingdoms era!"

"And he's so big for his age... who knows what he's capable of?"

"Better safe than sorry. We should inform Kaido. If something happens, even if Jack is fine, we're done for!"

Kaido received the message on Onigashima and was puzzled. His underlings only mentioned that something concerning Yamato required his attention.

"Yamato and Jack? Together? What could go wrong? I'm too busy to deal with this nonsense!"

But doubt crept in. Had Jack hurt Yamato? Though his rebellious child often clashed with him, Yamato was still his kid. If she were seriously hurt, Kaido wouldn't forgive Jack. Resolving to check, Kaido postponed his other tasks and transformed into his Azure Dragon form, flying back to Onigashima.

A week later, Kaido landed on the island, tense and brimming with concern. He was met by a group of nervous pirates waiting at the gate.

"Kaido-sama! You're back at last!"

"What happened? Did Jack hurt Yamato?"

"N-no, it's not that..."

"Did Yamato hurt Jack?"

"Also no..."

"Then what is it?! Spit it out!"

The pirates exchanged nervous glances before shoving one unlucky member forward.

"Out with it!" Kaido roared.

The unlucky pirate trembled. "Kaido-sama! Jack-sama and Yamato-sama have been spending all their time together recently. Sometimes Yamato-sama even stays overnight in Jack-sama's room!"

Kaido frowned. "And you're calling me back over that? Are you messing with me?!"

"N-no, Kaido-sama! It's just..."

"It's just that sometimes we hear Yamato-sama crying in Jack-sama's room," the pirate stammered.

"And the sounds... they're, uh, strange."

Kaido's face darkened. "What are you implying?"

"W-we thought... well, Jack-sama's only eight, but he's so tall and strong—maybe he's..."

"WHAT?!" Kaido bellowed, smashing the ground.

"Jack, you little punk! I'll kill you!"

Fueled by rage, Kaido stormed up the stairs, activating his Observation Haki. He immediately heard Yamato's muffled sobbing.

"That's it!" Kaido growled, smashing through the floorboards and crashing into Jack's room with his spiked kanabo raised high.

"JACK!"

Jack, holding a glass of water, froze, staring wide-eyed at Kaido. Yamato, sitting on the bed, looked up, her tear-streaked face breaking into a smile as she ran to Kaido.

"Father!" Yamato cried, clinging to his leg. "I'm sorry, Father! I was wrong!"

Kaido stared down at Yamato, then at a baffled Jack. His raised kanabo wavered before he slumped onto the floor, utterly drained.

-----------

For each review +1 chapter

+100 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg