Ozz shut his left eye, steadying his breath as much as possible. His Observation Haki was locked firmly onto the tallest figure among the swarm of Marines.
His finger gently rested on the trigger—then pulled.
"One-Shot Style: Fate's Execution!"
Ozz, determined to live up to the grandeur of Devil Fruit users with dramatic attack names, refused to let his own flair fall behind—
even if it was just a well-aimed basic shot enhanced by Observation Haki.
"Splat—"
A sharp, flesh-tearing crack rang out as a spray of blood blossomed midair, scattering into the sea below.
The figure that tumbled from the sky was tall, towering over the surrounding Marines, though strangely lean. His eyes brimmed with disbelief and powerlessness.
Then—he fell, sinking slowly into the ocean.
"Kuzan!"
A voice roared from nearby. A battle-hardened Marine, still locked in combat, launched into the air using Geppo to rush to his comrade's rescue.
As a veteran from Vice Admiral Garp's ship, he knew exactly what kind of potential and Devil Fruit ability this rookie possessed. A talent like that couldn't be allowed to die here.
"My powers…"
As Kuzan sank toward the seafloor, pain radiated from deep within his thigh. His body was drained, heavy with weakness and the stifling pull of the sea.
A grim thought surfaced in his fading consciousness:
"Who the hell uses Sea Prism Stone… on grunts?"
Just before plunging beneath the surface, he managed a glimpse of the sniper—long black hair, that much he caught.
"Tch. Instinct over logic, huh. Even with Haki, my aim's still off."
He'd missed the exact spot he was aiming for.
Which, unfortunately, meant the Navy's future first female admiral… would never come to be.
Ozz clicked his tongue, a little disappointed.
Still, he wasn't the kind of guy to put all his eggs in one basket.
Why not spread the blessings around?
After all, it was for the greater good—to bring balance to the gender disparity in the Navy ranks!
In a way, Ozz had achieved what Gol D. Roger hadn't yet managed.
You ask what kind of King Ozz wants to be?
The King of Bestsellers, of course.
"Forget swordfights. Sniping from a high perch is the true king's path."
Watching Ozz grow more comfortable with his sniping, Bitam—who had been busy knocking incoming cannonballs out of the sky—couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
This kid... really didn't hold back.
The chase was fierce, but thanks to the sheer overall strength of the Roger Pirates, they steadily pulled away from the Marine ships at an increasing pace.
"Bang—Bang—"
"Damn their Armament Haki..."
Ozz cursed again. His bullet, sensed through Observation Haki, had been blocked by the enemy's Armament Haki—specifically, their crotch armor. Truly frustrating.
He could take out low-level grunts just fine, but the moment his opponents had even a hint of Haki, his shots lost all penetration and tracking effectiveness.
That said, with his finely honed Observation Haki, not a single bullet ever touched him.
"Just wait till I master Armament Haki... and Future Sight. Then we'll see if you can still hide behind that armor."
"Clack—"
With nimble hands and feet, Ozz slung the gun over his back and shimmied down the lookout tower using a rope.
He hadn't fully matured yet, and high-tier fights weren't his battlefield—those armored Haki strikes could kill him in one hit, or cripple him with a glancing blow.
On deck, the other crewmates saw the gun-wielding little figure retreating toward the cabins. None of them said a word.
After all, against this elite force of Marines, a nine-year-old kid wasn't going to be much help. If he insisted on charging in, they'd have to divert attention to protect him.
Same went for Buggy and Shanks. With the crew locked in heated combat, no one had the time to babysit the three little ones.
Even if Ozz believed he could take both Shanks and Buggy at once—
to the veteran pirates on board, the trio were basically indistinguishable:
Useless. Equally so.
"Hey! Shanks! That coward Ozz is probably already hiding below deck. We should go too!"
"Don't be like that, Buggy! This is a man's battlefield—on the high seas!"
Sensing those two still lingering on deck, Ozz paused, redirecting his steps to the other side of the ship.
Truth be told, Ozz was a joy-seeker at heart. He loved wandering the world, doing things on a whim.
And his mad pursuit of power? It was just to make sure he could chase thrills—
and not be the thrill others chased.
Seeing the two clowns still hanging around, Ozz grinned. No rush to hide below deck after all.
On deck, a red-nosed brat was tugging on a red-haired brat. A black-haired brat with a gun crept toward them.
Shanks had a sword in hand, itching to jump into the fray, while Buggy tried dragging him away. They bickered—neither budging.
To be fair, Buggy was a jerk, but he was a loyal one.
"Buggy—who're you calling a coward?"
Without warning, Ozz patted Buggy's back mid-struggle, his voice cold and sinister by his ear.
Both of them nearly jumped out of their skins.
"Ozz, you psycho! Can't you make a sound when you walk?!"
Buggy snapped as usual, but after shouting, his brain clicked—and he immediately tried to rope Ozz into helping get Shanks off the deck.
No way were they running toward Garp's battleship. And without any long-range abilities, standing here was just asking to get shot.
Not everyone awakens Observation Haki at age nine, after all.
"Hey, Ozz—let's head back to the cabin together." Buggy was quick to suggest teaming up.
Ozz thought about it, then nodded.
Buggy, like himself, was a new addition to the Roger Pirates. He wasn't yet the battle-hardened "Three-Days-No-Sleep" legend of the future. His hesitation was natural.
Still, Ozz glanced over at the redhead squatting by the rail, eager to watch the battle, and frowned. This guy had followed Roger's crew since birth—stubborn as hell.
"What's wrong?"
Ozz swatted away an incoming bullet with the barrel of his rifle and looked at Buggy's uncomfortable expression.
One glance at Shanks' unmoving silhouette, and he understood.
The trio of future losers always moved together. But Shanks was dead weight right now, itching for action where he'd only drag others down.
This wasn't Wano Country years from now, with pirate crews fighting in neat one-on-one pairings.
These Marines were elite. Any one of them, with a bit of Haki, could kill nine-year-old Shanks on the spot.
Sure, he'd be a monster someday.
But today?
He was squishy. And reckless.
Ozz motioned for Buggy to step aside.
Buggy blinked in confusion—until Ozz raised the butt of his gun and aimed it squarely at the back of Shanks' head.
"BANG—"
With the strength of a born freak and no-nonsense training, Ozz figured he might not match a young Whitebeard,
but he'd probably come close.
One rifle-butt to the skull—and even a future Emperor like Red-Hair would see stars.
"Nice. Young Ozz vs. Young Shanks,"
"Ozz wins."
Nodding in satisfaction, Ozz dragged the unconscious Shanks by the collar toward the ship's cabin—Buggy trailing behind, still in stunned silence.