"Hm? Say it are you still going to rely on me or not?"
The skies were bright and clear, sunlight pouring over the sea.
The night before had been anything but peaceful. Amid thunder and lightning, the so-called King of Boarding, feared as one of the terrors of the New World, had been utterly crushed by the so-called King of the Next Era.
Jack the Drought still couldn't believe it.
One moment he had been bellowing orders aboard his mammoth-prowed ship, the next he had been slapped across the deck like a child. His proud tusks shattered, blood spurting from his mouth, his body sent flying like driftwood. In an instant, the mammoth ship had been reduced to ashes upon the waves, while he himself had been dragged, unconscious, onto the flamingo-shaped vessel.
When he finally came to, he was bound tight in seastone chains, every muscle screaming with frustration only to find Ozz casually sitting on his back, one leg crossed over the other as if Jack were nothing more than a stool.
"You bastard!!!"
Jack's bloodshot eyes burned with rage. He strained violently, chains rattling like thunder, desperate to rise and fight again. But no matter how he thrashed, the seastone shackles held firm.
Adding insult to injury, one of his broken tusks now lay discarded on the deck. Anyone could tell who it had belonged to.
"I heard Zoan fruits especially the Ancient types have strong recovery. That mean your tusks will grow back after a while?"
Ozz tapped the broken ivory with his finger, chuckling.
"That'd fetch a nice price. Not that I need the money."
He said it as a joke, but his calm, mocking tone gnawed at Jack worse than the chains ever could.
Ozz was having fun. Jack… was not.
Doflamingo was even less amused.
He had braced himself for Kaido or one of his calamities. Instead, the "towering horned monster" turned out to be Jack, still green compared to the true beasts of the New World.
What a disgrace.
And yet, while Jack lay humiliated, another shadow soared in the distance.
High above the clouds, a giant black bird beat its wings, sharp eyes sweeping the sea.
"Where did that fool Jack run off to…?"
King, the wildfire, had lost him during the storm. When he tried to re-establish contact, there had been no response.
Did the storm drag him under?
King muttered curses under his breath until his gaze caught the flamingo ship gliding across the waves. With his piercing sight, he could make out Jack, chained and beaten on the deck.
And worse… who sat atop him.
…
"You fly fast, King."
Ozz's Observation Haki had sensed the massive bird long before it appeared. He could have dragged King down from the skies on a whim. But he didn't.
He hadn't come looking for fights. This trip was supposed to be a vacation. If he wanted real war, he'd stroll into Totto Land or Onigashima and pick a duel with a Yonko himself.
For Jack, though? A little playtime never hurt.
"Hey, dumb elephant," Ozz said, rising from Jack's back. He hefted the massive broken tusk in one hand, weighing it like a toy.
"Go tell Kaido this. If he wants the artificial Devil Fruits, I'm willing to make a deal. But if he ever tries sneaky tricks like this again…"
Ozz's eyes glowed crimson, his grin sharp as a blade.
"…I'll visit Onigashima myself. And I'll show him what real scheming looks like."
Before Jack could spit a reply, Ozz grabbed him by the remaining tusk and, with effortless strength, hoisted the six-meter giant into the air.
"Off you go!"
He leaned back and hurled him like a basketball shot.
Splash!
Jack hit the waves with a deafening crash, vanishing beneath the surface.
"Uh… Ozz-sama, Jack's a Devil Fruit user…" Doflamingo tried to warn.
Ozz waved him off.
"It's fine. He's a Fish-Man. He won't drown. He can breathe underwater just fine."
…
The flamingo ship docked at Dressrosa.
"Dressrosa is full of delights, Ozz-sama arenas, food, dancers…" Doflamingo explained eagerly as they disembarked.
A full parade awaited them. Rows of Donquixote officers and soldiers lined the streets. Women threw flowers, crowds cheered, and a long red carpet stretched toward the palace.
"Welcome!!!"
"Ozz-sama!!!"
"So handsome!!!"
Ozz's face stayed calm, though a faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"This kind of reception… a little over the top, don't you think?"
Doflamingo chuckled, bowing low.
"Not at all. They truly adore and respect you, Ozz-sama."
The avenue was dazzling with music, color, and smiling faces. If one didn't know the truth behind Dressrosa, it might truly look like a utopia.
"This world is always like this…"
The words slipped from Ozz's mouth, casual yet heavy.
Doflamingo blinked. "What do you mean by that, Ozz-sama?"
"Nothing. Just don't overplay your hand, Doflamingo."
Among the cheering citizens were toy soldiers, their movements mechanical, their smiles lifeless. Doflamingo had built his kingdom on lies and fear but Ozz didn't particularly care.
What would he do? Save them all? Restore them like Straw Hat Luffy would in another time, and earn their eternal gratitude?
Ozz had no need for the thanks of a tiny kingdom.
His gaze shifted.
Sitting quietly among the officers was a small girl in a hood, green hair peeking from beneath. Her fingers were stacked with blueberries, which she nibbled one by one, lost in her own little world.
Her name was Sugar.
In another timeline, she would only join Doflamingo years later. But Ozz's interference had already changed that.
She had eaten the Hobi Hobi no Mi the Hobby-Hobby Fruit. An absurdly powerful fruit, one Ozz normally would have kept for himself. But Doflamingo had hidden its full potential, reporting its existence but downplaying the ability. A dangerous gamble but one that had worked.
"Your name… is Sugar, right?"
Ozz beckoned her over with a smile. He disliked raising children, but he had a soft spot for quiet, obedient ones.
Sugar froze, eyes darting toward Doflamingo.
The Warlord's grin faltered. His palms were sweaty. But he could only nod.
"Don't be afraid, Sugar. Ozz-sama just wants to play for a moment."
"Yes, yes… go on," Trebol urged, his grotesque body looming nearby. The officers were frantic, terrified she might panic. If her powers triggered uncontrollably, Dressrosa would plunge into chaos.
Sugar rose hesitantly and walked toward Ozz.
He extended a hand, calm and gentle, as if coaxing a normal child.
She instinctively reached out, the same way she had touched countless others under Doflamingo's orders.
"No, Ozz-sama!!! You can't touch her hand!!!"
The officers' cries rose in horror.
But Ozz's smile didn't fade.
And in the next heartbeat, Sugar's small hand landed softly in his.
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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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