Whitebeard vs Oden

"The Land of Nine, Kuri.

Within the Kuri Castle, Kozuki Oden was in the study, perusing various navigation books.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside, with snippets of phrases like 'Ida... pirates... foreigners... stranded at sea' faintly audible.

Upon hearing this, Oden felt a stirring in his DNA, promptly setting down his books and grabbing his swords, Ame no Habakiri and Enma, before heading outside.

Soon, Oden spotted someone reporting to the officials in the Kuri Castle.

"What's this about pirates you mentioned just now?"

Oden interjected as soon as he appeared.

The two commoners reporting, visibly trembling before the towering figure of Oden, hastily responded.

"Oden-sama, it's like this. Today, we were planning to go to the beach to see if we could find some seafood, but unexpectedly, near Ida Port, we saw a large ship stranded on the beach. It was evident that the pirates had encountered a maritime disaster. The ship, comparable to the size of a castle in Kuri, was stranded there.

And many people disembarked from the ship. We were afraid of being discovered by them, so we didn't dare linger and immediately came to report."

After they finished, they anxiously awaited Oden's response. After all, according to the laws of the Land of Nine, reporting foreign ships to the local lord promptly would fetch them a handsome reward.

"Alright, I understand. Go to the warehouse later to receive your reward."

The castle official, aware of the two men's intentions, impatiently dismissed them. Obviously, such commoners didn't warrant much attention from him.

"Thank you, thank you, my lord."

The two men, accustomed to the official's attitude, kept thanking him repeatedly.

"Oden..."

Just as the castle official was about to discuss countermeasures with Oden, he realized that Oden, who had been standing there, had vanished without a trace.

"What! Oden-sama went to the coast!? Why didn't you stop him? We must hurry and stop Oden-sama! We must not let Oden-sama come into contact with those pirates! I'll go after Oden-sama now. You go inform Ashura Doji and Raizo!"

Upon hearing the castle official's words, Kinemon, the gatekeeper, immediately set off to intercept Oden. Knowing Oden well, if he couldn't stop him, Oden would surely demand to accompany those pirates on their journey. And with Oden's strength, those pirates would hardly be able to refuse.

"Wait for me, Oden-sama!"

As Kinemon rushed towards Ida Port, he silently prayed in his heart.

"Kinemon, where are you going?"

Just before leaving the castle, Kanjuro shouted at Kinemon, but obviously, Kinemon had no time for him, merely saying, "Oden-sama is heading to Ida Port. I need to stop him."

And he continued on his way.

Upon hearing this, Kanjuro's expression changed, and he hurriedly followed after Kinemon.

"Is Oden-sama going to drive away the pirates on the coast?"

Denjiro couldn't help but ask as he caught up to Kinemon.

"If only he could drive away the pirates."

Kinemon, hearing the rumors about the pirates in Ida Port, felt somewhat troubled.

"I heard there are pirate ships in Ida Port?"

"Yes, and unlike the previous shipwrecks with casualties, this time the pirate crew only had their ship stranded."

"And it's said that the stranded ship is as huge as the castle of the Kuri lord."

"I wonder what fate awaits those pirates this time? After all, this is the first time under Oden-sama's rule that pirates have landed on Kuri, right?"

"It should be the same as the practices in other regions, directly beheading those pirates and putting them on display."

...

"Hey, you guys step back, there's someone formidable coming this way."

Whitebeard's expression suddenly turned serious as he looked towards the coast, where a huge earth dragon made of smoke and dust was swiftly approaching.

Along the way, all the trees were being destroyed as if by a fierce beast.

"Is it an enemy?"

Jozu's eyes narrowed, as he used his powers, and the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates also brandished their weapons. For them, they feared no enemy.

As Whitebeard and his crew stood ready, a gigantic figure leaped from the forest on the coast, wielding two swords and swinging towards Whitebeard.

As Oden swung his swords, Whitebeard also wielded his naginata, meeting Oden head-on. With the clash of their weapons, the conqueror's haki emitted by both sides permeated the surroundings, causing several members of the Whitebeard Pirates to faint from the overwhelming pressure.

"Is that guy like you, with conqueror's haki just like Dad?"

Marco shielded his eyes with his arm, watching the two figures clash, his expression serious.

Although he had only recently joined Whitebeard's crew, Marco knew well that opponents with conqueror's haki were quite formidable.

"That guy is formidable, but Dad isn't using his full strength, otherwise that guy would have been lying on the ground long ago."

Jozu, keeping an eye on the battlefield, responded, and the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates nodded in agreement. To them, it seemed that Whitebeard was wary of the opponent's identity. After all, the Moby Dick was severely damaged and would require at least a week for repairs. If the guy in front of them was a big shot on this island, knocking him down would only lead to more trouble later.

…

"If only you could drive away the pirates."

Kinemon couldn't help but murmur as he observed the confrontation between the two.

"I am called Kozuki Oden. Although I don't know you, and you don't know me, please take me aboard your ship!"

Oden, continuing to attack Whitebeard, earnestly spoke.

Upon hearing this, Whitebeard became even more certain that the guy before him was not in his right mind. Taking such a person aboard his ship would only spell trouble.

Moreover, for him, the Whitebeard Pirates were gradually becoming like his family. He wouldn't allow outsiders to disrupt the harmony of his family.

Facing the strange enemy before him, Whitebeard decided not to hold back anymore. He used his naginata to block the opponent's attacks while channeling his conqueror's haki to envelop his left fist.

With a loud thud, Oden was sent flying by Whitebeard's punch.