Chapter 158: Shanks Began To Exert Force
When Kahn and his group arrived at the town where the 16th branch of the Marines was located, they learned the location of Cocoyasi Village from the locals and immediately set off in that direction.
Before reaching Cocoyasi Village, Kahn, with his keen Observation Haki, spotted the shark Spab from the Arlong Pirates.
Soon after, Kahn also discovered that Arlong and his crew, who had yet to establish Arlong Park, had taken over the best building in Cocoyasi Village, intending to create their own "Arlong Empire" there.
At the same time, Kahn noticed the grave of Bell-mère and saw that Arlong, already bearing the mark of his pirate crew, had "severed ties" with the villagers. Now, Nami was left alone with her sister, Nojiko.
Upon witnessing this scene, a slight smirk appeared on Kahn's face, but he thought to himself—it wasn't enough.
Nami's obsession with money wasn't strong enough yet.
Thus, Kahn abruptly changed course and stopped heading to Cocoyasi Village.
Right now, Nami had only begun to fall into darkness—she wasn't yet fully engulfed in it, with no sense of hopelessness or unquenchable desire for money.
Only when she ventured out to steal, realizing how hard it was to gather money, and made the ultimate sacrifice for the villagers in the face of danger would she become the true "little thief."
At that point, Kahn would pull her out of the darkness.
So, Kahn decided not to rush in and rescue Nami immediately. Instead, he would wait for her to face hardships before intervening.
It was undoubtedly going to be a long wait.
In the meantime, Kahn began training Yamato.
To be precise, he continued her training.
It had been over half a year since they left Wano. Under Kahn's gentle influence, the once-naive Yamato grew more convinced that Kahn was a good person.
At the same time, despite Yamato not telling Kahn about Kozuki Oden's logbook or revealing the island she wanted to visit, Kahn took her on adventures that mirrored those of the Roger Pirates, going to places like Skypiea as mentioned in Oden's logbook.
This only strengthened Yamato's belief that Kahn was her "Roger."
As a result, Yamato naturally became part of the "Cross Family," serving as Kahn's tenth maid and the fifth giant in the maid group.
Under Kahn's influence, Yamato no longer wore her usual white kimono, red skirt, and clogs. Instead, she now donned a specially designed black-and-white maid outfit and high heels, which were so awkward for her that she tripped countless times.
Yamato could barely tolerate the high heels and every time she stumbled, she felt an urge to smash them and throw them away.
But just as she was about to give in, Kahn's voice would chime in.
"If you can't learn to wear high heels, the voyage ends here."
Wearing a maid outfit and high heels was something everyone in the maid team required.
In order to continue exploring the world, Yamato reluctantly wore the heels with tears in her eyes and gradually learned how to walk in them under Monet's guidance.
Then, there was the matter of Yamato learning the proper etiquette of women.
Kahn understood perfectly that Yamato wanted to experience the adventures of Kozuki Oden. Her goal was to visit the islands the Roger Pirates had explored and see the sights mentioned in the logbook.
Using this as leverage, Kahn would always ignite Yamato's enthusiasm and interest whenever they neared the next island, only to assign her tasks before they could land.
"If you don't complete the mission, then we won't visit that island," he'd say.
Pure of heart, Yamato was easily swayed by Kahn, who had mastered the art of manipulation.
As a result, she had no choice but to continue learning the ways of womanhood with tears in her eyes.
Whether it was due to her experience of learning how to walk in high heels or the fact that Yamato was only 18 years old and not as entrenched in her gender identity as described in the original story, Kahn quickly brought her into line.
This was Kahn's method of "therapy."
By making Yamato take her studies on women's etiquette seriously and immersing her in lessons, she would come to realize her true self as a girl.
With his natural Observation Haki, Kahn would seize on moments when Yamato felt conflicted or unsure of her identity, pushing her even further.
This was his strategy.
Whenever Yamato, now clad in a maid outfit and only allowed by Monet to wear safety pants when disembarking, was teased by Kahn, it brought a strange new feeling that made her blush for the first time in her life.
Over time, as Monet taught her how to walk in high heels, master feminine etiquette, and even apply makeup and dress properly, Yamato's confusion about her gender began to ease.
Kahn, now feeling satisfied with his efforts, was determined to "cure" Yamato's gender confusion completely.
While Kahn focused on training his maid, the New World in the second half of the Grand Line became increasingly lively.
The infamous pirate, "Red-Haired" Shanks, who had lost an arm in the weakest sea and stayed in other areas for a long time after leaving the East Blue, had finally returned to the New World with his Red-Haired Pirates.
Upon his return, Shanks made no secret of his ambition to rise to the top, making bold moves across the seas.
One by one, pirates were defeated by the Red-Haired Pirates, and their territories and pirate crews came under Shanks' control, flying the Red-Haired Pirates' flag and becoming subordinate forces.
While the Red-Haired Pirates, much like the Whitebeard Pirates, used a ship as their base of operations—the "Red Force"—and roamed the seas on their two-masted vessel, Shanks was far from a lone wanderer with a handful of crew members.
In fact, the Red-Haired Pirates had a vast network of affiliated pirate groups and territories.
When Shanks and his crew engaged in battles, these affiliated forces scattered across the New World would rush to his aid, much like the dozens of pirate groups allied with Whitebeard.
It was impossible to become a Pirate Emperor without a significant fleet and territories.
Even Luffy, in the original story, needed his Straw Hat Grand Fleet to be recognized as a new Emperor.
As the "Cross Family" continued to operate in a low-key manner, the Red-Haired Pirates rose to prominence, and the year 1512 of the Sea Circle Calendar became known as the "Year of Red-Haired Shanks."
In the headlines of Morgans' World Economic News, Shanks and the Red-Haired Pirates dominated the coverage.
However, there was one story that briefly stole Shanks' spotlight.
Princess Otohime of the Ryugu Kingdom on Fish-Man Island was tragically assassinated by a man named Hody Jones.
With the death of Princess Otohime, the Ancient Weapon Poseidon had officially awakened.
Kahn knew that in a few years, when Shirahoshi sank into the depths of despair, he would step in as a knight once more to save her and claim the second Ancient Weapon for himself.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was the end of 1512 in the Sea Circle Calendar.
On that day, while Kahn continued to monitor Nami from a distance and witnessed her survive numerous brushes with death, he encountered an unexpected surprise.
Nami had met the first important person in her life!
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