Kozuki Oden Takes the Stage

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The story turns to Wano's past, when the country was still brimming with life. A grand, flourishing forest spreads across the land, without a single factory in sight. Clear rivers and the sparkling sea feed the vegetation, and the land feels alive with birds, flowers, frogs, deer, and streams. This is a tale from the past, before the poisoned Wano of the present, when even a simple catch from the water belongs to a living country.

A woman named Tsurujo tells others that she saw the mountain move. They doubt her and say the mountain was moving, even growing, before they fled from it and ended up there. Tsurujo asks whether they encountered a mountain god. The others say the three of them are quite chipper considering the circumstances, and one man laughs that nothing gets past Tsurujo. They say they were finally able to capture an elusive creature after a whole year. The truth is that they have caught the child of the mountain god, and they beg Tsurujo to keep it secret.

The men show off the creature: a small white boar. They boast that its snow-white skin is beautiful and that if they take it to the capital, they can trade it for a whole piece of white gold. Tsurujo is shocked, saying that kind of money could buy a giant mansion. At Boss Kurokoma's place, others explain that Kurokoma has long wanted a rare white boar, probably to display outside his store, and he has put a bounty on it because nobody has captured one before. But white boars are considered heralds of the gods. Tsurujo warns that selling it would be distasteful, while the men laugh that it is just an exotic animal.

A young Kinemon charges in, accusing Tsurujo of stealing money from his wallet again. She grabs him and scolds him: "Ow, ow, ow, ow, owww!! Stop it, Tsurujo!! Think of our childhood friendship!" Kinemon demands to know how many times he has loaned her money, saying her big brothers probably gambled it all away again. Tsurujo threatens that if he ever touches her money again, she will rip out his organs and sell them to repay his debt. Kinemon, still trying to survive the argument, thanks her for the meal and notes that the money is on the table if she cannot afford to pay him back.

Kinemon spots the white boar and immediately sees profit. He realizes it is worth one piece of white gold and says his luck has finally turned around. Tsurujo warns him to be careful what he says in public, but Kinemon, introduced as a yakuza thug from the capital, is already imagining the payout from Boss Kurokoma. He declares, "I have hit the jackpot!!" and says that once he hands the boar over, he will be a rich man. He even orders someone to hand over their clothes and money too.

Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital, Kozuki Sukiyaki discusses his son Oden. Oden has attempted to illegally leave Wano again, and today was his thirty-eighth attempt. Sukiyaki says it is surprising Oden is still alive, but also that he lacks the aptitude for sailing. The officials recount Oden's outrageous life: as a baby, before he was even one year old, he flung his wet nurse across the room; by age two, he caught two rabbits with his bare hands; by age four, he threw a large boulder at a bear and crushed it; by age six, he roamed the red-light district and wasted royal funds on frivolities; by age eight, he got drunk and started fights with gamblers; and by age nine, the yakuza blacklisted him and banned him from their casino.

Oden's record only grows more unbelievable. At age ten, after nearly killing someone, he was captured and sentenced to hard labor in the stone quarry, where he showed even more unique talents by climbing the ranks until he was running the place. By age fourteen, when wells had dried up and countless people were suffering through drought, Oden diverted a river straight into the capital. The result flooded the capital, so his capture was ordered again. But Oden simply followed the water route and tried to escape out to sea, ending that voyage almost immediately. He truly is a member of the Kozuki family, but one who has always turned chaos into action.

At age fifteen, Oden took a job at a temple deep in the mountains while in hiding, and every night he kidnapped women from the capital. Eventually he formed a harem. The narrator insists this was "the work of the devil," even though the women technically chose to stay of their own free will. Their loved ones, parents, spouses, and even powerful samurai came to rescue them, and Oden stood his ground and fought them all. That event became known as the Harem Revolt. Even the Hyogoro family was dragged into the fighting after failing to prevent it. And yet, at age eighteen, Oden still causes trouble daily. Someone asks that a message be delivered to Oden and says not to speak another word.

In the capital, Hyogoro the Flower, the chivalrous knight of the capital, pursues Kinemon through the streets. He shouts that this is the day Kinemon finally gets caught, while Kinemon insists he is not lying and only wants to reach the Kurokoma family's mansion to cash in a bounty. Hyogoro orders his men to catch Kinemon and flay him alive, but also admits that in a one-on-one fight none of them would stand a chance against the boy. A bystander notes that Kinemon stole their money, while Kinemon tries to keep running with the white boar.

Elsewhere in the capital, a clever orphan named Denjiro tricks a pot seller. The seller offers a pot for thirty pieces of silver, then says the bigger ones are worth sixty. Denjiro explains that if he adds thirty pieces to the thirty already spent, he should be able to trade the pot back for a sixty-piece pot. The seller agrees, only to realize afterward that Denjiro has walked away with the discount and left him with only thirty pieces. Bystanders laugh that the brat fooled a gullible store owner, and Denjiro grins as he is called by name.

At the Flower Capital's crematorium, Oden makes his entrance in the most offensive way imaginable: he uses the fire that burned a man's father to boil oden. The grieving family cries, "Grandpa Katsuzo!!" and asks what is the matter with Oden. Oden says he knows the food is odd for a funeral, but since they were going to collect the ashes after cremation anyway, he decided to use the fire to boil some oden. He eats with enormous appetite, puffing and huffing over the food, while the mourners shout that this is an insult to the dead man's memory and demand that he get off the body.

Oden keeps eating until he finishes, then gulps down the food and says, "See ya!!" To Katsuzo he says, "The next time... we drink together, Katsuzo, it will be in the afterlife." Then he walks away, offering only brief condolences to the family and saying he is not one for detailed explanations. His behavior is outrageous, but there is an odd sincerity under it: he came to send off the dead man in his own way, then leaves before anyone can fully understand him.

As Oden passes through the capital, people react exactly as the rumors promised. Some women call him cool, while others shout that he means trouble and tell everyone to hide their wives and daughters. Oden asks whether they came to capture him, but the pursuers say they were bribed and warn him not to talk about such things out loud. The fire bell has been ringing nonstop, but there seems to be no fire nearby. Then Oden sees what is happening: the danger is bigger than a mere fire. A massive shape approaches the capital, and someone cries out that it is a big fire before realizing the threat is something far worse.

The capital looks up in horror at a gigantic white boar, a true mountain god. People scream that they will be eaten alive because there are already many victims, and the order goes out to evacuate the capital. Kinemon realizes the creature's parent is not far behind the small boar he took. According to ancient texts, a full-grown white boar is the size of a mountain, and hundreds of years ago one annihilated an entire village in a single night. Oden connects the story quickly, understanding that the boar has come for its child, and asks for the little boar to be handed over to him.

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