Boom! Boom! Boom!
After Ozz finally stopped dodging, the shockwaves from the battle among the three unleashed fully within a limited area. Icy blasts mingled with swirling dust, drifting skyward.
The once-clear sky gradually darkened.
Turning back with his blade raised, Ozz released wave after wave of massive, shadowy sword energy, intercepting every incoming strike. Then he glanced up at the sky.
It was blackened, heavy — like the ominous calm before a storm.
"Ozz, was this your doing too?" The two beside him looked up as well, their faces tightening with concern.
"Can you stop blaming me for everything? This definitely isn't something we caused. Looks like someone big just showed up."
Suddenly, a terrifying red glow flared.
Ozz's face registered surprise at first, then settled into acceptance.
Yeah, it was about time. Captain Roger was nearly executed—this moment had arrived.
Well, witnessing history wasn't so bad after all. At least the trip wouldn't be in vain.
"Looks like your plan is about to fall apart. Marine Headquarters just got a visitor that's no joke."
Ozz sheathed his sword with interest, abandoning any pretense of battle decorum as he instantly teleported toward the plaza in front of Marine HQ.
"Who else would dare invade Marineford? Hey, wait a sec—"
Gion tried to pursue, but Kuzan grabbed her by the shoulder.
She paused, confused.
Turning back, she saw Kuzan standing still, his gaze grave as it fixed on the sky above Marineford.
Following his line of sight, Gion's eyes widened and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
No way…
Is that a meteor?
No, wait, it looks like an island?
High in the sky, enormous chunks of rock, like islands, broke through the clouds, descending swiftly toward Marineford.
Both of them forgot about Ozz entirely—or rather, no one in Marine HQ's top forces had time to care about the unrest in the residential districts.
What they faced was a crisis so grave it could sink all of Marineford beneath the waves.
The Golden Lion — Shiki — was coming!
"Though I know it sounds ridiculous, that ability really is cheating."
Perched atop the Marine Headquarters building, Ozz watched the apocalyptic scene unfold: a torrent of island-sized rocks plummeting under gravity, hurtling straight at Marineford.
Nearly every Marine high command figure he recognized was engaged, using the Moonwalk technique to respond at full throttle.
Garp, Sengoku, Tsuru, Sakazuki…
The gap in power was huge—but not insurmountable.
After all, even the young version of Garp had the strength to obliterate an island with a single punch. Not to mention the other Admirals, plus the elemental Logia beasts capable of massive area attacks.
Their combined output shattered most of the falling islands, but rough estimates still put nearly half of Marineford destroyed—excluding the Marine Headquarters building where Ozz sat.
As the clouds shifted, heavy rain began to fall, and a golden figure appeared, hovering in the air.
"Sasire Donara, Golden Lion."
Ozz greeted casually from the rooftop, nodding toward the radiant golden silhouette.
"Huh?"
Shiki, originally storming into Marine Headquarters with fierce anger, froze at the voice.
He turned his gaze toward the source: a figure in a flowing coat, sitting calmly on the rooftop, watching him.
"Ah, it's you. I remember you—the freaky kid from Roger's crew!"
Surprised to see a familiar face, Shiki smirked.
"Hey, kid, you here for Roger too?"
Umm...
Ozz had wanted to say he wasn't exactly here to break Roger out — he knew Roger had willingly surrendered — but technically, yes, he'd come to Marineford to try sneaking in and pay him a visit.
"Well… kind of."
"Hahaha! People with Conqueror's Haki are always the same. Roger wouldn't have been caught by these useless Marines, nor should he have died humiliated in the weak East Blue!"
"Join forces with me, kid, and let's show these Marines the terror of the great pirates!"
Ozz was about to reply when suddenly his Observation Haki sensed a looming threat.
"You pirates, what do you think Marine Headquarters is—?!"
Boom!
A blinding red light burst forth as black-and-red lightning crackled wildly.
A broad-shouldered man charged straight toward Ozz, his fists wrapped in terrifying Conqueror's Haki.
Ozz had felt the force of such power many times at a distance, but never directed at him.
Now, there was no Captain Roger to take the blow for him.
Explosions ripped apart the rooftop in chunks; the lingering shockwaves rattled the dark clouds, sending ripples through the sky.
"No honor in fighting, huh? I'm a young man of the new era, Garp."
Before Ozz knew it, he had teleported next to Shiki.
Thanks to the continuous movement granted by his Teleport Fruit, he could float midair as if walking on solid ground, hands in pockets.
Eyeing the broad-shouldered man on the Marine HQ roof—his fists still sparking black-and-red lightning—Ozz felt a flicker of awe.
This was a top-tier powerhouse. His Conqueror's Haki alone was a bit lacking in comparison.
At least for now,
there was no way to go toe-to-toe with a punch from this guy.
"Hahaha, Garp, are you so old you can't even move anymore? Missing a kid like this? Just go home and retire!"
Shiki's taunts rang out mercilessly as Garp's punch missed.
Meanwhile, among the Marines gathered below, many were filming the scene of Ozz and the Golden Lion standing side by side in the sky with their Den Den Mushi cameras.
Seeing this, Ozz felt helpless.
He'd only come to watch the spectacle, not to become an ally.
Now it was like stepping in it—
No matter how you slice it, it was crap…
Looking down,
there were Admirals, Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals...
Countless Marines.
This lineup rivaled the scale of the Marineford War itself, and maybe even surpassed it.
After all, during that war, the two ace forces—Garp and Sengoku—and two Admirals barely did anything, mostly just drifting along.
Only Sakazuki and a few Vice Admirals truly fought hard.
But now, they faced Sengoku, Garp, and a host of other Admirals, including the future three Admirals.
Honestly, Ozz felt the urge to just teleport away.
But staring at this unprecedentedly grand battlefield, he admitted that despite overestimating himself a bit,
his hands itched to fight!
No second-guessing—if it went south, he'd retreat.
After so long training, he genuinely wanted to test his limits.
Besides, with Garp, Sengoku, and Shiki holding the frontline,
he might as well give it his all!
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