"I came uninvited. Hope you don't mind, Ozz."
Inside the penthouse office atop the hotel, Rayleigh was already helping himself to a drink, comfortably sipping away at a bottle of premium liquor one that Ozz had Sammi acquire in bulk from the Wine Kingdom. He had already gone through nearly half of it.
Ozz's mouth twitched slightly. In the end, he just shook his head.
"You've really made me your personal cash cow, huh, Uncle Rayleigh? How many years has it been? How much wine have you mooched off me by now...?"
"Er... hahahaha, don't sweat the details, Ozz."
Rayleigh chuckled awkwardly, clearly aware that relying on a former cabin boy from his pirate days to fund his drinking habit wasn't exactly dignified even for the Dark King himself.
But what could he do?
With how slowly his coating business earned money, even if he worked for the rest of his life, he'd never be able to enjoy this kind of top-shelf alcohol with such abandon.
He was half-retired now. Without Ozz's steady supply line, he might've already had to start auctioning off personal relics just to stay buzzed.
Fortunately, Ozz didn't mind. In fact, he hardly gave it a second thought.
And besides, Rayleigh had been holding down the fort in Sabaody all these years, helping Sammi keep certain troublemakers in check whenever Ozz was away. Business or personal it was fair to say Ozz owed him a comfortable retirement.
"Lord Ozz,"
Just then, Sammi entered, greeting Rayleigh before giving her report to Ozz.
"'Shipping King' Umit and 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo are requesting a meeting. They said… they've brought you a gift."
At those words, a slow smile curled across Ozz's lips.
He had a hunch what the "gift" might be or rather, he'd sent them looking for it in the first place. What surprised him was how quickly the two had delivered.
"Got it. Put them in rooms one and two. Separately."
In the blink of an eye, Ozz vanished from the room.
Neither Rayleigh nor Sammi looked surprised by his sudden disappearance. They were used to it by now.
"Let me tag along too. Been a while since I watched some good drama,"
Rayleigh said, raising his glass as he stood.
Sammi's eyes lit up in delight.
Because she understood what Rayleigh was really offering: to accompany her to the meeting and, in effect, lend his presence as a show of force.
He hadn't said it directly, but the implication was clear.
All these years letting Rayleigh drink on her tab without charging a single berry it had finally paid off!
Don't be fooled by the current era of unity and stability in the underworld under Ozz's name. This was still a man who rarely intervened directly.
Plenty of people already knew the truth behind the scenes: Ozz might reign over the underworld in name, but he didn't micromanage anyone's turf or business.
Sure, Sammi had the strongest backing anyone could dream of, but that didn't mean she could summon Ozz like a Pokémon whenever she pleased.
Rayleigh, though half mentor, half legend was the kind of name that didn't break the rules and yet carried serious weight.
Room One
"An honor to meet you at last, Lord Ozz!!!"
A tall man sat cross-legged on the sofa, while a scruffy-bearded figure in a captain's coat bowed slightly in greeting.
"'Shipping King' Umit. I know you. You were the first to pledge loyalty after Morgans put the word out."
Ozz looked the man over.
Truth be told, the moment Umit bowed to him so readily, Ozz's impression had already improved. And now, apparently, he had more than just a friendly greeting.
"You flatter me, Lord Ozz. It was simply the most logical choice any smart man could make."
Umit smiled humbly, and then got down to business. From within his coat, he carefully produced a torn piece of a Vivre Card.
"Is that...?"
"Exactly. This piece points to the location of a legend long whispered on the seas
Pure Gold."
At those words, Ozz could no longer hide the grin spreading across his face. With a wave of his hand, the Vivre Card floated gently into his palm.
Back when Umit first pledged loyalty, Ozz had sent him a discreet message via Den Den Mushi: track the movements of an enormous, golden anglerfish.
As the undisputed titan of maritime logistics, Umit had shipping lanes crisscrossing all four Blues and the Grand Line. If anyone could find a mythical Sea King, it was him.
And he hadn't disappointed.
Or maybe it was just absurd luck. Either way, one of his shipping fleets actually caught sight of the creature just a few months later.
The moment the fleet commander confirmed the sighting, he abandoned all cargo and charged straight into the creature's gullet with a Vivre Card in hand leaving a duplicate behind to be delivered to Umit.
Why?
Because Umit had put fifty billion berries on the line for this mission and promised, with public notarization, that if anything went wrong, the family of the sailor would still receive the full amount and lifelong protection.
In the world of shipping, credibility was more important than life.
That was why, even on the storm-tossed seas, there were still men and women willing to haul cargo in the name of honor.
After hearing the whole story, Ozz sat quietly for a moment.
"I'll double the promised reward," he said at last. "And make an announcement to the world: that sailor's family is under my personal protection. If he makes it back alive, I'll grant him a hereditary noble title."
This wasn't just about buying loyalty though it was certainly a reward for faith and sacrifice.
It was also because the treasure in question was worth far more. In fact, Ozz considered himself the one getting the better deal.
Despite its name, Pure Gold wasn't actually made of gold. Its only resemblance was visual.
It was the miraculous invention of a scientist, created in a desperate attempt to save his dying daughter. A substance capable of halting aging locking biological functions in place like a pause button on life.
Just a piece the size of a red bean was enough to make a hundred years pass like a few idle days.
Not quite the same as the immortality granted by the Ope Ope no Mi's Eternal Youth Surgery but for Ozz, it was the next best thing.
Especially since, before this, he'd figured he only had sixty or seventy years of wild indulgence left before turning into a wrinkled old man.
Now? He could stretch those years into forever.
Endless pleasure. Infinite freedom. The best of everything, for as long as he wished.
Even a man like Ozz, who'd seen and done it all, couldn't help but be stirred.
And this wasn't something that could wait.
If that sailor's body or worse, the Vivre Card dissolved in stomach acid, all of it would be lost.
"You've done well, Umit," Ozz said finally, his voice calm but brimming with promise. "If your information is true and the mission succeeds…
I shall grant you eternal life."
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