"What!"
The invisible barrier left Kozuki Oden in shock. He had witnessed the power of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit by Kurozumi Orochi's side, knowing full well that the barrier's ability user was that old man by Orochi. At this time, they shouldn't be aiding Kaidou.
Having sailed the seas before, he knows that no two Devil Fruits are identical, and only one of each fruit exists at any given time.
Although some fruits have similar abilities, Kaidou has already been confirmed to be a Zoan-type Ability User; there's no way he can consume another fruit similar to the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
Opportunities in battle vanish in an instant. In that moment of Oden's hesitation, another dragon claw from Kaidou had already struck. From the debris below, Kozuki Oden climbed out, his resilience comparable to a typical Zoan-type Ability User.
"Is the Mythical Zoan ability really so versatile? Even a barrier can be manifested?"
"That's something you don't need to know. I'm not your Q&A machine." He had no interest in explaining to Kozuki Oden what it means to protect, just brewing up a new attack.
As time went by, the battle here intensified further. The trees once supporting the Flower Capital Palace had collapsed, leaving a completely cleared space.
Kozuki Oden's attacks did not cease, but they had little effect on Kaidou. Conversely, the wounds on his own body multiplied. Despite his formidable vitality, competing in endurance with a Zoan-type Ability User wasn't a wise choice.
This was the only person in recent years who could withstand Kaidou's Beast Form attacks and continue fighting. As time passed, the chaos around them escalated. Explosions could be heard coming from the direction of Oden Castle.
Seeing Kaidou, almost unscathed, Kozuki Oden took a deep breath, summoning his Haki to its fullest.
Attacks like Kaidou's Hot Breath held little significance for Oden since close combat was where his expertise lay.
"Kaidou, if it were you, would you choose to open the country to welcome Joy Boy?"
In a pause between the battle, Kozuki Oden suddenly asked Kaidou a question, once again bringing up Joy Boy.
"I have no interest in that so-called Joy Boy, nor do I believe in any prophecy. If Joy Boy truly exists, at the very least, he'd have to be someone capable of defeating me!"
"I see... then it seems I'll have to drive you out. After all, Wano Kuni needs to open its borders..."
"Feel free to try, if you think you can do it," Kaidou replied.
"Oden's Dual-Sword Style..."
His muscles seemed to bulge outwards, and at this moment, Kozuki Oden was preparing a mighty strike, while Kaidou in the sky once again dove downward.
"Tougen Totsuka!"
Enma and Ame no Habakiri crossed into an X-shaped slash towards Kaidou. Just like the previous Tougen Shirataki, his attack only struck Kaidou's barrier formed by Protect. This time, however, Kaidou's barrier shattered.
Protect has its limits, and Kozuki Oden's full-force strike reached this threshold. But that was all; after breaking Protect, his subsequent attack was intercepted by Kaidou's Wolf Fang Club.
In the instant Protect shattered, Kaidou's form began reducing, transforming from Beast Form to Human-Beast Form, his strongest combat stance.
"Ohoho, very good. You're the first in years to break my Protect, Kozuki Oden. You're an interesting opponent, worthy of seeing me in this form."
A fierce aura emanated from Kaidou, enveloped by a dense Haki around the Eight Trigrams, his power far superior to merely using his Cyan Dragon form. At the moment, his battle prowess was much more formidable.
But just as he was about to swing the club, a shout came from the side.
"Father! Save me!"
A samurai under Kurozumi Orochi was holding Yamato hostage. At this moment, Yamato was calling for help to Kaidou. Kaidou merely glanced with his peripheral vision, as if it was nothing, turning his focus back to Kozuki Oden.
"Annoying person. Hey, Kozuki family, Arceus rather likes the current environment of Wano Kuni, you wouldn't want the aftermath of our battle to destroy the entire Flower Capital, right? Let's settle this in one blow."
"You're really heartless... ignoring your own daughter like that?"
"That's something you wouldn't understand."
Lightning crackled around Kaidou's Wolf Fang Club, enveloped in a far stronger Haki than before, with the thunderbolts in the clouds seemingly under Kaidou's control.
Sword-shaped shadows surrounded Kaidou, each offering distinct advantages. However, Kaidou has mastered Sword Dance for much longer than Dragon Dance, naturally making him more skilled.
"Thundering Hakken!"
Unchanging at its core, Kaidou still opted for Thundering Hakken as his ultimate strike. As Kaidou approached, Kozuki Oden surprisingly discarded Ame no Habakiri, gripping Enma with both hands.
"Oden's One-Sword Style: Wa!"
With both hands wielding the sword, he unleashed his most potent single-target attack. Enma's black blade collided with the Eight Trigrams, thunder and Haki erupting in violent sparks. However, even with the double dance support, Kozuki Oden was no match for Kaidou.
...
A roaring sound, and the world seemed to fall silent. In the midst of the ruins, Enma stood embedded in the ground, while beneath Kaidou's dragon claw lay Kozuki Oden's body.
"Cough, cough... lost, huh? You're truly strong..."
"You aren't weak either, but you're still far from those few monsters."
"... I see. Hey, Kaidou, you'll make Wano Kuni better, won't you?"
"You're a warrior but also a fool, daring to ask such a question to your enemy."
"Orochi is unfit to lead Wano Kuni. But Kaidou, opening the country to welcome Joy Boy is what Wano Kuni should do."
"If those are your parting words, they're foolish. If there really were someone like Joy Boy, I would still defeat him."
Kozuki Oden fell silent, and Kaidou raised his Eight Trigrams.
"You have the honor to die as a warrior."
The Eight Trigrams swung down, smashing towards Kozuki Oden's head.
"Toki, Momo, Hiyori, everyone, I'm sorry, I lost... but Kaidou, have you ever thought, perhaps you are that so-called Joy Boy..."
This was his final thought, but he didn't voice it, nor did he intend to. Bearing concerns and worries for Wano Kuni's future, Oden's consciousness fully ceased.
Kaidou then walked to the side, grabbing Yamato from the ground.
The aftermath of Kaidou and Oden's clash had already knocked out the samurai who held Yamato captive.
Although the battle had ended, Kaidou did not revert his Dragon-Human form, making Yamato in his grasp somewhat scared, and she spoke tremulously:
"Congratulations on your victory, Father."
Listening to Yamato's congratulations, Kaidou showed no joy in his expression. During his fight with Oden, a smile could be seen at the corner of his mouth. But now, his expression had completely fallen, squeezing with great force, causing Yamato to cough up blood.
"Ah! Father, it hurts! What are you doing!"
"Stop pretending, no daughter of mine would plead under an enemy's threat, wouldn't be captured by someone like that, and wouldn't fear me at a time like this."
With another exertion, the one in his grasp gradually transformed into the appearance of Kurozumi Higurashi, receiving orders to disrupt the battlefield.
Seeing Kozuki Oden at a disadvantage, she tried using this method to interfere with Kaidou, but it had no effect.
"Kaidou... you're truly heartless... aren't you afraid I could be real?"
"First of all, you can't be real. If this weakling were indeed my daughter, enduring so much yet remaining so cowardly, she'd be better off dead. Such a person doesn't deserve our teachings.
Better to sever ties earlier now that time is short, so no one will be saddened later."
With a sound of cracking and a scream, Kaidou ended Kurozumi Higurashi's life with one hand. Regardless of whether she impersonated Yamato or not, merely disrupting his battle was unforgivable.