Kozuki Oden took a huge risk and planned to exchange injuries with Yoriichi Tsugakuni, but the end result was that he was unable to cause any harm to Yoriichi Tsugakuni. Instead, he was stabbed hard by Yoriichi Tsugakuni.
The sharp blade instantly pierced through Kozuki Oden's body, and blood immediately stained Oden's clothes.
With his teeth clenched, Kozuki Oden concentrated on observing the partially elementalized body of Tsugikoku Yoshiichi, and his mood became quite heavy.
After several fights, Kozuki Oden also understood the gap in strength between himself and his enemy. The opponent not only possessed a powerful Conqueror's Haki, but even the use of the Devil Fruit had been perfectly combined with the Observation Haki, forming a unique fighting style for the ability user.
Even after using all his strength to strike, he was unable to leave any wounds on the opponent's body. At this moment, Kozuki Oden had no idea how to repel the enemy.
Kozuki Oden's eyes, which were originally full of hatred and anger, became a little dim at this moment. The injuries on his body and his self-confidence also suffered a huge blow.
And at the moment when Kozuki Oden's mentality changed, Tsugikuni Yoshiichi suddenly drew out his long sword, jumped up, and kicked Kozuki Oden directly in the chest, kicking him away.
Oden's body shot out like a cannonball and crashed directly into the crowd, knocking down a large number of members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Oden had a strong physique, and Yoriichi Tsugakuni did not have a strong desire to kill him. He was able to withstand Yoriichi Tsugakuni's attack, but the pirates who were hit by Oden's flying body were not so lucky. The pirates who were hit by Oden were either killed or injured, and none of them escaped.
Even their own captain was easily knocked away by the enemy.
These pirates finally came to their senses a little and hesitated to move forward.
However, the pirates' hesitation did not last long. Jozu and Flower Sword Vista, who had been knocked away by Tsugakuin Yoshikazu, returned to the battlefield one after another.
The two men looked at the bodies of their companions scattered on the ground with heavy hearts.
"Everyone, step back and don't make unnecessary sacrifices."
Vista made a decision that was completely different from Marco's. He was older than Marco, and unlike the ship's doctor Marco, as a swordsman he had fought against more powerful men. After fighting on the sea for so many years, Vista knew very well that there were some powerful men who could not be defeated by numbers.
Human power is sometimes limited.
Such words are meaningless in front of a strong man like Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
"yes!"
Vista's order also made most of the pirates breathe a sigh of relief. In fact, there were some captains in the crowd. After they understood Vista's idea, they hid in the crowd, thinking of taking action secretly to assist Vista and others.
The Whitebeard Pirates group is very large, with nearly 100,000 pirates under its command. Since the death of Whitebeard, although the Whitebeard Pirates experienced the attack by Weevil and a period of internal division, there are still tens of thousands of pirates who chose to support Kozuki Oden.
Among these people, there are many devil fruit users. Their frontal combat capabilities may not be very strong, but if they are responsible for coordinating and assisting people like Vista and Joz, they can also cause some trouble for Jiguo Yuan.
The person with the ability who had previously "planted" spores on Yoriichi Tsugakuni's body was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. At this time, he was cleverly hiding in the crowd, not showing his presence, and quietly waiting for the next opportunity to attack Yoriichi Tsugakuni.
There are many people with such abilities, and this is why Vista and others did not choose to retreat after realizing the gap in strength between the enemy and us.
They all knew that Yoriichi Tsugikuni was very strong, but correspondingly, they did not think that they had no chance at all.
“Crash—”
Just as Yoshikazu Tsugakuni focused his attention on Joz and Vista who were attacking him from the front and back, Marco on the ground took this opportunity to struggle to get up from the ground. Dust and gravel slid off his body, making a slight sound.
As a user of the mythical beast-type devil fruit, Marco's recovery speed is beyond others' imagination. Although Marco's mind is dizzy due to the strong impact and there are multiple fractures on his body, Marco has recovered a certain degree of mobility in this short while.
"Oh? You can actually stand up?"
Tsugikuni Yoshiichi did not expect that Marco could do "sit-ups" and stand up again after suffering such a heavy blow. Glancing at the young man, Yoshiichi's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
"Of course. I'm the captain of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"How can I embarrass my father?!"
Marco slowly raised his head. Although his body was extremely weak, he was full of vigor when he spoke, and his tone was full of pride.
It can be seen that Marco really feels honored to be the son of Whitebeard.
"call out!"
