Chapter 115
"Let's forget it, Mr. Tao Ya. It's been a long time since I've fought anyone."
"Lord Oden!" x2
Ashura Doji and Raizo both looked at Kozuki Oden with utter astonishment.
How could a samurai from Wano Country refuse a challenge from someone else?!
This is an indelible disgrace to the samurai!
"Oden!"
Even Shimotsuki Yasuie knew the seriousness of Kozuki Oden, and looked at him with a solemn expression.
"Please spare me, everyone," Kozuki Oden said casually, waving his hand dismissively. "Instead of thinking about how to meet the challenges from others, I'd rather think about what ingredients to use for oden for lunch today."
Just then, a noisy commotion came from the palace entrance.
Soon, a little boy with his head shaved on top and only his hair tied up in a bun at the back, wearing a pink kimono, ran in.
"Momonosuke!"
Kozuki Oden greeted his son happily.
Adrian narrowed his eyes, a friendly smile appearing on his lips.
He looked at Shimotsuki Yasuie with feigned confusion, and Shimotsuki Yasuie, understanding the implication, immediately whispered Momonosuke's identity.
"So he's Kozuki Oden's son..."
Adrian sighed dramatically, then pulled a Sapphire pendant that shimmered with a faint blue light from his pocket and tossed it to Kozuki Oden.
"Although I regret that your father declined my challenge, I'll still give you a small gift."
Kozuki Oden swiftly grabbed the Sapphire pendant.
Suddenly, a feeling of emptiness and tranquility welled up in Kozuki Oden's heart, and all the complicated thoughts of the past were thrown to the back of his mind.
A few seconds later, Kozuki Oden broke free from the sensation and looked calmly at Adrian.
What kind of necklace is this?
"This is a special necklace that I created using my own abilities. It can involuntarily draw people into a state of peaceful contemplation, while clearing away those unnecessary worries and distractions."
Adrian stated the facts truthfully.
"The Sage Necklace, that's its name."
The full name is -- Melancholy Hollow, Sage Time, Sapphire Continued Version!
Back when he was on Fish-Man Island, Adrian had already pondered how to continue suppressing the Pirates 'Fish-Man Island abduction of Merfolk after he left the Fish-Man Island.
After some thought, Adrian decided to try and see if he could create a Ghost artifact that could automatically identify enemies.
This kind of thing, of course, failed!
Adrian's craftsmanship isn't quite that good yet!
However, after searching through the materials provided by King Neptune, Adrian unexpectedly discovered a material with extremely high compatibility with Ghost Energy — Sapphire.
Adrian forgot its exact name, but since it looked like a blue gemstone, he'll just call it Sapphire for now.
The [Sage Necklace] is a product that Adrian obtained by infusing Sapphire with Ghost Energy and Ghost abilities, and it even received recognition from the panel.
[[Sage Necklace] - Item: This is a special necklace imbued with sinister malice, capable of bringing men into a state of blissful detachment. Intelligence +5, with a slight risk of tobacco addiction. Lifespan: 4 years.]
[Note: Mental castration is the most lethal.]
Kozuki Oden had no idea what Adrian was thinking. Although he could indeed sense a trace of shallow malice from the other party through his ability to "Voice of All Things," he believed it was only because the other party wanted to challenge him.
Holding the Sage Necklace in his hand, Kozuki Oden gently stroked the surface of the Sapphire, a long-lost sense of ease returning to his heart.
"What is this? It's so beautiful!"
Momonosuke excitedly grabbed the necklace from his father's hand, his expression instantly becoming calm and composed.
"Personally, I believe that children must be nurtured from a young age."
Adrian smiled, his eyes narrowing.
"If you want to raise your child to be a wise and capable ruler, I think this necklace could be of great help."
Kozuki Oden retrieved the Sage Necklace from Momonosuke and passed it on to Shimotsuki Yasuie, Ashura Doji, Raizo, and a few others.
After briefly experiencing the power of the Sage Necklace, Shimotsuki Yasuie nodded slightly.
"Oden, I believe Mr. Tao Ya is right. Momonosuke is different from you. He wasn't born with any physical talent, but as the crown prince, learning etiquette and knowledge is essential."
"But Momonosuke has always been quite lively..." Shimotsuki Yasuie, embarrassed to use the word "color" in front of everyone, mumbled, "This necklace can indeed help Momonosuke increase his knowledge."
Kozuki Oden nodded silently.
Holding the Sage Necklace, Kozuki Oden remained silent for a moment.
He said goodbye, and soon returned with something that looked like a diary, which he handed to Adrian.
"Mr. Tao Ya, it is indeed samurai spirit that I could not accept your challenge, yet you still generously gave Momonosuke a gift."
"This is my old Swordplay training manual. If you don't mind, please accept it."
Just then, a notification appeared on the panel.
[Skill Scroll [Oden Two-Sword Style: Peach Blossom Waterfall] obtained, learn now?]
[Note: Direct learning requires 2 Skill Point. Through self-learning, the cost of corresponding Skill Point can be reduced based on the learning progress.]
Looking at the notification on the panel, Adrian was slightly surprised.
Aside from the Two-Color Haki scroll that Doflamingo gave him back in the North Blue, he has finally encountered another skill scroll that he can directly learn.
Although Two-Sword Style was not Adrian's hobby, he still politely expressed his gratitude.
"Then I thank Kozuki Oden for his kindness."
After chatting briefly with Kozuki Oden and discussing Swordsman in combat, Adrian asked to take his leave.
Unable to trigger Kozuki Oden's challenge quest, Adrian did not intend to force it.
