Chapter 135: The Opponent Doesn't Seem Very Bright
He sported a Japanese-style topknot, and aside from a fundoshi (loincloth) and wooden geta sandals, all he wore was a long sword strapped to his back.
"What's going on with you all? Why are you all kneeling here?"
"Lord Oden?"
"We mistook the messengers of a god for yokai and nearly committed a grave sin. We are atoning for it here..."
Seemingly acting on the principle of not daring to lie before a god, these people recounted the previous events exactly as they happened.
Oden also noticed Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, the two small beings who looked completely harmless.
"Shameless! Being afraid of anomalies with different appearances just because of your own ignorance, and actually bullying such little ones—this is truly disgraceful!"
This person was none other than Kozuki Oden, son of the Shogun of Wano Country, and currently the Daimyo of Kuri.
If Nereus hadn't been there, he would have also taught these Wano Country residents a lesson. Consequently, he earned the gratitude of Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu. From then on, the three of them began to follow Kozuki Oden and became his retainers.
"Old man... is there something wrong with this country? Why can a pervert call others shameless here...?"
Although the fundoshi covered his privates, this state was pretty close to streaking. If we're talking about being shameless, Nanamo felt they were even on that front.
"Ignore him. His way of thinking is rather unique. If you feel he's abnormal, then that's normal."
Kozuki Oden played a great hand of cards terribly. He had many opportunities to defeat Kaido, but he missed all of them.
If he hadn't taken a wrong step anywhere, Kaido could never have occupied Wano Country using such methods.
"Um... they did make a mistake and should indeed be punished. But no matter what, I am the Daimyo of Kuri, and they are subjects under my rule. Having them kneel here indefinitely isn't good either.
How about this? I will accept the punishment in their stead, and let them return. Is that alright?"
Kozuki Oden, who was originally planning to leave, suddenly walked back and very solemnly proposed to take the punishment on their behalf.
For a very long time, Kozuki Oden was a scoundrel, even causing quite a bit of trouble in Wano Country. It wasn't until he was 20 that he began to change, subduing many villains in Kuri and starting to develop the region.
But he was still Oden; making this kind of choice wasn't entirely surprising.
"Whoever committed the mistake should receive the punishment. Downplaying it, they were ignorant; exaggerating it, it was attempted murder. This kind of punishment is already very light."
"That sounds very reasonable... This makes things difficult..."
"Although it was out of fear, they did stop in time. I will give you a chance. Defeat her, and I will accept your condition."
Having to win a fight just to be allowed to take someone else's punishment sounded absurd, but Oden accepted this unequal treaty without a second thought.
"Thank you. You really are a good person."
In terms of height, Kozuki Oden was a large chunk taller than Nereus. Comparing himself to Nanamo's petite physique, and considering his own combat power in Wano Country, Kozuki Oden felt the other party was already going easy on him.
Nanamo pointed at herself, then pointed at Kozuki Oden.
"My dear father, are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. I told you, I would test you when we came out. I was originally wondering where to find you a suitable opponent, and now I happen to have one."
The only thing about Kozuki Oden that couldn't be questioned was his strength.
Currently, he had never left Wano Country, and his own strength hadn't reached its peak either. Nanamo was also in a developmental stage. In a sense, he was a pretty good "test paper."
"Don't worry, little sister, I won't hit you hard. By the way... you guys are from the outer sea, right?
If I win, can you take me out to sea with you?"
By the time he was 18, Kozuki Oden had already illegally attempted to set out to sea 38 times.
But the maritime environment outside Wano Country was complex, and Oden himself wasn't skilled in navigation. Due to the country's isolation, there simply weren't any seaworthy ships suitable for long voyages here.
This resulted in Kozuki Oden's 38 attempts having a success rate of zero.
Having finally encountered someone from the outer sea, Kozuki Oden's desire to set sail resurfaced once again.
"Wait until you defeat her before raising such conditions with me."
In a sense, Kozuki Oden was very easy to fool. Being easy to fool and possessing high combat power meant he was an easily utilized asset.
With proper planning, taking over all of Wano Country wouldn't be a complex matter. However, since he himself was an unstable factor, Nereus didn't have this thought for the time being. He just wanted to use Kozuki Oden to test Nanamo's combat power first.
"Then I'm going to have to get serious."
He said he was getting serious, but Oden still didn't take Nanamo too seriously, and the price for this was very painful.
Five seconds later, Kozuki Oden struggled to pull his head out of the sand and began recalling what had just happened.
It seemed that with a swish, he was directly thrown away by Nanamo.
"Old man, I can understand your desire to test me, but could you not find an idiot?"
Nanamo clapped her hands. She hadn't held back much.
She believed that since Nereus dared to use this person as her exam subject, he must be very durable and absolutely wouldn't die from just one touch.
"..."
Nereus was rarely this speechless. Then, he suddenly reached toward Hermes nearby. Before Hermes could react, his hand pierced right into Hermes's belly, pulling out a light blue wallet from inside.
"Wait... Old man, how did you know my wallet was in there?"
"When you travel, don't you put all your things in Hermes? Get serious. If you lose later, this wallet is mine.
And you, the guy who wants to go out to sea! Aren't you carrying a sword? You can use your weapon, and there's no need to hold back. Otherwise, you will lose very ugly."
When Charlotte Linlin was 17, although she didn't have the prestige of an Emperor of the Sea from her mid-to-late career, she was still a renowned great pirate on the sea at that time.
At Nanamo's age, even if she couldn't compare to her yet, she wouldn't be too far behind.
Kozuki Oden, who had been thrown violently, was also knocked clear-headed at this moment. Under Nereus's prompt, he finally unsheathed the Ame no Habakiri from his back.
Although he had eaten a mouthful of sand, he now looked very excited. The strength of someone from the outer sea made Kozuki Oden even more curious about the world overseas.
As a two-sword style swordsman, carrying only one sword definitely impacted his strength. But he didn't feel fear because of this; instead, he bowed solemnly and stated his name once again.
He now treated Nanamo as a formal opponent, thus employing what he considered the etiquette between samurai.
But Kozuki Oden would not understand what kind of state Nanamo would enter when someone else held her wallet.
"Spear of Elbaf... Sea Roar!" (Elbaf's Spear - Ikoku/Sovereignty variation)
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