Oden vs. Kaido!

Akuta looked at Kin'emon in disbelief, almost unable to believe his ears.

"You said they fought?"

"Kaido, it's Kaido!" Kin'emon's forehead was covered in sweat, his voice trembling with anxiety. "He's led the main force of the Beasts Pirates into the Flower Capital! Our lord has already engaged him in battle on the main street!"

He rushed into the room in the inner courtyard and grabbed Oden's Enma and Ame no Habakiri from the shelf.

Oden was dancing in the street earlier, without any weapons of his own.

Kin'emon came back to get him the sword.

Kin'emon grabbed his sword and rushed outside, reminding Akuta as he went.

"Akuta! I'm going to deliver weapons to our lord. You wait here and don't move!"

Without waiting for Akuta's reply, Kin'emon rushed out.

Akuta looked into the distance and could faintly hear a series of loud rumbling sounds coming from the direction of the main street.

Akuta initially thought it was thunder.

But now it seems that this isn't thunder at all; it's clearly two monsters exchanging fire!

Flower City, Main Street.

The street is no longer recognizable as it originally was.

During the battle between Kaido and Oden, the streets of this city, a symbol of Wano Country's civilization, had long been reduced to ruins!

The entire ground looked like overturned farmland, riddled with huge cracks and deep pits.

The buildings on both sides, which had been built since ancient times, also collapsed in large sections.

Oden already held the Enma and Ame no Habakiri that Kin'emon had given him.

But his attacks were clearly still holding back, each strike avoiding Kaido's vital points.

Kaido, on the other hand, was completely determined to fight to the death. His spiked club, wrapped in black and red Haki, grew heavier with each strike, forcing Oden to retreat step by step.

"Oden, are you still holding back at a time like this?!"

Kaido laughed wildly, raising his spiked club high in the air.

"The more you act like this, the more I'll show you what real war is!"

"Kaido! What are you trying to do!" Oden gritted his teeth, parrying the blow. "I never sent anyone to attack your factory!"

"Still pretending!"

Kaido's anger intensified, and he showed no sign of stopping.

He stomped on the ground, shattering it, and charged towards Oden like a collapsing mountain, his shoulder slamming heavily into Oden's chest, sending Oden flying.

Oden's body smashed through a house behind him like a cannonball, and he was buried in the rubble.

"Cough..."

Oden struggled to his feet from the ruins and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

He could barely guess that Kaido had come for the Akuta.

He just couldn't understand how the process of him taking in Akuta, which he had kept so secret, had been leaked.

"Kaido, calm down..."

Just as Oden was trying to calm Kaido down through negotiation, a loud shout suddenly came from behind him.

"My lord! Things have come to this point; words alone cannot resolve this!"

It's Kanjuro!

Kanjuro, who was tasked with sowing discord between Kaido and Oden, couldn't help but yell at Oden when he saw that Oden still wanted to negotiate.

He stood not far behind Oden, his face covered in blood, as if he had used up his last strength to shout those words.

Upon hearing this, Oden paused in his movements.

He scanned the area and saw that the streets were littered with dead and injured civilians.

These are ordinary people from Wano Country, the people Oden swore to protect.

But now, they are dying here because of Kaido's invasion.

As a being capable of hearing the sounds of all things, Oden possessed ears that could perceive the atmosphere around him.

At this time, Wano Country, under Kaido's invasion, had lost its former peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

In Wano Country now, the sounds of heartbreaking cries can be heard everywhere!

This is Wano Country weeping!

Oden's pupils dilated violently.

Anger surged from the depths of his heart, and he glared angrily at Kaido, who was laughing loudly ahead.

"Kaido!"

Oden roared, raised his twin swords, and charged at full speed towards Kaido!

Seeing Oden's completely changed demeanor, Kaido burst into laughter.

"Is it finally time for battle, Oden!"

"Kaido!"

Oden's roar exploded amidst the ruins, causing the rubble on the ground to tremble.

He suddenly exerted force with his feet, and his whole body turned into a blur as he rushed towards Kaido, drawing Enma and Ame no Habakiri from his sheaths at the same time.

The blade traced two intersecting silver-white trails in the air, carrying the overwhelming Haki emanating from Oden's body, and slashed directly at Kaido.

Instead of dodging, Kaido laughed loudly and swung his spiked club at the flashing blade.

"Good timing!"

Clang!!!

The clang of metal against metal was like a thunderclap, making the ears of the pirates and samurai watching from afar ring.

The moment the two forces collided, the air within a hundred meters radius of the two people seemed to be squeezed violently by an invisible giant hand.

The ground was cracked inch by inch, and gravel and dust surged outwards like ocean waves.

The two remained locked in a stalemate, Oden's twin swords pressed against Kaido's spiked club, neither retreating.

A powerful, purplish-black lightning bolt erupted continuously from the point where their weapons clashed, like violent lightning snakes darting wildly through the air.

"Kaido!"

Oden's voice no longer held the hesitation it had before.

His eyes burned with fire, and his entire being exuded a chilling killing intent.

"You can come at me. But if you harm my people and destroy my city, I will never forgive you!"

Kaido grinned, a smile bordering on madness.

"Why didn't you say so earlier! Come on, Oden, let me see what you brought back from Roger's ship!"

Before he finished speaking, Kaido's arm muscles suddenly bulged, and he swung his spiked club upwards, deflecting Oden's twin swords.

Oden used the momentum to perform a half-turn in the air, landing on Kaido's right side and slashing out with his twin swords, one above and one below.

"Oden Two-Sword Style: Spear - Demon Imitation!"

Two sword lights flashed one after the other, so fast they almost overlapped, aiming straight for Kaido's ribs.

Kaido showed no intention of dodging. He let out a low growl, and dark purple Armament Haki gathered under his ribs as he took the blow head-on.

Amidst the ear-piercing metallic scraping sound, the blade sliced through the scale-like aura covering his body, leaving only two shallow bloody marks on his flesh.

"Hey."

Kaido grinned maliciously, clenched his left fist, and unleashed a thunderous burst of Haki towards Oden's face.

Oden barely dodged the punch by tilting his head; the force of the punch grazed his cheek and blasted a row of houses dozens of meters behind him into pieces.

"It's not over yet!"

Kaido gave Oden no chance to catch his breath, and his spiked club swept down in quick succession.

Oden raised his sword to parry, but was still forced back more than ten steps, his feet shattering the stone slabs in the process.

"My lord!"

In the distance, Ashura Doji arrived with a group of yakuza samurai, just in time to witness Oden being driven back.

Ashura's eyes were bloodshot as he drew his massive cleaver and charged forward.

"Don't come any closer!" Oden shouted without turning his head. "Leave this to me!"

"But!"

"This is a battle I, as your lord, should fight! Go and protect the people, and bring the survivors to safety outside the city!"

"My lord..." Ashura gritted his teeth, but still stopped in his tracks.

He repelled Kaido's attack with a single blow and roared at the group behind him:

"Did you hear me! Protect the people! Let's go!"