A sound of breaking air was heard, and Kozuki Oden, who had just been knocked away by Tsugakuni Yoshiichi, jumped out of the crowd and came to Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's side. Together with the other three captains, they formed a pincer attack on Tsugakuni Yoshiichi.
At the same time, two more squad leaders walked out from the crowd, Sachi, the captain of the fourth squad and the chef, and Lakeyo, the captain of the seventh squad.
One of the two men was wearing a white chef's uniform and holding a long knife with a cold glow in his hand; the other had a head full of golden hair and held a chain hammer in his hand that seemed to be alive. Both of them were staring at Yuichiro Tsugakuin with a fierce look.
Kozuki Oden, five Whitehaired Pirates captains with bounties exceeding 100 million, some unknown special ability users hidden in the crowd, and tens of thousands of ordinary pirates.
Such a force can have a huge impact no matter where it is placed in the world.
The fact that a closed country like Wano Country can support so many pirates who do not work shows how rich the country's resources are.
"I won't hold back anymore."
"If you continue to attack me, you'll have to be prepared."
Inside the encirclement, Yoriichi Tsugikoku held his sword lightly across his chest, looking at Marco and the others with a look of regret. Although Yoriichi wanted to warn these people, he knew that they would not surrender to him.
If it was so easy to make these people stop, the Whitebeard Pirates would probably have ceased to exist long ago.
It is precisely because Yunyi already knows the result that he feels regretful.
And just as Tsugakuni Yoshiichi had expected, the way Kozuki Oden and Marco and others looked at Tsugakuni Yoshiichi did not change at all.
Bits of golden flames "flowed" out from the pores on Tsugakuin Yoshiichi's body, and in the blink of an eye, they had covered Tsugakuin Yoshiichi's body surface.
Bathed in flames, Jigoku Yoshida waved the long sword in his hand, and a strong wind swept out, rushing towards Kozuki Oden and others.
“Drink!”
Oden tightened the two swords in his hands, let out a low growl, and then kicked the ground hard, rushing directly towards Tsugakuni Yoshiichi. Vista, Jozu and others followed closely behind and surrounded Tsugakuni Yoshiichi.
Yunichi raised the long sword in his hand, and golden flames attached to the blade. As the long sword fell, a golden ring of dazzling fire quickly swept around with Yunichi Tsugakuin as the center.
Kozuki Oden and others were the first to be hit. In the blink of an eye, they were engulfed in golden flames. The flames swept out and soon engulfed all the pirates within a thousand meters.
The sky-high flames lit up in Boluo Town. At this moment, the night turned white, the moonlight and starlight were completely covered by the dazzling flames, and the night sky was as bright as day.
"boom--"
The flames roared, and the airflow in the entire Wano Country changed dramatically.
The sneakily escaping Kurozumi Orochi and his two retainers had just left the battlefield not long ago when they suddenly felt the sky getting brighter. They looked back and found that the battlefield they were on was now engulfed in flames.
The strong wind howled, bringing with it scorching heat.
Kurozumi Chanmaru also reacted quickly and immediately used his ability to create a wall in front of the few people, protecting Kurozumi Orochi firmly behind him.
“This, this. This.”
The inexplicably ignited sea of fire looked like a doomsday scene to Kurozumi Orochi. Even the barrier created by the Barrier Fruit could not completely block the surging heat wave.
The strange smell in the air made the black charcoal snake's scalp tingle.
But soon, the astonishment on Kurozumi Orochi's face quickly disappeared. After hesitating for a few seconds, Kurozumi Orochi suddenly laughed as if no one was around.
“Hahaha, hahahahaha!!!”
"That's an enemy attack, right? Hey, old woman, that should be an enemy attack, right?!"
"What a powerful enemy! Hahaha, what a powerful enemy!"
"Die, all those bastards die!"
"Our Kurotan family finally has a day to shine!"
Kurozumi Orochi's expression became a little crazy. The person he called old woman was Kurozumi Higurashi, the "military advisor" of the Kurozumi family and also a witch.
In his youth, Kurozumi Orochi received guidance from Kurozumi Higurashi, and his current life of luxury is largely thanks to her. While Orochi had previously shown respect for the sorceress, his emotions were now running high, and he couldn't hide his true feelings.
"Hehehehe, Big Snake, don't be too happy yet."
"We still have things to do."
"Go to the Kozuki family. Lord Oden is fighting against such a powerful enemy. As his most trusted person, you must naturally 'protect' Lord Oden's family."
"As for here, wait until there's nothing more happening, then send someone over to check."
