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The Strongest Frost Loli (71)
🕑 Added 2024-06-22 17:00:12 +0000 UTCChapter 71 - A High Wall
Upon returning to Kuri, Oden and Kin’emon were greeted at Kuri Castle – and promptly scolded. It was only natural. Oden, the daimyo responsible for governing his region, had suddenly left, and Kin’emon, who had followed to try and control him, had been gone for days.
Oden, as usual, seemed unconcerned, while Kin’emon hung his head in shame.
Izo, a man dressed in the attire of a geisha, sighed and asked Kin’emon for an explanation.
“…So, how did it go?” he inquired.
“Lord Oden has given up on leaving the country – for now, at least. Knowing his impulsiveness, I was worried he might try to stow away… but that’s not a concern this time,” Kin’emon replied.
“Why not?”
“Well… the captain of that ship and Lord Oden don’t get along very well… He gave up on joining their crew voluntarily.”
“What?! He gave up voluntarily?!” Izo stared. He, like Kin’emon, knew how impulsive Oden could be.
Anyway…
“Lord Yasuie invited us to participate in joint training to be held at Hakumai.”
“Joint training… What did Lord Oden say?”
“He’s planning to participate, of course.”
Though young, Oden's retainers were all skilled warriors.
Training with the formidable samurai of Hakumai would be a valuable experience. However, Izo wasn't sure how beneficial training with merchants from the outside world would be…
Kin’emon, sensing his skepticism, stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I understand how you feel, but…”
“Let’s gather everyone first and explain the situation,” he decided.
Following Kin’emon's instructions, Izo summoned Oden’s retainers, including Oden himself, who was exhausted from catching up on his duties.
Izo, dressed as a geisha, and his younger brother, Kiku.
Denjiro, who had been serving Oden since the beginning, alongside Kin’emon.
Kanjuro, with his long red hair and unique ability to bring his drawings to life.
Raizo, who had once been a member of the shogun's Oniwabanshu.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, Minks from the Mokomo Dukedom.
Kawamatsu, a pufferfish Fishman who claimed to be a kappa.
And Ashura Doji, the giant who had once been the leader of Kuri’s bandits.
Ten in total – these were Oden’s trusted retainers.
“…That’s the situation,” Kin’emon concluded, having explained everything.
Oden, who had been lounging and drinking tea, suddenly sprang to life, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Prepare yourselves! It’s time to show Yasuie what we’re made of!”
“That’s all well and good, but are those merchants strong?” Kanjuro asked.
“Zen is strong, at least. He was fighting Lord Oden on equal footing,” Kin’emon replied.
“On equal footing with Lord Oden?! Is he really a Mink?!”
“There was another Mink in Wano Country besides us? We had no idea.”.
“Didn’t I tell you about him? He was my teacher!”
Inuarashi, a dog Mink, and Nekomamushi, a cat Mink, were surprised to hear that another Mink had ventured to Wano Country.
Oden vaguely recalled mentioning it, but he laughed it off, not bothering with the details.
“Well, they’re not weak. You wouldn't be able to cross the seas if you were,” Oden said.
“That’s true…”
“And there were other strong crew members on that ship. There was a woman even bigger than me! Apparently, she’s a giant!”
Oden’s excitement was palpable. He seemed eager to return to Hakumai.
He wanted to hear more stories of the outside world, and he wanted to show his benefactor, Yasuie, his current strength during the joint training.
And most importantly – Oden loved to fight.
A chance to brawl legally was a welcome distraction.
He was particularly interested in Kanata’s crew. He could sense that some of them were quite strong.
“But we’ll be seeing Kanata again…” Kin’emon said hesitantly.
“….”
“You don’t seem happy about that?!”
Oden scowled, his expression darkening, and Kanjuro and Kiku looked at Kin’emon, confused.
“Did something happen?” Kanjuro asked.
“It’s unusual to see Lord Oden make that face,” Kiku added.
“Well… let’s just say that Kanata and Lord Oden don’t get along very well,” Kin’emon explained.
They were fundamentally different. One valued order and discipline, the other despised rules. It was an impossible combination.
If they had gotten along, Oden would have probably stowed away on Kanata’s ship. In that sense, this was a blessing in disguise for Kin’emon and the others.
“You’ll understand once you meet her,” Kin’emon said, then added, “But she’s a good person. She’s close to Lord Sukiyaki. And most importantly, she’s beautiful.”
“Stop drooling, Kin,” Raizo teased.
“I’ll tell O-Tsuru! You already have a beautiful wife… I’m so jealous!”
