Drought Jack?
Ozz blinked, then smirked as the memory surfaced.
The so-called monster with a bounty over a billion, tusks worth nearly another billion?
He snorted. That guy? Honestly, a fully awakened Doflamingo with decent mastery of Armament and Observation Haki could probably handle him. Did Ozz really need to lift a finger?
Using a cannon to swat a mosquito where was the fun in that?
But then he reconsidered. Doffy, still young and unpolished, hadn't truly sharpened his Haki. Awakening wasn't even on the horizon yet. Against a Beasts Pirates All-Star, he might not stand a chance after all.
Ozz's interest dipped. His earlier excitement fizzled out, replaced by laziness.
He accepted the glass of orange juice Baby 5 offered, stretched out on his sofa, and let the little maid knead his shoulders.
Eyes half-lidded, he stared up at the drifting white clouds above the flamingo-shaped ship. Doflamingo wisely stayed quiet, tugging his feathered coat tighter and hiding behind the rustle of his newspaper.
Then Ozz's gaze sharpened. A stray thought had hooked him, tugging at threads of the future.
He remembered whispers of an organization the Cross Guild. Something about it had always felt unfinished. Now the missing piece clicked into place.
He broke the silence.
"Tell me something, Doffy."
Doflamingo paused mid-page, lowering the paper slightly. "Yes, Ozz-sama?"
Ozz's voice was calm, casual, as though discussing dinner, yet the words made Doflamingo's scalp prickle.
"Who do you think the next Pirate King will be?"
Doflamingo froze. His mind raced, searching for an answer. But before he could speak, Ozz cut in, scarlet eyes glinting.
"You don't need to mention me. I'm not interested in that throne."
Doflamingo's breath caught. Impossible. Until this moment, he had assumed no, everyone had assumed that the Black Emperor was destined to claim the One Piece. That once Ozz entered the stage, the crown of Pirate King was as good as his.
But here Ozz was, dismissing it with a shrug.
The empty throne was still empty. The question of who would sit on it burned anew.
If Ozz had wanted it, no one would have dared resist. But if he truly didn't… then who among the monsters of the sea could seize that crown?
The Emperors who ruled the New World?
The Seven Warlords, those "silver-ranked" monsters Ozz had gathered under his shadow?
Or some yet-unseen pirates of the new era?
Doffy's mind spun further. The Marines, the Revolutionaries, the Gorosei, even the shadows of the Celestial Dragons none could be ignored in the struggle. Allies, betrayals, wars. The future reeked of blood.
If Ozz stayed out, then the stage would erupt into the greatest war for supremacy the seas had ever seen. The biggest scramble in pirate history.
"Fufufu… fufufufufu…"
Instead of dread, Doflamingo felt a thrill coil in his veins. Chaos was his playground. Still, he tempered himself, answering carefully.
"The throne will attract many monsters. But if I must name the likeliest candidate… it will be whoever Ozz-sama decides to support."
It was the truth. Whoever Ozz backed would soar. Whoever he opposed would sink.
Ozz smiled faintly. Not wrong. He had the power to anoint kings if he chose. But he had once made a promise to Roger never to abuse the Eternal Poses for that purpose. Unless the seas truly demanded it, he would not intervene so directly.
"Then, if I wanted someone to be Pirate King, Doffy… you'd support my choice, wouldn't you?"
Doflamingo's grin widened. "Of course."
He didn't dare dream Ozz would hand him the throne. But even being part of the camp of the next Pirate King that alone was a prize worth seizing.
Ozz was satisfied. Unlike Crocodile's rebellious streak or Mihawk's aloof independence, Doflamingo was willing to play along. At least he'd add spice to the game of thrones Ozz was quietly arranging.
For Buggy's stage to shine, I'll need some heavy hitters propping him up…
It was a long game, and Ozz was patient. He didn't need to move his own pieces just yet.
The voyage drifted on. The skies darkened, clouds knotting overhead. The New World's weather was always erratic. Ozz, drowsy and content, didn't bother to disperse the storm.
With maids in tow, he retired to the most lavish cabin aboard, ready for a proper nap.
Night fell. Rain lashed the decks. Aside from the lookouts and the helmsman, the crew sheltered below.
And in that storm, trouble arrived.
CRACK !
A fork of lightning split the sky. Through the downpour, a massive silhouette loomed. A newly built warship, prow crowned with the carved head of a mammoth.
On its deck, soaked to the bone, a hulking boy stood. Barely into his teens, yet already towering, his muscles corded, his skin weathered by the sea. His breath steamed in the cold storm air.
Jack. The Mammoth. The newest calamity of the Beasts Pirates.
"Jack-sama!" a crewman shouted over the gale. The man looked like a primitive Viking, hair plastered to his face by rain. "The storm is too violent! Commander King's squad hasn't caught up yet. Shouldn't we wait?"
"That's the Black Emperor's ship out there!" another cried, fear lacing his tone. "That flamingo hull belongs to Doflamingo!"
But Jack's eyes burned red with battle lust. He was young, reckless, and drunk on Kaido's approval. Having eaten the Ancient Zoan: Zou Zou no Mi, Model: Mammoth he had been rocketed to the rank of All-Star. And now, on his first major mission, he was desperate to prove himself.
He cared nothing for storms. Nothing for reinforcements.
Only for blood.
His tusk-like blades gleamed in the lightning flash. He bared his teeth, voice a guttural roar.
"Black Emperor? Hah. Just another name."
"Bring the ship alongside! NOW!"
The Beasts Pirates roared in answer, sails straining against the storm, the mammoth-headed ship lunging through the waves straight toward Ozz's vessel.
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The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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