One Piece Chapter 969: The Idiot Lord

Explosive action erupts inside a castle corridor. A samurai leaps through the air with swords drawn amid "ビビビビ" sound effects. Orochi recoils in panic as debris flies. A voice yells "AAAAHH!!!". In close-up, a young boy with a beaded headband shouts desperately, "STOP, ODEN! IF YOU GET ANGRY OVER SOMETHING TRIVIAL LIKE THIS THE ENEMY WILL ONLY...". Nearby, Orochi screams "AAAAHH!! OROCHI!!!" while another figure yells "WAIT, ODEN!! WAIT!! STOP!!". The sequence ends with a massive impact as someone is struck, "GYAAAAHH!!!".

Multiple panels show chaotic combat. A long-haired man plays a biwa while a large hand blocks an attack with "HMI!". Massive sound effects "ズドドドン!!!" shake the room as a samurai is blasted backward. A figure with a crown-like helmet is hurled through the air amid debris. Voices cry out "AH! GYAAH!!!", "WHAT IS THIS THINGI!", "II WHATI!", and panting sounds "*PANT* *PANT*". Orochi's face twists in shock and rage as the fight intensifies.

Kurozumi Semimaru, labeled "BIWA PRIEST KUROZUMI SEMIMARU", reassures Orochi: "THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY, LORD OROCHI... HAVE FAITH IN MY 'BARI BARI' TECHNIQUE". Orochi panics, "HIII!!! COME OUT, OROCHI!! IS THIS GLASSI! NO!!". An old woman labeled "OLD HAG KUROZUMI HIGURASHI" mocks, "AS A PIRATE, YOU SHOULD KNOW... ABOUT THE ABNORMAL POWER OF 'DEVIL FRUITS'!!!". Oden is restrained, shouting "MUHAHAHA ODEN!!! USING FORCE AND ANGER TO SOLVE PROBLEMS... THE OTHER VILLAGES' DAIMYO TRIED THAT AS WELL!!!" while others yell "YOUR STRENGTH WON'T HELP YOU, ODEN!! BECAUSE THIS BARRIER WON'T ALLOW ANYONE TO COME CLOSER..." and "BUT NOBODY CAN KILL ME!!!".

Excited citizens of Wano cheer wildly in the streets as news spreads. "He will definitely take care of Orochi!! And of Kaido too!!" "Wonderful!! We will have a new shogun!!" "The legitimate heir of the Kozuki clan has returned!!" "Did you seeI! Lord Oden dashed towards the palace!!" A massive crowd gathers before the grand palace, waving banners and shouting "Lord Oden!!" In a flashback panel, a young Kozuki Oden stands with his back turned, declaring, "Until the day I would return!!" and "Apparently, my father appointed you as a 'proxy shogun'..." A voice replies, "I don't know the reason, but..." Oden's intense close-up fills the final panels as he roars, "It wasn't my goal to become famous or anything... But under my rule, Wano will be in a much better state!!!" and "So return the title of 'shogun' at once!!!"

Kozuki Oden glares at the false shogun. A shocked voice cries, "EhI! FatherI!" "Why are you ali..." The impostor stammers, "Oh... there you are, Oden..." while another figure laughs maniacally, "You don't have the authority of a shogun!!" "MUHAHAHA!! I will never do that!! In fact..." The curly-haired figure reveals the deception: "By disguising herself with the power of the 'Clone Clone Fruit' she managed to fool the entire country and enabled me to take on the position of 'shogun'!!!" The impostor panics as Oden shouts, "That's me!!" and the crowd reacts with "KYOKYO KYOKYO!!" The false shogun points accusingly, "Did he really die from a terminal illnessI! You bastard, what did you do to my fatherI!" and "And who cares what the real Sukiyaki thoughtI! In other words, I'm under no obligation to give the title to you!!"

Narration boxes recount the chaos: "The victims collapsed and, after violently vomiting blood, lost their lives." "When suddenly, two poisoned arrows were shot into the crowd from an unknown direction." Panicked citizens scream "A medic, quick!!" "KYAH!!" "GYAAH!!" as a crowd had gathered to celebrate Lord Oden's return. In the sky over the Flower Capital, a giant dragon appears amid swirling clouds. People flee indoors. Further narration explains Kozuki Oden's past: he became daimyo of Kuri after returning from the sea and meeting the Roger Pirates, yet the country suffered under an evil power. A young woman with a flower hairpin reads a newspaper showing Oden's image.

Flashback panels show Kozuki Oden dancing foolishly and acting like a clown for gold coins while Orochi's underlings and Beast Pirates laugh. "This is the big man going home..." "NICE! HERE!" Citizens watch in despair as Oden falls on his butt in front of a snake, prompting mockery: "Don't laugh at his jokes whoopsie!" "Fell on his butt in front of a snake ♪" The narration states Oden was presented naked before Orochi's residence, making a fool of himself. A large splash panel depicts a muscular, shirtless Oden striking a dramatic pose with musical notes, wearing only a fundoshi marked with characters, surrounded by shocked onlookers and debris in front of a grand building. Text boxes label him "Kozuki Oden, the idiot lord of Kuri."

