Faced with a spectacle of truly epic proportions, Ozz had to admit—he was so fired up, he could practically feel the heat rising off his skin.
Now that Garp and Sengoku were being held off by the Golden Lion, the next round of battle would fall to Ozz.
And his opponents? Every active force under the rank of admiral in the entire Navy.
There might not be any full-fledged admirals among them, but the sheer scale of the lineup was absurd.
Three Logia-type Vice Admirals. Tsuru. Dalmatian. Burning Mountain. A horde of elite Rear Admirals. And so many naval officers and soldiers that it was impossible to count.
Rain drizzled from above, and fierce winds howled through the skies, whipping Ozz's long coat and Shiki's robes into a flurry of motion. Two pirates with bounties in the tens of millions—no, the tens of billions—now stood shoulder to shoulder in a temporary alliance.
And their enemies? Practically the entire upper echelon of Naval HQ.
"Brat," Shiki growled, a cigar clenched in his teeth and a manic grin on his face. "If you so much as drag me down out there, I'll kill you myself!"
"So long as you can keep Sengoku and Garp busy," Ozz replied with a lazy smirk, "there's no way we lose—at least, not right away."
Unless he was completely outclassed, Ozz was confident he could at least hold his own—if not win outright.
And right now? These so-called Navy rookies, for all their numbers, weren't at the level where they could crush him with brute strength alone.
Despite the immense pressure surrounding them—and the sheer number of powerful opponents on the other side—neither Ozz nor Shiki seemed the least bit anxious. If anything, they looked relaxed, casually chatting like they were discussing the weather.
But down on the ground, the naval troops certainly weren't feeling as carefree.
To them, these two pirates were out of their minds!
Two pirates with ten-digit bounties. Facing both at once? Even the new recruits couldn't keep their legs from trembling.
A single careless attack from one of them could wipe out an entire battalion in its aftershock alone.
If not for the presence of top brass still on-site, many would've already turned tail and run. As it stood, all they could do was nervously chatter to each other, trying to tamp down the dread gnawing at their guts.
"That's Dotol Ozz, the Black Gun from the Roger Pirates. I've seen his bounty poster."
"And that's Shiki the Golden Lion… the Flying Admiral… a legend…"
"Two of the most notorious pirate crews in history… teaming up?"
"There's no way we make it out of this alive…"
"…."
The higher-ranking officers above the rank of captain were, understandably, more composed. The numbers were on their side, after all. No matter how you looked at it, the Navy had the advantage.
But still… the reputations of the Roger Pirates and the Golden Lion crew weren't earned by chance. No one dared relax.
With enemies of this caliber, the smallest slip-up meant certain death.
Still, the sheer size of their force—and the confidence their officers projected—kept morale high among the rank and file. Not a single deserter in sight.
The air buzzed with shouting and roaring battle cries. The intensity of it all was faintly reminiscent of the war at Marineford.
"Tch. So noisy," Ozz muttered, glancing at the seething mass of Navy soldiers below. "What are they so fired up about? They're just foot soldiers…"
He couldn't hit them from up here. They couldn't touch him, either. Not with the aerial superiority he and Shiki shared. Those grunts couldn't even land a shot.
Maybe it was just a thing in this world. People seemed to get fired up really easily.
In that case… might as well clear the board a little.
Floating high above the battlefield, Ozz looked down upon the endless sea of Navy forces below. His eyes were flat and cold, devoid of sympathy—just the quiet disdain of someone staring down at ants.
Then, in an instant, a suffocating aura erupted from him, surging outward in all directions like a tidal wave of raw dominance.
Within moments, nearly half of Marineford was blanketed by an ominous field of black-and-red lightning.
Crackling arcs of dark scarlet thunderstormed around him, lashing through the air in wild, chaotic bursts—like the world itself had been plunged into a scene from the apocalypse.
The pressure was indiscriminate. Merciless. Unrelenting.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
As if struck by invisible hammers, countless Navy soldiers dropped like flies—some not even lasting a second before their eyes rolled back and they collapsed unconscious.
Even the officers—those of commander rank and higher—could barely remain upright. Most were forced to their knees, gasping for air beneath the crushing weight of Ozz's Haki.
And in the sky above, surrounded by lightning and menace, he stood like a dark god, surveying the field below with grim finality.
"Gyahahahahaha! No wonder Roger praised you so highly!" Shiki bellowed with laughter, eyes flashing with battle hunger. "You've got some guts for a brat!"
"But don't get cocky! Our era ain't over yet! The sea still belongs to us!"
And then—BOOM!
An even greater Conqueror's Haki surged forth from Shiki's body, this one a fiery golden-red that eclipsed even Ozz's earlier display.
Two monstrous wills clashed and intertwined in the air above Marineford. And now, only those with the strength of commanders or higher remained standing at all.
The warm-up was over.
It was time for the real fight to begin.
"BASTARDS!!"
"You think Marineford is some playground for you scum to go wild in?!"
A furious roar echoed through the sky, followed by a dazzling burst of golden light.
A massive figure leapt into the air, radiating holy brilliance—none other than Fleet Admiral Sengoku, wielder of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu.
He launched his attack with thunderous fury.
"Buddha Shockwave!!!"
The golden shockwave surged toward them like a divine judgment—but neither Ozz nor Shiki flinched.
One simply wasn't afraid. The other had seen it coming a mile away.
Just as the blinding light reached them, a flash of deep crimson streaked across the air—
Ozz didn't even blink. His Observation Haki had already picked up every nuance of the incoming attack.
"Lion—Thousand Valley Slash!!"
Steel met divine force. The impact shook the sky.
The roar of the explosion was deafening as the two powers clashed midair—one a giant palm, the other a blade's hurricane arc.
But even the mighty Sengoku could not overpower Shiki alone.
The Golden Lion hadn't come here to survive—he'd come ready to die.
Within moments, Garp joined the fray, fists flying, diving straight into the heart of the battle between titans.
None of them held back. They couldn't. Not at this level.
Powerful shockwaves erupted from their every movement, shattering stone and tearing through the clouds. The very earth trembled beneath their feet.
Down below, the remaining Navy officers—led by the three Logia monsters—watched in awe.
Akainu. Aokiji. Kizaru.
They were still young—barely out of the academy, just a few years into their careers. The strength they would one day wield… they hadn't yet reached it.
For now, all they could do was look up.
And just then, from the far end of the plaza, a tall figure began to walk toward them—hands in his pockets, completely unbothered.
"Biu—"
Without warning, a laser beam burst out from the crowd, slicing through the air with pinpoint precision—aimed straight for the man's head.
A sneak attack. So fast that almost no one could react.
"Not a good habit, Polusalino," Ozz said with a soft chuckle.
He didn't dodge. Didn't flinch.
The laser hit dead center—right between his eyes.
And passed straight through.
Like he wasn't even there.
The Navy looked on in stunned silence.
Ozz stood untouched.
Unharmed.
Untouchable.
----------------------------------------------------
(Next Chapter: "Ozz vs. The Young Three Admirals")
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