“Please stop,” Kin’emon groaned, his face flushing.
He couldn’t help but smile as he recalled Kanata’s beauty, but Raizo’s words brought him back to reality. O-Tsuru was a terrifying woman when angered.
Anyway, it was decided that everyone present would be participating in the joint training.
Denjiro and Izo would have to handle the administrative duties while they were away. They would be busy, but they couldn't refuse Yasuie’s invitation.
“Stronger than Lord Oden… my blood is boiling!” Ashura Doji exclaimed, cracking his knuckles.
“Wahaha, you won’t be disappointed!” Oden laughed.
But they couldn’t leave immediately. They had been away for days, and their duties had piled up. Leaving again would only create more problems.
Being a daimyo was a busy job.
Oden scowled at the thought, but he resigned himself to his fate, muttering, “This time… it can’t be helped.”
***
A few days later.
Oden, having finished his duties, returned to Hakumai with his retainers.
The joint training had already begun. Samurai and unfamiliar figures clashed in mock battles.
“Seems they’ve already started. We’re a bit late,” Oden said.
“It can’t be helped. Lord Yasuie will understand,” Kin’emon replied.
“Right. Let’s go greet Yasuie first.”
Oden led his retainers towards the castle to greet Yasuie.
As they walked, they observed the training. Feiyun, the giant, was particularly noticeable, her massive form towering over everyone else. Those who had never seen a giant before stared in awe.
“So that’s a giant… Indeed, she’s massive… The world is truly vast,” Izo murmured.
“With a body that large, she must be incredibly strong,” Ashura Doji commented.
While they had been surprised by the Longarms as well, the giants were the most impressive.
The thought of facing a giant in battle made them nervous. They steeled themselves and continued towards Yasuie’s castle.
Yasuie greeted them with a smile and led them towards the training grounds for an inspection.
They spotted Zen, who was taking a break, and Yasuie called out to him.
“Zen! How’s the training going?”
“The samurai are indeed formidable. Everyone’s enthusiastically participating,” Zen replied.
“Good! Have you found anyone worthy of your attention?”
“Well… to be honest, no.”
“Hmm… well, it can’t be helped. You have high standards.”
“And those men… are those Lord Oden’s retainers?”
“Yes. Oden, introduce them.”
Oden introduced each of his retainers, and when he reached Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, Zen stopped him.
They shared the same names as the two Minks Duke Inuarashi had mentioned.
“The two of you… you came here from the Mokomo Dukedom two years ago?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Inuarashi replied.
“How do you know that?” Nekomamushi asked.
“We stopped by Zou before coming here. They were very worried about you.”
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi looked away, ashamed.
Zen sighed, “I ran away when I was young, so I’m not one to lecture, but…”
“At least return and see them someday. No matter how many years it takes.”
“You’re right…”
“We should go see them…”
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, who had left Zou on a whim, felt guilty as they thought about their families. They should at least visit them once…
But they had no navigational skills, and leaving Wano Country was forbidden.
They couldn’t simply do as they pleased now that they were Oden’s retainers.
They would have to figure something out.
“Oh, we were in the middle of introductions. Sorry, please continue,” Zen said.
“Is that alright?” Oden asked.
“Yes. I’ve said what I needed to say.”
Oden finished introducing the rest of his retainers, and once the greetings were done, he announced his intention to join the training.
However, Zen stopped him.
“Let’s visit Kanata first. It’s best if she assesses everyone’s strength.”
He led them towards Kanata, who was sparring with Dragon and Junshi. Oden scowled, but there weren’t many individuals who could match his strength.
Fighting different opponents would be a good experience.
They reached the location, and there they saw Kanata, blindfolded, effortlessly parrying and countering Dragon and Junshi’s attacks.
It seemed the blindfold had no effect on her. Of course, for someone with Kanata’s mastery of Observation Haki, it was a meaningless handicap.
“Kanata! Oden and his retainers have arrived,” Zen called out.
The three fighters stopped, taking a breather.
They had been sparring for a while, but unlike Dragon and Junshi, Kanata showed no signs of fatigue or injury.
She removed the blindfold, her red eyes turning towards Oden and his retainers.
“Oh… she’s indeed beautiful,” Raizo commented.
“Beautiful, but… intimidating,” Izo added, observing her spear skills with a wary expression.
Kanata, unconcerned by their reactions, scanned Oden’s retainers, her gaze lingering on Ashura Doji. It seemed he wasn’t as strong as she had hoped. She quickly moved on, her expression unreadable.
