Marine Headquarters — Marineford!
The patrol ship captained by Colonel Dick slowly pulled into port, anchoring alongside the docks of Marineford.
While Colonel Dick anxiously scoured the crowd in search of his "distinguished guest," Ozz slipped off the ship unnoticed, his figure quietly vanishing into the heart of Marineford.
Strolling leisurely across the headquarters' grounds, hands in his pockets, Ozz moved as though he were returning home.
"So this is Marineford, huh? Gotta admit, there really are some big shots here."
Within the exaggerated radius of Ozz's Observation Haki, he could clearly sense several powerful auras emanating from the central command tower—individuals whose strength rivaled that of Rayleigh or even Captain Roger himself.
If it really came down to a fight, Ozz knew he wouldn't necessarily have the upper hand. After all, powerhouses like Garp and Sengoku were likely still stationed here at HQ.
Not that he had any intention of causing a scene.
Ozz had come here with a simple plan: find a warship bound for Impel Down, quietly sneak aboard, and pay Captain Roger a visit.
Given Marineford's proximity to the underwater prison, and the fact that it housed the largest concentration of elite marines in the world, the number of pirates being transferred there was staggering.
Which worked perfectly in Ozz's favor.
He didn't need to aim for the high-security ships carrying world-shaking criminals—there were always plenty of small fry from Impel Down's lower levels, pirates with bounties in the tens of millions at most. Those didn't require an admiral escort or constant surveillance by the prison chief.
He swept the docks with Observation Haki but didn't detect any transport ships headed that way.
"No rush," Ozz thought. "There's no way none of these ships are bound for Impel Down. It's the Marine Headquarters, for crying out loud."
Sure, he could always just warp inside the prison by force if needed, but having the Marines unknowingly provide cover? That'd make things a lot smoother—just like how Luffy snuck into Marineford hidden beneath Boa Hancock's cloak.
So for now, he chose to wait.
And while waiting, why not enjoy a little sightseeing?
Maybe it was the way he'd ruffled up his hair after disembarking, creating a couple of casual bangs that changed his silhouette—
But as he wandered through the base, not only did no one raise an alarm, he even received several polite salutes from passing marines.
"Good afternoon, Rear Admiral, sir!"
"Afternoon," Ozz replied with a nod, glancing down at the young sailor beside him.
That made ten salutes so far.
What else could he say? This was the world of One Piece—where everyone had muscles for brains. Just changing your hairstyle and outfit was enough to throw them all off.
Wandering through this place, revered as sacred ground by pirates the world over, Ozz came to realize that Marineford wasn't quite like it appeared in the manga. It wasn't just a giant military fortress.
The truth was, the actual operational and administrative zones of the Marine HQ were only a portion of Marineford.
Surrounding that core were bustling residential districts filled with naval families and everyday civilians. Apartment buildings, markets, diners, bars...
And thanks to the security presence of the Navy itself, this might just be the safest and most livable city Ozz had ever seen.
Unlike other countries or islands, no matter how prosperous they appeared, one visit from a vicious pirate could turn them into a living hell overnight.
As evening approached,
In a restaurant nestled within the residential district, groups of marines came in off-duty, some just finishing missions, others wrapping up their shifts.
They laughed, linked arms, ordered generous helpings of food and a few barrels of beer to wash it all down.
"Glug-glug-glug... AH! Damn, that hits the spot!"
A young sailor, wearing only his marine-issued tank top, downed an entire keg in one go before exhaling with a satisfied grin.
They chatted idly, grumbling about the day's workload.
"This is the only time in the whole day we get to relax. I'm dead on my feet, man."
"Not much we can do. Only a week left until the Pirate King's execution. HQ's on full lockdown right now."
"Tch. What's the big deal anyway? He's already been caught by Vice Admiral Garp! We've got a hero like him on our side, what's to worry about?"
They rambled on, tossing around bold opinions and complaints. A few extra drinks in, and some even started openly criticizing HQ's orders.
Just as one of the marines was about to spout something reckless, a nearby sailor—who'd been casually sipping his beer—happened to glance toward the restaurant entrance.
Then, as if he'd seen a ghost, he spat out his beer in shock.
"What the hell was that for?!" his soaked buddy barked, annoyed.
"Shut up!!"
Before anyone could react, the man shot to his feet, snapping into perfect military posture, sweat beading on his forehead as he stared dead ahead.
The others blinked, confused—until he shouted:
"GOOD AFTERNOON, REAR ADMIRAL, SIR!!"
"...Eh?!"
Even the densest of them finally caught on. A mad scramble ensued as they leapt to their feet, chairs crashing to the floor, every man standing stiffly at attention.
We're dead. We're so dead...
Every face was drenched in cold sweat.
They'd just been caught badmouthing HQ by a real-life rear admiral. That had to count as undermining morale. Would they be court-martialed?
Especially the guy who'd been shouting loudest. He looked like he was about to throw up from sheer regret.
Standing before them now, casually walking into the civilian restaurant instead of dining in the officer's mess...
Was none other than Ozz.
"Uh..."
Ozz was momentarily speechless.
"I just came here to grab dinner, and this is what I walk into?"
He rubbed his forehead.
"Carry on. Eat your meals. Don't mind me."
"Y-Yes, sir!!"
They watched him head to the counter, place an order, and then take a seat by the window, gazing out at the sunset like he hadn't heard a thing.
Only after confirming that Ozz wasn't going to punish them did the marines start breathing again. Slowly, they eased back into their seats.
"Thank the heavens, he's a kind officer... I thought we were done for."
"No kidding. I've heard some higher-ups are super strict—like Rear Admiral Sakazuki."
"Still... I've been stationed at HQ for years, but I don't think I've ever seen that rear admiral before. That's odd."
"What are you talking about? He looked really familiar to me. Like I've seen him somewhere just recently."
"Yeah, same here! I just can't put my finger on it."
Their murmured conversation didn't escape Ozz's ears.
"Must've seen my bounty poster," he guessed.
But if they were already mistaking him for a marine just based on a hairstyle and uniform, there was no way they'd connect the dots properly.
Still, the fact that even a so-called "nobody" like him from Roger's crew was becoming recognizable to the general public...
Showed just how deeply the new age, ushered in by Captain Roger, had begun to take root.
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