"Enemy attack!!!"
Buggy shouted in panic as the pirate fleet descended from the skies—but his voice was quickly cut short.
A large hand landed on his head. It was Captain Roger.
"Calm down, Buggy. Get ready for battle."
Looking up, he was met with Roger's ever-composed face, a look that seemed unshakable no matter the storm.
"Sashi-buri da na! Shiki!!"
"Roger!!!"
At the bow of a warship adorned with a massive golden lion's head, standing tall among dozens of ships in the fleet, a man with flowing golden hair looked down upon them.
"That's what a real pirate looks like…"
Even from afar, Ozz could feel the crushing presence of a top-tier powerhouse.
Former officer of the Rocks Pirates. One of the three rulers of the New World.
Golden Lion Shiki.
"I've said this a thousand times already, Roger," Shiki said grandly, his long cloak billowing as he puffed on a cigar. "We may have had our grudges when we were young, but let's put all that behind us."
"With the world-ending weapon in your hands, and my forces and plans, we could dominate the world. You, as my right—"
Bang—
Before he could finish, a gunshot cracked through the air.
Who dared...?
Who would interrupt the Supreme Commander's speech? Surely, they'd be killed on the spot!
Cold sweat dripped from the foreheads of the Flying Pirates' crew as they turned toward the source of the shot.
"Sigh… I figured it wouldn't work." A soft voice came from Roger's side.
A black bullet, still spinning from its impact, had embedded itself into Shiki's Armament Haki-hardened face before losing momentum and plummeting into the sea.
Shiki's words died in his throat.
A vein bulged on his forehead as his eyes locked onto the one responsible—
A young man with long hair in military dress. His rifle still smoked faintly from the shot.
Ozz.
"You little bastard!!!"
"You're dead meat!!!"
The Flying Pirates erupted with rage. Shiki's authority had been insulted, and to them, that was unforgivable.
But those foolish enough to shout were swiftly silenced—each one caught in the crosshairs of Ozz's observation-enhanced sniping.
His pupils flickered with red light. The barrels of his weapons glowed ominously.
Bullets wrapped in future-sight and Armament Haki—unless someone had stronger Observation Haki than him, their only hope was to block with overwhelming Armament force.
Non-officers? They dropped like flies. One shot, one kill.
"Hahaha!!! That's my answer, Shiki!!" Captain Roger burst into laughter.
Shiki's face turned crimson with rage. "So you're saying… you want me to kill you here, is that it?!"
"No," Roger grinned, eyes burning. "We're saying we're going to crush all of you."
The first shot of war had already been fired—by Ozz.
What followed was a clash of titanic fury.
At first, Ozz fired off a few more black shots, sniping targets from afar. But as enemy ships drew closer, he slung his rifle over his shoulder, drew the long blade at his hip, and vanished with a burst of Shave.
Many low-tier pirates didn't even see him coming—just suddenly found deep wounds carved into their bodies.
But soon enough, one of the enemy officers came charging in.
A hulking brute, easily over four meters tall. Ozz vaguely remembered him—some captain or squad leader in the Flying Pirates. He never paid much attention to unfamiliar faces.
"That kid's toast for sure! He actually dared take on Captain Dark—he'll be torn to pieces!"
The grunts jeered from a distance, too afraid to come near Ozz themselves. From their view, it was a guaranteed beatdown: a scrawny 5'3" kid versus a towering beast.
But Dark, the brute, didn't look as confident.
In fact, a bead of sweat formed on his brow.
He felt something from this kid—an aura of pure danger.
"There is no victory in your future."
Ozz raised his black blade, one hand gripping it casually. His Armament Haki wasn't yet perfect—he was still young—but he could wrap his weapon in it well enough.
He chased thrills and combat for a reason—to temper his Haki and build his name.
The dream Roger had painted for the world? He planned to claim it all.
Wealth. Fame. Power...
Boom—
The deck beneath them cracked and buckled. Pirates were sent flying.
Dark charged, his fists glowing pitch-black, and launched a thunderous punch at Ozz.
Clang—
Thick smoke billowed out.
But when the haze cleared, the scene wasn't what anyone expected.
That slim figure in the military coat hadn't budged an inch.
Ozz had blocked the punch—barehanded—coated in Armament Haki.
"Good strength," he said with icy disdain, "but you're slow as a snail."
The sneer, the mockery—it hit Dark like a gut punch. His face twisted in fury as he unleashed a flurry of attacks.
Perfect.
Ozz smiled faintly. These were his favorite kinds of opponents—blinded by rage, easy to read.
To be fair, Dark's Armament Haki was stronger. Ozz admitted that.
But when Ozz wanted to fight head-on, he exchanged a few blows. And when he didn't? He danced around him, dodging with ease.
Each move sharpened his technique. His Haki was still evolving.
Meanwhile, Dark was fuming. So frustrated he was nearly entering "Life Return" out of pure desperation.
He had thought it'd be easy—punish a little punk who disrespected the Commander, earn credit, and avoid fighting the real monsters in Roger's crew.
Turned out this brat was tougher than he looked. And obnoxiously good at trash talk.
"Guh…!!"
Another punch.
Dark felt it connect—finally, solid impact!
But wait—something was wrong.
A chill swept down his spine.
How…? This force—it's not possible for a kid!
Ozz had grabbed his punch and locked it in place. Dark couldn't pull free.
The kid's strength… was overwhelming.
Dark's eyes widened in horror.
Ozz looked bored. "You're all brawn, no refinement. Your Haki grows slower than a beating from the captain."
"Fog-lunged pirate."
He twisted his lips in disgust and, with seemingly impossible strength, spun Dark into the air like a ragdoll.
Cries of shock erupted from nearby pirates as their captain was flung through the sky.
Dark tried desperately to stabilize himself—failed.
Ozz let go, and Dark flew straight into another ship.
Where he was immediately flattened by one of Jabba's axe swings.
With that annoyance gone, Ozz decided to go all in. The cannon fodder was mostly cleared, and he launched himself with Moonwalk + Shave back toward the bow of the Oro Jackson.
Shanks and Buggy were there, back-to-back, fending off waves of enemies.
"One-Sword Style: Black Flash!"
A sweeping arc of black energy tore through the crowd. Ozz carved a path through the enemies and reunited with them.
"Awesome! It's Ozz! Ozz—get over here!"
The battle had turned brutal. Even with Roger's crew full of elites, the sheer scale of the assault was overwhelming.
No one could afford to protect three kids in the middle of a storm.
Buggy put on a brave face, but his nerves were frayed.
And then Ozz arrived—like a blade of light in the darkness.