So that’s How Oden Lost!

One Piece Chapter 970 Review/Recap

The more we’ve seen of this flashback, the more I’ve been wondering something: how did Kaido beat Oden Kozuki? Oden was probably one of the strongest members of the Roger and Whitebeard Pirates, yet he still lost. As we see Oden march to what’s likely his final fight, we learn how the man lost. As a result, my confidence in Luffy beating Kaido goes up.

Recap

Before Oden’s band of ten makes it to the Flower Capital, they’re met by the Beast Pirates, led by none other than Kaido himself. In his dragon form, Kaido admits he fooled Oden into ruining his reputation because he knew if he fought him then, the Beast Pirates would lose. Now, though, Kaido feels confident in his victory. Big. Mistake.

Despite being outnumbered 100-1, Oden and the Scabbards own the Beast Pirates. Their odds get even better when they’re joined by Shinobu, who’s defecting to help them. Oden himself faces down Kaido and, with one swift move, slices Kaido’s chest. Right when he’s about to win, one of Orochi’s minions uses her Clone-Clone fruit powers to disguise herself as Momonosuke being held hostage. Kaido then uses this distraction to knock Oden out, ending the fight. The group’s then imprisoned, save for Shinobu, who Oden denies even knowing. For rebelling against Orochi, the group of ten’s sentenced to death by being boiled alive.

Review

So, if Oden hadn’t been caught off-guard by that dirty trick, he’d have beaten Kaido then and there. Kaido even admits that if Oden had joined forces with Hyogoro as soon as he came back, the Beast Pirates could have lost. What puzzles me, though, is how Oden fell for that ploy. He knew Orochi had a minion with the Clone-Clone Fruit and he had sent his family to stay with Yasuie. As a result, the odds of Momonosuke being kidnapped were low.

I managed to get two big takeaways from this chapter: first, we know how Oden likely dies, though that won’t be confirmed until next chapter. How the Nine Red Scabbards escape, though, has yet to be revealed.

Secondly, I’m now a lot less scared of Kaido and the Beast Pirates. If Oden and the Scabbards came that close to beating him in the past, then imagine what will happen when the Scabbards and the rest of Alliance will do once they get together. Despite what Orochi’s done, I have little doubts about the Alliance’s ability to rally together in the present. When they do, Luffy’s going to beat Kaido into the ground.

Sadly, the manga’s on break next week, so we have to wait two weeks for what may be the final chapter of this flashback. My guess is that we have another month or so until we see the final battle. I can’t wait!

I Give “Oden vs. Kaido” a 4/5

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