No matter if it rained, stormed or snowed, Oden continued his strange weekly ritual. Once a week, Oden showed up at the capital, acting like a fool in front of the palace, trying to make a living. Townspeople whisper, "It's him again..." A woman with an umbrella glares as Oden dances naked with a sign on his back. Angry citizens confront him: "What did you say to OrochiI! Why are you acting like thisI!" Oden snaps back, "Don't lie to us!! Every week, I get paid for dancing naked, and that is my business." Someone pleads, "Lord Oden, please!!" A furious man shouts, "Even the people of Kuri, who have always believed in you, can't take this any longer!!" Others yell, "Instead of bowing to Orochi, you should have committed seppuku, like a warrior!!" A woman cries, "Stop acting like him... like the disappointment he is!!" In the background, voices shout, "It's the idiot lord!! The rumors about the events in the capital eventually reached Kuri."

Oden, who had received a foreign newspaper from Orochi, stares at the headline about the execution of the "Pirate King", Gold Roger. A year later, Oden runs across the beach, crying like a fool, his cries interrupted by laughter: "Wahaha hahahaha haha!!" The narration continues: "Many people set out to sea, searching for the immense treasure he left behind..." Oden screams with tears streaming down his face, "You're really incredible!! What an incredible life you've lived!!" Roger laughs wildly in a flashback. The final caption declares, "And thus, the world entered the golden age of piracy. The One Piece!!"

Oden continued to dance and... but even then... At the same time, the grave of the "Sword God" Ryuma was robbed. A fight broke out in Ringo between the "Gecko Pirates" and the "Beasts Pirates". Two years after Oden's return, retainers approach him. One says, "Lord Oden, we would like to attend your dancing show every week~ Kappappa~" Another adds, "We don't wanna miss it!" Oden's retainers react with shock: "His retainers... Are you jokingI That's not funny! Are you going to leave meI The only people who would still speak to him were his family and..." A woman calls out, "Hyo-san, Oden has arrived!" An attendant yells, "Now, come inside and have a cup of tea. Idiot!!" Another voice shouts, "Oi, you can't see the boss, idiot lord!" The final caption notes, "'Idiot Lord' is still far too nice of a nickname for him!"

Oden dances while retainers comment: "Your dancing is steadily improving, you knowI" "Oden-chan" "Oh stop it, Okami-san!" "Still, be careful, Hyo-san" "I will never be at his service!" "This Orochi has no manners!!" Four years after Oden's return to Wano, nothing had changed in the country. Oden performs a snow dance: "Ta-da-da, here's the snow." People remark, "You're embarrassing, Oden..." Three years after Oden's return to Wano, the Idiot Lord is back. In the fifth year, Shogun Orochi began to act in Kuri. The shogun has arrived in Kuri!! Orochi sits on a palanquin carried by elephants, declaring his rule as the new shogun.

Orochi grins widely while holding a sword, declaring, "WHAT ABOUT THE BOATI AND WHAT ABOUT KAIDOI" He continues, "FIRST I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU, SHOSUN... I'D LIKE TO BUILD MULTIPLE FACTORIES IN KURI... AND I'M EXPECTING YOUR COOPERATION, ODEN!" In the background, Oden stands with retainers as Orochi speaks. Orochi then explains, "AND YOU KNOW HYOGORO, RIGHTI HE DIDN'T WANT TO COMPLY... SO I LEFT HIM IN KAIDO'S HANDS... HE'LL PROBABLY BE KILLED!!" Oden reacts with shock, "EHI WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUTI" Narration boxes detail the events: "HYOGORO OF THE FLOWER WAS CAPTURED IN THE CAPITAL, CAUSING HIS MEN TO REVOLT. THE RESULT: 16 OF HYOGORO'S MEN WERE KILLED, INCLUDING HIS WIFE." Orochi laughs, "MUHAHAHA, THE WOMAN OF THE CAPITAL'S HERO WAS QUITE IMPUDENT! OH AND THE HAG WHO FOLLOWED HIMI WE SHOT HER!" Oden stares intensely as the scene unfolds.

Narration continues: "NO LONGER ABLE TO CONTROL HIS EMOTIONS... FINALLY COULDN'T BEAR IT ANYMORE... THE SAMURAI WHO HAD ENDURED THE PAIN FOR FIVE YEARS ON HIS OWN... AS EXPECTED BY HIS FAMILY AND RETAINERS..." Oden's face shows tears streaming down as he breaks. He roars with fury, "I WILL MAKE HIM PAY!!!" while smashing a structure, the impact marked with large SFX. The retainers react in shock. Narration states, "THE WORDS WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR ALL THIS TIME!! FINALLY YOU'VE SPOKEN THEM!!" The group erupts in excitement with cries of "NOW!! WITNESS!!" and "WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!!" as the scene shifts to a chaotic gathering of allies.

Narration explains the aftermath: "THE PEOPLE OF WANO WOULD LATER COME TO RESPECTFULLY CALL THESE LOYAL MEN... THE NINE RED SCABBARDS!!" A dramatic spread shows the nine samurai charging forward in red flame-like cloaks, swords drawn, under a crimson sunset. Text reads, "THESE MEN, HUNGRY FOR A FIGHT, SEEMED CLAD IN RED FLAMES... AS DID THE SWORDS ON THEIR WAISTS, LIKE REFLECTIONS OF THEIR BURNING LIVES." Further narration notes, "AT HIS SIDE, THE NINE MEN HE HAD PICKED UP AND MADE HIS SAMURAI... THE GREATEST TURMOIL CAUSED BY A WEEPING ODEN... ILLUMINATED BY THE CRIMSON LIGHT OF A SETTING SUN..." The Scabbards' faces are shown in close-up with intense expressions. The page ends with, "PLEASE DO NOT AVERT YOUR EYES!!!" and SFX of their determined advance.

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