WebNovels

Chapter 145 - Chapter 145: The Black Spear

"Kozuki Oden, that guy... he's the one I acknowledge as a worthy opponent! Let me be the one to take his head!!!"

"Gulp gulp gulp..."

Kaido guzzled from his gourd like a madman, his face flushed with excitement—clearly drunk out of his mind. He then flung the gourd to the ground.

It shattered instantly.

"Seriously..."

"This is gonna be good!!!"

A demonic aura surged out of him, lightning infused with Conqueror's Haki crackled wildly. Kaido trembled with excitement.

How long had it been?

Since he last fought someone to the death?

There weren't many in this sea who could push him that far!

Figures of overwhelming strength flashed through his mind. Each one was capable of standing at the absolute peak of individual combat power on the seas:

Rocks D. Xebec,

Gol D. Roger,

Whitebeard—Edward Newgate,

Black Emperor Orin...

And if there were to be one more added to that list, it would be the man he was about to face—

Kozuki Oden.

King and Queen remained silent after hearing this. They didn't raise any objections.

Because they knew it too—none of them besides Kaido stood a chance against Oden.

Their targets would be the eleven retainers following Oden.

"The enemy is destined to lose. Wano will be ours!"

Led by Kaido, with the two All-Stars holding the line, and backed by tens of thousands from the Beasts Pirates—

Just Oden and a handful of followers?

Trapped rats in a cage.

...

Wano Country.

In a desolate mountain plain.

Step... step... step...

Thick, dark clouds loomed overhead, a foreboding omen. Kozuki Oden and his retainers were advancing, hoping to strike down Kaido in a surprise attack.

But halfway through, something felt wrong.

From the mountains ahead, countless savage crimson eyes emerged. Amidst the oppressive clouds, a pair of colossal pupils locked onto them.

Everyone froze.

It was...

A massive, serpentine body coiled around the mountains. A towering azure dragon loomed above them, surrounded by a sea of minions below.

"At least this battle's gonna be decent."

Far away—ten thousand meters away—on the roof of a factory shrouded in dark clouds, a tall figure sat with legs crossed, watching the extravagant showdown in the distance.

He had no intention of interfering. Whether Kaido killed Oden or Oden killed Kaido—

They had once sailed on the same ship, but that bond had long faded. Oden wasn't like Roger. To Orin, he held no special meaning.

Click.

"Guess this'll be one for the memories."

Holding a perfectly angled photo in his hand, Orin folded his arms, spectating the battle.

Still... that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun.

"Oi!!! Kaido!!! Was everything you promised five years ago just a lie?!"

At this point, Oden understood. Kaido had been toying with him from the beginning.

He couldn't help but recall a scene from years ago—a long-haired boy disembarking from a ship.

"Oi, Oden. Power is always the only answer. Pirates are way more cunning than you think."

So this was what he meant back then?

"You've got some absurd Observation Haki, Orin..."

Oden fell silent for a moment. The regret was gone from his eyes—only determination and killing intent remained.

"There's no point regretting now. The only thing I can control... is the future!!!"

Oden led the charge. His blade crackled with fearsome Haki, red flames erupting from his body as he rushed toward the pirates.

"Everyone, follow Oden-sama!!!"

The great battle erupted. Orin watched as Oden charged forward with his life on the line, his own expression unreadable—uncertain whether he felt joy or sorrow.

He didn't hate Oden, but he couldn't say he liked him either. 

Whether Oden lived or died didn't matter that much to him.

So...

Since I'm just here for the fun, might as well lend a hand. I was going to take down that dragon eventually anyway.

Orin casually waved his hand. A pitch-black spear appeared in his grip. He took aim at the battlefield.

Naturally, his target wasn't Kaido.

But...

"Hahahahahahaha..."

With an unsettling, manic laugh, a round, pudgy man in sunglasses stood beaming in the center of the battlefield.

In his previous life, Orin had hated that dragon with a passion.

So what if you've got a passive Body of Steel and auto-disengage?

Come at me!

All those times in-game that he turned red from rage... now the karmic retribution had come for Queen.

Queen had just stepped in front of Kin'emon and the others, confidently drawing his sword.

"Your opponent is—OW!!!"

A sharp pain suddenly shot up from his rear, making him scream in agony!

Before he could even figure out what happened, Kin'emon and the others drew their swords and charged. Their blades descended on Queen's plump frame.

Though fat, Queen was surprisingly agile.

Even with the pain searing from his butt, he managed to barely fend off several of Oden's retainers.

"This can't be happening... I didn't even use Seastone bullets..."

One after another—

No matter where Queen ran, the bullets seemed to have eyes of their own. They homed in and struck him square in the ass. Even when he spun around in defense—

The bullet holes were perfectly aligned, embedded neatly in his fat—painful but non-lethal.

"What the hell are you doing, Queen?!"

King finally noticed something was wrong. Watching Queen leap and scramble around the battlefield, chased by Oden's vassals, blood vessels bulged in his eyes.

It wasn't the time for one of those cringe-inducing, cursed dances.

Why was he dancing now?

"Shut up, you sadistic freak! You wouldn't understand anything!!!"

Queen's face twisted in a mix of rage and panic, his fat jiggling wildly.

In the end, he gave up defending himself.

He'd already been shot through. Whether he used Armament Haki or weapons, nothing worked.

The moment he realized that neither Haki nor weapons could block those strange bullets, he had a suspicion.

After all, only one person had such bizarre, unavoidable techniques, could use a gun with such mastery, and had the nerve to pull this kind of stunt in broad daylight.

Who else could it be?

Queen broke into a cold sweat.

But he didn't dare speak it aloud. This was a critical moment.

If his guess was right, then that person in the shadows didn't want to be exposed—or at least not directly involved.

If Queen yelled now, Orin would definitely be forced to act.

And then… could Boss Kaido really take on both the Black Emperor and Kozuki Oden alone?

Queen trembled, sweating bullets as he looked toward Kaido.

Splurt—

Suddenly, Oden flashed by—dual blades in hand—and a giant X-shaped wound exploded on Kaido's body. Blood sprayed as the dragon flipped over, eyes rolled back and jaw agape.

Queen: ...

It's over, Boss. One of them was already more than enough!!!

No choice.

Queen chose to silently endure the pain.

All of it...

For the sake of the Beasts Pirates.

He, Queen-sama, was just that awesome!!!

Tears streamed down his face!!!

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