“Hmm… they’re strong. One is on par with Oden, the rest are a bit weaker.”
“They’re my trusted retainers. Any complaints?” Oden retorted.
“None. They’d be a good match for my crew. It wouldn’t be a challenge if there was too much of a difference in strength.”
Kanata was so powerful that she struggled to find suitable training partners.
Dragon and Junshi were both strong, but even against the two of them, she had been fighting effortlessly. Oden, if he was a bit stronger, would have been a good opponent, but she had to focus on training her subordinates instead.
Oden, intrigued by Kanata’s strength, drew his swords. “Then how about a spar?”
He was strong enough to fight Zen on equal footing. It wouldn’t be a waste of time, Kanata decided, stepping back and raising her spear.
“I’ll let you have the first move. And come at me with the intent to kill.”
“I might take your head, you know?”
“It’s not that easy to take.”
Kanata smiled, and Oden, grinning, charged.
The clash of their weapons echoed through the training grounds. Oden attacked relentlessly, but Kanata effortlessly parried and countered each blow. Despite Oden’s superior strength, Kanata didn’t budge an inch.
“To think she can deflect Lord Oden’s attacks so easily…” Kin’emon murmured. “She’s a master spearwoman!”
“You can see he’s putting his strength into it, but Kanata isn’t even fazed… How is that possible?” Denjiro wondered.
“Kanata sparred with giants. Oden’s strength wouldn’t even make her flinch,” Zen explained.
Big Mom, whom they had fought previously, possessed monstrous strength that rivaled even the giants.
To fight the strongest in this sea, they needed that level of power.
Kanata effortlessly deflected Oden’s attacks, but Oden’s face grew grim.
“…This is the first time I’ve been unable to land a hit!” he exclaimed.
“You should be grateful you’ve never experienced this in a real battle. Now, it’s my turn.”
Kanata imbued her spear with Haki and swung. The impact sent Oden flying, crashing into a sand dune ten meters away.
“What was that?!” Kanjuro shouted. “I’ve never seen an attack like that!”
“That’s Armament Haki,” Kanata explained. “You use it too, don’t you?”
“Armament… ‘Ryuo’?! But my Ryuo isn’t that powerful!”
Ryuo – that’s what they called Armament Haki in Wano Country.
It could be used defensively, like armor, or offensively, to enhance the power of weapons.
Oden had been using it to enhance his sword slashes, but Kanata’s technique was different. She wasn’t trying to cut him; she was controlling her power to avoid doing so.
It was a technique that could destroy an opponent from the inside, but she wasn’t using it that way this time.
“Don’t expect me to teach you everything. If you’re a man, steal it with your own eyes.”
“…! You’re challenging me… Alright! I accept!”
Suddenly, their Conqueror’s Haki clashed, the air crackling with black lightning. Shockwaves rippled through the training grounds.
“Round two. This should be fun.”
“Don’t underestimate me! I’ll show you what I’m made of!”
***
An hour later, Oden lay sprawled on the ground, bruised and battered.
Kanata, unscathed, instructed the medical team to tend to his wounds and walked over to Yasuie.
“Incredible. To think she could defeat Oden so easily…”
“Oden is strong. Even by New World standards. But not strong enough to defeat me.”
She was currently on par with, or perhaps slightly stronger than, Kaido. Either way, Oden wasn’t strong enough to defeat her.
He had fought bravely, but he lacked Kaido’s durability. He had finally given up after an hour of relentless attacks.
“Oden will need some time to recover. Dragon, Junshi, prepare yourselves. That was a good warm-up.”
“We’re ready, but are you sure you’re alright? You haven’t rested.”
“I’m fine.”
She was a bit tired, but not enough to require a break.
Oden had been strong, but he hadn’t pushed her enough to use her Devil Fruit ability. And she hadn’t been fighting Dragon and Junshi at full strength.
If they could bypass her Observation Haki, it would be a challenge, but at their current level, it was a bit too much to ask.
They needed to train gradually.
“Take Oden’s retainers to George and the others. They’re probably practicing Rokushiki, but make sure they train their Haki as well.”
“Hihin, understood.”
Kin’emon and the others were worried about Oden, but he waved them off, saying, “Don’t worry about me. Go train.”
Perhaps he didn’t want them to see him in such a pitiful state, but he seemed to have learned something from his fight with Kanata.
The way he looked at her had changed.
Kanata, oblivious to his gaze, walked away and raised her spear, ready to resume training.
They only had a month.
It was both a long and short time. She had to make the most of it, forging a stronger, more disciplined organization.
