Kozuki Oden

Kozuki Oden
Statistics
Japanese Name:	光月おでん
Romanized Name:	Kōzuki Oden
Official English Name:	Kozuki Oden
Debut:	Chapter 920; Episode 910
Affiliations:	Kozuki Family; Roger Pirates (former); Whitebeard Pirates (former)
Occupations:	Samurai; Daimyo; Pirate (former); Division Commander (former)
Residence:	Kuri; Flower Capital (former)
Status:	Deceased
Age:	39
Bounty:	Unknown
Japanese VA:	Hiroya Ishimaru

Kozuki Oden was the daimyo of Kuri in Wano Country, the son of former Wano shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki, the husband of Kozuki Toki, father of Kozuki Momonosuke and Kozuki Hiyori, and the Kozuki Family patriarch until his execution 20 years ago at Kurozumi Orochi's hands. Notably, he was served by the Nine Red Scabbards, his extremely loyal, powerful retainers.

Oden was the 2nd division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and later a member of the Roger Pirates.

Appearance

Oden was a muscular man of towering height that is shown to have been about half that of Whitebeard (6.6 m), much taller than normal people. He had long, wild dark hair that was notably gathered into a large, flat, circular plane at the top.

At age 18, he wore a light kimono, leaving most of his legs exposed; the kimono had two crescent moon designs on it. Oden also wore a large nio-dasuki tied around his shoulders that ran down his back. He would often alternate between this and a similar longer kimono, with his nio-dasuki worn as a belt and tied in the front. Oden also wore his favourite swords Enma and Ame no Habakiri across his left waist tucked inside an obi belt. While partying with the Whitebeard Pirates, he wore a light colored shirt, dark colored pants, and crown on his head.

Personality

Oden was an extremely brash, confident, and self-willed man. This motivated him to commit outrageous and violent actions for his own benefit during his youth and adolescence, such as burning down the yakuza casino after being banned from it and kidnapping women at night to form a harem in the mountains. Overall, Oden was known for getting into a significant number of violent fights, and he cared little for the consequences of his actions, as he gladly stood his ground against the yakuza and the loved ones of the women when fighting broke out as a result of the two aforementioned incidents. Although most men were appalled by his actions, his attitude made him very attractive to women, including the ones he kidnapped for his harem as they stayed with him willingly.

After being sentenced to work in the quarries, Oden became less selfish and started acting to improve the lives of the Flower Capital citizens around him. However, these actions were just as outrageous and ill-thought-out as the ones Oden committed to benefit himself. The most notable example is when he attempted to help out the citizens during a drought by diverting a river into the city, which caused the city to become flooded. Additionally, when a Mountain God attacked the Flower Capital, Oden quickly went to action to try to deal with it. Oden seemed to often mean well, but acted in ways that were reckless and potentially alienating to those around him. For example, to honor a deceased man he once knew, Oden cooked a pot of oden soup over the cremated remains and "shared one last drink" with his former friend, much to the dismay of his mourning family members. After being exiled by Sukiyaki, he seemed to have found an outlet for his unconventional attempts at heroism, as he was able to bring peace to Kuri and rebuild its infrastructure in only two years.

— Oden's thirst for adventure.

Oden adopting the mannerisms of sailors by keeping a log.

Oden was also extremely adventurous and wanted to illegally set sail away from Wano Country, viewing it as too cramped. In his youth, he viewed this dream as more important than preparing to succeed his father as shogun. In fact, Oden's determination to set sail was so great that he kept trying to do so 38 times before he became a daimyo. When Whitebeard constantly refused and tried to secretly set sail without notifying him, Oden jumped straight into the sea holding onto the Moby Dick by a chain, shocking the Whitebeard Pirates. Thus, Whitebeard imposed him an extremely difficult challenge which Oden readily agreed to accept it as Oden could braved through the harshest weathers and obstacles without flinching. After he officially joined the Whitebeard Pirates, Oden became immensely excited and curious when they arrived at every new island, learning new discoveries which were unknown to Wano, to the point he ended up recklessly throwing himself into danger. After sailing with the Roger Pirates, Oden decided that he wanted to succeed his father as shogun and open Wano's borders, wanting to change the entire world.

Despite his rowdy behavior, Oden was a very compassionate man. While at first annoyed by Kin'emon and Denjiro acting as his followers, he still cared for their well-being. He also took in other people like the orphaned Izo and Kikunojo, the persecuted Kanjuro and the lonely Raizo. After subduing the criminals and outlaws of Kuri, Oden chose to reform them rather than execute them as criminals. Oden did not tolerate discrimination, considering it a symbol of ignorance. He saved Kawamatsu, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi from being publically humiliated and tortured, beating up the ones responsible for it. He also saw the three as helpless children rather than monsters and was amazed by their uniqueness. Additionally, Oden willingly gave up on his trial to join the Whitebeard Pirates when he heard Amatsuki Toki calling out for help, choosing to save her even if it meant he could not join their crew. When Toki was forced to return to Wano in the middle of their voyage with Roger, she had to threaten to divorce Oden to keep him from staying with her.

Oden's favorite food was oden soup which is the only food he ever ate and also cooked to feed his retainers during his journey around Wano and also after becoming the daimyo of Kuri. Oden also loved to drink sake, having started drinking alcohol when he was only eight years old.

Relationships

Family

Kozuki Sukiyaki

As Kozuki Sukiyaki's son, Oden was the heir of his clan and also to the Wano's shogunate. However, due to Oden's tendency to pick violent fights, Sukiyaki was frustrated by his son's violent and out-of-control nature. He exiled Oden from the Flower Capital and even barred him from stepping into the castle. Yasuie believed that the banishment was simply tough love though Oden did not actually resent his father for banishing him. When Oden restored order and peace to the lawless region of Kuri, Sukiyaki was deeply impressed with his son that he withdrew his disownment and made him the daimyo of Kuri.

In their last meeting, Sukiyaki was surprised and proud of his son for maturing when becoming a daimyo. When Oden heard that he passed away, he regretted not being there at his deathbed.

Kozuki Toki

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Oden with his wife and children.

Oden married Toki, a time traveler from the past, during his youth. Toki loved Oden dearly as, after his execution by Orochi and Kaido, she used her Devil Fruit powers to send his retainers Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Raizo, Kikunojo, and Momonosuke to the future in order for them to realize Oden's dream of opening the borders of the Wano Country. She chose to remain behind in the burning castle of Kuri to meet her end hoping to join her husband in the afterlife.

Children

Oden loved his children, having bequeathed his favorite swords Ame no Habakiri and Enma to both Momonosuke and Hiyori as heirlooms before his execution. Oden would encourage Momonosuke to follow his footsteps to travel overseas in order to learn more about the world, and Momonosuke was deeply saddened by his death. His daughter Hiyori held such immense respect for him, that she lived by a strict code of dignity as a samurai's daughter and absolutely refused to bow to his archenemy and murderer Orochi even when threatened with death.

Allies

Nine Red Scabbards

Before Oden became the daimyo of Kuri, he became particularly close to seven outlaws: Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Raizo, Kikunojou, Kawamatsu, Denjiro, and Ashura Doji. They became extremely loyal to Oden and would do anything to support him. They became Oden's direct retainers and closest confidants known as the Nine Red Scabbards. Later, after being set up by Orochi's schemes to usurp the shogunate, Oden sacrificed himself to allow his retainers to escape the Beasts Pirates. Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Raizo were shown grieving over his death.

When Kawamatsu, Inuarashi, and Nekomamushi were persecuted in Wano for being of different races, Oden defended them from discrimination. From that point on, all three of them became extremely loyal to Oden

At Yasuie’s persuasion, the group trained in manners and strength in order to make themselves into proper retainers. Oden was surprised by their abrupt change but came around to the idea of his followers.

