Yamato leaped onto Ian's head, excitement radiating from her. "Ian! This is it! I just know it!"
Even though Yamato often acted impulsively, she understood that in the Wano Country, a battle of this magnitude could only involve two people: her father, Kaido, and Kozuki Oden.
It was here! The battle she had been waiting for was finally happening!
Kozuki Oden! Yamato-sama is here!
Ian thought for a moment before speaking, "Yamato, I understand how you feel, but we can't get involved in the fight between Kaido and Kozuki Oden."
Since fate had brought them here, they couldn't just ignore what was happening.
To be honest, Ian was also eager to witness a battle between Kaido and the legendary Oden. But watching from afar was one thing; getting involved was another matter entirely.
"Ian?" Yamato looked down, disbelief evident in her eyes. "But Kozuki Oden is right there! Isn't he the enemy we've always wanted to defeat?"
Ian gazed into the distance where the clouds were being split apart, mountains were being sliced in half, and forests were ablaze. The fight between these two titans was tearing the land apart.
"Yamato, do you really think we should get involved in a battle of that scale? Kozuki Oden is not Kaido-sensei; he won't show us any mercy. We could die."
This wasn't bravery—it was recklessness.
Yamato seemed momentarily lost.
Though she had grown up among the Beasts Pirates, Yamato had never faced true life-or-death situations. Her only family was Kaido, and her only friends were Ian, Jack, and recently, Black Maria.
The concept of death felt distant to her.
"Yamato, do you want to see me, Jack, or Maria die?"
Ian's voice was calm but firm. "You don't really believe you can protect us against Kozuki Oden, do you?"
Yamato frowned, deep in thought.
"Ian is right, Yamato," Black Maria said softly. "That battlefield is too dangerous for us."
She had no desire to get involved in such a massive conflict. She was only eight years old—still just a child! Not everyone had the same battle-crazy spirit as Yamato or Jack.
Jack remained silent. He could tell that Big Brother Ian had no interest in fighting Kozuki Oden.
Since this was what the eldest brother intended, he didn't dare to argue.
Besides, it really did seem dangerous.
With his current strength, if he recklessly joined Kaido's battle, he would likely be pulverized in an instant.
Yamato pouted, her hand slamming down on the top of Ian's head, making him fully feel her dissatisfaction. "Is it all because we're too weak?"
"Let's watch from a distance."
"If we don't get too close, we should be fine."
Yamato nodded firmly, a smile reappearing on her young face.
With that, Ian spread his wings and began to approach the battlefield.
Before long, they reached the outskirts, hovering above the mountains.
Yamato, perched atop Ian's head, and Jack and Black Maria, seated on either side of Ian's back, all gazed downward in astonishment.
It was the first time they had witnessed such a massive battle.
The battlefield below was chaotic.
On one side were the Beasts Pirates, and on the other, the Kozuki Family.
The Beasts Pirates had deployed thousands of pirates, including King and Queen, while the Kozuki Family had only ten members—Kozuki Oden and his nine retainers.
It should have been a one-sided fight, but the battle was fierce.
The nine samurai, known as the Akazaya Nine, demonstrated their formidable strength, taking on the Beasts Pirates' forces.
In particular, the large samurai named Ashura Doji was tearing through the battlefield like a tank, even the generals couldn't match his power. His massive mace clashed with their weapons, forcing them back with every strike.
Then there were the cat and dog minks, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi. Though not as strong as Ashura Doji, their speed was unmatched, leaving the pirates struggling to keep up.
"Are they really that powerful?"
Jack was incredulous. "The samurai under Kozuki Oden actually possess such strength?"
Luckily, I didn't charge in, or I'd be dead by now.
Meanwhile, Yasuie, the head of the Shimotsuki Family, who Ian was carrying, also let out a sigh of relief.
It's not over yet! Oden, you really haven't disappointed me!
"What are Uncle King and Uncle Queen doing?"
Yamato looked toward the edge of the battlefield, a bit displeased. On a small hilltop, King and Queen stood calmly, showing no intention of joining the fight.
The intense battle raged on, but the real reason for the stalemate was simple—two key figures had yet to join the fray.
If they had, Queen wouldn't even need to lift a finger. Just King alone could annihilate the Red Scabbards.
Even when the nine of them combined their strength, they couldn't breach the formidable defense of the Lunarians.