The unexpected acquisition of the [Peach Blossom Spring] scroll was a complete surprise.
If we disregard the Skill Point required to learn it directly, it can basically be considered a quest reward.
Furthermore, he had given away the Sage Necklace. Adrian had done almost everything he could, and there was no need to continue communicating with Kozuki Oden.
Having learned about the current situation of the Shimotsuki Family in Wano Country from Shimotsuki Yasuie, obtained a skill scroll from Kozuki Oden, and given the Sage Necklace to Momonosuke, Adrian has accomplished most of his purpose in coming to Wano Country.
Only one remains, and that is the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords!
[214. July Performance Report, Bonus Chapters]
As of 0:30 on August 1st.
It will be deleted next Monday.
As of now.
The cumulative donation amount displayed in the backend exceeds 213,000, specifically 214,078.
The cumulative monthly votes displayed in the backend exceeded 1900, reaching 1986 votes.
The number of monthly tickets ultimately did not reach 2000, but with the bonus monthly tickets, it was still enough, but bonus monthly tickets are not counted as extra chapters.
Therefore, the cumulative backlog in these two aspects is [31 updates] (the author has specifically compiled an Excel spreadsheet to ensure the calculation is accurate).
I remember on Monday, the number of chapters owed was 25.
As a result, during the last two days of the month when there were double monthly votes, everyone cast over 800 votes, resulting in eight chapters being released in one go...
With the generous donations from our valued contributors, the total donations over 16 days have exceeded 130,000 Qidian coins...
After being published, it maintained a daily update volume of almost 10,000 words, updating 174,000 words in 16 days, and still owed more chapters.
This time, the author is truly speechless...
How could you have been so confident that you could pay it off by 10,000 yuan a day for the remaining two weeks???
Furthermore, the current average subscription rate fluctuates around 2800. It drops whenever there is an update, and then slowly rises back to 2800. Let's say it's 2800. In this case, the average subscription rate is [28 updates].
Therefore, the current cumulative backlog is [59 updates].
--
I'll continue to ask for monthly votes at the beginning of August.
Because it's a new month, the number of tips and monthly tickets will be recalculated. Please be aware of this.
Finally, on August 3rd at 0:00, the client will feature a "[Editor's Recommendation]" section, hopefully that will boost average subscriptions. (I think "Editor's Recommendation" is also an investment reward? I don't remember clearly.)
If I continue writing 10,000 words a day, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the VIP word count on the 3rd should exceed 200,000.
Plus recommendations...
Suddenly I feel like there's hope for making a high-quality product!
[Chapter 215. The Swordsmith? A Lover of Beautiful Boa Sandersonia Doll!]
Leave Kozuki Oden's palace.
Adrian glanced at the sky and realized it was still early, so he simply entered Ghost mode completely.
Transparent Ghost, Silent Phantom.
Free Ghost: Cloud Walking.
With the unleashing of two Ghost abilities in succession, Adrian transformed into an invisible Ghost, soaring into the sky and drifting freely above Kuri.
He recalled the map of Wano Country that he had previously viewed from Shimotsuki Yasuie.
Adrian surveyed his surroundings, quickly discerned his direction, and flew towards the location of Amigasa Village from his memory.
While flying in the air, Adrian took out the skill scroll of [Oden Two-Sword Style: Peach Blossom Waterfall] that he had just obtained from Kozuki Oden and began to look through it.
"Huh?"
As soon as he opened the cover of the diary, Adrian couldn't help but let out a soft "hmm" in slight surprise.
When I obtained the [Two-Color Haki Training Scroll] from Doflamingo, its contents were entirely about the specific training methods for Two-Color Haki, without any other information whatsoever.
However, this time, the panel indicated that this diary was a skill scroll for [Oden Two-Sword Style: Peach Blossom Waterfall].
But in reality, the contents of the diary are far more than that.
Aside from the marked "Peach Blossom Spring," the middle and later parts of the diary also record several other Swordplay abilities possessed by Kozuki Oden.
This includes "Oden Two-Sword Style: Spear - Oni" and "Oden Two-Sword Style: Samurai Spirit".
It even contains the training method for "Oden Two-Sword Style: Togen Totsuka"!
Adrian's memory of the first two sword moves was not clear.
But I have an extremely deep impression of the last move, [Togen Totsuka]!
Years later, it was only with the [Togen Totsuka Kozuki Oden was able to severely injure Kaido, leaving two indelible, huge scars on Kaido's Great Dragon form.
Even when Kaido transforms into human form, the crisscrossing cross-shaped scars on his body remain incredibly conspicuous!
To be able to leave such a deep and indelible scar on Zoan - Mythical Zoan.
Even though Kozuki Oden's [Conqueror's Haki Infusion] technique played a significant role, the power of Swordplay itself should not be underestimated!
Adrian was slightly surprised as he flipped through the second half of the diary, which recorded Oden Two-Sword Style Swordplay, and sighed in admiration.
"What a pleasant surprise..."
This also helped Adria understand a little about the panel's criteria for evaluating skill scrolls.
If the skill description is very detailed and reaches the level required by the panel to form a skill, then the item that records the corresponding skill can be directly used as the corresponding skill scroll.
Just like the diary in Adrian's hands right now.
The first half of the diary contains a detailed and insightful description of the cultivation methods, precautions, and operational details of [Peach Blossom Spring].
However, most of the remaining sword techniques in the latter half only have two or three pages of content.
The final [Togen Totsuka] basically only contains some basic sword-wielding techniques and Swordplay concepts.
Regardless, this diary from Kozuki Oden still greatly inspired Adrian.