Oden was born on February 22nd as the son of Kozuki Sukiyaki, the shogun of Wano Country. Since his childhood, he was incredibly powerful and had a knack for causing trouble by stirring up riots in the capital. Because of his curiosity, the call of adventure led him to depart Wano at age 18, contrary to its isolationist policies. These wanderings brought him onto the crews of two legendary pirates, Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate and Gol D. Roger, through whom his worldview was shaped and his course set toward discovering the real history of the world.
Personal Information
Birthday: February 22nd
Age at death: 39 years old
Height: 382 cm (12'6")
Family: Son of Kozuki Sukiyaki, husband of Kozuki Toki, father of Momonosuke and Hiyori
Affiliations: Kozuki Clan, Whitebeard Pirates, Roger Pirates
Devil Fruit: None
Haki: Proficient in all three types (Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's)
Appearance
Oden's physical stature and demeanor were as renowned as his exploits. He stood at 382 cm to others in the series and was one of the tallest characters. He had long, dark hair, usually put in a topknot, with a thick mustache and goatee to match the rest of his muscularity. Oden is often seen dressed in light-colored kimono clothing, decked with dark markings, and a red sash tied around his waist, combined by a pair of traditional Japanese geta sandals to finish that ensemble off. He was notably recognized by his two swords, Enma and Ame no Habakiri, which he handled with skill.
Personality
Oden had three main personality traits: unwavering determination, insatiable curiosity, and an unbreakable spirit. His charisma drew people to him in such a manner that it inspired devotion in both friend and foe. Oden loved his independence and adventure, but he loved his home in Wano Country even more. He had both physical and mental strength, for it is evidenced that he withstood boiling for an hour while supporting his retainers. As much as Oden was betrayed and the odds were against him, his indomitable spirit prepared a foundation for the future liberation of Wano through his sacrifices. Thus, he became legendary in the One Piece world.
Fighting Styles
Kozuki Oden's fighting style was just as famous as the man. His style was unique, bonding immense physical strength with highly developed sword work and also complex Haki techniques.
The crux of Oden's martial abilities lay in his own trademark technique, the Oden Two Sword Style. This technique fuses two of the strongest swords in the One Piece universe into a single fighting style: Enma and Ame no Habakiri. What made Oden's Two-Sword Style special was the ability to transfer Emission-level Armament Haki through the two blades at the same time, which even the famous swordsmen Roronoa Zoro and Dracule Mihawk could not do.
Togen Totsuka is one of the strongest techniques in the Two-Sword Style of Oden, and it is translated as "Peach Meadow Ten Fists." What was regarded as Oden's top-class attack with this ability could bring tremendous damage to the likes of even the wildest and unruliest opponents. In fact, the meaning behind the technique is a pun, since "tougen," which is "peach meadow," sounds just like "tougen," used in the meaning of "far away." It could suggest an attack with a long reach or be very destructive.
Another of the notable techniques in Oden's repertoire was Togen Shirataki. The name of this move, quite literally a type of Japanese noodle typically used in oden—a dish usually consumed during winter—only further attested to how creative Oden could get in naming his attacks off of food items. While, of course, it is also worth mentioning that Togen Shirataki was confirmed to be an Haoshoku Haki-infused attack by the SBS of volume 100 of the manga. This explains how Oden was able to cut the Mountain God in half in his younger years, but it was able to survive since it was in the nature of the attack.
Oden was blessed with superhuman strength of physique. He had used this power on several occasions of his life, ranging from his childhood days of throwing large rocks to his famous act of sustaining the temperature of boiling by a chain-bound weight of his nine retainers. Such an excellent mixture of brute strength with extraordinary speed and agility made Oden a formidable foe in both weapon-based and non-weapon-based martial arts.
Apart from his physical ability and sword skills, Oden happened to be a master in all three forms of Haki. He had the ability for Observation Haki, where he could sense danger and read the movements of his opponents. He had the ability to make his swords far sharper by letting them combine with it, using Armament Haki. Perhaps most impressively, Oden was one of the few who could perform Conqueror's Haki, reflecting his fierce will to live and born leadership.