After Oden's death, the group fell apart with Kawamatsu and Ashura being regarded as criminals. While Inuarashi and Nekomamushi’s friendship became strained to the point that they became archenemies, refusing to meet each other for over twenty years. When Kozuki Momonosuke saw Inuarashi and Nekomamushi he questioned whether Oden was the reason for their bitterness toward each other. Momonosuke claimed that his father would be saddened if he saw them fighting, a remark that caused the two to reconcile their feud, showing their respect toward his father. Alongside Momonosuke, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Raizo, they too grieved at the mention of Oden's demise.

Mink Tribe

Due to the loyalty of their rulers, all the minks on Zou respect Oden and the Kozuki Family enough to sacrifice their lives for one of their retainers.

Wano Country Citizens

Before his exile from the Flower Capital, he was despised and feared by the citizen for many outrageous things in his life.

After becoming the daimyo of Kuri, Oden had worked hard to improve the lives of Wano citizens by creating rivers and wharfs to connect various villages and people, thus most Wano citizens including samurais held immense love and respect for Oden. When Oden was unjustly executed by Orochi and Kaido, the countless Wano samurais banded together to stage a massive rebellion to avenge Oden only to be thwarted by Kaido. After twenty years, surviving Kozuki loyalists such as Shinobu patiently waited for Momonosuke and Kin'emon, Raizo and Kanjuro's return in order to overthrow Kaido and Orochi and to realize Oden's dream of opening the borders of Wano.

Shimotsuki Family

As the heir of the Kozuki Family, Oden has a close friendship with the renowned Shimotsuki Family, particularly Yasuie, whom he referred to as "uncle". After he was exiled from the Flower Capital by his father, Oden had sought refuge in Hakumai under Yasuie's care. Oden was even perfectly content to relinquish his birthright of becoming the next Wano Country Shogun to Yasuie which the latter strictly berated him for. Heeding Yasuie's advice to prove himself a great samurai, Oden traveled to the lawless region of Kuri to restore order and prosperity to the region. Yasuie also showed his support for Oden by giving away massive amounts of money to the Nine Red Scabbards including encouraging them to become the best samurais in Wano in order to effectively support Oden. After Oden was executed, Yasuie and Ushimaru had also tried to avenge Oden by staging a rebellion only for it to end in failure due to Kaido.

Yakuza

Oden held absolute respect for his idol Hyogoro of the Flower for his immense chivalry as a samurai. Twenty years after his death, Hyogoro joined Momonosuke and the Nine Red Scabbards in the revolution to overthrow Kaido and Orochi in Oden's memory.

Whitebeard Pirates

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Oden and the Whitebeard Pirates.

Before becoming a member of the Roger Pirates, Oden was once a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, as well as a Division Commander. According to both Inuarashi and Sengoku, Whitebeard was extremely fond of Oden. The introduction started off rocky, when Oden clashed with the captain and declared his intention to join.

The other members were at first angry at Oden for attacking their captain without warning. Whitebeard was also against him joining; while he acknowledged Oden's strength, Whitebeard was cautious due to his wild nature and feeling that Oden was not the kind of person who would serve someone, knowing from experience of the consequences that could bring. Whitebeard also did not want to cause an incident in Wano. After Whitebeard and his crewmates witnessed Oden’s unbreakable determination and immense kindness, they became deeply impressed and welcomed Oden officially, with the members tossing Oden up into the air congratulating him. Eventually, Whitebeard's trust in Oden became great enough that he considered Oden to be family and made him a division commander of his crew while Oden became extremely close friends with the other members as they would rush to help him when Oden's reckless excitement led him to danger.

Though Whitebeard was annoyed when Oden chose to join Roger, he still respected his decision albeit begrudgingly since Whitebeard was still upset when Oden and his family went with Roger for a year despite how Roger tried to placate his rival by giving him all the treasure he had. Thus, Oden parted ways with the Whitebeard Pirates on good terms.

Roger Pirates

Oden and Roger Pirates while partying.

Before meeting Oden, Roger expressed interest in meeting Oden after hearing stories of him as a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. Also, Buggy and Shanks were somewhat jealous of Oden for getting great reputation as a pirate. Aside from Roger and Rayleigh, the crew was not accepting of Oden at first when he joined but they eventually warmed up to him.

