One Piece: So What If I Sin, Lie, and Lust? I'm Still a Good Marine Chapter 212: Volume 2 – - 114: Must Not Be Born

The next ruler of Wano Country, a mighty samurai admired by Roger, Whitebeard, and Kaidou...

Kozuki Oden!

I haven't even made a move yet, and you're already here trying to take your wife back?

Daren's sneer turned chilling in an instant. A faint arc of blue electricity crackled between his fingers as an invisible and mysterious magnetic field, along with bioelectrical perception, expanded outward.

His muscles suddenly tensed, his body shifting into the stance of a predator ready to strike, and his aura surged.

There were plenty of reasons to cut Kozuki Oden off.

First, soone as useless as Kozuki Oden had no right to be with a woman as captivating as Amatsuki Toki.

Second, Daren simply couldn't stand the guy.

Third, Amatsuki Toki's Devil Fruit ability was extrely powerful. Even if she didn't like him, keeping her close and bringing her under his control would give him a powerful trump card.

But no matter how many reasons existed, there was only one that truly mattered...

—Momonosuke must not be born!

"Don't worry, girl! I'm here to save you from this villain!"

Bloated like a sea monster, his face swollen into a pig's head, Kozuki Oden roared. In a flash, he drew the dual swords at his waist and brought them down from above, slashing at Daren!

One black and one white, the two great ito swords carved phantom trails of darkness and light through the air, their edges so sharp they sliced the wind in silence.

A crushing pressure surged forth.

The fierce aura radiating from the blades made Daren's eyes narrow sharply.

He stepped forward!

Boom!

A heavy thud echoed from the beach below.

Then—a thunderous crash!

The sand where Daren landed caved in massively, sending the sea into chaos as waves surged and rose in layers.

Propelled by the recoil of his step, Daren's body launched into the air like a teor shooting skyward.

Jet-black Armant Haki instantly covered his arms, the muscles bulging and veins popping before suddenly compressing—

His fists blasted out like rocket fire!

Clang!

Fists and blades collided, scattering a cascade of sparks.

BOOM!!

A trendous shockwave rolled outward, sweeping across the entire island. The sea churned violently, throwing up towering waves dozens of ters high.

Violent winds tore through everything, as thousands of crimson lightning bolts erupted around the two figures, filling the world before them.

The sky cracked as clouds split apart, a massive rift slowly forming in the heavens.

A Conqueror's Haki clash!!

Heaven and earth changed color.

The raging storm swallowed everything, hurling sand and stone into the air.

Amatsuki Toki's breath caught in her throat, a wave of dizziness hitting her like a crashing tide.

Sharp stones howled through the wind, flying straight toward her. Her face turned pale.

Just then, a sheet of tal suddenly rose before her, shielding her from the flying debris. It shifted rapidly, forming a protective shelter that securely guarded her and gently carried her body back dozens of ters.

It was that handso young Marine!

Even in the midst of this chaotic battle, he still rembered to protect ?

A warm feeling suddenly surged in Amatsuki Toki's chest, her cheeks flushing red.

Amid the roaring wind, her hands clutched the cold, solid tal—yet in her heart blood a sense of warmth and safety she had never known.

...

In the midst of the exploding lightning storm,

Kozuki Oden's eyes widened.

His attack had actually been blocked!

He was stunned for a mont, then a burst of wild excitent lit up his pale, swollen face—bloated from being soaked in seawater.

"Wahahahaha!! You're pretty good to be able to block my slash!"

Daren narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him and sneered.

"I really underestimated you..."

From the force of that slash and the intensity of the Conqueror's Haki Kozuki Oden had released, Daren quickly gauged his general combat strength.

At this point in ti, Kozuki Oden had only just set sail and was still undergoing trials under Whitebeard, preparing to join the Whitebeard Pirates.

His power was nowhere near the level he'd reach years later when he battled Kaidou in Wano Country.

And now, with his body bloated from seawater like a pig's head, he was even weaker...

Daren's lips curled into a savage grin.

The fist that had blocked Kozuki Oden's twin blades suddenly morphed into a claw.

His jet-black hands clamped down tightly on both swords!

Kozuki Oden froze, trying to yank the blades free, only to find—

The man's strength was terrifying. The blades didn't budge an inch!

"You think you're the unbeatable one!?"

Daren snarled, yanking hard with both hands.

He dragged Kozuki Oden—blades and all—toward him, then...

Slamd his head into Oden's forehead!

Boom!

It was like being struck by lightning.

Under Daren's headbutt, clad in Armant Haki, Kozuki Oden was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing into the ground and blasting out a massive crater.

A second later—

The figure of the Marine Commodore dove down like lightning.

Spinning several tis in midair with high-speed rotation, he brought with him an enormous centripetal force.

His raised black military boot ca crashing down like a battle axe toward the dazed Kozuki Oden!

The target—his head!

The surging strength and explosive montum distorted the air, blurring Daren's face in the wind.

The aura bursting from his body was deep and chilling like that of a Shura.

"Armant: Battle Axe teor!"

A wave of mortal danger slamd into Kozuki Oden.

His bloodied pupils shrank sharply. In the reflection of his eyes, that cold, hard military boot grew larger and larger at a terrifying speed—

Clang!

He hastily crossed his blades to block, tumbling backward as he was knocked through the air.

The boot, infused with Armant Haki and raw force, ca down like a crashing galaxy, shaking the entire island to its core.

Rip!

From the impact point, the ground split open like a black python, a massive rift tearing across the island.

Dust surged like a dragon toward the sea,

Seawater gushed into the crevice, then burst upward into roaring waves.

The sea boiled. Dust scread through the air.

Kozuki Oden stood up again, panting heavily.

His expression turned grim, but his eyes blazed even brighter with battle fervor.

"I really didn't expect to face soone this strong right after setting sail!"

"Going out to sea was definitely the right choice, Wahahahaha!!"

"Rember, my na is Kozuki O—"

A crisp coin-flip sound suddenly cut him off.

Kozuki Oden's Observation Haki sensed sothing—

His pupils shrank. His face twisted in alarm.

"I'm not interested in your na."

A cold voice echoed out.

The wind scattered the thick smoke.

In Kozuki Oden's tightening vision, that powerful man stood sideways, facing him.

His right hand was held flat in front, fingers poised in a snapping gesture.

His gaze was icy.

A coin spun through the air, slowly flipping downward.

And in that instant,

A crushing, indescribable sense of threat seized Kozuki Oden's mind.

...