Year 1497 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
With only a few months left until Captain Roger's surrender, the former members of the Roger Pirates began to disband and vanish without a trace.
Sabaody Archipelago, Red Light District.
It was early evening. While most people were winding down after a long day's work—savoring quiet meals with family and the comfort of home—this place was just beginning to come alive.
Inside a lavish building at the heart of the district, in a private office glowing with warm lamplight, a long-haired young man reclined in a plush chair, eyes closed, hands behind his head, utterly relaxed.
Behind him, a silver-haired girl—barely more than a teen—pressed her delicate fingers into his temples with focused precision, her water-clear eyes never leaving his face.
The boy looked completely at ease, a faint smile lingering on his lips. By his side sat a small tray stacked with fruit juices. Whenever he lifted a hand, the black-haired girl nearby would quickly bring a glass to his lips.
When he wasn't eating or drinking, that same black-haired girl would stretch her long, fair legs out over the armrests of his chair, allowing him to use them as makeshift supports.
"Hmm…"
Catching a slight furrow in the young man's brow, the silver-haired girl hesitated, then bent close and whispered in his ear,
"Lord Ozz, is… is there something that displeases you?"
"…No, nothing," Ozz replied with a sigh.
He wasn't upset. He was just regretting the fact that the good times never lasted long. It was nearly time to return to training.
The young man lounging in that chair, surrounded by beauty and indulgence, was none other than Ozz, more than a month removed from his departure from the Roger Pirates.
Gently moving the girl's hands away from his temples, Ozz leaned forward, using the black-stockinged legs beside him to push himself upright.
On the desk before him rested a black blade and a long spear—both gleaming, both meticulously maintained by the same girls now nervously watching his every move.
"Oh my, oh my… Did these two girls fail to serve you properly, Lord Ozz?"
The door swung open.
A mature woman stepped inside, holding a small handbag. She wore a tight-fitting pencil skirt that hugged her curves, long shapely legs extending beneath it, and a low neckline that left little to the imagination. She was the kind of woman who radiated confidence and seduction, the natural allure of a woman at the peak of her power.
Seeing Ozz sit up, she hurried over with concern in her eyes, clearly misinterpreting his movements as dissatisfaction.
The two girls beside him immediately stiffened.
Ozz noticed.
He gave a casual shrug. "Not at all, Madam Sami. I just… felt like stretching my legs."
At his reply, Sami blinked—then smiled, resting one hand against her cheek in a coquettish pose. A faint blush touched her face.
Her eyes seemed to say: So… you're finally ready.
"If you're in the mood, I'll have a room prepared for you right away."
"Huh?" Ozz blinked, then quickly understood. She'd misunderstood his intentions.
"No—no. Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi are doing just fine. But… maybe give it another couple of years."
Though his body was fully functional now—by all accounts a grown man in a boy's skin—Ozz had no intention of diving headfirst into indulgence at fourteen. What if it stunted his potential? What if it weakened him down the line?
Strength was everything. And pleasure could wait.
Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi were names Ozz had given the two girls. Ever since Madam Sami, the "mama" of the red light district, had offered them to him as a gesture of goodwill, their fates had been tied to his.
Even their names were his to decide.
Yes, that's right.
A young man had come to the red light district.
Call it a brothel, a pleasure quarter, a house of blossoms—the meaning was the same.
And Madam Sami was the queen of it all. A self-made woman who had clawed her way up from nothing. She had taken in countless fallen girls, enslaved women, and unfortunate souls, building an empire out of pain and survival.
But as her domain grew, so did her troubles.
Exorbitant taxes from the World Government.
Marine officers who arrived with soldiers in tow and walked out without paying.
Pirates causing chaos.
One by one, power-hungry men tried to take everything she'd built. For the first time, Sami—a woman of unbreakable will—was forced to admit the bitter truth:
The weak… have no power.
And so, she changed her strategy.
Instead of fighting, she'd offer sacrifice. Instead of resisting, she'd seek protection. She would offer up pieces of her empire—even most of it—if it meant finding a patron strong enough to keep her alive.
This was the wisdom of those who had survived the system.
Then, as if the heavens themselves heard her prayers, Ozz appeared—newly disembarked from the Roger Pirates, strength unparalleled, bounty soaring into the hundreds of millions.
After a cordial negotiation, the two struck a deal without so much as raising their voices:
A man with only strength.
A woman who needed only strength.
If Ozz agreed to be her protector, Sami would give him half or more of her net profits as payment.
And within his territory? He'd have full, unrestricted access to anything and everything.
It didn't take Ozz long to accept. He'd been looking for a base of operations—and this was as good as any.
Thus began the most luxurious days of Ozz's young life.
A seamless pipeline of pleasure, pampering, and power. Sami's all-inclusive service packages left even his iron will shaken. There were moments—fleeting but real—when Ozz considered staying here forever.
But reason won out in the end.
He knew exactly why he was being treated like royalty. It wasn't him they were serving—it was his name, his reputation, his power.
A former crewmate of the Pirate King.
A New World pirate with a bounty in the hundreds of millions.
If he let himself rot in luxury, if he stopped growing…
He'd be a damn fool.
So now, aside from the occasional massage or meal at the red light district, Ozz spent the vast majority of his time training on a deserted island far from the archipelago.
But for Ozz, whose eyes could warp space and instantly move his body anywhere he could see, that distance was negligible.
Once he fully mastered his powers, he could teleport without limit—making commutes a thing of the past.
His training regimen was straightforward.
Conqueror's Haki infusion.
Devil Fruit mastery.
If he pushed those two to their limits, Ozz estimated he wouldn't be far behind Roger himself.
Of course, he wasn't about to neglect his swordsmanship and spear skills either.
This divine, dreamlike lifestyle was simply Ozz's new normal.
Draining the last of his fruit juice in a single gulp, he wiped his mouth and stood.
At over two meters tall now, he looked imposing—at least to the women watching him with admiration and awe.
They knew the truth:
Land, money, even beauty—none of it compared to the real foundation of their future…
Ozz himself.
Sami's eyes locked onto him, the hunger in her gaze raw and unmistakable—the primal longing of a dominant female for a worthy mate. The stronger the woman, the deeper the instinct.
Ozz patted the heads of his two young attendants and made for the door.
"Well then, I'll be off. If anything comes up, call me right away."
He gave Sami a crooked smile as he left.