Chapter 46: Chapter 46: You Don’t Have Enough Courage and Decisiveness!
Sword God Ryuma: "That's it? Are you kidding me? The Shogun of Wano handed over his position to an outsider, an outsider from a treasonous clan, while his own son was still alive? And no one questioned it?"
Lucas: "Some did. But many accepted it. And if you want to know why... Well, you can thank Kozuki Oden for that."
Pirate King Roger: "Hahaha! Oden was always an odd one. He did plenty of things that upset the people of Wano. Even his own father banished him!"
Sword God Ryuma: "So, in the eyes of the people, it made sense that Oden wasn't chosen to be the next Shogun? That's ridiculous! What happened next?"
Pirate King Roger: "That's what I want to know too! Oden wouldn't have simply surrendered because of a decree. There's no way!"
Lucas: "Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi took hostages—many people from Wano. To save them, Oden made a deal with Kaido and Orochi."
Sword God Ryuma: "What kind of deal?"
Lucas: "Oden agreed to dance naked beneath Orochi's castle once a week. In exchange, Orochi promised to release 100 hostages per week. After five years, Orochi also swore that a ship would be built to allow Wano's people to leave the country."
Pirate King Roger: "Wait… Oden agreed to that?"
Lucas: "Yes."
Sword God Ryuma: "Idiot."
Pirate King Roger frowned. "What do you mean, idiot?! Oden was being compassionate and righteous!"
Sword God Ryuma: "Righteous? If this were a battlefield, and an enemy captured a single soldier, would Oden surrender his entire army just to save one man? He was supposed to be the leader of Wano!"
Pirate King Roger: "What does being the leader have to do with it?!"
Lucas: "Shut up, Roger. Ryuma is right. Oden was a fool. He spent so long as a pirate, he forgot what it meant to be the ruler of Wano."
Sword God Ryuma sighed in relief. "At least one of you understands. Roger, you never carried the responsibility of an entire nation—only your crew. That's why you don't get it."
Pirate King Roger: "Explain it to me, then!"
Lucas: "Fine. Listen carefully, because this is why you failed to overthrow the World Government."
The chat fell silent.
Lucas: "On your ship, Oden was a pirate. He could afford to be reckless, loyal, and self-sacrificing. He could throw himself into danger for others and make foolish decisions with a clear conscience."
Lucas: "But in Wano, Oden was not a pirate. He was the heir of the Kozuki Clan, the future Shogun. He was the man people looked to as their leader. He was the symbol of hope for Wano's samurai."
Lucas: "Imagine a general leading his army into battle. The enemy captures a few soldiers, so what does the general do? Does he surrender his entire army? Does he agree to be humiliated just to spare a handful of men?"
Lucas: "No. A leader fights. A leader takes risks. A leader doesn't beg his enemies for mercy."
Lucas: "But Oden… He bowed his head to his enemies. He trusted their lies. He accepted humiliation instead of resistance. He threw away his own dignity, the dignity of Wano, and achieved nothing in return."
Lucas: "Tell me, Roger—if the Marine captured one of your crew and demanded that you stop being a pirate in exchange for their release, would you agree?"
Pirate King Roger: "Of course not!"
Whitebeard: "Gurarara! I wouldn't either. Pirates aren't so easily threatened!"
Lucas: "Then what would you do? Answer honestly, Roger."
Pirate King Roger hesitated before answering truthfully. "I would rally my crew and rescue them. And if my crewmate died… I'd slaughter the ones responsible and make them pay in blood."
Lucas: "Well said! That is the spirit of a pirate. But Oden? Oden wasn't even as brave as a pirate. He gave up because he was afraid of casualties. Didn't this man sail the seas for years? Didn't he fight battles and shed blood? Where did all that spirit go?"
Pirate King Roger opened his mouth but had no response.
Lucas: "You see it now, don't you? This wasn't just an issue of strategy—it was a fundamental flaw in Oden's character."
Roger sighed deeply, feeling a sense of helplessness.
He wanted to defend Oden. But… how could he?
Roger clenched his fists. Oden…
Hadn't they fought together at Edd War against Shiki? They had been at a severe disadvantage. If Roger had surrendered, the battle would have been over.
But he refused.
Even with his life and his crew's lives on the line, he rejected Shiki's offer, knowing it might cost all of them their lives. And yet… Oden, who had experienced that same battle, had failed to make the same decision for Wano.
No wonder he was never the captain of his own ship.
No wonder he had left Whitebeard's crew to join Roger's—because he lacked the strength of will to lead.
Because Oden didn't have the courage to sacrifice others.
Because he couldn't carry the weight of leadership.
In the end, he lacked the courage and decisiveness to be anything more than a follower.
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