"Then... let's set sail!!!"
At the dining table, the yet-to-be-officially-formed crew of Ozz was holding a small strategy meeting right in the middle of their meal.
Ozz slapped the table and made the call.
"You've been causing chaos ever since we left port, haven't you..." Mihawk muttered with a helpless sigh, slicing his steak and calmly bringing a bite to his mouth.
"Every time you open your mouth, it's about war. Did you even make any preparations?"
Little Croc, the one with the tick mark bulging on her forehead, still found this whole thing completely absurd.
"What's there to prepare? We just charge in and take them down," Ozz grumbled, his own forehead now as full of anger marks as Crocodile's, his face dark with irritation.
Two hours earlier
Aboard the slowly departing Oro Jackson, leaving Alabasta behind, the crew's strategist, Little Croc, was working diligently. She quickly sketched out the current forces under Ozz's control, analyzed the scale of their operations, and drafted a basic plan for their next moves.
While she wrote furiously, Ozz was casually flipping through a free newspaper.
It used to be "stolen" for free. Now that the paper was technically part of his own operation, there was even less reason to pay.
Even the seagulls had to salute Ozz before flying off. Newspapers were delivered straight to him, no delays.
"Hey, Boss. Don't you think it's time you actually came up with a real plan? The underground world is way bigger than you can even imagine!"Little Croc barked sternly, a cigar clamped between her teeth, glaring at the lazy fish-slacker in front of her.
"You're in charge of that, aren't you? I trust you completely," Ozz replied lazily with a nod. He hadn't pulled Crocodile onto his ship just for her good looks though that didn't hurt but mostly for her brains and cunning.
If someone else was doing the worrying, he could happily be the hands-off boss.
"Speaking of which, Morgans went and added another buff to my name without asking... 'Black Emperor'? Kinda has a cool ring to it though," Ozz mused, still caught up in discussing titles.
Little Croc's temper flared.
"Ozz! You son of a..."
Before she could explode, the sound of a Den Den Mushi interrupted the building tension.
Mihawk, still holding knife and fork, Crocodile with her strategy papers now crumpling in her hand, and Ozz with his newspaper they all turned to the snail phone on the table.
"Brrrrrrrr... brrrrrrrr..."
It was the same one they'd just used to call Morgans. No one had even put it away yet, and it was ringing again.
"She's calling me? Why?" Ozz raised an eyebrow, a flash of red light flickering across his eyes as he saw a vision of the call play out in advance, like a real-time VIP spoiler. He reached out and picked it up.
The Den Den Mushi's features morphed: plump red lips, massive lashes, and a red cape thrown dramatically over its back.
Then came a confident, slightly arrogant female voice.
"Ma ma ma ma... Sassyburi da na, Ozz!"
...
New World - Totto Land, totto sea
In the heart of a dark, sprawling kingdom, a massive figure loomed from her throne. Drool dripped to the floor, hissing and burning as it touched stone.
Her eyes those terrifying, predatory eyes stared straight at the Den Den Mushi in her hand.
"It's been a long time. Last time we met, I was still traveling with Captain Roger... Charlotte Linlin."
"Ma ma ma ma..." the Big Mom laughed, her voice echoing with that strange rhythm.
"I'm so glad you still remember me, Ozz. That little monster on Roger's crew with freakish Observation Haki... and now you're someone who shakes the world."
"Grrr... I doubt you're calling for a trip down memory lane. As I recall, our 'relationship' is built mostly on conflict," Ozz replied coolly, eyeing the snail. He found it strange. He'd been planning to visit Totto Land soon to deal with matters related to the underground world.
But before he could even make a move, Big Mom had taken the initiative and called him.
Had some of the underworld bosses gone to her for help?
All three of them were watching curiously. What did this woman one of the strongest contenders for dominance in the New World want from him?
"Ma ma ma ma... Maybe there were some old grudges because of Roger, but that was just a skirmish over the Poneglyphs."
Her voice was unusually calm, bringing up what had happened back when Ozz was still just an intern.
And she wasn't lying.
That incident had been the first and only time Ozz ever crossed paths with Big Mom back when she was still young and stunningly beautiful.
The Roger Pirates had been dashing across the New World, seeking the Poneglyphs, and Linlin held one of the most important pieces. The crew had tricked her, taken a rubbing of it, and fled.
That was also when Linlin first noticed the terrifying little brat named Ozz.
A teenager back then, Ozz had gone toe-to-toe with Katakuri. Not only did he hold his own, but his Observation Haki was so potent that it overwhelmed Katakuri's own future sight.
It was the first time Katakuri ever felt the same despair he usually inspired in others.
Ozz's infamous line from that fight still haunted him:
"The future I can see stretches far beyond yours."
His terrifying strength and clearer vision erased every advantage Katakuri had. The fight ended with Katakuri forced to retreat, battered and defeated.
"No, we didn't have much of a grudge back then. But now? Things have changed."
Ozz downed his orange juice in one go and replied calmly.
Sure, back then he had a bit of a crush on the young Linlin. With that near-giantess build, fierce strength, and surprisingly pretty face, she was basically the female version of a grown-up Ozz.
But that didn't mean he'd abandon his ambitions just because of some old crush.
Especially not when he knew full well how utterly terrifying the older Linlin had become.
"You've probably already heard. Those little underworld rats that once cowered under you... I've made them my target. I'm aiming to seize control of the entire underground world.
That alone puts us on a collision course."
"Ma ma ma ma... Is that all? Such a tiny thing," Linlin chuckled.
"???"
Ozz blinked.
A power-hungry warlord like her calling that a small matter? That didn't add up.
Something was off.
Then Linlin dropped a line that made Ozz's brain completely freeze.
"If you're willing to have a child with me, Ozz...
I'll give you the entire underground network as a dowry!!!"
...
...
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