Deep within Hachinosu, the former stronghold of the Rocks Pirates had been completely remodeled by Shiki. Rough wooden structures mixed oddly with plundered, ornate decorations. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol, gunpowder, and rowdiness—a truly lawless pirate paradise.
Shiki wasn't in the main hub but in a clearing further inland. He appeared to have returned from overseas not long ago, but what surprised Beltz was the presence of Oden beside him.
Oden had refused to yield for a long time, leading Shiki to keep him locked in the great dungeon. Why had he been released today?
"Yo, Beltz is back." Shiki turned and saw Beltz flying in. His long golden hair draped down, and his mouth pulled back into that familiar, wild laugh: "From the looks of it, you've sniffed out a lead on that Lunarian brat?"
Beltz landed beside Shiki and replied, "Yeah. What are you guys up to?" He glanced at Oden, who remained silent.
"Jihahaha..." Shiki laughed. "I gave him a chance. If he can defeat my Vice-Captain, I'll grant him his freedom."
Beltz couldn't help but think: You old fox, you're really wicked. This was a total trap for Oden. Beltz's current strength was no less than the Golden Lion's own. He was a Vice-Captain in name, but their actual relationship was far different.
Oden, however, didn't know that. He only knew that Beltz was Shiki's subordinate, and logic dictated that a Vice-Captain must be weaker than the Captain! If he couldn't beat Shiki, fine—but if he couldn't even beat Shiki's subordinate, what else was there to say? It was classic Oden; he actually believed it. Then again, he had no choice; it was his only chance at freedom. If he refused, it was back to the dungeon.
"And if he loses?" Beltz asked. "I assume he has to join us?"
"If I lose, I will join you in my personal capacity, but you must release my retainers!" Oden said in a heavy voice. "And, you must leave Wano!"
Beltz looked at Shiki, who shrugged. "I never said I'd leave. Besides, nothing has really changed for your Wano. I'm not kicking your old man off the Shogun's throne. We're just using Wano as a temporary base. Who told your country to have such convenient natural defenses? It's practically the perfect spot for me, Jihahaha!"
"Fine, I'll fight you," Beltz said, then looked at Shiki. "I have something to tell you afterward."
"Save the talk, get to fighting!"
Before the words had even faded, Shiki leaped into the air, hovering in a relaxed posture to enjoy the show. With Shiki gone from the immediate area, only Beltz and Oden remained.
Oden, wielding his twin blades, didn't hesitate. As soon as Shiki announced the start, he swung a blade directly at Beltz! The strike was sudden; an ordinary person wouldn't have even had time to react.
But Beltz was a psychologist. He knew exactly what Oden was thinking. The Subconscious Schrift, combined with Observation Haki, allowed Beltz to easily read minds even in the heat of battle. As Oden swung, Beltz used Hirenkyaku to pull back instantly. His body vanished, leaving Oden's blade to cut through nothing but air.
Oden was the man who would later leave Kaido with psychological scars. Though he was still young, his strength had grown after several "lessons" from Shiki. While in the dungeon, Shiki had kept his vitals at the bare minimum for survival, but after being released for a few days, Oden had recovered his state. He was not to be trifled with.
Seeing his strike miss, Oden didn't pause for a second, immediately rushing toward the distant Beltz!
"Tougen Shirataki!"
His twin blades carved brilliant arcs through the air. Pink flying slashes, like blooming cherry blossoms of death, swept toward Beltz! Oden knew his opponent was special and opened with a powerful sword technique.
Beltz instantly entered his Hybrid Form. Azure-black dragon scales emerged on his skin. He opened his mouth and unleashed a scorching breath! This wasn't the breath from his full dragon form—that was only good for clearing fodder and causing wide-scale destruction. This breath was released from his Hybrid Form and infused with even greater power!
"Kotodama: Uchi!"
This massive wave of flame released a light so intense it felt as if a sun had appeared in the clearing! Oden swung his blade, cleaving the fire in two. Wano swordsmen possessed a specific "Flame-Cutting" style that gave them an advantage against fire.
However, while he could cut the fire, he couldn't cut the light! The blinding brilliance accompanying the blaze obscured Oden's vision. Most importantly, his Observation Haki could no longer detect Beltz!
Psychological Invisibility!
Beltz hadn't just blocked physical sight; he had turned invisible on a psychological level. Under this dual combination, even a master of Observation Haki could not capture his position! Taking advantage of Oden's blindness, Beltz reached out, black Haki condensing in his hand.
"Sankt Bogen!"
Beltz didn't use a sword this time; he used the signature weapon of the Quincy. And he immediately used a high-level Reishi Technique!
Thwip!
The vibration of the bowstring was nearly inaudible. Once released, the black arrow pierced the air, arriving in front of Oden in an instant! Although Oden couldn't see, he heard the sound of the arrow breaking the sound barrier. But by the time the sound reached his ears, the arrow was already at his face!
Oden instinctively crossed his twin blades in a guard!
BOOM!
The arrow struck the exact intersection of the blades! Violent Haki exploded like black lightning! Oden felt a force like a collapsing mountain slam into his arms; his palms split, and his famous blades wailed! Finally, the black Sankt Bogen exploded, knocking his blades aside. The residual force slammed into his chest, sending his body flying backward like a cannonball!
"Waaah!" Oden was sent hurtling through the air.
Crash! Bang! Bang!
