"Kozuki Oden… that guy's a warrior I acknowledge."
"So let me be the one to take his head!!"
Glug glug glug...
Kaido tilted back the gourd, chugging liquor with crazed abandon. His face was flushed with excitement as he flung the gourd to the floor, where it shattered on impact.
"Damn it..."
"I can't wait!!!"
A demonic aura burst from his body as torrents of lightning-like Conqueror's Haki surged around him. Kaido trembled with anticipation.
How long had it been?
Since he'd had a real, down-to-the-wire deathmatch?
There weren't many left in this sea who could offer that.
A parade of powerful figures flashed through his mind, each one standing at the very pinnacle of combat power across the oceans:
Rocks D. Xebec
Gol D. Roger
Edward Newgate, aka Whitebeard
Dotor Ozz
And if he had to name one more...
Then it would be the man he was about to face
Kozuki Oden.
King and Queen didn't object to Kaido's proclamation. They knew full well that aside from Kaido, none of them could go toe-to-toe with Oden.
Their role was to handle his retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards.
"The outcome is already decided. Wano will fall into our hands."
With Kaido leading the charge, flanked by his two All-Stars and backed by tens of thousands of Beast Pirates
What chance did Oden and a few loyal samurai have?
They were lambs to the slaughter.
...
Wano Country, an open mountain valley.
Step. Step. Step...
Dark clouds loomed overhead, ominous and heavy. Kozuki Oden marched at the head of his retainers, intending to launch a surprise assault on Kaido.
But halfway there, he sensed something was off.
From the shadows of the mountain range ahead, countless bloodthirsty eyes appeared.
High above, framed by the clouds, a pair of colossal pupils gazed down upon them.
The group froze for a moment.
It was...
A towering, mountainous blue dragon, its body coiled among the peaks. Beneath it spread a legion of pirates like an endless tide of claws and fangs.
"At the very least," Oden muttered, "this battle will be one worth remembering."
Far off in the distance, atop a factory roof wreathed in clouds, a tall figure sat cross-legged, arms folded, watching the magnificent clash unfold.
Ozz.
He had no intention of interfering. Whether it was helping Kaido kill Oden, or vice versa it didn't matter.
They had once traveled together, but unlike Roger, Oden had never meant anything particularly special to Ozz.
Click.
"Consider it a souvenir."
He snapped a perfectly framed photo and leaned back, calmly observing the fight.
Although...
There was no rule against a little mischief.
"Hey, Kaido!!! Was everything you promised five years ago just a lie?!!!"
Even now, Oden still yelled out in desperation, though deep down he already knew. Kaido had been toying with him all along.
And in that moment, he remembered...
A young man with long hair stepping off a ship long ago.
"Oden, remember this. Strength is always the only answer. Pirates are far more deceitful than you can imagine."
So this was what he meant?
"Damn it, Ozz... what monstrous Observation Haki..."
Oden paused for a beat. There was no longer any hesitation in his eyes only determination and bloodlust.
"There's no use regretting anything. What I can hold onto now is the future!!!"
He charged headfirst into battle, his blades engulfed in surging crimson Haki, his entire body aflame with power.
"Follow Lord Oden!!!"
The war began.
Ozz watched the fearless charge and couldn't say if he felt glad or sorrowful.
He didn't hate Oden. But he wouldn't say he liked him either. Mostly, he just found Momonosuke annoying.
So whether Oden lived or died... Ozz honestly didn't care much.
Well then...
Might as well have some fun.
And while I'm at it, help you out a little. After all, I was going to deal with that damn milk dragon sooner or later anyway.
Ozz casually summoned a long spear, black as night, and aimed it at the battlefield.
Of course, his target wasn't Kaido.
No.
It was...
"Hya ha ha ha ha ha!"
That obnoxious, belly-laughing tub of lard stood in the middle of the battlefield, sunglasses on and grinning like a fool.
Ozz's past life had hated this Milk Dragon with a passion.
Think you're hot stuff with that Super Armor and Out-of-Combat regen?
Come on then!
After countless rage-inducing raids in the game, karma had finally come back to bite.
Queen stood before Kin'emon and the others, confidently drawing his blade.
"Your opponent is YAAAOW!!!"
A searing pain shot up from his backside, and he howled in agony.
Before he could react, Kin'emon and the others charged forward, blades flashing, targeting Queen's bulky frame.
Despite his size, the man was surprisingly nimble.
Even while clutching his stinging rear, he was still able to just barely hold off the retainers' assault.
"No way it's that simple. I'm not using Sea Prism bullets, you know..."
Shot after shot...
No matter where Queen ran, the bullets seemed to follow him like guided missiles, all aiming directly at his behind.
Even as he spun wildly in circles to defend himself, the bullets continued to strike true.
And the worst part?
They didn't even pierce through. They just lodged perfectly in the fat agonizing, but not fatal.
"What the hell are you doing, Queen!!!"
King finally noticed something was wrong. He stared at Queen, who was hopping around the battlefield, chased by Oden's retainers.
His eyes narrowed.
"Doing that stupid dance again? In the middle of a war?!"
"Shut it, you sadistic freak! You don't understand anything!!!"
Queen screamed, a mixture of anger and panic on his face as his flesh rippled with pain.
In the end, he gave up on defending himself altogether.
He was already full of holes. Armament Haki and weapons were useless against these weird bullets.
And deep down...
He had a horrible suspicion.
After all, the attack was too strange, too precise. The bullets were unnatural. And the user had perfect marksmanship, bold enough to interfere in a battlefield like this...
Who else could it be?
Cold sweat ran down his back.
But he didn't dare say it aloud.
Not now. Not here.
Because if he was right... then that person didn't want to step in openly. Or at least, not yet.
If he called it out now...
Would Kaido really be able to face both the Black Emperor and Kozuki Oden at once?
Queen trembled at the thought.
He glanced toward Kaido.
Schlk!
In a single flash, Oden's twin swords slashed a crimson X across Kaido's chest.
The massive dragon roared, eyes rolling back in pain, mouth open in a stunned cry.
Queen: ...
We're doomed, boss. One opponent is already too much!!!
But there was no choice.
Queen chose to bear it all in silence.
All for the sake of the Beast Pirates.
He, Queen-sama...
Was absolutely glorious.
Streaming tears of righteousness.
...