THE STRONGEST CREATURE OF THE BEAST PIRATES

Third, samurai schools were established in various locations to train warriors loyal to Shogun Yamato. By allowing one person from each family to attend these schools, families could retain extra food rations—one share for one attendee, two shares for two attendees.

Fourth...

...

These decrees once again caused a sensation throughout the Wano Country.

The common people grew increasingly grateful to Yamato. Although much of the food they cultivated would still be handed over, the new system felt like a blessing compared to the oppressive rule of Orochi.

Moreover, families with members in samurai schools could keep extra food. This sparked a ripple effect: families began striving to have more children, hoping to send them to samurai schools in the future.

This was precisely Alastor's ultimate goal.

First, to win the people's loyalty.

Second, to increase Wano's population.

Third, to cultivate a dedicated samurai force.

A strategy that achieved all three objectives ensured rapid growth of power.

"Yamato, this is all I can help with regarding government affairs. The rest you'll need to learn and manage on your own," Alastor said.

The General's Mansion had a secret compartment where administrative matters were handled. Only Alastor and Yamato knew of its existence.

At the moment, in the compartment, Alastor handed a thick stack of documents to Yamato with a smile.

Yamato groaned, slumping over the table. "I didn't realize being a Shogun wasn't just about gaining the people's trust—dealing with these endless documents is the hardest part!"

Alastor reached out to touch the red dragon horn on Yamato's forehead in a gesture of comfort, but Yamato shook her head in mock displeasure.

Though Yamato was far from timid, Alastor's gestures—occasionally even kisses—no longer fazed her. She had grown accustomed to his affection, even if her instinctive reactions were still a mix of annoyance and reluctance.

After all, years of reading Kozuki Oden's diary had led her to think and act like a man. It wasn't until spending more than three years with Alastor that she began to accept her identity as a woman. This clash of self-perception often left her uneasy.

Of course, Alastor occasionally went too far—like that incident on the back of a lion in broad daylight...

The memory made Yamato glare at him.

Smiling, Alastor said, "Governance takes time. Kurozumi Orochi might have been incompetent, but the bureaucratic structure of Wano has historical depth. All you need to do is learn to manage it effectively."

He added with a chuckle, "Just be careful not to be manipulated by the officials below you."

"I'm not that gullible," Yamato retorted, pouting.

Alastor's smile widened. Even if Yamato did make mistakes, he would always be there to support her—and deal swiftly with dissenters.

"Most importantly, we need to focus on the samurai schools," he continued.

The schools were central to Alastor's plans. By selecting talented individuals from the populace and training them as samurai, he aimed to create a loyal force devoted to Yamato—and by extension, himself.

Branch schools were established across Wano, while the Flower Capital housed the main academy for the best candidates. Yamato served as principal, while Alastor took the role of honorary instructor, occasionally teaching personally.

Ideally, Teacher Kaido would have been the perfect instructor. Unfortunately, not everyone could survive Kaido's brutal training methods.

Instead, Alastor recruited Page One as a permanent instructor. However, the young man seemed terrified of Yamato, often behaving like a mouse before a cat—a result of the unexpected beating she had given him.

Seeing Yamato's exhaustion, Alastor eventually stopped talking. Becoming a Shogun for the first time was no easy task, especially when governing a nation ravaged by Orochi and Kaido's rule.

"It's getting late. Rest early," Alastor said gently, refraining from asking Yamato to train with him.

To keep their relationship discreet, Alastor always left the mansion after their meetings. As he stepped outside into the cool night, a thought struck him: Kozuki Hiyori.

Alastor recalled the night he killed Denjiro. He had spared Hiyori, who had fainted, and placed her under guard in a secluded courtyard. Initially, Hiyori was distraught and even suicidal, but over time, her demeanor became unusually calm.

"She's intriguing," Alastor mused, deciding to visit her soon.

---

Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital:

"Hey, Pay Pay! What's with this nonsense?" Ulti yelled, glaring at her brother. "Why did you come here to be an instructor? And what are you doing lying on the ground like that?"