As a member of the Roger Pirates, he was a well-respected individual among his crew. Roger and Shanks both took a liking to Oden. He referred to Shanks and Buggy as his respective first and second sons, though the latter was annoyed for being called one. The entire crew wanted to help Oden’s wish to make Wano Country open to the world but Oden declined as he wanted to solve the problem on his own.

Enemies

Beasts Pirates

Kaido sought the Kozuki Family because Oden had been to Laugh Tale. Refusing to let Kaido get the information, Oden retaliated by attacking Kaido, giving him a massive scar, and also sacrificed himself to allow his retainers to escape. The Beasts Pirates were eager to kill him in sadistic ways, including boiling him like his namesake.

Kurozumi Orochi

— Shimotsuki Yasuie mockingly using Oden's name to insult Orochi's cowardice.

Orochi orchestrated a despicable scheme to become shogun. When they first met, Oden did find him strange and Orochi was willing to lay on a puddle on Oden's behalf. After Orochi quit being Yasuie's servant, Orochi took advantage of Oden's generosity and repeatedly asked money from him, which Oden never once asked for repayment.

After Oden returned to Wano from his voyage, he confronted Orochi after hearing about his oppression and attempted to use lethal force, knowing full well that Orochi would bring nothing but misery to Wano. Oden was unsuccessful and he was sentenced to death. After Oden's death, his legacy has become taboo to Orochi, who became paranoid over his wife's prophecy that after twenty years, nine samurais would exact vengeance on him in Oden's name. Yasuie even used Oden's namesake to mock Orochi's cowardice.

Marines

As a pirate, he was issued a bounty by the Marines.

Abilities and Powers

As daimyo of Kuri, Oden had a large amount of power and influence over the region before his death. Nami even deduced that given his position, he must had possessed a large sum of wealth. He also had the ability to hear the "Voice of All Things", which his son also inherited. Being a former member of both the Whitebeard Pirates, as a former Divison Commander, and the Roger Pirates, Oden was regarded as being a tremendously powerful pirate with a great level of influence in both crews. His influence even extends toward the members of the Mink Tribe on Zou, with the leaders Inuarashi and Nekomamushi being members of the Nine Red Scabbards.

Additionally, the rest of the Mink Tribe has shown enough respect and loyalty toward the Kozuki Family that all of them were willing to die rather than to allow one of Oden's retainers from being captured even after Oden died. In spite of all the conflicts that he had with the Yakuza over the years, his death had such an impact on the leaders of the Yakuza that they staged their own rebellion against Kurozumi Orochi who had allied with Kaido before they were all captured and sent to Udon prison.

Oden possessed a tremendous combination of combat skills and charisma. His combat prowess was seen at an early age, when he got into massive battles and altercations with powerful samurai and yakuza and survived, causing an implied high number of casualties over the years. Despite being frequently pursued by authorities in his youth, he was only captured once and eluded capture many times afterward. His combat and charisma combination was best seen in his restoration of peace to Kuri, where he defeated the powerful Ashura Doji and then proceeded to round up the rest of the dangerous criminals and get them to work under him, including Ashura. Prior to this, he also demonstrated his charisma by quickly becoming a figure of high repute as a laborer in the quarry.

As Oden admitted himself, he had no talent in sailing and navigation.

Literary Skills

Despite his brash personality, Oden has great literary skills, having started writing a log book detailing his journey around Wano Country. As a descendant of the Kozuki Family, Oden also inherited from his ancestors the knowledge and skill to read Poneglyphs and write its ancient language.

Culinary Expertise

Oden was an expert in cooking oden soup, having managed to use the fire of Katsuou's cremation to cook a large pot of oden soup. Oden was also the one in charge of cooking food for his retainers during his journey around Wano. Kawamatsu and Inuarashi greatly enjoyed Oden's delicious oden soup.

