“What!”
The transparent barrier surprised Kozuki Oden. He had already witnessed the abilities of the Barrier-Barrier Devil Fruit when he was next to Kurozumi Orochi. It was clear that the old man by Orochi’s side was the user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, but they couldn’t possibly be helping Kaido at this moment.
He had sailed the seas before and knew that there could only be one Devil Fruit of the same type at the same time. Although some Devil Fruits have similar abilities, Kaido is already confirmed to be a Zoan user. It was impossible for him to consume another fruit similar to the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
The opportunity to take action passed in the blink of an eye. At this moment of hesitation for Oden, Kaido’s other dragon claw came down. Oden crawled out from the ruins below, displaying formidable resilience comparable to a typical Zoan user.
“Are the abilities of Mythical Zoan this diverse? You can even use barriers?”
“You don’t need to know. I’m not your answer machine,” Kaido replied, showing no interest in explaining the concept of Protect to Kozuki Oden. Instead, he prepared for another attack.
As time passed, the battle intensified further. The tree that was supporting the Flower Capital’s palace had collapsed, and the surroundings were completely cleared.
Oden’s attacks continued, but they had little effect on Kaido. Instead, he gradually began to accumulate more wounds. Despite his tenacious vitality, engaging in a battle of endurance with a Zoan user was not a wise choice.
Kaido realized that Oden was the only person he had encountered in years who could withstand his Beast Form’s attacks multiple times and still fight back. As time passed, the surrounding battlefield intensified, and explosions could be heard coming from the direction of Oden Castle.
Looking at Kaido, who had almost no injuries, Kozuki Oden took a deep breath and activated his Haki to its fullest extent.
Attacks like Kaido’s Blast Breath didn’t mean much to Kozuki Oden. After all, close combat was his specialty.
“Kaido, if it were you, would you choose to open the country and welcome Joy Boy?” Oden suddenly asked during a lull in the battle, bringing up Joy Boy once again.
“I have no interest in that Joy Boy nonsense, nor do I believe in these so-called prophecies. If there’s really such a thing as Joy Boy, they should at least be someone capable of defeating me!”
“I see. Then I’ll have to really drive you out. After all, Wano must be opened.”
“If you think you can, give it your best shot.”
“Oden Two-Sword Style.”
Oden’s muscles seemed to bulge as he prepared for a powerful strike. Meanwhile, Kaido dived down from the sky once more.
“Paradise Totsuka!”
Enma and Ame no Habakiri intersected, forming a cross, as they slashed towards Kaido. Like the previous Paradise Waterfall, his attack merely struck Kaido’s Protect barrier, but this time, Kaido’s barrier shattered.
“Protect” has its limits, and Kozuki Oden’s full-powered strike reached that limit, but nothing more. After breaking through “Protect,” his subsequent attacks were intercepted by Kaido using his kanabo.
The moment “Protect” shattered, Kaido’s body began to shrink, transitioning from his Beast Form into his Human-Beast form, which was his most powerful combat state.
“Worororo! Well done. You’re the first in years to break my Protect, Kozuki Oden. You’re an interesting opponent. You’ve earned the right to witness this form of mine.”
A ferocious aura emanated from Kaido as Haki enveloped his Hassaikai. In this form, his strength far surpassed that of his dragon form.
Just as he was about to swing his kanabo, a voice from the side cried out, “Father! Please, save me!”
A samurai under the command of Orochi was holding Yamato hostage. At this moment, Yamato was crying out to Kaido for help. However, he merely cast a fleeting glance, paying no attention whatsoever, and instead, he turned his gaze toward Kozuki Oden.
“How disappointing. Hey, Oden! Arceus quite likes the current environment of Wano Country. You wouldn’t want the aftermath of our battle to destroy the entire Flower Capital, would you? Let’s settle this with one decisive move.”
“Are you so heartless that you don’t even care about your daughter?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Lightning crackled around Kaido’s kanabo, enveloped by a much more potent Haki than before. It seemed like the thunder in the sky was under Kaido’s control.
Sword-shaped phantoms surrounded Kaido, and while both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance had their advantages, Kaido had spent much more time mastering Swords Dance, making him naturally more proficient in it.
“Thunder Bagua!”
In the end, Kaido still chose to use the Thunder Bagua as his final move. Facing the approaching Kaido, Kozuki Oden discarded Ame no Habakiri and gripped Enma’s hilt with both hands.
“Oden One-Sword Style: Harmony!”
Holding the sword with both, he unleashed his most powerful single-target attack. The black edge of Enma collided with the Hassaikai, generating intense sparks of lightning and Haki. However, with the Sword Dance bolstering Kaido, Oden was no match for him.
A deafening explosion ensued, and the world seemed to fall into silence. Enma plunged into the ground within the ruins, while Kaido’s dragon claw pinned down Oden.
“Cough, I’ve lost. You’re quite powerful.”
“You’re not weak either, but you still fall short compared to those monsters.”
“Is that so? Hey, Kaido, you will make Wano Country better, won’t you?”
“You’re a warrior, but also a fool for asking such questions to your enemy.”
“Orochi isn’t fit to lead Wano Country. But, Kaido, opening the country and welcoming Joy Boy, that’s what Wano Country should do.”
“If these are your last words, you are quite foolish. If there’s a so-called Joy Boy, I’ll defeat him too.”
Kozuki Oden fell silent. Kaido raised his Hassaikai.
“You have the right to die like a warrior.”
Hassaikai swung down towards Oden’s head.
“Toki…Momo…Hiyori….everyone… I’m sorry. I lost… but Kaido… have you ever considered… that perhaps you’re the so-called Joy Boy?” These were Oden’s last thoughts, unspoken and meant to remain so. With concerns and worries for Wano Country’s future, his consciousness faded.
Kaido moved to the side and picked up Yamato from the ground.
The shockwave from the clash between Kaido and Oden had already knocked out the samurai who was holding Yamato hostage.
Although the battle had ended, Kaido did not revert to his human form, which made Yamato quite scared. She trembled as she spoke, “Father, congratulations on your victory.”
Despite hearing Yamato’s congratulations, Kaido showed no sign of joy. During the battle with Oden, one could still see a smile at the corners of his mouth. However, at this moment, his expression had completely soured. He squeezed his large hand tightly, causing Yamato to spew out a mouthful of blood.
“Waaa! Father, it hurts! What are you doing?”
“Stop pretending. My daughter would never beg for mercy under the threat of an enemy, nor would she let herself be captured by such a person, nor would she be afraid of me at this moment.”
As he spoke, he exerted more force, and the person in his hand gradually transformed into the likeness of Kurozumi Higurashi. Her orders were to disrupt the ongoing battle.
Watching Kozuki Oden in a disadvantageous position, she wanted to disturb Kaido using this method, but she realized it had no effect at all.
“Kaido, you heartless ba*tard. Weren’t you afraid that I might have been real?”
“First of all, you cannot be real, and if a trash like you were truly real, having gone through so much yet remaining this cowardly, then it’s better if a daughter like that died. You wouldn’t be worthy of our teachings. You are better off dying now than dying outside later and causing us heartache.”
With a series of creaking and screaming sounds, Kaido ended Kurozumi Higurashi’s life. Whether she was impersonating Yamato or merely interfering with his battle, it was unforgivable.
Chapter 298 Oden’s death
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