Page One, drenched in sweat from push-ups, replied helplessly, "Sister, I've explained this so many times. Brother Alastor asked me to come here. And I'm training to build strength."

Ulti fumed. "Brother Alastor, Brother Alastor! Why do you keep calling him that? Are you under a spell? You used to listen to me, but now you follow him around like a puppy!"

Realizing her outburst stemmed from jealousy, Page One sighed inwardly but remained silent. He knew better than to provoke his sister further.

He stammered, "Sister, I didn't—"

"Enough! I have to find that bastard and demand an explanation. How did you become like this?"

With that, Ulti stormed out of the room.

Page One quickly got up to chase after her, but by the time he reached the door, she was already gone.

Ulti charged through the streets, her imposing aura scaring anyone in her path.

Every person she encountered was met with the same question: "Where is Alastor?"

The subordinates of the Beasts Pirates, terrified of the infamous and violent Flying Six member, pointed nervously in one direction without hesitation.

Following their guidance, Ulti eventually found Alastor's residence.

Coincidentally, Alastor had just returned from the General's Mansion, and the two crossed paths.

Ulti glared at him fiercely, her voice like thunder.

"What kind of spell did you cast on Pay Pay? Why does he call you 'Big Brother' and listen to you so much?"

Alastor glanced at her, then did a double take. His gaze lingered as he observed Ulti from head to toe.

It wasn't because he had any interest in her—this "female tyrannosaurus" was too petite and far from Yamato's impressive physique. Alastor wasn't intrigued by her appearance.

Rather, his focus was on her impressive defense. He couldn't help but appraise it: her overall defense was at 3,000 points, with the defense on her forehead exceeding 4,000 points.

As a pachycephalosaurus-type Devil Fruit user, this level of durability wasn't surprising. It explained why, in the original story, she could withstand a direct combination attack from Big Mom without falling.

A look of surprise crossed Alastor's face.

He had been pondering a growing concern—he lacked suitable sparring partners.

Yamato was too occupied with governing Wano, and Page One wasn't strong enough. What Alastor needed was an opponent capable of both dealing significant damage to him and helping him refine his physical techniques.

While his primary method of strengthening attack power was through swordsmanship, Alastor had hit a bottleneck since his fight with Whitebeard. The battle had pushed his body and skills to their limits, and further progress seemed out of reach in the short term.

Even his mastery of advanced Haki and Conqueror's Haki infusion felt like it had come out of nowhere. When he asked Yamato how she had learned to imbue her attacks with Conqueror's Haki, she had blinked at him innocently and replied, "I don't know—I just did."

Alastor had been speechless. As Kaido's child, Yamato seemed destined to excel from the start.

With progress in swordsmanship and Haki stalled, Alastor shifted his focus to physical combat.

Although his defense was still below his attack power, the system would eventually allow him to surpass this limitation. When that day came, Alastor envisioned using his body to deliver attacks stronger than any sword strike.

To prepare, he needed to develop physical techniques and begin training them immediately.

"What are you staring at? Hurry up and answer me!"

Among the Beasts Pirates, Ulti was notorious for her unruly behavior—even daring to speak disrespectfully to Kaido himself.

Naturally, she had no regard for Alastor's position. Despite his bounty surpassing that of the other Flying Six and his status rivaling that of the All-Stars, Ulti cared little.

Her fury stemmed from jealousy: her younger brother's loyalty to Alastor had sparked an inferno, and this fire of sibling rivalry burned hot enough to engulf the entire Flower Capital.

Alastor, however, saw an opportunity.

"If you want to know the answer, you'll have to beat me first."

A mischievous smile played on Alastor's lips, his eyes glinting with challenge.

His nonchalant attitude only fueled Ulti's already blazing anger.

"Beat you? Perfect!" she roared. "I've disliked you for a long time. You beat Pay Pay so badly last time! If that idiot Kaido hadn't stopped me, I would've taught you a lesson right then and there!"

Alastor's smile widened. "In that case, let's settle this properly. This isn't the place for a fight."

He led the enraged Ulti to an empty training ground.

Discarding his sword, Alastor stretched his muscles and prepared himself.

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