Ozz had roamed the world for years, and in all that time, aside from his own turf, there wasn't a single pleasure hall he'd visited where he hadn't paid up.
Except, of course, for scam joints.
To be honest, the moment he picked up on the conversation upstairs with his Observation Haki, he had already decided he wasn't paying.
"Judging by your tone, you were planning to rob me all along, huh? Hmph!"
The madam clearly had this setup prepped in advance. She probably expected Ozz to stiff them.
What she didn't know was that all the swordsmen lurking outside the door were already completely exposed in Ozz's mind's eye. To him, they might as well have been standing there stark naked.
"Get him!!!"
At her shout, a horde of swordsmen with topknots and drawn blades burst in, eyes fierce and murderous.
But the moment they crossed the threshold, it was as if time itself had frozen. Every single one of them halted mid-step, completely immobilized.
Even the foot of one swordsman, still mid-air, remained suspended like a scene paused in a painting.
"Boring. And here I was hoping to enjoy myself a little longer."
Ozz stood up and snapped his fingers. In an instant, his clothing shimmered and shifted back to his usual outfit.
In this frozen world, his tall figure walked forward hands in pockets, unhurried, unbothered.
With every step he took, another topknot fell to the floor.
By the time he exited the room and looked back, the inside had become a blood-soaked scene of carnage. The only one left was the madam, collapsed on the floor in a puddle of her own terror.
Ozz simply smiled.
"Go ahead. Tell your so-called samurai and your shogun."
"I'll be right here, waiting for him."
...
"I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die!!!"
Inside a massive chamber, a grotesque purple-haired man clutched his head and wailed like a child who had just lost his parents, completely devoid of the dignity expected of Wano's Shogun and ruler.
A petty man who stole a throne. This was what it amounted to.
Below him knelt a broad-shouldered man with a lazy eye, half his face shrouded in shadow.
Though his posture was deferential, the hatred and fury twisted into his expression were unmistakable.
This was Denjirou, disguised as Kyoshiro, who had infiltrated Orochi's side under the name of Kyoshiro the Mad.
Now, seeing this pitiful coward seated on the throne that rightfully belonged to Lord Oden, and thinking of the Kozuki family's annihilation, rage surged in his chest.
But Orochi wasn't paying attention to the face of his subordinate.
He was too busy panicking.
Because that monster was coming for him.
Although the borders of Wano had been shut tight and Orochi had never heard of Ozz's full name, just the reports alone were enough to terrify him. A monster who had gone toe-to-toe with Kaido, even forced him back.
He wasn't selling himself short. His underlings were useless. There was no way they could stop someone like that.
"Hurry! Call Kaido!!!"
His men brought him a Den Den Mushi without delay.
Ever since Oden had been eliminated, Kaido had lost interest in hanging around Wano, taking most of his crew back to Onigashima.
He left only a handful behind to manage the Beasts Pirates' affairs within the country.
Having secured control of Wano, Kaido's focus shifted to the development of his crew.
Aside from King and Queen, he had no noteworthy officers. His roster was embarrassingly thin.
There weren't enough Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, either, and Kaido had a dream: to build a true Beast Army.
Back on Onigashima.
Today, Kaido, for once, wasn't drinking. He sat with a foul look on his face, glaring at the small figure before him.
His child.
Yamato.
"You should be calling me Father, Yamato. Not Ozz!"
"No way!!! Lord Ozz is the coolest, strongest dad in the world!!"
Whack!!
A massive bump instantly formed on Yamato's head. Kaido didn't hold back. Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.
But the little gremlin was still stubborn, even through her sniffles.
"That hit... was almost worthy of my rival Ozz!!"
Her forehead swollen red, Yamato's eyes still sparkled with admiration as she role-played Ozz with unshakable conviction.
Kaido looked like he was about to explode.
Only after thoroughly beating his "son" unconscious did the grumbling father finally lower his club and sit down again, teeth grinding.
"Bring me a pair of exploding cuffs. Lock her up in Onigashima. That damn brat keeps screaming about setting out to sea to become a king like Ozz."
Kaido's face twisted in rage.
"What kind of king does she think she's gonna be?!"
Berurururu...
The Den Den Mushi rang urgently.
If it had been anyone else, in his current foul mood Kaido would've smashed the snail to bits.
But it was a call from Wano.
Click.
"What is it, Orochi?"
"Kaido!!! It's bad!!! That guy, Dottor Ozz, he's coming for me!!!"
(▼皿▼#)
Ozz again!!!
Facing the panicked, blubbering Orochi on the other end, Kaido took two deep swigs of booze, his deadly eyes boring through the Den Den Mushi like laser beams.
As much as he hated to admit it...
"Don't worry, Orochi."
At those words, the terrified shogun seemed to relax. He found comfort and reassurance in Kaido's calm tone and even managed a smile.
"You can handle him, right? Just like you took down Oden? That's great!!!"
"No..."
Gulp gulp gulp
Kaido calmly downed another drink.
"What I mean is, your worry is pointless."
"If Ozz wanted you dead, your head would already be rolling on the floor. Even if I were right there beside you, I couldn't stop him."
"Do you even understand what kind of monster he is?! That guy... even I'm not sure I could beat him!!!"
"Undefeated in solo combat."
"A one-man threat to the World Government."
"Singlehandedly swept through the entire underground world. A living nightmare to every power on the sea."
"If anyone could truly become King of this Era... it might be him."
Kaido, the man who usually cured youth of their kingly delusions with a swing of his club, actually acknowledged it:
Some people are just born to be kings.
In his mind, among the greatest figures at the pinnacle of the world, the image of Ozz's imperious profile was right up there.
A single name.
Enough to shake an entire era.
The gap between the old world and the age of absolute evil this twilight period belonged entirely to Ozz's solo performance.
As Kaido spoke, the weight behind those words, that recognition from a true powerhouse, made Orochi finally understand what the name "Ozz" truly meant.
And with that understanding came despair.
That grotesque face twisted in horror. His fear only deepened.
If he could, he would go back a few hours and sentence that idiotic madam to death for dragging this monster into their lives.
Click.
Looking at Orochi's hideous face through the Den Den Mushi, Kaido lost all desire to continue the conversation.
If Orochi died, they could just put another shogun on the throne. No reason to rush over.
After all, Wano wasn't going anywhere, and Ozz... was beyond Kaido's control.
Still, Kaido wasn't particularly worried.
From what he knew of Ozz, the man was unlikely to be aiming to conquer Wano.
If he really wanted the land, he wouldn't be sneaking around like this.
A man like him...
Had no need to.
...