Chapter 14: Will You Be the Next World's Strongest, Ozz?

It had been a month since the Battle of Ed War.

For once, the Roger Pirates enjoyed a rare stretch of calm—

Well, almost.

"Boom—!"

"Barrett again... Still as reckless as ever."

He charged in headfirst, knowing full well he couldn't win—a kind of stupidity that could only be called stubbornness.

To Ozz, that pretty much summed up Barrett in a sentence.

What made that guy think he—a brat not even in his twenties—could defeat Roger? Especially when he hadn't even mastered Advanced Armament Haki. He rushed in every time, only to get one-shotted.

After a while, the whole crew got used to it.

Everyone just assumed this farce would go on forever.

Until one day, during a routine island landing…

Barrett was sent flying again by a single slash—but this time, his expression was different.

As if he'd made a decision.

Only Ozz noticed the shift in his eyes.

"You're leaving, Barrett?"

Ozz leaned against the doorframe, chewing on a piece of ham, watching Barrett pack.

Not that there was much to pack—just a few changes of clothes, some headphones, and a small stash of treasure.

"Yeah..."

Barrett turned, locking eyes with Ozz—the one person on the ship he recognized as a worthy fighter.

"Roger doesn't have long. I've lost all hope of surpassing him. It's time I moved on."

"So what now?"

Ozz asked, though deep down he already knew the answer.

After all, Barrett was the final boss in Stampede—his strength was undeniable. The guy was a walking powerhouse, a one-man war machine.

He'd gone toe-to-toe with multiple Buster Calls, earning the title "Heir of the Devil."

Even Luffy in Gear Fourth looked pitiful in front of him. The Supernovas? He toyed with them like action figures.

But what struck Ozz the most was Barrett's absurd mastery over Armament Haki—so vast it could cover half an island.

If only the guy hadn't gone down that weird path of building a super-mecha kaiju.

Giant but not stronger, just a bigger target.

If he'd focused on mastering Advanced Haki instead of fusing into a Gundam, he'd be a solid Yonko-level fighter, easy.

"Plans? Don't really have any. First step: get stronger."

"And after that?"

"Challenge the next strongest in the world."

Barrett said it with conviction—his eyes drifting toward Ozz.

It caught Ozz off guard.

"You think you'll surpass Roger, Ozz Dottor?"

"Wait... You're not saying—"

Ozz raised a brow, a sinking feeling creeping in.

He instantly regretted showing up to see Barrett off.

"I can tell," Barrett said calmly, "Your spirit and talent aren't beneath anyone's. When you step onto the world stage, maybe we'll meet again—for a proper fight."

"Ugh, don't drag me into this. If you're that eager, go chase Shanks instead."

Barrett didn't reply, but his eyes said everything.

He wasn't changing his mind.

Seriously?

Roger dies and you come knocking on my door?

How's that fair?

Ozz had no doubt he'd one day be among the top-tier of the world.

But that didn't mean he was looking for trouble.

He and Barrett had at least fought side by side once.

Killing him just to stop a future duel felt... excessive.

And even if Ozz won, Barrett would just keep challenging him—

Just like he did with Roger.

Once every three days for a spar, once every five for a deathmatch—

Enough to drive anyone insane.

Their conversation didn't last long. Once they docked, Barrett left on his own.

No one tried to stop him. Not even Captain Roger—he simply watched Barrett disappear into the distance.

Ozz didn't say anything either.

Barrett had never really been one of them.

He didn't believe in crewmates. He believed in strength—his own, absolute and unshakable.

That alone made him fundamentally incompatible with the Roger Pirates.

Parting ways had always been inevitable.

Besides, even if Barrett hadn't left now, the crew was disbanding in two years anyway.

Rayleigh stood at the edge of the ship, watching Barrett's silhouette fade into the sunset.

But just as a hint of melancholy tried to creep in, Ozz ruined the moment:

"Hey Vice-Captain, when are you gonna teach me Advanced Conqueror's Haki?"

"You little brat..."

Rayleigh sighed, rubbing his temples.

He was already regretting his offhand promise from before.

"That kind of power doesn't come with instruction manuals, Ozz. Your Conqueror's Haki has to be strong enough first."

"How do I get it strong enough?"

**"Simple—grow stronger. As your strength rises, so will your spirit. But right now, it's too early.

Sure, there've been geniuses who awakened Conqueror's Haki young.

But have you ever seen a kid your age use Advanced Conqueror's Haki?"**

Uh…

Ozz was speechless.

Come to think of it, that was true.

Whether it was Doflamingo, Ace, Yamato, or Katakuri—

Many of them awakened Conqueror's Haki young, some even earlier than Ozz.

But none of them could use Advanced Conqueror's while they were still young.

In fact, even in the New World—where Conqueror's users were a dime a dozen—

Those who could wield Advanced Conqueror's were few and legendary.

Maybe this power really did depend on freakish talent.

Ozz stayed silent for a long while, finally letting go of his dream of mastering it at twelve.

Still, Rayleigh didn't leave him empty-handed.

He passed along the theory of how, once his Conqueror's Haki matured, it could be infused like Armament—into his body or weapon.

"Here's the technique," Rayleigh said, "but turning it into power? That's on you."

Bonus surprise—he even shared a few tricks on using Divine Departure, a technique born from the fusion of Advanced Haki and master swordsmanship.

That alone was worth studying for Ozz.

Off to the side, Shanks and Buggy had been watching the entire scene.

They didn't understand everything Ozz and Rayleigh were talking about.

But one thought crossed both their minds at the same time—

Would they ever catch up to Ozz…?

"What are you two staring at?"

Ozz came over and threw an arm around both their shoulders with a grin.

"Nothing... Captain Roger said to finish resupplying. We're setting sail for our next destination."

"Where to?"

"Wano."

Wano, huh…

Without even noticing, they'd already sailed this far?

So the "end" was really close now.

"My time's almost up, Ozz."

Roger's voice came from behind the trio.

He walked over with a smile, ruffling their heads.

There was no hint of despair, no gloom in his tone—

Only the calm resolve of a man who knew his fate.

"Once we reach the second half of the New World, go explore a few islands.

Who knows? You might find a surprise or two."

Ozz didn't say anything.

Because Roger really did find it—

In what little time he had left, he found the place and the person who could read the Poneglyphs.

Everything was guided by fate, wasn't it?