Story
Early Life in Wano Country
Kozuki Oden was born to the ruling house of Wano Country—the Kozuki bloodline—as the son of the Shogun, Kozuki Sukiyaki. Contrary to being born in a noble family, Oden was rebellious and adventurous, quite far from the standard brought up for by his house. Oden had been famous for tremendous strength and charisma since childhood. Among several of his adventures that surprised and shocked the people of Wano during his early years were:.
Becoming Kuri Daimyo
Oden's rise to leadership began in the lawless land of Kuri, part of Wano, which was so overrun by criminals and chaos. By dint of breathtaking combat skills and leadership abilities, he could subdue the area with ease, earning its respect and the loyalty of people. It was from the successful transformation of Kuri into a thriving, orderly domain that he was appointed daimyo, hence being recognized as a strong and respected leader.
Dreams of Opening Wano's Borders
Although he had duties, Oden had a strong sense of adventure beyond the isolated borders of Wano. He dreamt of opening Wano to the world and reconnecting with the outside world. This had partly been driven by his interactions with others, like the pirate Whitebeard, whose stories inspired him about life beyond his country.
Venturing with the Whitebeard Pirates
The meeting of Oden with Edward Newgate, popularly known as Whitebeard, was where his life as a pirate began. After entering the Whitebeard Pirates, he sailed the Grand Line with them, developing strong bonds with other members of the crew and gaining valuable experience. The way he acted and his personality quickly saw him rise to one of the higher ranks in the crew, and he started gaining a legendary reputation for the things he did.
Meeting Gol D. Roger
Oden's life took a dramatic turn when he met Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, who wanted his special ability for some special task. Oden then becomes a major character of Roger's crew in their final cruise to Raftel, the last island in Grand Line. His knowledge and power in deciphering Poneglyphs, ancient stones inscribed with crucial historical data, made him a very important asset in solving the mysteries of the world and finding the One Piece treasure.
Return to Wano and the Confrontation with Orochi
Oden returned to Wano after several years, only to be met with sad news: Orochi had taken power with Kaido and the Beasts Pirates at his back. He thus enforced tyrannical policies that were very exploitative towards Wano. Oden set out to free his country from such tyranny attributed to Orochi's regime by calling upon his most loyal people, the Akazaya Nine, to fight back against oppression.
"The Legendary Hour" and Oden's Sacrifice
Oden's rebellion reached its zenith with his capture and subsequent execution by boiling, an act orchestrated by Orochi and Kaido. There was one astounding display of fortitude and leadership in that Oden withstood the boiling oil for an entire hour to ensure the survival of his retainers standing on a plank above the cauldron. This sacrifice and endurance came to be known as the "Legendary Hour," establishing Oden's legacy as that of a hero and a martyr to Wano.
In his last moments, he showed much spirit and will by laying on his retainers the duty of freeing Wano from Orochi and opening its borders to the world, as he had envisioned. Oden's death became the rallying cry for long-term resistance against the tyranny of Orochi's rule and later generations' rallying cry for the liberation of Wano.
Legacy
The spirit of Kozuki Oden was therefore kept alive for a very long time after his death by his retainers, none more so than the Akazaya Nine, whom he respected greatly for his ideal. His children, Momonosuke and Hiyori, did likewise; both took on vital roles in the long struggle to retake Wano and fulfill Oden's dream. Oden's story would continue to have a profound impact on important events within the One Piece universe, serving as an inspiration and an everlasting symbol of courage and righteousness.
Relationships
His relationship with his wife, Kozuki Toki, comes first. Toki was a lady from another age who just happened to come across Oden during his traveling days and was impressed by his bravery and charisma. The relationship developed over some time, and then they got married and had their two children—Momonosuke and Hiyori. She supported Oden in his desire to open the borders of Wano. She sacrificed herself for the child and so that the bloodline of Oden would continue.
Oden and Whitebeard, whose actual name is Edward Newgate, shared a relationship of mutual respect. Oden first encountered Whitebeard when he tried to leave Wano. He proved himself to Whitebeard as somebody very strong and determined. He passed an endurance test, hanging from a chain off the Moby Dick for three days, thereby earning Whitebeard's respect. Following this, Oden joined the crew of pirates under Whitebeard and became an essential subordinate to him, with even a brotherly bond formed between them.