Physical Abilities

Oden had tremendous physical strength since infancy, during which he flung his wet nurse across the room. By age two, he could catch rabbits with his bare hands, and at age four, he killed a bear by throwing a boulder at it. At adulthood, Oden could carry a giant Koi carp which he caught at sea by himself, and exerted enough physical power in his swordsmanship to clash with Whitebeard's Meito Murakumogiri. To match his tremendous strength, Oden also had astounding tolerance to pain, as he could hold a hot pot with his bare hands.

He had immense stamina and endurance, as he was able to fight against the criminals and ronin of Kuri joined led by Ashura Doji for an entire night alone with multiple wounds such as arrows sticking out of his body yet still came out victorious. Additionally, he held onto a chain being pulled by the Moby Dick and faced the many dangers and climates of the New World ocean with no protection for three days before eventually letting go. When he washed ashore on an island after his chain ride, he received slight treatment from Toki and slept for one night before getting up with exuberant energy, surprising Toki with his tremendous recovery speed.

Swordsmanship

Oden was an extremely powerful master samurai, having developed his own variation of Nitoryu. which Oden himself referred as Oden Nitoryu (おでん二刀流, Oden Nitōryū^?, literally meaning "Oden Two Swords Style"), known in the VIZ manga as Oden Two-Sword Style. with immense prowess and ambidexterity in dual wielding legendary Meitos Enma and Ame no Habakiri.

Even at age nine, Oden could fight an entire Yakuza gang in the Flower Capital. At age 18, he struck down a massive beast known as the Mountain God. Oden also easily sank a large pirate ship, cutting it in half. As Kin'emon stated, it was by his swordsmanship that Oden was able to tame the formerly lawless Kuri, fighting all of its outlaws and ronins alone, including defeating the region's most dangerous criminal, Ashura Doji (someone noted to be worth 100 men in battle). Even more notably according to Tenguyama Hitetsu, Oden was the only one who fully mastered Enma's negative drawbacks, and was able to use it to permanently scar the near-invulnerable Kaido, something no one else has been able to before and after.

Techniques

• Togen Shirataki (桃源白滝（とうげんしらたき）, Tōgen Shirataki^?, literally meaning "Paradise White Waterfall"): Oden hardens both his swords with Busoshoku Haki, then delivers a diagonal slash with each one of them at the same time. This technique has immense power and range, as seen when Oden used the technique to cleanly bisect the massive Mountain God in half. "Shirataki" is a type of Japanese noodles and a popular ingredient in oden, following the oden-themed naming scheme of Oden's attacks. In the VIZ manga, this is called Paradise Waterfall.
• Gan Modoki (銃（ガン）・擬鬼（モドキ）, Gan Modoki^?, literally meaning "Gun Imitating Demon"): After hardening his swords with Busoshoku Haki, Oden crosses his swords and charges forward, slicing anyone in his path. When Oden used this technique, he was able to defeat several members of the Roger Pirates at once. The attack name is a pun on "ganmodoki", Japanese fried tofu fritter made with vegetables and a popular side for oden, in keeping with the naming scheme of Oden's attacks. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gun Modoki.

Weapons

Oden's swords.

Oden wielded two Meito of the O Wazamono grade: Ame no Habakiri (the sword said to be able to cut "heaven" itself) and its sister sword Enma (the sword said to be able to cut to the "bottom of hell"), with the latter being the only known blade that has ever harmed Kaido.

Haki

Further information: Haki

Haoshoku Haki

Oden and Whitebeard's clash of Haoshoku Haki.

Oden possessed Haoshoku Haki, a very rare type of Haki whose users are said to have the qualities of a king. During his initial encounter with Edward Newgate 30 years ago, their sudden clash created a notable effect similar to lightning and released a large burst.

Busoshoku Haki

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Oden using "Ryuo" to harden his swords.

Oden was an exceptionally skilled master of Busoshoku Haki, which is known as "Ryuo" in Wano. This is most noted as he was the only samurai who could tame the Meito, Enma despite its dangerous haki-draining properties, which even Kin'emon, a member of the Nine Red Scabbards, feared to accept. As a true and further testament to his skills, he was able to wound even the nigh-invincible Kaido whereas even Luffy using Boundman could not even damage him, displaying his supreme mastery of this Haki compared to Zoro who had his arm emaciated after his initial attempt at using Enma although he forced his Haki back into his arm.

