"This is the Donquixote Family's turf. I'm the guest here. Why are you acting so nervous?"
Ozz crossed one leg over the other, swirling the liquor in his glass as his eyes drifted toward the women laughing and splashing in the palace pool.
"These women… are they part of the entertainment too?"
Rosinante nodded quickly.
"Yes. Doffy arranged it. I just had them come here earlier."
Ozz smirked.
"Interesting."
Unlike the blunt, sultry atmosphere of a red-light district, this setup had a veneer of playfulness. Bikini-clad women splashed, chased, and teased each other, painting the illusion of a carefree holiday retreat.
In Doflamingo's palace, there were always women like this kept like ornaments, existing for little more than decoration.
Law, still just a boy, wasn't interested in women at all. He simply sat on a sofa in silence, knees hugged to his chest, his eyes darting from beneath the brim of his spotted hat toward Ozz and Rosinante.
"So… how's life treating you here, Rosinante?"
"Eh?!"
Ozz lit a cigarette with a casual flick. A hiss of smoke rose, followed by an oddly coded remark:
"You don't get what I'm saying? 01746."
Rosinante froze, pupils shrinking. Then instinct kicked in. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Law's head.
"Oi! What are you doing?!"
Law struggled, but Rosinante's hands formed an invisible sphere.
"Clam!!!"
In an instant, silence engulfed the boy. His ears went dead. His mouth opened, but not a sound escaped. He could only see the two men's lips moving.
Seeing Law struggle, Ozz merely tapped the armrest of his chair with one finger.
The boy slumped, fast asleep.
Rosinante exhaled. His shoulders sagged.
"Ozz-sama… I knew I couldn't keep it from you."
"Relax. I'm not here to expose you. I'm not here to kill you either. Sengoku and I already had an understanding."
Ozz blew a lazy cloud of smoke. His eyes, half-lidded and uncaring, glimmered faintly through the haze.
"I'm not a babysitter for my underlings. If they get tricked by the Marines, that just means they don't have brains to begin with."
He exhaled slowly, then chuckled.
"But you, Rosinante… you're more interesting. I know, you were a Celestial Dragon once."
The words dragged Rosinante into bitter memories. His face twitched.
"…That was a long time ago."
"So why'd you join the Marines? Why hide under Doffy's shadow?" Ozz tilted his glass. "Was it to kill him?"
His voice carried no judgment. Doffy's life was just another casual topic, like discussing the weather.
"I…" Rosinante faltered.
"Even if you did raise the gun, I can tell you'd never pull the trigger."
Ozz's blunt honesty cut deeper than any blade.
"I don't get what Sengoku was thinking," Ozz continued, merciless. "Your Devil Fruit has no combat power. You don't have the heart to finish a target. And you can't even pass along half the intel you gather. Sending you here is about as useful as sending a scarecrow."
The words hit Rosinante like arrows. His hand clutched his chest, but no answer came.
"Still…" Ozz leaned back, folding his arms. "Whether you look at it from the World Government's perspective, or the Navy's, or even mine in the underworld… it's better if you two brothers don't kill each other."
Because no one was gentler than Corazon.
And no one was more ruthless than Doffy.
Ozz had tasted Doffy's blade before. Once was enough.
"Both your lives belong to me now. If either of you dies, it's my loss."
…
"Mm… this is comfortable."
Ozz stretched across a float in the pool, half-lidded eyes enjoying the massage of a dozen bikini beauties. Any one of them had looks and bodies to rival Nami or Robin.
Some tried harder, brushing close, arching their hips for attention. Ozz didn't even flinch. He was long past immunity to such tricks.
With Rosinante and Law gone, Ozz surrendered himself to this palace paradise.
Yet one girl stood out.
Among the women was a black-haired maiden who looked far too young to belong here. She lingered on the edge of the group, hesitant, her hands fidgeting as she debated whether to step closer.
Ozz noticed. He knew exactly who she was, but chose not to care.
Strength ruled the seas. The strong stood above, the weak sank below.
The fall of the Riku royal family came down to one truth they were powerless.
If this girl didn't have the courage to step forward, Ozz wasn't about to play the benevolent savior.
Still, Violet had her reasons. She knew that the fate of Dressrosa might rest on the whims of the man lounging before her. But courage clashed with fear. If she misstepped, Doffy's spies among these women would report her, and both she and her father would be finished.
So she waited. She watched.
If she could glimpse Ozz's thoughts, she might find a path forward.
Violet pressed her fingers together into the shape of spectacles, lifting them to her eyes. A violet glow shimmered.
"Let me see… what lies in your mind, Black Emperor Ozz!"
The world behind Ozz's skull unfurled before her eyes.
And what she saw
A flood of human fusion experiments, grotesque abominations, anime characters in unspeakable poses, scenes so bizarre and twisted they defied description.
Violet's body stiffened, her face igniting scarlet from hairline to chin.
"Ahhhhhh!!!!"
"So… obscene!!!"
Her scream rattled the chamber. The other women shrieked in surprise, collapsing onto Ozz's chest.
The man only smirked, lips curving into a devilish grin.
You wanted to peek, didn't you?
Since this is the world of anime, I'll let you watch my "special collection."
From the moment Violet raised her hands, Ozz had seen it all through Observation Haki. He knew exactly what her power was.
A power that rivaled the Red Count's natural gift of hearing hearts.
So, when Violet tried to pry into the mind of the Black Emperor…
He gave her something she would never forget.
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