His body smashed through several ruined walls before finally embedding itself deep into a distant rock face, surrounded by a cloud of dust.
"What kind of technique is this?!"
Oden's physical body was truly formidable. Because the Sankt Bogen had its power weakened by his blades, he didn't lose consciousness after being blasted into the hillside. He stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at Beltz in disbelief.
Was this a joke? Shiki was one thing, but how was his Vice-Captain this strong? If this was the case, then even if he got stronger, what use would it be? Even if he became stronger than Shiki, could he handle Shiki and Beltz together? Moreover... he couldn't even handle Beltz right now! He even suspected that Shiki had been going easy on him before!
Beltz didn't stop. He knew a single Sankt Bogen wouldn't finish the job. While Oden was being blown away, Beltz was already preparing the next attack.
"Kotodama: Sourai Shihai!"
If fire was difficult to use against a Wano samurai, he would use lightning! Beltz aimed both hands at Oden. Just as the samurai stood up, the lightning-type Kotodama was unleashed.
BOOM!
The strike was practically instantaneous. A bolt of azure lightning, as thick as a barrel, crashed down from the clear sky, striking Oden precisely! The speed of lightning far exceeded neural reaction time. Oden only had time to coat his body in Haki before being swallowed by the blinding thunder. His body jerked violently, his hair standing on end!
To make Oden feel the weight of overwhelming power, Beltz manipulated the gales once more!
"Kotodama: Fuou no Hitomi!"
Beltz's low voice sounded like a command to nature itself. The airflow in this large area began to run wild. With the lightning-wrapped Oden as the center, countless currents spun and converged, instantly forming a massive tornado that connected the sky and earth!
Even more terrifying, the rampaging lightning was sucked into the storm. Blue-white electric snakes surged and spread across the grayish-black wind walls, eventually forming a...
Thunderstorm Tornado!
Devastating natural power was forcibly merged and controlled by human will, turning into a death vortex that swallowed everything. Oden, inside, was like a toy in the hands of a vengeful god—torn by the winds and lashed by the lightning, struggling to hold on through sheer physical toughness and Haki.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
In the air, Shiki's playful expression vanished. He shouted, "That's enough! I want a subordinate, not a piece of charcoal! Don't actually kill the kid!"
Shiki thought highly of Oden; he was truly short on talent. He didn't want Beltz to kill him here.
"Don't worry, he won't die," Beltz said. "His body is strong; it takes more than this to kill him."
Against those who knew how to use Conqueror's Haki Infusion, Beltz wouldn't achieve such results so easily. Conqueror's Haki was essentially a superior version of Armament Haki, usable for both offense and defense. Coating oneself in it provided far better defense. Oden had the Haki, but he didn't know how to exploit it yet, making him not too difficult for Beltz to handle. Once Oden learned to use Conqueror's Haki for defense and attack, playing with him like this would no longer be easy.
The storm subsided, and the lightning vanished. In the center of the field was a massive, scorched crater. Oden lay on his back at the bottom, smoke rising from his body. His kimono was in tatters, and his skin was covered in burns and lacerations, dripping with blood. His chest heaved, and his eyes were glazed. Whether he was conscious or not, he clearly had no strength left to fight.
For the current Beltz, defeating Oden was that simple!
Shiki glanced at him and said, "You've grown stronger again! But why haven't you learned Conqueror's Haki Infusion yet?" Shiki was baffled. How did this guy suddenly get stronger? It made no sense. Conqueror's Haki could spike in power, but Armament Haki generally required long-term training. Beltz had only been out for less than half a year. How did he jump in power again? If he had learned Infusion, fine—but he hadn't. To be this powerful without it... if he ever did learn it, wouldn't Shiki himself be unable to match him? Should he be glad this kid had no ambition?
Beltz, of course, wouldn't say he had grown stronger because Yhwach had granted him more power. He simply said, "Consider this my favor to you. Next, you need to help me."
"Oh? With what?" Shiki asked.
"Help me hit Marine Headquarters."
...?
Shiki was stunned. In his impression, Beltz was a low-profile person. Why the sudden urge to hit the Navy? Then he realized: "It's that Lunarian survivor, isn't it? He's at Marine Headquarters?"
"Yes," Beltz nodded. "I also brought you a good prospect. He's currently at Onigashima; I'll have him come over later. He's young, but with proper training, he'll be a fine officer."
"Jihahaha...!" Shiki let out his signature ambitious, wild laugh. "I'm starting to like you more and more. Attacking Marine Headquarters—why didn't I think of that before? I'll do it!"
"But we need a detailed plan," Beltz cautioned. Shiki only charged into Marineford without a plan later when he lost his head over Roger's surrender; he wasn't usually stupid enough to just rush in to get beaten. No matter how strong he and Beltz were, challenging Marine Headquarters wasn't a choice to be made lightly. No matter how much he looked down on the Navy, he had to admit Garp and Sengoku were the real deal.
"Of course," Beltz agreed. "But our goal is to save someone. Once we have him, we leave. I'll handle the rescue; I just need you to tie down Garp and Sengoku. Ideally... in a scenario where neither of them is at Headquarters."
Beltz's eyes gleamed with sharp insight, and a smile touched his lips. "I know what to do."
"Oh?" Shiki saw the smile. "What's the plan?"
"Like I said, it's easiest if Sengoku and Garp aren't there. Shiki... are you interested in having a sea battle with Roger?"