Kurozumi Higurashi let out a sinister laugh, his smile brilliant. Upon hearing this, Kurozumi Orochi's mind couldn't help but conjure up the beautiful faces of Kozuki Toki and Kozuki Hiyori, mother and daughter. He nodded repeatedly and made a decision immediately:
"Haha, you're right!"
"Protecting Lord Oden's family is the most important thing!"
The group left in a hurry and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.
In the entire Wano Country, almost everyone noticed the abnormality in the direction of Boluo Town. The news spread quickly. Before long, people from Hana Capital and Eikasa Village gathered on the street. Some curious people even climbed up and looked in the direction of Boluo Town.
No one knew what happened there, but everyone realized that something big must have happened in Jiuli.
On the battlefield of Boluo Town, the flames rising into the sky slowly dissipated, and the original streets had already turned into ruins.
Among the ruins, there are still a few wisps of golden fire burning quietly, and in the golden flames, human figures can be vaguely seen.
These weren't the pirates who faced Yoshiichi Tsugakuni's attacks, but ordinary people who hadn't had time to escape the battlefield. Yoshiichi Tsugakuni's mastery of his abilities had reached its peak; the same flame could be both a terrifying weapon to annihilate the enemy and the ultimate shield to protect ordinary people from harm.
As for those pirates caught in the golden flames? !
He had already been overwhelmed by the ecstasy and in a split second, he turned into thin air and disappeared without a trace.
Only a handful of people, possessing extremely strong domineering power, were able to huddle together for warmth in time when Ji Guoyuan launched an attack, and thus escaped the disaster.
Among these people were several White Guard captains who surrounded Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Jiguo Yuanyi slowly put away his knife and looked at Joz and others in the distance.
The moment Jigoku Yoshiichi launched the attack, Joz, Vista and others chose to gather together immediately.
Led by Jozu and Kozuki Oden, they resisted the attack of Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Jozu was covered with diamonds, and Marco's blue flames immediately turned into a shield in front of him. Oden, Vista and others used their strongest attacks the moment Marco's flame shield was broken, weakening the enemy's offensive together.
And Joz is the last shield to protect other companions.
At this time, Joz's body was stained by the golden flame of Yoriichi Tsugikuni. The flame broke through Joz's protective domineering aura, eroded Joz's body, and burned his blood and bones.
Although there was no pain coming from his body, Joz could clearly feel that his vitality was disappearing rapidly.
“Plop—”
Even a strong man like him was unable to resist the collapse of his body functions. His tower-like body collapsed to the ground. Marco, whose consciousness was already a little blurred, wanted to check Joz's injuries, but he stumbled and fell to the ground, falling into a coma.
Vista, Oden and others were almost exhausted and could not care about anything else at this time. They dragged their tired bodies to stand in front of Joz and Marco who had lost consciousness.
"It's really impressive that you were able to block my attack!"
"Oden, now, have you changed your mind and want to continue talking to me!?"
Ji Guoyuan looked around and finally felt a little quieter. Most of the pirates had been wiped out by him. Even though some of the pirates on the outermost edge managed to escape, many of them were still contaminated by the splashing golden flames.
With the domineering strength of those people, they could only watch their bodies being burned to ashes and wait for death.
Tsugikoku Yoshiichi walked in front of Oden, Vista and others, and noticed that Jozu behind them was still struggling and had not died, and he let out a sigh.
With a sigh of his fingertips, a ray of golden flame suddenly turned into a sharp sword, instantly shooting through the center of Oden and Vista, directly piercing through Jozu's brain.
This strong man who was as strong as an iron tower lost his breath in an instant.
Oden and Vista were not shocked until Tsugakuni Yoriichi's attack landed on Jozu. They both looked behind them, and the anger in their hearts burst out.
However, in the face of Tsugikuni Yoriichi's powerful tactics, Oden chose to endure.
At this point, do Kozuki Oden and the others have a better choice? Or did Tsugikoku Yoriichi ever give them the right to choose?
There are only two options left for them from the beginning to the end: surrender or death.
It is true that Kozuki Oden really wanted to avenge his son, but the losses suffered by the Whitebeard Pirates in order to avenge him were too great.
Countless pirates died under Tsugakuni Yoshiichi's attack. It can be seen with the naked eye that the casualties were in the tens of thousands, including some captains and some veteran backbones of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Not everyone is a vassal of the Whitebeard Pirates.
And not only those people, but also Diamond Jozu, one of Whitebeard's favorite sons when he was alive and known as the world's strongest shield, died in front of his eyes.
