"Ozz-sama, did something good happen today?"
Inside a luxurious private room, on a massive genuine-leather sofa, a man lay face-down, enjoying a massage.
Several young maids in revealing maid outfits worked together, their black- and white-stockinged feet gently stepping across his back.
For Ozz, the pressure was barely enough to be noticeable.
Beside him sat a newly arrived "princess" from some forgotten kingdom, no one even remembered which country she came from. She carefully peeled grapes and fed them to him one by one.
In front of them, a newly debuted dance troupe from the Red Light District performed energetically.
Yet Ozz paid them no attention at all.
Instead, a faint smile lingered at the corner of his lips, as if his thoughts were somewhere far away.
Only when he heard the voice did he slowly come back to himself.
"It's nothing," he said.
"I was just thinking about something interesting."
At that moment, the door to the room opened quietly.
A tall, curvy woman in a tight, hip-hugging dress walked in. When she saw Ozz, a warm smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Ozz-sama. I hope I'm not disturbing your mood."
Ozz did not even need to look. He knew who it was.
He chuckled softly.
"Sami, we've known each other for over twenty years. There's no need to be so formal."
She gently sat down beside him, her rounded, soft hips settling next to his head so he could rest against her thighs.
Only then did Sami prop her face in her hand, smiling blissfully.
"If it weren't for you, Ozz-sama, I'd probably be an aging, washed-up auntie by now."
She looked like a fully ripened peach.
Her temperament was similar to Kalifa's, but even more seductive and alluring. She appeared to be in her early thirties, right at the peak of maturity.
Feeling the softness beneath his cheek, Ozz closed his eyes and rested, neither denying nor responding.
"Alright," he said lazily.
"Tell me. What's been happening on the seas lately?"
"Do you want the internal affairs, or…"
"Start with my people."
Ozz lay there comfortably, his bare upper body radiating masculine charm. His tall, muscular frame was being carefully tended by beautiful attendants who gathered his long hair.
Staring at his flawless physique, the maids could not help but swallow.
Ozz opened his eyes slightly.
He could sense that these girls were not ordinary.
Sami continued massaging his temples as she spoke.
"First, the major figures of the Underworld have all expanded their territories. Doflamingo in particular has pushed his business even into the territories of several Emperors."
"The Red Light District under my control focuses mainly on Paradise. Meanwhile, Stussy's Pleasure Street operates mostly in the New World."
"As for the Seven Warlords, most of them cooperate well with us and maintain good relations."
"Especially the Empress of Amazon Lily. She has agreed to send her warriors to Sabaody's Red Light District as security personnel."
Ozz nodded lightly.
So those women who looked like they had never seen a man before, yet clearly possessed Haki, must have been from Amazon Lily.
That Hancock was not as arrogant as he remembered.
If he had time, visiting Amazon Lily might be interesting.
"However, Golden City has been a bit… unclear lately."
"Hm?"
"Tesoro has always paid his tribute on time. But over the years, he hasn't communicated much with the rest of us."
"Honestly, we don't know how much wealth he's accumulated by now. Since we're in the same camp, it's hard to plant spies there."
Ozz listened quietly.
Just as he was about to speak, Sami continued.
"Still, after hearing that you've returned, he called and said that if you have time, he'd like to invite you to Golden City as a guest."
"A guest?"
Ozz's lips curved into a smile.
If he had only heard the earlier part, he might have thought Tesoro was getting arrogant.
But this part…
This was pure arrogance.
It seemed Tesoro had too much money and had grown too comfortable.
He now believed he was no longer a minor player, but a major figure.
"A guest…"
"What a nice word."
"Tell him that when I'm in the mood to deal with him, I'll go take a look."
Subordinates getting carried away was nothing new to Ozz.
Doflamingo had shown similar tendencies in the past.
Only after Kaido threatened him and Ozz personally visited Dressrosa did he finally behave.
Now Tesoro was showing signs again.
If Ozz were free, he would have gone to Golden City immediately.
But for now, he had other matters to handle.
"World's richest man?"
Interesting.
He had stepped down as an "Emperor" only in name. He had never intended to lose control of his core industries.
Perhaps Tesoro truly believed in that old saying:
"With enough money, you can have everything."
Even though Ozz had only said it back then to trick him into making money.
Still, Tesoro paid his dues on time.
That meant he had not forgotten his roots.
A warning would be enough.
…
While Ozz was enjoying life, the story of the seas continued.
As expected, Kuzan secretly let Luffy's crew escape.
The excuse was simple.
They had defeated Crocodile, one of Ozz's subordinates, and "helped him vent some anger."
After that, events unfolded much like Ozz remembered.
Because of Enies Lobby's symbolic importance and the destruction of the World Government's flag, Luffy's name spread far and wide.
Even Sabaody heard about it.
His bounty soared to 300 million Berries.
He became the highest-bounty Supernova and headed straight toward Sabaody.
On the way, however, they were delayed in the Thriller Bark region.
Mihawk was also leisurely rowing his small boat in that direction.
And during this time…
Ace was captured.
Ozz could only sigh.
That kid was weak and reckless. No idea who he took after. He certainly did not resemble Roger in that regard.
Banaro Island.
The Blackbeard Pirates finally ran into Ace.
Or rather, they cornered each other.
Hades looked helplessly at the young man posing on the rooftop.
What a troublesome kid.
"Teach. I finally found you."
"Captain Ace, why not join us?!"
As the battle was about to erupt, Hades raised his hand, stopping Van Augur's pointless shot, and stepped forward.
"Captain. Leave Fire Fist Ace to me."
"Zehahahaha! Since you're interested, he's yours, Hades!"
Ace stared at the man with sunglasses and twin axes. He felt something strange, but could not put it into words.
After all, not everyone was like Kuzan.
Hades slowly drew his axes.
Dense Armament Haki, flowing like Ryuo, wrapped around the blades.
Behind his sunglasses, his gaze was unreadable.
Inwardly, he sighed.
I'll use Uncle Gaban's appearance and fighting style…
To give you a little lesson from the previous generation.
Ace.
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