Reduced Numbers, a Stronger from Another Dimension!

Cries of alarm rose from the sinking Moby Dick. Kozuki Oden suddenly turned around and looked toward the harbor.

Watching the pirate ship his big brother had entrusted to him get cut in two by Tsugikuni Yoriichi, Kozuki Oden's eyes nearly split with rage.

"You don't have time to look elsewhere!"

In a battle between top-tier fighters, even a momentary lapse in focus could completely decide the outcome. What was more, Kozuki Oden was facing Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the strongest man alive.

A cool voice sounded beside Kozuki Oden's ear. When Oden hurriedly turned back, he found that Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who had been several meters away just moments ago, had already arrived at his side. The black-bladed sword in his hand was swiftly cutting toward Oden's neck.

Can't dodge it!!

In that moment of danger, that thought flashed through Oden's mind before it suddenly went blank. He froze in place, as if his brain had stopped working. He no longer thought of ways to evade or escape, as though he had resigned himself to fate.

His pupils contracted sharply. Watching Tsugikuni Yoriichi's blade draw closer and closer, Kozuki Oden silently closed his eyes.

Clang—

Yet no pain came from his neck. Instead, a crisp metallic ring exploded beside Oden's ear. He abruptly opened his eyes, only to find that Tsugikuni Yoriichi, who had been swinging his sword, had somehow shifted into a defensive stance, pulling back his blade to block. The sword was pressed tightly against his body.

"Oden, what are you doing?!"

"Snap out of it!"

"Think of Whitebeard! Think of what he entrusted to you!"

Rayleigh's furious roar rang in Oden's ears, pulling him back to reality. Rayleigh's words brought Oden fully to his senses.

Never before had Oden felt so close to death. Tsugikuni Yoriichi's blade had not