One Piece revealed the tragic death of Kozuki Oden in the “Wano” arc, making fans wonder why Whitebeard, who so deeply valued his crewmates, didn’t avenge him. Although Oden had joined Roger’s crew despite being the Whitebeard Pirates’ Second Division Commander, the bond between Whitebeard and Oden wasn’t broken. They were both sworn brothers, therefore, one can only imagine how devastating Oden’s death was for Whitebeard and his crew.
Given the massive crew, treasures and extremely talented fighters on Whitebeard’s side, he could’ve tried to go against Kaido but didn’t. Even more baffling is how he went on a full-blown war against the Marines to save Ace, yet passively accepted Oden’s death. However, just because he didn’t take action, doesn’t mean Whitebeard wasn’t crushed by the loss. Here’s the real reason Whitebeard didn’t avenge Oden’s death.
The Relationship Between Oden and Whitebeard in One Piece
Because of Oden’s relentless pursuit, Whitebeard allowed him to join his crew. Soon after becoming part of the Whitebeard Pirates’ family and even being considered Whitebeard’s younger brother, Oden climbed up the ranks and became a commander. However, he then left with Roger but parted ways with Oden on good terms.
Even after Roger became King of the Pirates and Whitebeard continued being a pirate, Oden never returned to the latter. However, Oden did ask Roger to let Izou take care of Whitebeard in his stead. Izou was a retainer of the Wano Country daimyo Kozuki Oden, who later became the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates’ 16th division.
Why Didn’t Whitebeard Avenge Oden’s Death by Attacking the Beast Pirates?
Because Wano was sealed off from the rest of One Piece‘s world, the Whitebeard Pirates only learned of Oden’s death a few years after it happened. Of course, at that time, Marco and the others really did want to avenge Oden but did not take any action. As an Emperor, Whitebeard had lots of responsibilities on his shoulders. The lives of his entire crew — and the people living in his territories and hometown — were all depending on him to keep them safe. Whitebeard had two rules for his crew; one forbade them to kill anyone, while the other forbade them to take anyone’s treasure.
Whitebeard not only followed these rules as if they were his life’s motto but encouraged others in his crew to take the same path. It was a tough decision, but Whitebeard made a wise choice by not letting his emotions get the better of him. He knew that entering Wano would be a dangerous ordeal, and that two Yonko going against each other would be catastrophic.
The results of that war would not be in anyone’s favor. Both sides, as well as Wano’s civilians, would suffer tremendous casualties. Therefore, Whitebeard felt revenge was not worth risking the lives of his men and the people of Wano whom Oden had fought so hard to protect.
