Pirate King: I'm determined to be the King of Sons-in-Law!

Chapter 154 Oden in My Imagination

The Spade Pirates' ship.

Ace was taken to the emergency room.

The rest of the crew huddled in a corner of the deck, trembling with fear as they watched the two menacing figures standing at the bow, not daring to even breathe.

The navy's black-haired men were enough to frighten them, but now there's another monster who almost killed the captain with a single blow.

Damn it, ever since I came to this new world, I've either been getting beaten up or on my way to getting beaten up. Is this some kind of life-or-death situation?!

Yamato changed into ordinary clothes and put on a hood; she couldn't let anyone discover her whereabouts before leaving Wano Country.

Besides freedom, she had another dream.

"Loya, I want to become Oden!"

"Oden."

Loya gave Yamato a deep look.

It's time to come.

This girl is a few years older than him, but her terrible living environment prevented her mind from developing normally, making her not much better than a child.

Kids who are obsessed with celebrities are the hardest to deal with.

Loya spoke calmly, "I've heard of Kozuki Oden."

"Loya, do you like Oden too?"

Yamato looked pleasantly surprised.

That expression was exactly like that of a child who's a fan of a celebrity.

Loya shook his head.

No, I hate him.

"ah?!"

Yamato froze, feeling as if an arrow had pierced his heart.

How can you be happy when someone you admire is rejected?

Loya asked, "Yamato, you said you want to become Oden, so I'd like to ask you, what is it about Oden that you like?"

"I want to adventure freely like Oden!"

Yamato answered without hesitation.

She took out the tattered diary from her bosom and held it in her hands like a treasure. The words "Oden" were faintly visible on the surface of the diary.

Oden's thrilling adventures filled her with excitement.

"That's not a valid reason."

Loya shook his head in denial: "If you just want the freedom to adventure, you don't need to become Oden to do it. Oden has his adventures, and you have yours."

"."

Yamato blinked.

Thinking about it carefully, that's definitely true.

Ah, no, no!

Yamato shook his head, puffing out his cheeks: "Oden was a true samurai! Fifteen years ago, a shocking event occurred in the Flower Capital that stunned Wano Country!"

The boiling punishment, the legendary one hour.

Yamato's eyes lit up as she recounted the scene she witnessed: "Kozuki Oden was the most outstanding samurai. I will never forget the way he bravely faced death that day."

"I see."

Loya nodded slowly.

To be honest, he couldn't quite understand Yamato's way of thinking.

If Oden had no power to resist, he would have respected Oden as a true man.

According to Yamato's description, Oden and his nine retainers not only had the strength to break free of their chains, but also the formidable stamina to endure being boiled in oil for an hour.

Whether it was fighting Kaido again or escaping the execution ground to regroup, Oden could have done either, but he chose to surrender and pin his hopes on twenty years later.

Isn't this just a complete coward?

But judging from Yamato's fangirl demeanor, that explanation probably doesn't make sense.

"We've reached the shore."

Loya pointed forward.

The coastline of Jiuli has come into view.

"Let's go, I'll show you around Wano Country now."

Soon, the group returned to Bianli Village.

Seeing their rescued family members, the villagers of Bianli Village wept with joy; they had never had any hope at all.

The Spade Pirates stayed in Amigasa Village to rest and regroup.

Loya took Yamato for a walk around the village, then quietly left to visit other villages and towns.

Nine miles, rabbit bowl, white dance.

After a full day's journey, the two crossed three rural areas and arrived at Caishen Town in Baiwu, where they stayed overnight at Lao Kang's house.

Night falls.

After a quick meal, the Kang family squeezed into the living room to rest, leaving the only bedroom for the two of them.

In the dim light of the night, the two lay on the tatami mats.

Loya rested his head on his hands.

How are you feeling today?

"That's terrible!"

Yamato, with his back to Loya, answered sullenly.

When she left Ghost Island, she was filled with anticipation for the adventure that was about to begin, but her fantasy was soon shattered by reality.

Poverty and hunger were rampant everywhere.

And there are countless ronin villains!

"It's different from what I remember!"

Yamato sat up cross-legged in annoyance, wearing only underwear and a thin top, her figure barely concealed, but she didn't care about the issue of being exposed.

She can't sleep right now!

Before she was eight years old, her father did not restrict her freedom. At that time, she often followed the boat and went to play in various towns and villages.

In her distant memory, the people of Wano Country were not wealthy, but at least they had no problem having enough to eat.

But now everything has changed.

Loya also sat up, facing Yamato.

"Yamato, why do you think Wano Country has become like this?"

"Of course, it's because of my father!"

Yamato gave a confident and justified reply.

It's all Father's fault!

"And that wretched General Orochi!"

"Yes, the main reason why Wano Country has become like this is indeed due to your father Kaido and the Shogun Orochi."

Loya nodded in agreement, then changed the subject.

"However, Oden was also involved."

"What does this have to do with Oden!"

Yamato puffed out his cheeks angrily.

She discovered that Loya had a lot of grievances against Oden.

Loya didn't explain directly, but instead asked, "Yamato, why did you stop Ace when he was destroying Onigashima?"

"Of course we have to stop it, that's my house."

Yamato tilted his head in confusion, not understanding why Loya asked that question.

She has no feelings for the Beasts Pirates, and even hates her father and his subordinates, but Onigashima is, after all, her home, the place where she grew up.

"That's right, Ghost Island is your home."

Loya smiled slightly: "You believe you have a responsibility to protect Ghost Island, right?"

"right!"

Isn't that obvious?

"Similarly, Wano Country is Oden's home, and Oden has the responsibility to protect Wano Country. Moreover, Oden is the son of the previous shogun, so he has an even greater responsibility. The people of Wano Country also place their hopes on Oden."

Loya calmly said, "Didn't Oden bear any responsibility for failing to protect his home?"

"this"

Yamato's brain just can't process this.

Loya shook his head slightly.

Many countries in the world are facing the same problems as Wano Country.

Even member states are exploited by the Celestial Dragons; they are all exploited. How different is Kaido from the Celestial Dragons?

The only way to avoid being exploited by invaders is to rely on ourselves.

While Loya didn't quite agree with Oden's decision not to seek help from his crew, he could understand it; one couldn't ask for help every time trouble arose.

Just like the non-member states that Squadron 11 helped before, they could help for a while, but not forever.

But Oden's subsequent dancing behavior

It's beyond description, even defying the heavens.

Loya sighed.

"Yamato, I know you admire Oden, but I hope you know that admiration is the furthest distance from understanding."

"You only met Oden once and read his diary, and you constructed a perfect image of Oden in your mind. However, in reality, you never even spoke a word to Oden."

"You don't know what Oden liked, what Oden loved to eat, or what troubles Oden had. You only have a superficial understanding of Oden."

"The Oden you want to become is essentially the perfect image you fantasize about, the person you aspire to be. That person could be Oden, or it could be someone else."

Loya asked softly, "Yamato, before you call yourself Oden, ask yourself, do you really understand Kozuki Oden as a person?"

"I don't know."

Yamato's gaze was blank.

She desperately wanted to refute Loya and prove that it wasn't true, but she couldn't find a reason to do so. Over the years, "Oden" had become her pillar of support.

"Go to sleep, Yamato."

"The night is long."

(End of this chapter)