"Boom!!!"
"What the hell was that?!"
At another open harbor on Sabaody Archipelago, countless people were preparing to board ships.
Then, without warning, a towering blast of water exploded from the sea, flipping a few small boats outright. Everyone whipped their heads toward the commotion.
A submarine was dragged up onto the surface.
"That's…"
Someone with good intel recognized the pirate insignia on its hull.
"A Supernova with a bounty over one hundred million… Trafalgar Law!!!"
Ozz's figure landed steadily on the shoreline. He rolled his shoulders like he'd only done a light workout, not even breathing hard.
"What do we do, Captain?!" Bepo was practically losing it, especially after hearing the name of the man Law had just spoken aloud.
"There's no choice…" Law's face was ugly, cold sweat pouring down. "We have to face him eventually."
"Room!!!"
A translucent dome snapped open, and the Heart Pirates were instantly shifted onto the shore as well.
Hawkins arrived a moment later.
As Ozz looked at Law, now grown into an adult, his clothing subtly changed, flowing into combat boots and military trousers with an open shirt.
That was his style back when he was young.
Law slowly raised his head. The shadow of his brim hid his eyes, making him look even darker, even more hostile.
"Long time no see, Mr. Ozz."
Ozz smiled.
"Sashiburi dana, Law…"
"Running without a word in front of your former benefactor is a bit rude, don't you think?"
"To me, you're a lot more terrifying than you are worthy of gratitude!!!"
Since escape was impossible, Law decided to struggle anyway. He drew his sword.
The Heart Pirates followed, entering combat stance.
Ozz lifted a hand, casually stopping Hawkins from rushing in.
"I'm not done playing yet."
Bepo was first to charge, his body surprisingly agile as he unleashed a flurry of combo punches.
Ozz shifted to the side and slipped past them effortlessly.
Then Jean Bart's heavy fist came crashing in. Two close range fighters harassed Ozz from both angles.
They still couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
Law wasn't surprised. He knew how terrifying Ozz was. Normal attacks meant nothing.
But still…
Law's gaze sharpened.
As long as he had the Ope Ope no Mi, he could create openings no one expected.
Jean Bart drew back a fully charged punch. In that split second, Law expanded his Room, aiming to swap Ozz directly into the punch's path so he'd take it clean.
But something felt wrong.
"Room: Shambles!!!"
The half sphere successfully covered Ozz's body. Law smiled with confidence, raised two fingers, and flicked upward.
But strangely…
Ozz didn't move an inch.
Instead, he smiled.
Law's instincts screamed. He shouted for his crew to retreat and flashed backward himself.
Too late.
Ozz lifted one hand as well, two fingers rising with a lazy motion.
"Teleport: Shambles!!!"
In an instant, Law appeared right in front of Ozz, forced to take Jean Bart's monstrous punch head on.
Bile shot up his throat.
Law dropped to his knees, shaking, choking on pain.
Once Law was down, Ozz lost interest in "playing" with the Heart Pirates.
He snapped his fingers.
Everyone was instantly grievously injured, collapsing where they stood.
Bepo watched as Hawkins dragged Law away. His round face was packed with unwilling rage.
Too bad he didn't have a Rumble Ball, so he couldn't become a Sulong.
And Ozz wasn't Van Augur either. He wasn't someone you could scare off with a few thrown rocks.
The Heart Pirates…
Defeated.
…
While Ozz was dealing with Law's group, Luffy and the others wandered through twists and turns and finally approached Area 23 of Sabaody.
But there, they ran into an enemy.
Beep beep beep.
"Straw Hat Luffy. Bounty: 300,000,000 Beli."
Facing a Pacifista that looked exactly like Kuma, the Straw Hats were dragged into a brutal fight. Everyone had to give everything they had just to barely take down one unit.
"I told you! Catching pirates should be the Marines' job!!!"
A fat man wearing a red haramaki stomped in, carrying a massive axe.
Behind him came a brand new Pacifista.
"Get lost! I'm not here for you guys!!!"
Luffy looked wrecked, but he understood. If another Pacifista joined, they wouldn't survive.
So he made the call.
Split up, retreat first, regroup at Area 23.
Sentomaru wasn't about to allow that.
"PX 4. Stop them!!!"
He hefted his axe, ready to chase.
A figure stepped into his path.
"Sorry, but those guys are my target. Could you stop for a moment?"
Standing before the Pacifista as if lasers meant nothing, a tall man spoke with one hand in his pocket, utterly casual.
Sentomaru froze, then sweat broke out on his face.
"Saint Ozz!!!"
"Shouldn't it be Saint Ozz… sir?" Ozz replied.
They'd met plenty of times at Vegapunk's place, so they weren't strangers.
But after Vegapunk started doing research for Ozz, Sentomaru hadn't dealt with him much anymore.
"You're doing dangerous secret research with Uncle Vegapunk. What exactly are you planning?!"
Ozz only turned and waved his hand.
"That's none of your business."
"PX 4, keep Sentomaru here."
"What?!" Sentomaru's eyes bulged. He tried to rush past, but the Pacifista beside him suddenly blocked the way.
"PX 4, what are you doing?!"
The only response was the Pacifista's cold mechanical voice.
"Higher order command detected."
"Damn it!!! Is this because of his Celestial Dragon status?!"
Sentomaru bit down hard. He thought it was simply the Government's clearance hierarchy, that Ozz could command Pacifista because he was a Celestial Dragon.
…
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats split into three teams and headed toward Area 23.
But at three different entrances, every team stopped dead.
Entrance A.
Sanji, Franky, and Robin sprinted forward, then abruptly froze.
Sanji's cigarette fell from his lips and hit the ground. Robin's pupils shook violently.
A black haired man stood there, smoking, one hand in his pocket.
Demon King Wind Leg: Ozz
Entrance B.
Zoro led Brook and Usopp. Their steps slowed, then halted.
Usopp's legs went soft.
A man approached one step at a time, eyes razor sharp, a black blade at his waist.
Divine Departure: Ozz
And at Entrance C.
Chopper, Nami, and Luffy stopped hard, like they'd run into a wall.
Before them stood a figure calmly rolling up his sleeves.
Fist Bone: Ozz
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