"How could this be..."
Nami's face was still being held in Ozz's hand. After hearing those words, she looked as if she had suffered a tremendous shock. Even her pupils began to tremble.
What kind of shameless method was that?
When the situation turned against him, he used force to create an even worse outcome, then forced fate itself to compromise?
"You're completely bullying people weaker than you!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Hearing that classic hero-questioning-a-villain line, Ozz only found it amusing.
"Well, if you insist on thinking that way, then I suppose I am."
Ozz pinched Nami's cheek and leaned closer, his smile looking every bit like a villain's.
"There's no such thing as fairness in this world to begin with."
Everyone here was out at sea living this life, so there was no point pretending to be righteous. The Straw Hats were just a group of second-generation elites and talent monsters. Ordinary people did not even know what Haki was.
Ozz released Nami, then snapped his fingers.
Circles of black spatial restraints appeared around Nami's wrists, suspending her in midair.
With that same snap, Robin, who had already signed the contract selling her life, also vanished.
The two beauties were now suspended in the void with their hands raised above them like a scene from a certain kind of special anime, while Ozz sat in the chair between them.
"Robin!"
Seeing Robin disappear, Luffy's expression changed drastically, and he shouted.
He immediately tried to rush forward.
But before he could get far, a stream of sand flew over.
A kick struck Luffy in the stomach and sent him flying back.
"What..."
Luffy clutched his stomach and looked ahead. The swirling sand slowly formed into a figure.
That gloomy face was staring at Luffy while slowly exhaling smoke.
"Don't even think about acting recklessly, Straw Hat. I've been watching you this whole time."
Crocodile still had not forgotten Luffy. After all, this was the man who had personally sent him to prison.
Brook and the others wanted to move, but just before they could take a step, a large hand blocked them.
"Zoro?"
For some reason, Zoro had stretched out his hand to stop them. His face was grave, and sweat ran down his forehead.
"Don't move..."
He stared fixedly at the man whose sharp eye was exposed beneath the brim of his hat.
"Tch..."
"If you take another step, that man will cut you in half!"
Mihawk, who had been resting at the side while sipping red wine, had unknowingly turned his gaze toward them. His black blade rested beside his chair, ready to be drawn at any moment and unleash a sky-splitting slash.
Whatever game Ozz wanted to play with them, Crocodile and Mihawk did not care. They only watched calmly from the side.
But if anyone tried to attack...
No matter how they put it, Ozz was still their boss in a certain sense. They could not allow a bunch of brats to offend him however they pleased.
In fact, it was not only the Straw Hat Pirates.
Even Gild Tesoro and his subordinates were within Mihawk and Crocodile's field of scrutiny. After all, Ozz's move did not break the rules, but it was certainly dirty.
The temptation he offered was immense, and naturally, the price they had to pay was just as immense.
Their most precious thing.
Mihawk thought about it for a moment. If he lost a bet and could never hold a sword again for the rest of his life, then he would probably lose part of the meaning of his existence.
That was something no one could accept.
That was why, to prevent the losers from going mad and taking desperate action, he became serious at once.
However, aside from Tesoro himself, Tesoro's side was basically just a group of small fry.
At most, Baccarat, who had eaten a conceptually broken Devil Fruit, might become somewhat troublesome if she absorbed enough luck.
As for a muscular brute and a big-headed man who could pass through walls...
They were just there to fill the numbers.
Of course, Tesoro and his subordinates did not have the courage to go back on their word either.
Just as no one who lost to Tesoro dared to refuse payment.
After all, Ozz had already come here once before. Even after being drenched in gold dust and surrounded by several pirates with bounties close to a billion, not even the corner of his clothes had been dirtied.
It made him look as if he were the true user of the Gold-Gold Fruit.
"Well, well."
Ozz lowered his crossed leg, stood up from his chair, and walked in front of both sides.
"No need to look so gloomy."
"Did you misunderstand something? From the very beginning, I said the wager was only one wish."
Ozz's scarlet eyes turned toward Luffy, then toward Tesoro, and he smiled.
"In other words, only one side needs to pay the price."
"Meaning..."
"One of you can still protect what is most precious to you."
"Really?"
Luffy instantly became excited when he heard that, and the Straw Hats also cried out in surprise.
Tesoro's eyes lit up as well.
In that case, the game was not over yet. Even if he could not obtain that dreamlike all-purpose wish, there was still a chance he would not lose anything.
"Of course it's true."
Ozz smiled and spread his arms.
Boundless power began to reveal itself.
Starting from the VIP room, the entire Gran Tesoro began to tremble.
Everyone watched the scene unfold in panic.
The gold seemed to come alive. Countless streets and buildings began to flow, gradually transforming into an entirely new shape.
The void restraints around Nami and Robin's wrists disappeared, and the two returned to their crew.
Ozz brought Mihawk, Crocodile, Tesoro, and the others to the top of a golden tower, overlooking the island-sized Gran Tesoro below.
Luffy and the others widened their eyes, watching everything on the ship change. They looked up toward the tower.
In the next instant, a Transponder Snail appeared in Luffy's hand.
"Come then."
"Fight with everything you have. Fight for the chance to protect what matters most to you."
"I'll place a box at the top of the tower. Tesoro's side will defend it, and the Straw Hat side will try to seize it. The side that wins in the end will be spared the punishment of the wager."
Ozz snapped his fingers with one hand.
A small black box appeared in his hand, and he handed it to Tesoro.
"Come."
"Let me see your resolve to stake everything."
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