Even at the age of eighteen, he was already masterful in using "Ryuo", as he could imbue it into both his swords (Ame no Habakiri and Enma) hardening them and cleanly bisect the gigantic Mountain God of Wano in a single slash. At the age of twenty-nine, Oden could harden his swords and clashed against Busoshoku Haki enhanced Murakumogiri, one of the 12 Saijo O Wazamono belonging to Edward Newgate, who was an immensely powerful Busoushoku Haki master in his own right.

History

Chaotic Youth

Oden waging war against the yakuza.

Oden was born in the Flower Capital of Wano Country to the shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki 59 years before the present day, and he began committing outrageous acts as soon as infancy. When he was less than a year old, he threw his wet nurse across the room. When he was 2, he caught two rabbits with his bare hands, and at age 4, he killed a bear by throwing a large boulder at it. Starting at age 6, he started roaming the Red-Light District and participating in casinos, and by the time he was 8, he started drinking booze and began picking fights with gamblers. At age 9, even the yakuza had banned him from their casino. This resulted in Oden setting their casino on fire and starting a conflict with them, culminating in his capture a year later after he almost killed someone.

As punishment, Oden was sentenced to hard labor in the quarries, and he worked well enough there to gain significant prestige. When he was 14, he attempted to help the Flower Capital citizens during a great drought by diverting a river to the city. However, this resulted in the Capital becoming flooded, and the authorities attempted to capture Oden again. To escape, Oden set out to sea for the very first time, but was quickly forced to return to land. When he was 15 and still in hiding, he started working at a mountain temple, where he formed a harem of women whom he kidnapped from the Capital at night. The women's loved ones, as well as many powerful samurai, went after Oden to stop him, but Oden stood his ground, resulting in the massive Harem Revolt (ハーレムの乱, Hāremu no Ran^?, VIZ Media: Harem War).

For the next three years, Oden attempted to set out to sea 38 times. He quickly failed every time, though he managed to survive. At age 18, he went into the Flower Capital and proceeded to cook a pot of oden soup over the cremated remains of a man named Katsuzo. After leaving the crematorium, he saw that a Mountain God was attacking the Flower Capital, and overheard Kin'emon and Denjiro talking about the Mountain God's offspring being in their possession. Oden then told them to give him the giant boar's offspring.

Oden being exiled from the Flower Capital after becoming disowned.

Oden then took the white boar when Kin'emon tried attacking the Mountain God. After Kin'emon was overpowered, Oden used the white boar to get the Mountain God's attention. As the giant beast charged at him, Oden struck it down. When Kin'emon was going to take responsibility for the Mountain God's attack, Oden knocked him out and took the blame himself. His father's aide then delivered a message to him, saying that he was disowned and exiled from the Flower Capital. Out of gratitude and awe, Kin'emon and Denjiro began following him.

Reforming Kuri

After leaving the capital, Oden moved to Shimotsuki Yasuie's residence at Hakumai, where he also met Kurozumi Orochi, who was working as a servant there. Yasuie later got mad at Oden for living as a vagabond instead of rising to his father's challenge. Oden told Yasuie how he wanted to set out to sea, and Yasuie replied that he had to become a competent samurai before he could be so selfish.

Oden becomes daimyo of Kuri.

After hearing about Ashura Doji, Oden decided to journey to Kuri, which was Wano's most lawless region. During the journey, he was followed by Kin'emon and Denjiro. Along the way, the group was joined by Kikunojo and Izo at Ringo, Kanjuro at Kibi, and Raizo at Udon. Oden entered Kuri alone and fought all the bandits there, including Ashura, Kuri's most dangerous criminal. By the time his companions arrived, Oden had defeated all of his enemies. With the help of his companions, Oden rounded up the other criminals to bring peace to Kuri. He had the residents work to build a village to live in, and he built the Paradise Farm to feed them. Oden was then granted the title of daimyo of Kuri at the age of 20 after Sukiyaki heard about his deeds. In addition, Oden chose the companions he made on his journey as well as the reformed Ashura to be his retainers. After Orochi quit being Yasuie's servant, Oden lent him money to support him.

