The path from Ringo to Kuri stretched wide and white beneath the falling snow. The frozen wind whistled through the barren trees, carrying with it a silence that seemed endless, save for the steady crunch of sandals and the soft patter of Onimaru's paws.
Mamoru walked close to Oden's side, the long sword Yoriichi still clutched in his small hands, the navy-blue haori fluttering with every gust. The boy's eyes were wide, restless with thought, for his heart was full of questions.
After a long stretch of quiet, Mamoru finally turned his gaze upward to the towering figure beside him.
"Lord Oden," he said cautiously, "is the world really… as big as you say it is?"
Oden glanced down. Mamoru's eyes burned with curiosity eyes not content with the narrow mountains of Wano, eyes that wanted to see.
A grin spread across Oden's face, wild and unrestrained. "Big?" He threw back his head with a booming laugh. " 'big' isn't even the half of it! Ill emphasize more on what i said earlier. The world beyond these borders is so vast, so strange, that even I a man who has walked on islands in the sky still cannot claim to have seen it all!"
Oden said with a nostalgic grin. "And that's not all. I have sailed down to depths so dark, so crushing, that men should not survive. And yet, even there, islands exist—homes to creatures that glow with their own light, beasts bigger than mountains."
Mamoru's eyes shone brighter and brighter. Each word from Oden was a hammer breaking apart the walls of his world.
"And then…" Oden's grin softened into a look of deep respect. "There was Whitebeard."
"White… beard?" Mamoru repeated.
"A giant of a man," Oden said, voice full of admiration. "A brother, a teacher, and a Captain. I sailed with him for years. He had strength beyond any man I'd ever met, but more than that , he had a heart large enough to carry all who followed him. He taught me much about the sea, about people, and about freedom."
Mamoru listened in awe. He had never heard his father speak of another man with such weight, and now here was Oden, eyes gleaming with respect, describing someone like a mountain given flesh.
But then Oden leaned closer, his tone turning conspiratorial. "And it was with Whitebeard's crew that I first learned of something else… something that changes everything on the seas. Devil Fruits."
Mamoru's head snapped up. Testing the words on his mouth"Devil… Fruits?"
Onimaru tilted his head again with a confused whine.
"Yes," Oden said with a chuckle at their expressions. "Fruits cursed by the sea itself, but granting powers beyond imagination. Some can command fire. Others can turn to lightning. Some grow to titans, some vanish like ghosts. But the price…" He tapped his chin. "The sea rejects them. Those who eat a Devil Fruit lose the ability to swim. To fall into the water is to invite death."
Mamoru's jaw dropped. "Such things… really exist?"
"They do," Oden confirmed, nodding gravely. "However Devil Fruits alone do not make a man invincible. To strike them down, you need something greater."
Mamoru's brows furrowed. "Greater?"
Oden's grin returned. "Haki."
The word rolled from his tongue with weight.
"Haki?" Mamoru repeated, testing the word.
"In Wano," Oden said, "your father and our people call it Ryuo. The flow of one's spirit, their will given form. It is the power that allows us to cut steel or strike without even touching. With it, one may overcome the might of Devil Fruits themselves."
Mamoru's breath caught. "Father… said he would teach me of it soon."
"Good," Oden said with a nod. "There are three kinds of Haki. Armament, which hardens your body and weapons, letting you strike even those made of fire or smoke. Observation, which sharpens your senses so keenly that some can see moments ahead of time." His voice softened, eyes distant. "Men like Whitebeard, Roger, Rayleigh, Gyaban… they wielded it as easily as they breathed , Even now i can't match up to their level of proficiencywith haki "
Mamoru hung on every word, the names foreign but carrying an aura of greatness.
"And then," Oden continued, "there is the rarest of them all. Conqueror's Haki. The power to impose your will upon the world itself. To crush weaker wills beneath your presence. And for a rare few to wrap that very will around their blades and blows."
Mamoru's eyes widened. "So… all those men you mentioned… they had it?"
"They did," Oden said gravely. "Those who stand at the top always do. As for me…" He placed a hand on his hip and smirked. "Yes, I have it as well."
Mamoru's jaw nearly hit the snow. "you do?!"
Oden laughed. "Of course , Would you like to see?"