Chapter 80: Let the Underworld Know: The King Has Arrived!

Watching Morgans squirm like he had something stuck in his feathers,

Ozz raised an eyebrow. Something felt off, but he didn't say anything.

He didn't believe this birdbrain had the guts to play both sides.

If he did, Ozz would simply trail one of those news-delivery gulls, follow it to headquarters, and blast the place to hell.

Seeing Morgans still deep in thought, Ozz slowly continued:

"The second thing…

I want to take control of the entire underworld."

"You in? News King, Morgans."

"Uh…"

At those words, Morgans' previously cheerful expression froze.

He watched Ozz carefully.

There was no overt threat in his voice, no overt menace.

Just the faint curl of his lips…

And those eyes those disdainful, soul-piercing eyes.

"Ah… hahaha, someone like you actually cares about our little black-market business?"

"The underworld isn't some little business, Morgans~"

As someone who saw the bigger picture, who knew exactly how much of the sea's affairs were entangled with the kings of the underground, Ozz was more than aware.

Gambling, burials, special services, transport, propaganda, loans, storage, arms, brokerage…

It was a colossal pie made up of the most lucrative sectors in the world.

Sure, it might not be enough to shake the very top-tier powerhouses,

But overturn the foundation of this world? That was absolutely within reach.

"Think it over.

You're not under the delusion that you can hide behind a flock of birds forever, are you?"

Ozz's voice carried a kind of calm that was somehow more persuasive than any threat.

Morgans froze for a moment but he wasn't panicking. He had his ways…

"Even if you move your headquarters into the sky on an airship,"

Ozz added, almost lazily.

Nani?!!

A cold sweat leaked from his feathers, dripping onto the floor.

The human-like expression on Morgans' beaked face was now tinged with something ugly.

How could he possibly know…?

"You work in intelligence.

So you should know me well enough by now, Morgans,"

Ozz's eyes burned with a deep red glow as he stared down at the transponder snail in front of him, radiating invisible pressure.

"I can always find you whether it's in the sky, at the bottom of the sea, or buried deep underground.

If you join me now,

I won't meddle in your business too much.

In fact, I'll protect you. I'll even leak you some world-shaking exclusives."

"But…"

Ozz's gaze sharpened.

"If I have to waste time tracking you down…

You really don't want to know what'll happen then."

He didn't spell it out.

But precisely because he didn't, the message hit even harder.

Morgans stopped smiling.

Because he couldn't argue.

The more he knew about Ozz, the more terrifying the man became.

Sure, hiding away and publishing underground tabloids was already a pretty shady move…

But compared to Ozz?

He wasn't even in the same league.

As long as he wanted to keep spreading the news, keep expanding his empire,

It was impossible to avoid this monster.

A man with unrestricted teleportation, Observation Haki that could stretch for tens of kilometers…

As one of the world's top intelligence brokers, Morgans had seen all kinds of monsters in this vast ocean.

But even those monsters would have to acknowledge this man,

"Black Gun" Dotor Ozz, as a monster among monsters.

And frankly?

He'd seen this coming for a while now.

From the rapid expansion of Madam Sami's red-light empire,

To the rise of that new underworld broker "Joker".

Anyone who couldn't see the hand behind all of that just wasn't looking.

But Morgans had seen it.

Clear as day.

Every move pointed to one undeniable truth:

Lord Ozz wasn't looking to join the underworld he was planning to own it.

With his overwhelming power and impossible abilities,

He would unify the fractured and chaotic underground world.

Not through negotiation,

But by force.

No one could resist.

No one would dare.

Even the World Government would have to turn a blind eye.

This wasn't some petty squabble you could run from.

It was the tide of a new era.

After a long pause…

Morgans finally gave in.

Resistance required leverage.

And his cards weren't even close to strong enough to shake the man who'd already bloodied the World Government itself.

"In that case, I'm willing to serve under you, Lord Ozz."

If it were Big Mom or Whitebeard making this demand, Morgans wouldn't even bother listening.

But this man?

His power was unmatchable.

His potential terrifying.

This wasn't a question of influence.

This was a whole new category of threat.

"No need to worry, Morgans."

Ozz seemed pleased with the answer and even offered some reassurance.

"I won't interfere with your business, not usually.

Spread whatever news you like, I won't care.

As long as you get my messages out when I need you to, you'll have done your job."

"And besides… I can tell you a few secrets."

…

Was this what it meant to be feared by even the World Government?

The things this man knew…

Every word was a bombshell.

And that was just a fraction.

Just how many secrets had this man uncovered with his abilities?

What exactly had Roger discovered?

A single bead of cold sweat ran down Morgans' beak.

He was shaken but also… intrigued.

To follow a king of the underworld like this,

Surely, there would be no end to the earth-shattering news he could report!

Before he realized it, the hesitation in his heart had completely melted away,

Replaced by a burning curiosity for the truth he could now touch.

Of course, Ozz didn't care about loyalty in the way others did.

He wasn't like Redfield, able to hear people's thoughts through Haki.

He didn't need mind-readers.

He had something better: absolute, overwhelming power.

As long as they obeyed, that was enough.

He never needed their hearts only their cooperation.

"Oh, and don't forget to pass the word along to the other underworld bosses for me."

Ozz smiled lightly as the conversation neared its end.

"Tell them to hurry up and surrender.

Going door to door and beating each one of them into submission is just a waste of time."

"Especially that new player in town, Stussy of Pleasure Street.

If she's willing, I don't mind letting her and Sami run the business together.

But if she's not…"

Ozz's smile widened just a little more.

"Then I really won't care about protecting the face of the World Government's CP agencies.

And in the end, I'll just have Vegapunk himself give her a little talk."

---------------------------------------------------- 

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.

p@treon.com/_theon

Change @ to "a"