While fishing at Kuri Beach, Oden discovered Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu being tormented by humans who persecuted them. Oden rescued the three and they followed him back to Kuri and became his retainers. 30 years ago, Oden heard that his father had fallen ill and he visited the Flower Capital with his retainers. Oden then spoke with his father one last time.

Journey With Pirates

Oden leaving Wano.

Later that year, Oden learned that a pirate ship had arrived at Itachi Port, prompting him to go there. Charging towards the Whitebeard Pirates, he clashed with their captain while informing Whitebeard that he wanted to join his crew. Afterwards, Oden and his retainers had a feast with the crew. Oden kept asking to join only to be turned down. Two weeks later, the Whitebeard Pirates tried to leave Oden behind, but he caught up to them and held onto a chain he attached to the ship. Izo also held onto Oden and got dragged away with him. After pulling Izo up onto the ship, Whitebeard gave Oden a test. If he could hold onto the chain for three days, he would be allowed into the crew. Just when Oden only had ten minutes left, he heard a woman in trouble and let go. He drifted to an island and scared away some kidnappers who mistook him for a sea monster, saving the woman in the process. On the next day, he got acquainted with the woman, who was named Toki. They were then confronted by Karma and his crew, but Whitebeard came and defeated Karma. Whitebeard then finally allowed Oden to join his crew. After boarding, Oden discovered that Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had stowed away on the ship, waiting for Oden. Afterwards, Oden went on adventures with the Whitebeard Pirates.

On his journey, he became a notorious outlaw with a bounty. He found that the geography of the world astounding and the government overseeing it as unbelievable. Having grown closer with Toki and marrying her at some point, the couple became parents on their second year aboard the Moby Dick and named their son Kozuki Momonosuke. Later, as the crew was growing in numbers, Whitebeard split its members into five divisions, and Oden was appointed as the commander of the second division. Two years later, he and Toki would have a daughter whom they named Kozuki Hiyori.

Docking at an island, the Whitebeard Pirates unexpectedly encountered the Roger Pirates, leading to Oden rushing towards the crew to take their treasure. Engaging the crew in battle, he drew the attention of Gol D. Roger and was knocked away by the pirate. Running back to his opponent, Oden was left amazed at how his captain and Roger were fighting each other. Afterwards, the two crews began fighting for the next three days until a cease fire was made on the fourth day. A few days into it, Oden had a discussion with the two captains, during which he informed Roger that he could read the Poneglyphs. Revealing his intention to reach the rumored final island of the Grand Line and become Pirate King, Roger left Oden frozen from being impressed. Roger begged Oden to join him for a year in order to get to the island, and Whitebeard honored Oden's choice to join Roger, leading to him parting ways with the Whitebeard Pirates.

Oden and the Roger Pirates celebrating reaching Laugh Tale.

Boarding the Oro Jackson with his wife and children, he discovered Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had followed him on board. The crew sailed to Mock Town and afterwards reached Skypiea, where Oden read a Poneglyph and engraved Roger's message on the Shandorian Golden Belfry Bell. After returning to the ocean, the crew sailed towards Water 7, during which Oden informed Roger that Wano had a Road Poneglyph. Docking at the island, Oden invited Cutty Flam to join the crew but the latter declined the offer. From there, the crew sailed to Fish-Man Island, where Oden read the island's two Poneglyphs and learned from Neptune that Poseidon is a mermaid. Oden later read another Poneglyph after venturing to another island. Upon Toki becoming sick, the pirates dropped her and her children off at Wano alongside Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, during which Oden could tell his country had changed despite not looking at it. Afterwards, the crew learned the contents of Wano's Poneglyph. Arriving at Zou, Oden felt a different vibe from the island that did not sit well with him and Roger. Venturing into the country, the crew found the last Road Poneglyph, leading to Oden discovering his family's ties to the Mink Tribe after seeing his clan's seal above the stone. Having left Zou, the crew discovered the location of the final island of the New World and sailed there. There, the crew found Joy Boy's treasure and laughed when they saw it, leading to Roger naming the island Laugh Tale.

