Powerful.
Overwhelmingly powerful.
That was Gion's first impression.
No wonder Kuzan was so wary of this man—this seemingly young man. In terms of Haki alone, he surpassed everyone present.
"Ara ara, don't pretend I'm not here, Black Gun!"
Crack-crack-crack…
Just as Ozz sent Gaji flying, a figure cloaked in frost moved.
Kuzan made his move, aiming to catch Ozz in the vulnerable moment after his attack.
Frigid crystals spread through the air, freezing the moisture into dazzling blossoms of ice. Still mid-kick, Ozz was instantly entombed in a colossal sculpture of frost.
"Your movement is indeed bizarre, Dotor Ozz," Kuzan said calmly. "But when you attack, you must manifest physically. Unless all you do is run."
If you teleport, you can't hit me.
If you don't teleport, I'll freeze you solid.
Ozz had to admit, for all his laziness, Kuzan had a decent head for battle strategy.
To reach this level—
Well, it was just barely enough to soil his coat.
Inside the transparent, gleaming ice, Ozz remained frozen in his kicking pose—like a sculpture, carved in motion.
In that instant, Gion gritted her teeth through the pain of her dislocated wrist and wrenched her arm free from Ozz's grip. She staggered back a few steps to Kuzan's side.
"No wonder he's a member of the Pirate King's crew. I couldn't even fight back…"
One hand gripping her blade, Gion stared tensely at the figure frozen in ice—long-haired, striking, unnervingly calm.
"But this won't hold him for long, will it?"
Kuzan agreed in his heart. That's why his hand continued to radiate chilling mist, reinforcing the ice, layer by layer, as he stared into its depths.
Taking advantage of the brief pause, Gion regulated her breath and gathered her focus, her mind racing to recall everything she knew about Ozz.
She'd only heard about him in passing—from Tsuru.
Back then, she'd scoffed at the notion. Just a young man hyped up because he rode on the Pirate King's name. The kind of overpromoted rookie that HQ always liked to panic about.
She'd believed the Navy's new generation—those trained under Admiral Zephyr, herself included—were second to none. Akainu, Kizaru, Kuzan, Gaji… all geniuses of their era.
But today, facing a so-called "rookie" from Roger's crew, she was finally beginning to grasp just how vast the seas truly were.
If she remembered correctly, this guy was only fifteen.
Fifteen!
What was she doing at fifteen? Probably not even a swordswoman yet.
"A monster like this—we have to stop him here and now, before he leaves Marineford!" she hissed.
"Oh? And who exactly are you planning to stop?"
"What?!"
In the blink of an eye, the ice sculpture was gone.
A cold dread washed over them. Both Gion and Kuzan reacted on instinct, lashing out behind them—
And hit nothing but air.
Ozz had reappeared on a nearby rooftop, casually leaning on a balcony with both elbows, gazing down at them like he was enjoying a weekend stroll. The calm on his face hadn't changed a bit.
"Hey, you two," he said, "Why don't we just pretend this never happened? I'm just sightseeing, not looking for trouble.
I even paid for my meal like a proper tourist, didn't I?
You could say I'm contributing to Marineford's GDP."
Naturally, the reply he got was an icy Pheasant Beak fired straight at his face.
"Black Gun Ozz!!" Gion shouted, full of righteous fury. "Do you think Marineford is your playground?! This is the Navy's stronghold—the bastion of justice! Not some place a pirate like you can just come and go as you please!"
Her words rang out righteously, but in truth, she was painfully aware—
They couldn't stop him.
His mobility was too absurd. He had a master-level grasp of Observation Haki that made pinning him down nearly impossible.
Just the two of them? It wasn't going to happen.
So yes, it was dirty.
But if they had to use provocation to stall him—long enough for reinforcements like Sengoku and Garp to arrive—then so be it.
Only then might they have a shot at capturing him. Throwing him into Impel Down to rot alongside his captain.
"You're the Pirate King's crewmate," she shouted. "Is this all you're good at—running away?!
Answer me, Dotor Ozz!"
She roared, conveniently forgetting who'd just been manhandled moments ago.
Ozz merely smiled.
He wasn't deaf; he knew what she was trying to do. But he had to admit—her words had stirred something in him.
He was curious.
Would a future admiral—and an admiral candidate—really be able to give him a proper fight?
He extended one hand and curled a finger lazily toward them.
"Fair enough," he said. "It's been a while since I had a proper match anyway.
Both of you, come at me. I think I can finish this before Garp even shows up."
His calm provocation stung Gion's pride. Her face flushed with anger. Kuzan, too, was no longer the laid-back slouch from before. Ozz's arrogant challenge had finally pushed him over the edge.
"Don't get cocky, Black Gun!"
With a sharp crack, icy crystals bloomed around Kuzan again. Towering spears of ice formed at his side, then launched forward with terrifying force.
Hot on their heels came razor-sharp waves of sword aura from Gion's blade.
Meanwhile, the disturbance had caught the attention of nearby officers. Low-ranking Navy personnel rushed to the scene to help.
After evacuating the surrounding civilians, they were shocked to find that the enemy facing Rear Admiral Kuzan and Commodore Gion was a pirate from the wanted list.
And not just any pirate—
"Black Gun Dotor Ozz."
Yet before they could lend support, they found themselves unable to even approach the battlefield. The icy destruction wreaked by Kuzan had turned the area into a frozen hell. All they could do was observe from afar.
And relay the situation.
A Den Den Mushi call was made directly to Navy Headquarters.
"Beru beru beru beru… click."
"This is Sengoku. What is it?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! There's been an incident in the southern residential district of Marineford! Rear Admiral Kuzan and Commodore Gion are engaging a remnant of the Roger Pirates! Requesting immediate backup!"
"What?!"
They had to pick the exact day when Commander Kong was away at the Holy Land?
These bastards!
Sengoku shot up from his desk, fury in his eyes. With one palm, he shattered the entire table in front of him.
"How dare they?! Roger's brats still have the gall to trespass into Marine Headquarters?! They should've known when to die!"
"Who is it? Rayleigh? Jaba?"
"Uh… no, sir. Neither one… It's Black Gun—Dotor Ozz!"
"Black Gun…?"
Sengoku froze.
That name… Wasn't he just—
Wasn't he just the intern on Roger's crew?
How the hell did he get the balls to do this?!
----------------------------------------------------
(Next Chapter: "Alliance with the Golden Lion: Assault on Marine Headquarters?")
(We hit the goal — thank you all for the amazing support!! ^^)
If you're into Ozz's story, my P@treon's got more waiting for you!
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