A loud shout echoed, and everyone present turned their heads to look back, but saw no one.

Looking around, all they saw was the wind blowing through the trees, countless dense branches and leaves shaking violently, and a flock of birds startled into flight.

Just as everyone frowned, waiting for the person to appear, Kenji didn't even bother to turn his head, walking straight towards the lively and prosperous town ahead.

In reality, he had already used Observation Haki to foresee the person's identity, and he genuinely found this person quite unlikable.

This was because the person was named Oden, a fellow whom even the mentally strong Kenji found bizarre and beyond saving.

Oden, in the distant forest, seemed to be able to see Kenji's actions.

Seeing that the latter was indifferent to his warning and continued to walk towards the town on his own, Oden shouted again, "Bastard! I told you, stop!"

As the loud shout rang out, Oden suddenly quickened his pace, his figure instantly covering hundreds of meters, rushing directly out of the forest.

"Oh, it's Oden-dono!"

Outside the entrance of Flower Capital, a group of samurai recognized Oden's identity and immediately showed signs of joy.

Oden's name was almost universally known throughout Wano Country.

However, before he turned twenty, all that circulated within Wano Country was his bad reputation, and he was even disowned by Sukiyaki.

It wasn't until recent years that Oden 'turned over a new leaf,' and his reputation gradually reversed, even gaining a large number of followers.

Ushimaru and the other samurai present, although not Oden's followers, still held him in reverence, believing he would be the next Shogun of Wano Country.

"It seems Oden-dono is giving them orders!" Watching Oden rush over menacingly from a distance to demand an explanation, the samurai present finally reacted.

"Oden-dono must be referring to those guys, right?"

"How did that kid get into the city without a sound?"

When the samurai turned to look, they found that Kenji had already reached the edge of Flower Capital, with half a foot already on the town's ground.

And just now, this group of samurai, including Ushimaru, were all busy watching Oden, and no one noticed.

Nor did they care where Kenji went.

"Hey! What do you want, kid?"

Just as the samurai were about to get up and chase, Kuzan, who had come to his senses nearby, saw that Kenji had already walked far away and quickly got up to chase him.

"Stop right there!"

The samurai who were about to chase Kenji immediately shifted their blades, quickly moving forward to semi-surround Kuzan.

Clang!

Ushimaru drew his sword, its gleaming blade pointed at Kuzan.

"Oh dear, this is not good."

Kuzan stopped, raised a hand to scratch his head, and muttered to himself with considerable annoyance.

"If I don't catch up with Kenji-san soon... he might get lost!"

As he spoke, Kuzan's gaze passed over the samurai in front of him, looking towards Kenji's back as he entered the town in the distance.

"Hey, this kid, how dare he ignore us?!" The samurai angrily attacked.

Among them, Ushimaru was the fastest, taking a step ahead to swing his sword, chopping down at Kuzan's head.

His slash was extremely fast, the blade creating afterimages as it moved through the air.

However, Kuzan was even faster. At the moment the blade was about to strike, he instantly flashed out of the encirclement as if teleporting.

This scene, though seemingly perilous, was actually very safe (for Kuzan).

"Don't misunderstand, I'm not here to fight." Kuzan smiled, waving his hand to explain.

"I just want to hurry and catch up with my superior... Hmm, if you have something to discuss... why don't you come with me to find my superior? How about it?"

Saying this, Kuzan again pointed towards Kenji in the distance.

But very quickly, his expression suddenly changed as he watched Oden's figure arrive nearby.

"That guy... he was so far away just now..." Kuzan narrowed his eyes, his smile fading, and he seriously adopted a combat stance.

"No wonder he could fight Whitebeard, he really is strong."

Not long ago, Kuzan was sent flying by Whitebeard's punch, and his injuries showed no signs of recovery even now.

But this did not affect his confidence in the slightest.

"I couldn't beat Whitebeard because I trained for a shorter time than him, as for that guy..." Kuzan narrowed his eyes, looking at Oden rushing towards him at high speed, feeling a little eager to try.

Because earlier, he had learned from Kenji that Oden's strength was not as great as it seemed, at least not enough to block Whitebeard.

However, while Kuzan was eager to make a move, Oden on the other side didn't give him the chance.

His steps were like flying, running in a straight line, not even passing by Kuzan and the others. In just a few seconds, he had rushed to near Kenji's back.

At this moment, Kenji was looking down from a height at the street where the parade floats and crowds were passing in the distance.

"He just has to bother me at this time, what a buzzkill."

Without needing to turn around, Kenji's Observation Haki had clearly sensed the situation behind him.

He knew that Oden was attacking with full force. He also knew that Oden's swordsmanship was very strong. But he still didn't bother to turn around.

"I'm not interested in fighting you. With your strength... go back and train some more!"

As he spoke, Kenji raised his hand and casually swung his fist behind him.

Rumble!

In an instant, Conqueror's Haki gathered on his fist.

Then, a dark red light, following Kenji's punch, flew out like a grotesque flame.

"The aura of Conqueror's Haki..." Oden felt the powerful might of the dark red 'flame'.

He felt threatened, and his Armament Haki burst forth violently, his tightly gripped twin swords instantly enveloped in a rich Armament Haki.

The next moment, Oden crossed his twin swords and unleashed his strongest strike against the Conqueror's Haki flame.

"Togen Totsuka!"

As if a blade nurtured for countless years had been unsheathed, visible slashes appeared in the air the moment its sharp aura leaked out.

The cross-shaped slash wave, carrying an aura that could cut through anything, fiercely collided with the Conqueror's Haki.

Then...

The Conqueror's Haki powerfully broke through the slash, striking Oden's chest heavily from a distance.

Whoosh—Boom!!

Oden's entire body shook violently, and blood immediately flowed from his mouth, nose, ears, and other parts.

"Gah!"

His wooden-sandal-clad body flew far backward, and mid-flight, Oden spat out blood.

"This power... it's just likeWhitebeard!"

He clutched his chest, feeling breathless, the flowing Conqueror's Haki hitting him so hard he could barely breathe.

"Oden-dono!"

Seeing this, the samurai behind him rushed to his rescue in a panic, no longer caring about blocking Kuzan.

In reality, even if they didn't leave, they couldn't have blocked Kuzan.

Because at this time, the Marine forces present had already set up their attack formation.