Grateful he joined Roger, he declined offers from his crew members with assisting him in opening Wano's borders, and instead sought to make his envisionment a reality with the aid of his retainers and by becoming shogun.

Homecoming and Death

Over 20 years before the present, Roger decided to disband the crew and Oden parted ways with him as the Pirate King left the ship. Afterwards, the rest of the crew returned Oden to Wano Country and he bid farewell to them as well. Oden then reunited with his family and retainers. He heard about Orochi becoming shogun and how he had been oppressing the citizens with the aid of Kaido. He also heard about how his family was threatened and Toki got injured protecting Momonosuke. Enraged, Oden ordered his retainers to guard his family before charging to the Flower Capital. He arrived at the castle and fought his way through the guards. Once he reached Orochi, Oden prepared to attack him.

Oden was executed in the Flower Capital by Kaido and Orochi for refusing to divulge information of Laugh Tale, and he died without passing on the knowledge of the Poneglyphs to Momonosuke and Hiyori. His last words to his son and retainers were his wish to open Wano to the outside world.

Legacy

— Kin'emon to Kozuki Toki after Oden's death.

Kaido attacked the rest of Oden's family soon afterward, but his children survived as Toki sent Momonosuke 20 years forward in time and Kawamatsu kept Hiyori safe.

For the next 20 years, Oden was vilified by Orochi's administration, who informed the populace that he had attempted to destroy Wano in his quest to open its borders. Sympathizing with the Kozuki Family became a high crime, one that even children were punished heavily for committing. Orochi was officially recognized as a hero for defeating Oden.

However, in spite of Orochi's attempts to portray Oden in a negative light, thousands of Wano citizens remained loyal to him and his family. These included the other four daimyo and the yakuza bosses, and Orochi and Kaido had to resort to killing or imprisoning them to silence them.

Before he died, Oden told his retainers to complete his quest to open Wano's borders. After being sent forward in time, Momonosuke, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Raizo, and Kikunojo recruited all of the remaining Nine Red Scabbards—aside from Denjiro—and thousands of other Kozuki Family sympathizers to rise up and bring down Orochi and Kaido. Additionally, they went abroad and formed an alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates and Heart Pirates to increase their fighting power, and the mink citizens of Zou that Inuarashi and Nekomamushi ruled over were also recruited.

Major Battles

• Kozuki Oden vs. Yakuza gangs
• Kozuki Oden vs. Mountain God
• Kozuki Oden vs. Bandits of Kuri
• Kozuki Oden vs. Ashura Doji
• Kozuki Oden vs. Edward Newgate
• Kozuki Oden vs. Gol D. Roger
• Kozuki Oden vs. Kaido

Trivia

• Oden is the name of a traditional Japanese winter dish.
• Oden is similar to Mont Blanc Noland, as they are both the main protagonists of flashback stories in which they are executed in the end by greedy nobles, who then besmirched their family names through lies and misinformation.
• Oden bears a resemblance to Heracles, a divine hero in Greek mythology:
  • Both possessed tremendous strength since infancy.
  • Both had numerous affairs with women.
  • Some of Oden's actions are based on the Twelve Labours of Heracles:
    • Oden defeating the Mountain God is based on the fourth labour, the capture of the Erymanthian Boar.
    • Oden's attempt to help the Flower Capital citizens during a great drought by diverting a river to the city is based on the fifth labour, cleaning the Augean stables in a single day. Unlike Heracles, Oden's action ended in disaster.
  • Both were rejected and disowned by one of their family members (Heracles' nemesis was Hera and Oden was disowned by his father, Kozuki Sukiyaki).
  • Both were sailors (Heracles was part of the Argonauts and Oden sailed with the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates).
  • Both had fathers who were rulers of their respective domains (Heracles's father was Zeus, King and ruler of Olympus; Oden's father was the head of the Kozuki family and shogun of Wano).