"Sure enough, my talent for illusions isn't that great," Youta rubbed his head, voicing his complaint.
No matter how weak Black Maria's will might be, she was still a skilled expert at the Flying Six level, her strength not inferior to that of a typical Vice Admiral. Even while unconscious and injected with a large amount of tranquilizer, she wasn't easily hypnotized by illusions.
Fortunately, at last, just as Youta was nearing mental exhaustion, he managed to extract the location of the Beast Pirates' treasure trove.
Having gathered the intelligence, Youta paid no more attention to the unconscious Black Maria. He didn't want to create a blood feud with the Beast Pirates.
If he were to loot the Beast Pirates' treasury and encountered Kaido, he would just need to hand everything over and express his willingness to join Kaido, who would gladly accept him into his ranks.
But if he killed Black Maria, meeting Kaido would likely result in a direct Thunder Bagua to the head, followed by dragon flames to scatter his ashes.
Following Black Maria's information, Youta quickly located a section of the iron gate in the skull palace. The gate and surrounding walls contained a certain amount of sea stone, clearly intended to guard against certain Devil Fruit users.
However, Youta didn't come to steal quietly—he was there to rob openly!
No matter how good the security measures, as long as the explosive force is sufficient, you can blow it all up!
He set up the exploding tags in the crevice of the iron gate, and with a loud bang, the two iron doors fell to the ground, revealing a magnificent treasure trove inside.
Ignoring the gold, silver, and jewels, Youta focused on the weapons.
Wano Country is known for its skilled craftsmen and abundant resources, so exceptional weapons were not in short supply here.
"Not bad, not bad. These weapons are of excellent quality. Though not famous on the Grand Line, their quality surpasses that of my current fine blades."
In the Beast Pirates' treasury, Youta didn't even see any weapons at the level of fine blades but did spot several of the highest quality blades.
Clearly, even the fine blade level isn't enough to be stored in Kaido's treasury.
Moreover, the treasury contained several Devil Fruits, each labeled, including a Bat Fruit, a Devil Frog Fruit, and a Honey Badger Fruit.
"Wow, even the Honey Badger Fruit? Eating that might make you fearless!" Youta remarked with surprise. Kaido truly lived up to his reputation as a zoo keeper, collecting three animal-type Devil Fruits.
The Beast Pirates must have more Devil Fruits, but most were probably given out as rewards to subordinates. These three were likely temporarily stored here, waiting to be awarded to powerful crew members or those who made significant contributions.
Youta opened the sealing scroll and stored the high-quality blades and Devil Fruits, paying little attention to the gold and Berries.
As the leader of the Beast Pirates, Kaido would need money to maintain his crew's operations, which explains the abundance of gold and jewels. For Youta, who had no plans to build a force, money held little significance.
Though he said as much, he still took a fair amount of gold; who knows when it might come in handy?
After gathering everything, Youta began to feel a bit uneasy. He decided to head outside to find Ace and make a quick escape.
Even though Kaido was away, it didn't mean he was disconnected from Onigashima. A simple call through a Den Den Mushi could bring Kaido back in a matter of days, given his speed as a flying dragon.
In the original story, Ace's time on Onigashima was primarily spent fighting Yamato, so Kaido didn't concern himself too much and likely wouldn't immediately return.
However, Youta didn't believe Kaido would stay indifferent after his entire treasury was looted.
Youta spent two to three hours in the skull palace, assuming Ace was still fighting Yamato. But when he stepped outside, he saw them sitting together, drinking.
"What's going on? Did I miss something?" Youta asked, puzzled by the scene.
Yamato and Ace were arm in arm, and upon seeing Youta approach, Ace introduced him with a smile. "Yamato, this is our Black Spades crew doctor and my best partner. Don't be fooled by his role as a doctor—he's no less formidable in battle than I am."
"Oh, really? That powerful?" Yamato grinned, wrapping her other arm around Youta. Both Youta and Ace were of average height, while Yamato, due to her Oni heritage, was much taller, making the scene look comical.
A tall, beautiful woman holding onto two shorter men made Youta feel like a child.
But despite his efforts, he couldn't free himself, especially with Yamato wearing sea stone handcuffs, which, despite their low purity, made Youta feel weak every time they touched him.
"Well, it's just drinking, nothing to be afraid of," Youta sighed, seeing how much the two had already drunk and how carefree they appeared.
In reality, Ace and Yamato shared similar personalities and circumstances. Both were dissatisfied with their heritage, so after some fighting, they quickly became friends.
Additionally, in the world of pirates, evenly matched rivals often develop strong camaraderie.
Youta was just surprised at how quickly they bonded.
"Yamato, even with your current strength, you can't defeat Kaido?" Ace asked, taking a swig of his drink and looking at Yamato.
Yamato shook her head. "No way. The old man is much stronger than me. I can't even last a few moves before he takes me down."
Ace's face turned serious, finally grasping the true power of the Four Emperors.
"By the way, you should leave soon. If the old man returns, you might not be able to escape."
"Why not come with us, Yamato? Why don't you set sail with us?" Ace suddenly invited Yamato.
"If I could leave, I would have done so a long time ago." Yamato's expression darkened, lifting her handcuffs. "The old man put bombs in these sea stone handcuffs. If I leave Onigashima, they'll explode. I don't know if that's true, but I don't dare take the risk."
