With his power guiding the Oro Jackson,
Ozz lounged in a deck chair, calm as ever, as the ship cruised directly toward the blockade surrounding Ohara.
On one of the warships ahead stood Spandine, the commander of the fleet.
He watched with unease as the Oro Jackson sailed straight into the encirclent.
But Ozz neither panicked nor teleported away.
He simply kept his eyes on Spandine with a relaxed smile, making no effort to change course.
Then ca a wave of Spandine's hand.
Under his command, the orderly rows of warships parted like a tide, clearing a path.
"Safe travels, Mr. Ozz!"
Spandine bowed and nodded obsequiously, as though Ozz were his superior officer.
He ignored the stunned stares of his subordinates completely.
Ozz's lips curled in amusent at the display.
From his coat, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi.
And in the blink of an eye, placed it on the railing of Spandine's ship.
"This connects directly to ," he said, his voice light but aningful.
"I have a feeling this won't be our last encounter, Spandine."
Spandine snatched up the Den Den Mushi and tucked it carefully into his coat, watching with a forced grin as Ozz's ship disappeared into the distance.
The mont the Oro Jackson was out of sight, the smile on Spandine's face collapsed, replaced with sheer exhaustion.
It didn't matter whether it was the Five Elders or Ozz.
They were both far beyond soone like him.
Don't be fooled by the gift. That Den Den Mushi wasn't so open invitation to call whenever he pleased.
Its aning was closer to the one bestowed upon him by the Five Elders.
So long as Ozz maintained "friendly relations" with the World Governnt, that snail was essentially a leash with Spandine on the other end.
And he couldn't even afford to act annoyed.
Anyone with half a brain could guess it:
If his actions sohow triggered conflict between Ozz and the governnt, the Five Elders would have his head before the dust settled.
Ozz was one of a kind.
But pawns like Spandine?
There were always more.
During the Buster Call on Ohara
New World – Douramos Island, Ozz's hotown
Old Mayor Zeek puffed on his pipe with slow, deliberate motions.
His weathered face bore the deep creases of age.
Inside his small house, a crowd of villagers had gathered, their voices hushed and anxious, murmuring among themselves.
One sturdy middle-aged man couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward and asked the old mayor:
"Uncle Zeek… what are we supposed to do?"
"Ah… there's not much we can do."
Compared to when Ozz had first left, Old Zeek looked far more aged now. His face was lined with wrinkles, and his hair had turned completely white.
His age had finally caught up with him. He could no longer summon even the most basic Haki
Not that his Haki had ever been more than rudintary to begin with.
"I'm getting older, my strength is fading fast. The King of Krallia won't keep waiving taxes for this town forever.
We're not even a mber state of the World Governnt, so we don't pay the Heavenly Tribute, but those greedy royals will never be satisfied."
Back when Zeek first returned ho, he'd been in his pri late forties to early fifties still tough enough to keep up appearances.
As a forr fighter from the Rocks Pirates, he had barely enough strength left to keep the local monarchy respectful.
To pacify him, the then-king gave him this little town to retire in
And didn't collect a single coin in taxes for nearly twenty years.
That's how Old Zeek had managed to raise Ozz, a bottomless-pit of a kid, all on his own.
But ti waits for no man.
The new king had seen his chance.
He planned to demand all the unpaid taxes at once, double-charged,
and add on the current year's taxes for good asure.
All that, to use as a tribute to the Celestial Dragons.
So Krallia could finally join the World Governnt and no longer fear pirates like Zeek.
The problem was…
The town couldn't pay.
And they had no other options.
"If it cos to it… I'll just have to throw this old life of mine on the line one last ti…"
Zeek might be aged, but he wasn't dead.
His youthful strength was long gone, but the instincts and muscle mory of a warrior remained.
Taking him down would cost dozens, maybe hundreds, of ordinary soldiers.
Just then.
A young man nad Jesse ca sprinting through the door without knocking, waving a newspaper in his hand.
He was panting, flushed, and brimming with excitent.
"Big news, Dad! Grandpa Mayor!!"
"What's going on, Jesse?"
Zeek looked up at the boy, who was the son of the man who'd spoken earlier
And one of Ozz's childhood friends.
"It's, It's Ozz!! News about Ozz!!!"
"What?!"
Before anyone could react, Zeek shot up with speed that belied his years,
snatching the newspaper out of Jesse's hands with a trembling grip.
Right on the front page was a photo that made his heart lurch.
It really was Ozz…
The kid was still as damn handso as ever.
Zeek chuckled softly, and the villagers, drawn by the familiar na, crowded around him.
"Black Gun" Dotor Ozz
After two years of silence, he has returned to sea aboard the Oro Jackson, and clashed violently with the Navy.
Due to his threat level and actions, his bounty has been updated.
"Black Gun" Dotor Ozz
Power rivaling that of a Marine Admiral.
The king among the new generation.
The "monster" raised by Pirate King Gol D. Roger, set to dominate the coming era!
The King of the Next Generation!
The New Ruler of the Seas!
Beneath the sea-shaking titles was a figure that made everyone freeze in place.
His bounty.
For a mont, not a single villager could speak.
They simply stared with wide eyes and quaking pupils.
Only Old Zeek, who'd seen more than his fair share of storms, managed to hold onto a sliver of composure though his face had turned beet red.
He opened his mouth a few tis to speak but couldn't get the words out.
Then suddenly, he leapt into the air three feet high!
"YAHOO!!"
"Ozz, he...he really did it!!!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!!"
A lifelong dream, fulfilled at last.
Old Zeek felt like his whole existence had co full circle.
Just like the likes of Golden Lion or Whitebeard's commanders,
another ruler of the sea had co from his hands.
He'd always known. With a freak like Ozz, it was only a matter of ti before the kid soared.
And now that he had.
Old Zeek knew it was finally his turn to ride the wave!
"Don't worry, everyone!" he declared, radiant with pride, the fire of youth rekindled in his eyes.
"Ozz, he's beco the ruler of the seas!!!"
"THAT'S AMAZING!!"
The villagers who'd watched Ozz grow up were just as excited, eyes sparkling with hope.
"Quick, get in touch with him, Mayor Zeek!"
"Yeah!! Let's call him!!"
"Er…"
At that.
The beaming old mayor suddenly froze like a duck being strangled.
His smile stiffened. His face blanked.
He stamred a bit, then smacked his thigh in frustration:
"That little brat… I… I don't have his Den Den Mushi number!!!"
----------------------------------------------------
[ Preview for the next: No, You're Getting Off the Ship, Little Robin
A quiet ga of cards turns into a battlefield of mind gas between Ozz, Mihawk, and little Robin and when Ozz tries to cheat using Haki, Mihawk is already five steps ahead. Just as Ozz starts sulking over his losing streak, a surprisingly respectful news gull delivers an explosive headline: Golden Lion has escaped Impel Down.
But the biggest twist?When they reach a new town, Ozz casually hands Robin a pouch of Berries and says:
"That's your severance pay. This town's where you get off."
Why is Ozz suddenly cutting ties with little Robin? What's waiting for her on land and is this truly goodbye? ]
Impatient? Sa. Hit up my P@treon for future chaos!
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