Oden is a real one. Wasn't digging him when his character got introduced, but got damn Oda you done it man, he's above Kyros for me now as far as main characters of an island go.
For the fans calling him a dumbass, homie made the most rational choice when it comes to saving lives. Rather than sacrificing thousands in a war where he wasn't guaranteed to win, he endured for 5 years with a possibility that things would improve and while saving people, things did start improving as far as kidnappings go, so for that purpose what he did was effective. However, after 5 years when old man Hyou got killed, realizing Orochi wasn't gonna keep his promise, he couldn't take it anymore and challenged Kaido.. and he would've succeeded in taking down Kaido with just his 9 samurai, had it not been for the old ass geezers that gave rise to Kaido & Orochi in Wano. Well specifically had it not been for the traitor, he would've ended everything with Kaido & orochi, with only 10 people.
Oden is proving himself to be a smart leader and a dependable one at that. He never had any obligation to do any of the things he did, he never had any obligation to protect Wano. Hell he didn't even need to protect Kuri. The man was casted out by his own father, and raised a whole district up in economy and etc all while his underlings couldn't even properly read/write.