Chapter 97: Keep Playing Cool and I’ll Dunk You in a Latrine, Got It?

Vivre Cards were naturally drawn to one another.

That was something Ozz knew all too well.

The little slips torn from a Vivre Card what one might call "sub-cards" would subtly drift toward the original, the "main card." And when that card began to burn, it was a clear sign the card's owner was on the brink of death.

Worth noting: no matter how many times it was torn apart, the original card remained singular. Even if it was just a sliver, it would still be the main card. It would never, under any circumstances, be drawn toward the pieces torn from it.

Using this principle, Ozz had devised a unique tracking technique.

By instantaneously teleporting the near-shredded remains of a "main card" directly into the muscle fibers of a person's heart.

Well, unless you were an elemental type or had the powers of the Op-Op Fruit, there was no escaping his grasp.

Ozz had never shared this little trick with anyone.

The subordinates who had dutifully handed over their Vivre Cards had no idea what he'd actually done.

They only found out when, to their horror, they discovered that no matter how many times they tore up the card or tried to discard it, it would always, inevitably, point directly back at them.

By the time they realized how the trap worked, it was far too late to undo it.

This little stunt eventually led to a startling development in the underworld.

The value of the Op-Op Fruit skyrocketed far beyond the original 5 billion bounty. Shadowy kingpins across the globe began throwing hundreds of billions at it, desperate to get their hands on the fruit's power.

And as these kings of the underworld knelt before him, offering loyalty in exchange for his favor, Ozz found himself quite pleased.

At least it saved him the trouble of tracking them down.

To be honest, this little trip to Totto Land had been rather enjoyable.

Good food, good entertainment he barely had to lift a finger.

For a brief moment, Ozz even considered skipping the whole battle altogether.

But alas...

Having kids? Yeah, not happening. Not now, not ever.

Backing out now would no doubt send Big Mom into a frenzy. They'd be enemies for life.

If he wanted to keep things stable, he'd have to come up with something clever.

But no matter how hard he wracked his brain, nothing really came to him.

So he figured: might as well eat and drink for now.

The banquet was overflowing with sweets and pastries of every imaginable kind.

What's done is done time to eat.

Big Mom didn't seem in any rush either. She was quite enjoying the tea party atmosphere and the decadent desserts.

At one point during the feast, Ozz casually brought up a request: he wanted to imbue Yoru with a soul.

With a flick of his wrist.

A magnificent, obsidian-black greatsword appeared in his hand.

The sight of it startled everyone in the room.

Especially Big Mom's children. They shot to their feet instantly, faces dark with tension, hands flying to their blades and pistols.

"Sit. Down."

Before they could make a move, a deep voice rang out across the room.

It was Katakuri, his face grim, his pupils glowing with red light.

He'd clearly sensed something.

Not that he needed to he'd already noticed Mihawk and Crocodile calmly seated at the next table.

"Your Observation Haki's come a long way, Katakuri."

Ozz smiled, placing the sword Yoru, one of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades gently onto the table.

"Linlin, I'd like to ask a favor. Think you could give this black blade a soul?

Something like what you did with Napoleon."

"Ma~mamamama! Is that all? Ozz, you really do love to joke around."

Big Mom laughed, finally realizing what Ozz was up to.

She'd half-thought he was about to launch into a surprise attack.

Imbuing something with a soul wasn't particularly difficult though the stronger the Homie, the more powerful the soul needed to be.

Wanting to show good faith,

She raised her hand. Countless wisps of soul energy streamed from nearby Homies, flooding into Yoru.

The whole process took just a few minutes.

At some point during this, Mihawk had silently walked over to the main table, eyes fixed intently on his beloved sword as it underwent the transformation.

He looked just like a nervous husband pacing outside a delivery room.

"No need to get so worked up. Worst-case scenario, nothing changes."

Ozz teased him, but for once, Mihawk didn't respond.

Or maybe he just didn't have the energy to.

A gentle stream of creamy-white energy formed in Big Mom's hand before she slowly guided it into Yoru's blade.

Ozz couldn't help but watch with fascination.

So this was the power of a soul, huh?

When the process was finished, several pairs of eyes stared curiously at the black blade on the table.

"…"

"Did it not work?"

It didn't seem any different.

Ozz turned to Big Mom. She sipped her tea and shook her head.

"The transformation's complete. Only explanation is...

It might just be a shy kid who doesn't like to talk."

So that's it, huh?

Already awakened but with a personality.

Well, considering it was Mihawk's sword, it was probably not shy.

More likely it was just cold and aloof, just like its owner.

With Mihawk standing there, conflicted and unsure whether to speak up, Ozz casually picked up Yoru and inspected it.

"Let's test the feel of it. See if anything's changed."

Then, without warning, he raised Yoru and swung it skyward.

Whoosh.

The entire banquet fell silent.

Every mouth dropped open. Eyes bulged.

A massive wave of black sword energy, several hundred meters long, ripped through the air.

BOOM!

The clouds no,

The sky itself split open.

Among Big Mom's children, the ones who practiced swordsmanship were the most stunned of all.

None more so than Charlotte Smoothie, one of the Sweet Commanders.

As someone who had already stepped into the realm of swordmasters, she knew exactly what that slash meant.

This man this Ozz of legend had walked the path of the sword all the way to the edge of becoming a true Greatsword Master.

Standing just beneath the summit of the world.

Ozz gave the blade a subtle feel, swinging it a few times.

"Hmm... feels about the same. Power's comparable to what Ace used to dish out."

Mihawk was clearly reaching his limit.

Watching his own sword being swung around so casually, right in front of him.

This was crossing into no return territory.

"Hey hey, don't be mad. I just thought of a way to make it talk!"

Seeing Mihawk's face grow visibly darker, Ozz quickly offered an explanation.

"You... what do you plan to do?"

Mihawk narrowed his eyes at this unpredictable boss of his.

He wasn't sure what Ozz had up his sleeve. But somehow, he couldn't rule out the possibility that it might actually work.

"With guys like you those aloof, brooding types I've got plenty of experience."

Ozz sounded totally confident.

With Big Mom, Mihawk, countless Homies, and the rest of the Charlotte family watching intently,

He raised Yoru again and spoke softly:

"Young black blade... If you don't speak up, I'm gonna dunk you in a latrine, got it?"

"Gleam"

Maybe it was the threat that did it.

A pair of sharp, piercing eyes suddenly opened right there on the hilt of the sword!

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