Kozuki Oden really didn't have the face or the courage to continue fighting with Tsugakuni Yoriichi.
Watching these comrades who supported and stood by him die in front of his eyes was more painful than killing Kozuki Oden directly.
Oden knew that if they continued to fight with Yoshikazu Tsugakuni, only one in ten of them would survive.
As an individual, Kozuki Oden would have no regrets even if he died at the hands of Tsugakuni Yoriichi, but he could not watch the thing that his "brother" risked his life to protect be destroyed in his hands.
"Stop it, Tsugikoku Yoriichi!"
The two swords in Kozuki Oden's hands dropped, and when he said this, it seemed as if all the strength had been drained from him.
"Oden! What are you talking about!?"
Vista had just witnessed Joz's death at the hands of Tsugikuni Yoriichi, and was actually prepared to die in his heart, but when he heard the captain's words beside him, he couldn't help but let out a low cry, his face full of disbelief.
Surrender?! As members of the Whitebeard Pirates, are they going to surrender to the enemy?!
Are you kidding me?!
"Oden, this guy is an enemy, how can you surrender to the enemy?!"
"Do you think he'll let us go if you surrender to him? No!"
"That guy is Yoriichi Tsugikuni. I've never heard of a pirate surviving after falling into his hands!"
"And he killed Joz and so many of us. How could you, as the captain, surrender?"
Vista was a little excited, but the captain's words made him sober up.
"I'm sorry, Vista."
"But I've made my decision."
"He will let us go, because until now, we are still alive, right?!"
"Vista, it was my fault. I was so carried away by Momonosuke's death that I dragged you into this."
"But we obviously have more important things to do, don't we?"
"If we die, who will protect Sphinx Island? Who will protect Wano Country? I have failed Bai Xiaoji's instructions and failed to live up to your trust."
“We can’t make any more mistakes.”
Kozuki Oden's mind is rarely clear.
Do you think he's a coward? From Tsugakuni Yoriichi's perspective, he can actually understand Kozuki Oden's despair to some extent.
Surviving is much more difficult than dying, and Kozuki Oden was not facing an opponent who was on equal terms with him.
Even if the battle continues, the outcome is already foreseeable. Oden's ability is no longer able to change the status quo.
"you"
Vista is not a young man in his teens or twenties. He actually knows very well in his heart that what Kozuki Oden said is right. And precisely because of this, he has no way to say anything in rebuttal. He can only look at Tsugikuni Yoriichi with anger in his eyes, but he has no intention of continuing to attack.
Angry, desperate.
But faced with overwhelming strength, Biesta still felt powerless.
He quickly walked to Marco's side and carried the unconscious Marco on his back. Vista felt extremely heavy at this moment.
The dead are dead, and the living must continue to live.
Protecting the younger Marco and the surviving crew members has become Vista's goal.
"Have you discussed it?"
"I won't continue to make sarcastic remarks."
"The decision you made was very wise. From the very beginning, I had no intention of engaging in a large-scale conflict with you."
"However, I didn't expect things to develop like this."
Before Tsugakuen could finish his words, Kozuki Oden stopped him with his hand and shook his head:
"There's no point in saying this now."
"What is your purpose in coming to Wano Country? If you have finished your business, please leave here."
"If it's not done, I will find ways to assist you, as long as you leave here as soon as possible."
"Not only that, from now on, we, the Whitebeard Pirates, will never again oppose your New Navy. We will stay safely on the Sphinx Island in Wano Country and will not cause any impact on your New Navy."
Things have developed to this point. Since I have already bowed my head, I might as well bow my head all the way.
Kozuki Oden only wanted to send Tsugikoku Yoshiichi away as soon as possible, not wanting to see him again in Wano Country, and could only suppress his hatred for his son in his heart.
"I did come to Wano Country for something."
"Kozuki Oden, what is on the final island?"
"Why were you, the Kozuki clan, able to leave words on the stone tablets that record the text of history?"
"Also, do you know Yimu?"
The other party was finally able to communicate, and Tsugikuni Yuichiro did not beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose.
"The final island? You mean Raftel?!"
"Haha. I never thought that someone like you would be interested in that great secret treasure?"
"But I think the truth will disappoint you a little."
"The Great Secret Treasure is the gateway to a new future for people. But none of us are the ones who can open it."
"What a pity! Tsugikoku Yoriichi."
Kozuki Oden wanted to laugh at Tsugikuni Yoriichi, but he could only smile bitterly on his face.
(End of this chapter)
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