Perhaps to prove that the grandest struggle for supremacy Doflamingo had spoken of was truly arriving, dark clouds filled the sky.
Storm winds and heavy rain intertwined.
The waves churned endlessly. Amid flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder, a Marine spotted a pirate ship charging in from the distance.
"T-That is..."
The rain washed away his cold sweat, but the lookout's face remained tense.
At that moment, an old man in shorts with white, explosive hair walked over. He took the telescope from the soldier.
"What? Is that the Beasts Pirates?"
Granny Tsuru also hurried over with her female Marines and looked toward the Beasts Pirates' flag in the distance.
"Honestly. Things really won't calm down..."
On the other side.
Aboard the Beasts Pirates' ship.
"There are actually four warships! That formation is way too strong. Are they going to wipe out a country?!"
"They're making such a huge show just to escort one person. As expected of the Warlord with the largest forces under Black Gun."
The small fry swallowed nervously.
"Captain Jack, should we retreat?"
The massive brown figure immediately turned bloodshot eyes toward him, as though offended.
"Why would we retreat?"
"Bastard, of course we're taking Doflamingo back!"
"Who the hell do you think I am?!"
"Bring the ship closer!"
As he spoke, Jack also glanced at Ozz from the corner of his eye.
It was not that he had any schemes. Jack's brain did not allow for that many twists and turns.
He simply did not want to look afraid of the Marines in front of Ozz, who was also a pirate.
As for Ozz, he reached out and accepted the photo handed over by the Seagull King. After admiring it for a while, he satisfiedly placed it into his collection.
He named it "Jack Ramming the Ship."
Ozz had many similar collectibles. They were all treasures of his.
For example, "Red-Hair Lulled to Sleep," "Whitebeard's Opening," "Lucci Having Fun"...
Of course, there were also many he had not collected yet.
For example, "Kid Barking Like a Dog," and so on.
Ozz sat on the deck like that, untouched by the rain and storm.
And just as Jack ordered the pirate ship to approach the warships, Sengoku and the others on the Marine deck finally saw the full view of the pirate ship.
"That is!"
Sengoku's originally relaxed expression instantly turned solemn.
"Why is he here?!"
"He's actually on a Beasts Pirates ship. Did they join forces?!"
"Or is he here for Doflamingo?"
As the former Fleet Admiral known as the Strategist, Sengoku's mind immediately produced countless thoughts and possibilities.
Greenbull's reaction was even more direct. His mouth opened slightly.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"This isn't real, right? Are we supposed to fight both Lord Ozz and the Beasts Pirates on this sea?!"
He did not want to be blasted away by another finger snap. After all, this was the open sea.
As for Granny Tsuru, she stood at the front of the female Marines.
On her aged face, her eyes calmly watched the man in the distance.
She remembered Doflamingo's words.
Combining that with her own understanding of Ozz, she knew Doflamingo had not been bluffing.
This man, whom even the World Government could not handle, would absolutely stir up a massive storm in the near future!
And so, the decision made by the three Marine commanders was perfectly unified.
"All hands, change course!"
The Marines had also seen that man, who had displayed terrifying power during the Summit War. At this moment, their palms were sweating from tension.
"Major Milk, you bastard, what the hell are you doing?! This course mistake is all because of you!"
"Hurry up and turn!"
And so, a miraculous scene occurred.
Facing the approaching Beasts Pirates ship, the four warships all turned together.
After all, they were new Marine warships built with advanced technology. They were naturally much faster than the Beasts Pirates' primitive-looking pirate ship.
Facing the King of Ramming Ships' attempt to ram them, the Marine fleet carrying two legendary Marines, one Marine Admiral, and several Vice Admirals...
Ran.
Yes.
With a lineup even more terrifying than a Buster Call, when faced with Jack's approaching ship, they went full speed into the distance.
"Bastards!"
Jack clenched his fists and roared toward the sky.
But as a Zoan Ancient Type Devil Fruit user with no effective anti-air or ultra-long-range attack methods, he could only rage helplessly.
His only ranged attacks were those few old-fashioned cannons.
More than half of the shots landed in the sea. As for the few that were accurate, they were intercepted midair by Marine experts.
Including Jack, the Beasts Pirates' Zoan ability users, kangaroos, tigers, and the like, could only rage helplessly one by one.
Ozz almost laughed watching it.
What kind of country bumpkin pirate crew was this?
The few bird-type ability users they had were defective products created through artificial Devil Fruits. Even when they flew, they were just targets for the Marines.
So the final result became this.
The King of Ramming Ships ordered his men to sail the ship carrying Ozz closer to the Marines.
The Marines, faces full of rejection, focused entirely on driving their warships at full power out of Dressrosa's waters.
One side chased. One side fled.
The glorious moment of the King of Ramming Ships had arrived.
But Jack was so furious his lungs nearly exploded.
He grabbed the helmsman, his eyes full of bloodshot rage.
"Why can't we catch up, bastard?!"
Ozz drank his beverage, a hint of curiosity appearing in his eyes.
His pupils faintly glowed red. His Observation Haki instantly crossed an extremely long distance and enveloped the four warships.
"This is..."
Ozz raised an eyebrow.
They were actually new-model warships. Not only could they cross the Calm Belt, even their propulsion far surpassed a large margin compared to something like the Beasts Pirates' ship.
They looked like Vegapunk's creations.
But the question was, could the Five Elders actually tolerate Vegapunk's existence?
Although Ozz was the mastermind, Vegapunk had also been one of the main researchers involved in the Dark Sun God project.
He must have developed something valuable enough for the World Government to overlook past grudges. The Mother Flame, perhaps...
Inside the cabin, Doflamingo naturally sensed the atmosphere suddenly turning tense, along with the large shift in course through his Observation Haki.
The Marines guarding him were gripping their guns tightly, sweat covering their faces.
He vaguely heard words like "Black Gun."
Doflamingo thought Ozz had come to fish him out. His expression froze for a moment, and hope instantly rose in his heart.
But Ozz happened to receive a call at that moment.
For once, the always calm and composed Ozz showed a rare hint of confusion and complexity on his face.
Even so, he still answered the call.
"Mama mama mama~"
"You're still so calm even when happy news is coming. As expected of you, Ozz~"
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The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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