"Oh?"
Ozz sat on the Seagull King's back, leisurely enjoying his food.
His Observation Haki spread outward, and in an instant he saw Little Croc, shackled in Seastone, leaning against the wall of a prison ship cell, reading a newspaper.
At the same time, he was still on the Den Den Mushi with Doflamingo.
"A big shot like you actually comes to a tiny place like Paradise?"
Hearing Ozz's teasing, a few beads of sweat immediately slid down Doflamingo's face.
"Fufufufufu… big shot, I wouldn't go that far. Crocodile got arrested, so the World Government summoned the Seven Warlords for a meeting. I'm just going to sit in."
"And while I'm at it, I'll take a look at some little punk who's been borrowing my name."
"Little punk?"
Ozz had zero interest in the World Government meeting. It was nothing more than them probing his side anyway.
They had, of course, informed him about it. He simply could not be bothered.
But that second part made him ask one extra question. Doflamingo had no reason to hide it.
"Just a small fry. A pirate with a bounty in the tens of millions. Bellamy."
"That guy wanted to join my crew ages ago, but in the end he's nothing more than a brat who lived too comfortably and came out looking for thrills."
"Is that so… I think I remember him."
A rabid fanboy of Doffy. Ozz did know that much.
But even with that loyalty, Bellamy never truly earned Doflamingo's acceptance.
In the end, it came down to ideology.
Bellamy had grown up rich, a spoiled kid who sneered at dreams. He wanted to become "evil" and prove himself with brute force.
Doflamingo's childhood was the kind anyone who knew would understand, so he despised that type the most. In his eyes, Bellamy had never suffered, never earned anything, and had never been strong enough to matter. Just a tool.
Still, Ozz thought a loyal underling with some potential was rare.
At least to him, Bellamy was far better than a guy like Trebol.
"Fufufufufu… a small fry like that, and you actually remember him?"
Hearing that, Doflamingo could not help but overthink it.
But Ozz did not chat further. He ended the call.
He planned to visit a few more islands first. After some time, he would return to Sabaody.
That was his base, after all, and he had not been back in a long while.
By the time the Straw Hats were likely landing on Jaya…
Little Croc finally, slowly, woke from the coma.
"Tch…"
The moment she opened her eyes, she sensed something was off.
"This is…"
The first thing she noticed was not the prison uniform on her body, nor the Seastone shackles.
It was that familiar yet unfamiliar figure.
Veins bulged across her forehead. Somehow, there was even a cigar in her mouth, and she bit it clean through. Her eyes burned with fury.
"What the hell is this?!"
Her shout immediately drew the attention of countless Marines, especially since the prisoner was Crocodile.
Not long after, Smoker, cigars in his mouth as always, arrived with a squad outside Crocodile's cell.
"Quiet down, Crocodile!"
"Hm?"
Little Croc turned her head toward Smoker.
"Marines? Do you even know what you're doing?!"
She was furious.
Not only had her gender been changed back, she was now a prisoner of the Marines.
Marines?
These lapdogs of the World Government actually dared?
Smoker only stared coldly, his tone unkind.
"Crocodile, the World Government has removed you from the Seven Warlords."
"You're officially under arrest now."
"I'm sending you to Impel Down."
"What?!"
Crocodile's expression turned ugly. Smoker could not be bothered to say more.
Before leaving, he tossed out one final sentence.
"Don't bother hoping for rescue."
"If I can send you to Impel Down, then it's because that man allowed it."
The cell fell silent again.
Only Little Croc's furious breathing remained.
Because she could already guess.
Being thrown back into prison, having her body returned to its original state… it was probably that man's decision.
She knew him far too well.
…
Meanwhile, in these same days, the Straw Hat Pirates arrived at Mock Town.
And at the very same time, the Blackbeard Pirates arrived as well.
"Zehahahaha… so this is Mock Town, where pirates gather?"
"It's all weaklings."
"Wehahahaha! I'll punch them all into the sky!"
The view pulled back.
Several oddly shaped figures stepped off a raft and onto the island, though Lafitte was nowhere to be seen among them.
Hades said nothing.
But then, at that moment, he suddenly raised his head. Clarity returned to his eyes.
Burgess noticed immediately.
"What's this, Vice Captain Hades? You suddenly look lively. You wanna make a big scene with me too? Wehahahaha!"
Hades could not be bothered to respond. Instead, his gaze lingered on the town's name.
"Mushroom Town?"
"It's Mock Town!" Burgess snapped.
"Zehahahaha… for now, move freely. Do whatever you want."
"Can I kill everyone?" Hades asked calmly.
"Of course!"
Blackbeard's grin turned cruel.
They were villains to the bone, true evil pirates. Causing chaos and spilling blood was only natural.
Hades smiled faintly and was the first to walk into town.
The others scattered as well.
Only Blackbeard headed toward a bar.
…
As major figures gathered in Paradise…
Back in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
In the Room of Authority, a Marine knelt on the ground, reporting to the Five Elders.
"Yes. Red Hair and Whitebeard seem to have been in contact recently."
"Red Hair? At a time like this, what is he trying to do now?!"
Already exhausted by their worsening relationship with Ozz, the Five Elders frowned even harder at the news that Shanks and Whitebeard might be stirring trouble too.
"Red Hair isn't as troublesome as Ozz, but he still demands caution."
"However, he likely won't act recklessly. Observe for now. Don't make any rash moves."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro sat on a sofa, long sword in his arms, one hand rubbing his brow.
"The most important issue right now is the Seven Warlords."
"Crocodile's capture was something Ozz permitted, yes. But as one of the three balancing powers, his removal…"
"will inevitably make certain people suspect that we've developed a rift with Ozz."
"We must appoint a new Warlord as soon as possible."
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