One Piece: Alucard the Immortal

Chapter 673 - 672: Backstabbing Kozuki Oden

At the news that Alucard was rushing to the scene, Kaido’s expression shifted slightly. Conversely, the members of the Immortal Pirates were filled with sheer ecstasy. With the Master coming, wasn’t the outcome already decided?"Hmph! It’s better if he shows up!"

Kaido bellowed, though his heart wasn’t in it. "If he comes, I’ll take care of him along with the rest of you!"

Despite his loud blustering, anyone listening closely could hear the lack of conviction in his voice. Rumor had it that Kaido had challenged the other Yonko and Marine Headquarters hundreds of times and failed; of those, ninety defeats had come at the hands of Alucard. There were even whispers that "Alucard is Kaido’s natural predator." Now, even Kaido himself didn’t dare claim he could actually defeat the man.

"Please stop being so stubborn, Kaido-sama," Elburn reminded him again. "Compared to the other Whitebeard territories we’ve already seized, Wano is trivial. Throwing your life away here isn’t a good trade."

Though Kaido kept his face set in a stern mask, his fighting spirit had visibly receded. He seemed to be coming around to Elburn’s suggestion.

"Hmph. You think you can just leave because you want to?"

Even if Kaido wanted to retreat, Hancock had no intention of letting him off so easily. You wound my people and then expect to just walk away because a heavy hitter is coming? There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

"Wait, Hancock. Let them go."

Suddenly, someone from the Immortal Pirates spoke up. It was Scarlett.

"Farewell."

Queen suddenly slammed a palm onto the ground. Spider-web cracks raced across the earth, extending beneath everyone’s feet. Suddenly, a violent gale erupted from the fissures, blasting upward. The sheer force of the wind made it impossible for anyone to keep their eyes open.

"Cheap tricks!"

Hancock controlled the blood pool to seal the cracks in the ground, cutting off the airflow. When everyone finally opened their eyes again, the Beasts Pirates had already fled several hundred meters away.

"Scarlett, I want an explanation."

Hancock leaped down from the blood pool and landed in front of Scarlett, her face clouded with dissatisfaction. In fact, it wasn’t just Hancock; many in the Immortal Pirates felt this had been a golden opportunity to take down the Beast Pirates. More importantly, Alucard was on his way.

Scarlett shook her head and explained, "Your Form Change has only just awakened; it’s still unstable. Your overall strength is still inferior to Kaido’s. Stop fighting for now."

Hancock knit her brows, still feeling rebellious. "But the Master is already..."

"The Beasts Pirates didn’t specify a time, did they?" Scarlett countered. "Is it minutes, hours, or days? We don’t know. If it’s days, can you maintain that form?"

Hancock was left speechless. She deactivated her Form Change, returning to her original appearance. She flicked her long hair back and sighed. "Fine. Has Fallon settled things on his end?"

...

In a secret passage beneath the castle that led to the shores of the country’s border, the Shogun’s escape was underway.

The Kozuki Clan provided the guard, with the Clan Leader, Kozuki Oden, personally escorting them.

"Your Excellency, please hurry. The exit is just ahead."

Inside the dim secret passage, Kozuki Oden pointed toward the speck of light at the far end. Following behind him was a man in an opulent kimono with a traditional samurai topknot, the Shogun of Wano.

Under the protection of the Kozuki Clan, the Shogun successfully reached the coast. But just as they stepped out of the cave, before they could even celebrate their narrow escape, a voice drifted down from above. "Shogun-sama, why are you in such a rush to leave?"

Oden and his retainers gasped. They looked up to see dozens of figures leaping down from the cliffs, landing right in front of them.

"You... Imai!"

Oden and his retainers, including Kanjuro, cried out in surprise when they saw Imai standing next to Fallon. They instantly surmised what had happened.

"Imai-sama! As a retainer of the Shogun, you should have committed seppuku immediately upon being compromised to prevent intelligence from leaking! Your actions have gravely endangered the Shogun!" Kanjuro stepped forward, loudly denouncing Imai.

A flash of embarrassment crossed Imai’s face, but he felt no true guilt. While the code of a retainer was to "offer everything to the Shogun," he wasn’t that stupid. His life belonged to himself. Who would throw it away for the Shogun?

Oden led his men to form a barrier in front of the Shogun. Without looking back at Kanjuro, he commanded, "Kanjuro, take the Shogun and flee to the sea. I will hold the enemy back."

"Oden-sama!" Kanjuro hesitated; in his heart, Oden was far more important than the Shogun.

"Hey, hey. Don’t make it so tragic. I’ve said it many times: we’re here to take the city, not massacre it."

Fallon raised his hands as if he’d had enough, fixing his gaze on the Shogun. "You’re the ’Emperor’ of Wano, right? Hand over your territory to the Immortal Pirates and provide a set amount of supplies every day. We can negotiate the specifics later, but your status remains unchanged. How about it?"

The Shogun, naturally, was a man who didn’t want to die. Hearing this, he looked visibly swayed.

"Shogun-sama, do not be deceived by them!" Oden saw the hesitation and moved to intervene. "Once Wano becomes a land of pirates, the consequences will be unthinkable."

Seeing this, Fallon felt the threat wasn’t quite sharp enough. He shifted his focus to Imai. "Hey, fat pig. If the Shogun and everyone here dies, who becomes the new Shogun?"

The Shogun’s face turned pale. Imai froze for a few seconds, but for the sake of his own skin, he answered dutifully, "In that case... the position should be inherited by the Shogun’s eldest son."

"How about this then?" Fallon proposed. "We kill the Shogun and his entire family, and I make you the Shogun. Sound good?"

"This... I..." Imai was stunned by the proposal, his mind spinning. Usurpation! It was something many retainers had dreamed of, but who would dare say it aloud in front of the Shogun?

Swoosh!

In that exact moment, the sound of a blade leaving its scabbard rang out. Kozuki Oden felt a surge of white-hot pain. He looked down to see the long blade of a katana protruding from his chest.

Oden turned his head in disbelief toward the person who had stabbed him from behind. "Sho... Shogun-sama...?"