Chapter 223
Zixu laughed maniacally as he swung the mace. In his hands, the incredibly dense weapon felt like a mere wooden stick—but one that could pulverize a man in a single strike.
Forget Kozuki Oden's strange abilities for a moment—the two blades in his hands were powerhouses in their own right. After all, they were both supreme-grade swords: Ame-no-Habakiri and Enma. Even Zoro had turned into a sword rack thanks to Enma's immense power.
Though Zixu's strikes packed monstrous force, they were blocked each time by Oden's twin blades. These swords felt alive in Oden's hands, and his attacks were unpredictable and relentless.
Their Haki clashed—will against will—but Zixu easily suppressed it each time. He soon noticed something: perhaps Oden had long lost the qualifications to be a true king. His Haki was weak, almost nonexistent.
"What right do you have to fight me now? With that pathetic excuse for Haki you've got left? Don't make me laugh, Oden. No matter where you go... you'll always be a loser."
Zixu's taunts made Kozuki Oden hesitate for just a moment. Normally, his heart wouldn't waver—but now he thought of his wife, his son, his daughter, and his father...
To destroy someone, you couldn't just kill their body—you had to crush their spirit too. And Zixu wasn't about to waste this golden opportunity. It was the perfect time to recall the past.
"Your father... that old puppet maker. After you died, he hid away, creating puppets in some deluded effort to curse the Beasts Pirates to death. As for actual resistance... well, if doing absolutely nothing counts as resistance..."
More and more wounds opened up across Oden's body as the Devouring Release (Shokuryō Kaihō) continued to eat at his flesh. Whenever his defenses dropped, black flames and lightning hovered like hunting dogs, ready to tear flesh away in chunks.
Zixu paused briefly, as if digging through memories.
"And your son? Still a weak, pathetic brat. But I'll give him one thing—he's got your taste for women. Lustful even at that age. Then again, it runs in the family—you've been prowling brothels since you were a kid, haven't you?"