"They're waiting for Kozuki Oden," Ian remarked.
Across the battlefield, in the midst of the dense forest and towering mountains, the real clash was unfolding.
A colossal green dragon soared through the sky, its deafening roars summoning lightning from the heavens, flames spewing from its breath, and its massive body stirring up violent storms.
Thunder rumbled like torrential rain, flames raged like a sea of fire, and the wind slashed through the air like countless blades.
Amidst this chaotic storm, a lone figure moved like a phantom.
Kozuki Oden raised his dual swords, and with a mighty slash, he cleaved through the descending pillars of fire and lightning.
Leaping high into the air, Oden brandished his swords, ready to strike again.
But in the midst of his fierce battle cry, the green dragon's enormous tail, as thick as a pillar supporting the heavens, came crashing down.
Oden was swatted away like a fly, sent hurtling to the ground with such force that the earth trembled as if struck by an earthquake. A massive crater formed upon impact.
"Yes!!" Yamato, watching from a distance, cheered with enthusiasm, "Father did well!"
"Father!!" Momonosuke, witnessing the same scene, cried out in despair.
Even the heart of Yasuie tightened with concern.
But Ian remained silent.
Kaido had been too careless.
He didn't seem to take Kozuki Oden seriously at all. Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained in his dragon form, a form vulnerable to such attacks.
From the thick smoke rising from the crater, a figure shot up like a missile!
Oden landed on Kaido's elongated body, using the dragon's back as a path to charge forward.
No, if this continues, Kaido is going to get slashed again, Ian thought, his eyes narrowing.
It's gone far enough. It's time to intervene, right?
He couldn't just stand by and watch Kaido get cut down.
No matter how much one despises fighting, there are moments when it's inevitable.
Ian took a deep breath, his wings beating powerfully as he launched forward.
Kozuki Oden, with a fierce determination, swung his swords to cut through the thunder and flames. As he charged towards Kaido's towering form, he leaped into the air, aiming for Kaido's upper body.
Kaido's mouth opened, releasing a torrent of fiery breath.
Kozuki Oden was instantly engulfed in flames, but he remained unfazed. His entire body was cloaked in Haki, and the twin swords in his hands crackled with pitch-black lightning. "Kaido!" he roared.
Five years of pent-up rage and frustration culminated in this one powerful strike.
His swords crossed, unleashing a devastating slash imbued with both Armament and Conqueror's Haki. The sky itself seemed to tear apart as the overwhelming force of the attack split the raging pillar of fire into four.
The slash, unstoppable in its momentum, closed in on Kaido's body.
But just at that moment—
"Kozuki Oden! Look who I have here!"
A sudden voice echoed from the sky.
At first, Oden paid it no mind.
But then he heard it.
In an instant, his unwavering resolve was replaced by a surge of emotion.
The twin swords, once powerful enough to cleave mountains and seas, faltered.
Kozuki Oden looked up in disbelief. There, in the sky, he saw the golden dragon, wings spread wide, and in its claws—
Kozuki Oden cried out in shock.
How could Momonosuke be here?!
What had happened to Oden Castle?
What fate had befallen Toki?
Landing on Kaido's massive body once more, Oden's head hung low, his body trembling. "You… What have you done?!!"
The person Kozuki Oden cared for the most had been harmed, and his rage knew no bounds.
In his fury, his Conqueror's Haki surged like a wild storm, instantly sweeping across the sky.
Jack and Black Maria, who were riding on Ian's back, immediately lost consciousness.
Ian himself felt a sudden heaviness in his head.
Was he about to faint?
If he lost consciousness now, things would turn dire.
Kozuki Oden would cut him down without mercy.
There was no doubt about it—death was certain!
To die at the hands of someone as insignificant as Kozuki Oden?
What a joke! What had he been training so hard for all these years?
He couldn't let himself die here!
Ian's eyes snapped open, and an invisible force erupted within his mind. In an instant, an uncontrollable surge of power burst forth, clashing with the Conqueror's Haki below.
What was even more surprising was that above Ian's head, another aura erupted simultaneously, colliding with both Ian's and Kozuki Oden's Conqueror's Haki.
Momonosuke instantly lost consciousness under the impact of these two powerful forces converging above him.
Meanwhile, the still-conscious Shimotsuki Yasuie widened his eyes in shock.
It was the same as Oden's…
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