One more significant relationship was that shared with Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. Oden later sailed with Roger's crew, at the behest of Whitebeard, to reveal the true history of the world. By the time he had spent sailing with Roger, Oden proved to be loyal and strong. He played an absolutely necessary role in reaching the final island, Laugh Tale, and unearthing the secrets of the Void Century. Oden and Roger showed an immense understanding and respect for each other's aspirations and objectives.
Deep loyalty and dedication were the hallmarks of his relationship with Oden's retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards. It was from thousands that Oden picked these nine samurai, each with their own special skills, talent, or unyielding allegiance. They stuck by him through all sorts of exploits, from the miscreant days in Wano to the final battle against Kaido. In particular, he was closest to Kin'emon, one of the strongest retainers, who respected and admired Oden the most and followed him without a single frown. The loyalty of the retainers did not fade even after Oden's death, keeping the Wano Country-saving mission unsurrendered.
Oden's influence was further extended to his enemies, most notable of whom is Kaido, one of the Four Emperors. Though being enemies, Kaido knew Oden had tremendous power and viewed him as a threat. Their interactions were very brutal, and at the end, Kaido contributed greatly to Oden's death. However, Kaido's acknowledgment of Oden's abilities testifies to deep respect from enemies.
Moreover, Oden had numerous interactions in Wano with people like Denjiro, who would later become Kyoshiro. Denjiro was a firm believer in Oden. He was thrown into deep despair upon his death. This developed an emotional attachment that helped him don a disguise and take up work from inside Orochi's administration to bring to life the dream Oden had for the future of Wano.
Oden's relationships did not remain limited to powerful individuals only; the people of Wano respected him as well. His charisma and honesty toward the well-being of the people made them stand up for him, which is very indicative of his greatness as a leader and as a person. This was almost the key element that made it possible for Oden to lead a campaign against the tyrant Orochi.
Major Battles
Among the very few battles Oden fought in his young age was Mountain God, a gigantic boar that was terrorizing Wano's capital. Using Togen Shirataki, he was able to successfully slice the creature into two. Remarkably noted, Mountain God survived this attack, which would later be revealed due to Togen Shirataki's nature as a Haoshoku Haki-infused technique.
Oden had participated in many battles within the Whitebeard Pirates; most of them are unknown. On record, though, is that the first time he met Whitebeard, Oden and he engaged in a fight. How strong this fight was is what truly portrayed Oden's strength—he could fight with one who was ranked at the time among the strongest pirates in the world.
One major event that befell Oden was when he crossed swords with Gol D. Roger. One day, the crew of which Roger was leader crossed ways with the Whitebeard Pirates, and Oden dueling Roger greatly. Though the exact details are not known, from what it is shown, one would see that Oden's great strength and skill left a big impression on Roger to the point where he offered Oden a place in the Roger Pirates.
Probably one of the most famous and crucial confrontations he ever had in his life was with Kaido, one of the Four Emperors. This happened when Oden returned to Wano to overthrow Kurozumi Orochi and free his country. The fight was very intense, and Oden showed extreme mastery of the Two-Sword Style, also called Oden Nitoryu.
Here, during the fight, Oden used probably his strongest technique: Togen Totsuka, literally "Peach Meadow Ten Fists." This strike was potent enough to scar Kaido permanently. What should be mentioned here is that even Kaido, being a dragon, took only one hit out of the ten, which further attests to its genuinely tremendous destructive potential.
Additionally, in the battle with Kaido, Oden was seen using his advanced form of Busoshoku, which is called Armament Haki. One could frequently see black- and red-lightning eruptions every time Oden and Kaido's Haki-imbued fists would clash, but one only needed to witness this to understand how powerful their blows were.
Although he was very powerful, Oden eventually fell to Kaido after being distracted by Kurozumi Higurashi's trick. The said character had used his Devil Fruit powers in order to appear as Oden's son, Momonosuke. It was the dithering of that very moment which had let Kaido strike down Oden to eventually kill him.
Worth noting, though, is that although Oden was undoubtedly a powerful opponent, there is still a slight debate over how strong he actually was relative to other legendary figures in the scholarship. For example, some have posited that Prime Silvers Rayleigh would have been capable of vanquishing Oden prior to his full mastery of Advanced Conqueror's Haki. Likewise, though Oden had been an extraordinary swordsman, it is usually regarded that he wasn't stronger than Dracule Mihawk, the present title holder of "World's Strongest Swordsman."
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