After finding a nearby island, Little Hawk and Little Croc temporarily disembarked.
Dragging them around the world for sightseeing and fun had boosted Ozz's charisma by leaps and bounds. His Conqueror's Haki now stood far above anyone else his age.
But their own strength hadn't improved much.
At most, Mihawk had accidentally awakened his Conqueror's Haki.
As for Crocodile, she was stuck in place. She wasn't exactly incapable of using Haki, but what little she had was pitifully weak. Ozz had already taught her the basics of Ryuo, but the rest was up to her.
"And as for you..."
Ozz rubbed his chin, staring at the thoroughly confused Little En.
He slapped a special tracking Vivre Card from Vegapunk onto Enel and handed him off to Sami for management. Before he left, he also taught him how to train Armament Haki.
"Do a good job. Next time we meet, I'll find you another sister-in-law."
"...Oh."
Enel noticed it the card would always point to his exact location. There was no escaping.
Well, might as well use this chance to explore the vast Blue Sea. He'd see for himself how many monsters like Ozz were out there.
If there were a lot, he'd keep a low profile.
If not... then this god shall reign again! Yahaha!
As for the Armament Haki Ozz gave him, supposedly the secret to physically grabbing lightning, then this god would grudgingly train in it.
When Sami took over this rebellious teen, he froze for a moment before suddenly breaking into a delighted grin and assigning him a mountain of work.
Little did Enel know...
He was about to witness a power far more terrifying than any god
Capitalism.
...
For the next stretch of time, Ozz didn't travel in the high-profile fashion of steering the Oro Jackson around.
Instead, he left it in Rayleigh's care and took off on his own adventures.
In a rare move, he let the headlines cool off, laying low and taking time to appreciate the culture and scenery of the world.
Sometimes he hitchhiked with money or fists.
Sometimes he just teleported over the sea.
As always wherever Ozz went, he was welcome.
New World waters.
A pirate ship was cruising calmly along the sea, mid-celebration, full of laughter and music.
Only the lookout stayed vigilant, eyes on the horizon.
"Eh? What the hell is that...?"
"A person? Are you kidding me?!"
The lookout, gripping his telescope, had spotted something impossible. He shouted frantically to the rest of the partying crew:
"Captain!!! There's someone walking on the water!!!"
"Nani?! What nonsense are you spouting?!"
A man with two braided mustaches stepped up to the railing, skeptical. But the moment he looked out
Even with all his years at sea, he froze, mouth wide open.
"No way..."
Out on the waves, a tall figure in a dark red suit and black coat was calmly walking across the surface of the ocean, a backpack slung across his shoulder.
Each step landed solidly, as if he were walking on land.
The figure clearly noticed them too.
"Finally found a ship."
In a blink, the man appeared on their deck. His sudden presence startled Zeff so badly he instinctively lashed out with a kick.
"Red-Leg Zeff. If I didn't recognize you, that leg of yours would be gone."
Ozz didn't move. He merely stared at the frozen leg in midair, walked around it, and plopped down to eat.
"You bastard, are you picking a fight?!"
"Whoa, wait, calm down... just wait a sec..."
A hot-headed crewmate nearly rushed in with a blade, but another stopped him.
"Don't you recognize him?! That man..."
"It's him..."
"The Black Emperor!!!"
"..."
"EEEHHHH?!?!?"
...
Ozz hadn't expected this.
Wandering the sea on a whim, bumping into a random pirate crew only to realize it was someone he knew.
His godson's other future godfather:
Red-Leg Zeff.
From the look of things, Zeff had probably taken a beating in the New World and was heading back to the first half of the Grand Line.
It was probably after that return voyage that he crossed paths with the ship Sanji was on and decided to take him in.
"Rough time in the New World?"
"...Yeah."
Zeff knew exactly what had just happened.
His full-force kick couldn't even ruffle the man's clothes. The gap in strength was glaring.
So he dropped the hostility.
Ozz tasted some of Zeff's food, checked off another bucket list item, then let them go.
They had their own destiny.
Ozz's path, however, pointed the other way.
He was headed for Wano.
They were returning to Paradise.
With a casual wave, he said goodbye.
Later, Zeff would write about the encounter in his logbook:
Sea Circle Calendar: 1503
It was supposed to be just another calm, sunny day... until a legend came aboard. The Black Emperor himself, Dotor Ozz. I had no idea who I was messing with nearly lost my life. Hahaha, what a day.
...
He said he was heading for Wano. A brief, peaceful encounter.
But what struck me most... he said, Take care of Sanji.
Who's Sanji? Why ask me?
No answer. That man of legend just walked away.
...
Onigashima.
A giant of a man sat at the head of the room, drinking greedily from a gourd.
Around him were King, Queen, and the rest of the Beast Pirates' inner circle.
As for the future Tobi Roppo, they hadn't joined yet or were still children.
"The informant just reported back. Kozuki Oden's making his move."
King stepped forward, report in hand, addressing Kaido.
That foolish prince had danced for five years.
In that time, Ozz had gone from a nobody to a dominant force on the seas while Oden had been busy dancing.
But now, finally sensing something off, he planned to lead his retainers in a surprise attack on Kaido.
Too little, too late.
From beginning to end, he had never escaped Kaido's net.
Still, this was Kozuki Oden comrade to both Roger and Whitebeard.
They had to be ready.
He may be an idiot but no one could call him weak.
At his peak, he could stand toe-to-toe with Kaido.
"Relax. We outnumber them by a landslide. And we've got Kaido himself."
Orochi sneered with smug confidence. To him, this was unwinnable for Oden.
Just to be sure, he had even prepared a dirty little "surprise" to guarantee victory.
Oden's defeat was certain.
"King. Queen. Handle the ambush preparations."
Kaido grinned, eyes wild.
"As for me... I just want a damn good fight with that Kozuki bastard."