Chapter 123: The Pure Gold Deal: Ozz's Terms

"Looks like things went pretty smoothly this time, Lord Ozz."

Beaming with joy, Sammy draped the necklace with scraps of pure gold around her neck, unable to hide the smile tugging at her lips.

She wasn't young anymore, so unlike people like Ozz, she didn't need to worry about stunting her growth or hindering her strength.

What she wanted now was simple preserve her youth, stave off the slow creep of age.

"As long as you work hard under me, you earn the right to share in this wealth."

With a grin, Ozz slipped a bracelet inlaid with pure gold into the hand of the petite maid.

He had plenty to spare fist-sized chunks of the stuff. Used sparingly, it was more than enough to grant hundreds, maybe thousands, of people a form of eternal life.

Naturally, he gave it only to those closest to him his most loyal and trusted.

And of course… the old mayor.

Ozz crossed one leg over the other, mentally checking his list to make sure he hadn't missed anyone, when his Observation Haki suddenly picked up on several strangely dressed newcomers entering the hotel.

They wore long white robes and odd, expressionless masks.

"How interesting... Their noses are sharper than a dog's."

With a flick of his finger, a few figures appeared right in front of him.

"Huh"

The intruders froze in alarm, but upon seeing Ozz, they quickly grasped the situation.

"Who sent you?"

Lounging on the sofa, Ozz had a maid clinging to each shoulder, a freshly pressed fruit juice in hand. His gaze was calm, yet carried the faint disdain of someone watching a dog sniffing at his feet.

"Ozz-sama, we were sent by Saint Roland. We're here to negotiate"

"Hold it."

At the mention of that unfamiliar name, Ozz cut them off. The CP0 agents suddenly found their mouths sealed shut by an invisible force unable to utter a word.

"Saint Roland? Funny, I don't remember any of the Five Elders having that name."

Only once Ozz finished speaking did their mouths unlock.

"He's not part of the "

Before they could finish, their mouths were sealed again.

"Then... one of those so-called Divine Knights?"

"Saint Roland isn't"

"So he's just another run-of-the-mill Celestial Dragon, huh?"

At that, Ozz finally lost interest. He downed his juice in one long gulp.

Snap.

With a crisp snap of his fingers, the white-robed figures disintegrated into dust, drifting out the window like ashes on the wind.

"World Government agents..." Sammy spoke softly, a trace of concern in her voice.

Their current relationship with the World Government was relatively cordial. Many of their recent profits were due to that cooperation. If things soured now…

"They're just dogs. And worse dogs who serve a pack of pigs."

Ozz couldn't fathom where that nameless Celestial Dragon got the nerve to send CP0 to demand anything from him.

If one of the Five Elders or someone like Garling had come in person, that'd be a different story.

Just as he was finishing the thought

"Brrrrrrrr-brr… click."

"Ozz…"

"Some folks calling themselves CP0 dropped by, wanted to strike a deal. That come from you?"

In the Room of Authority, the Five Elders exchanged looks.

Clearly, each of them assumed the others had quietly made a move, hoping to secure some pure gold for their own descendants.

But after a few awkward glances, it became clear none of them had acted.

Their expressions darkened. Sending dogs to Ozz's door…

That was like answering a call from Ozz, only to hand the receiver to a pack of prostitutes from the red-light district to negotiate on their behalf.

It wasn't just disrespectful it was insulting.

"Must be one of those self-important Celestial Dragons from the Holy Land."

"Got a bit of CP authority and thinks he's clever?"

"Idiots."

Each of the Five Elders cursed internally, but outwardly, they needed to pacify Ozz.

"Our subordinates acted without orders. Just a few dogs."

"Ozz, that wasn't our intent."

"Those men you can do with them as you like."

Ozz glanced at the empty space where the agents had just turned to ash and curled his lip.

"So… what did you call me for?"

The unexpected interruption had actually flipped the dynamic now the Five Elders found themselves on the back foot.

Ever since they learned Ozz was searching for pure gold, their spies embedded with Umit had started tracking his movements.

Sure enough, a sudden surge in reward funds, plus Ozz going off the radar for several days, tipped them off:

He'd likely found it. And not just found it retrieved it.

That sent the Five Elders into motion.

They didn't need it for themselves, of course. But pure gold was still an invaluable treasure.

If gifted to loyal high-level operatives, it could significantly bolster the World Government's strength.

They'd already prepared for a major concession.

But now, thanks to those reckless dogs, they had no leverage left in the negotiation.

"Let's speak plainly, Ozz."

"The legendary substance said to grant eternal life pure gold, created by a scientist two centuries ago you have it, don't you?"

Ozz didn't deny it. He hadn't planned to keep it secret anyway.

It was for him and his people. He had no intention of hoarding it like a dragon.

"Quite the intelligence network you've got there, gentlemen."

"Then let's get to the point we want to trade for some."

"You five? What's an immortal need with eternal life?"

The Five Elders froze. Ozz… How much did he really know?

"We have our reasons. Just name your price."

"Hmph… Money's not exactly something I lack."

That said, it didn't mean Ozz wasn't interested in other things.

Everything in this world had a price. It was just a matter of offering enough.

Fortunately, the Five Elders knew exactly what Ozz had his eye on.

"If you're willing… we can offer Devil Fruits in exchange."

"Now that's generous."

Ozz raised an eyebrow. The World Government really did have deep pockets.

What followed was a drawn-out back-and-forth of offers and counter-offers. Eventually, they reached a compromise:

One gram of pure gold per Logia or Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.

Pure gold the stuff said to be worth enough to buy the world. It wasn't something you could slap a price tag on.

But if you had to assign one, this was it.

Still, the Government's stock wasn't as deep as expected. They couldn't just hand over dozens of top-tier fruits in one go.

In the end, Ozz walked away with five:

Logia-type: Earth-Earth Fruit

Logia-type: Air-Air Fruit

Logia-type: Cloud-Cloud Fruit

Mythical Zoan: Gale Bird Form

Mythical Zoan: Colossus Mammoth Form

Not bad not amazing, but worth collecting.

Just before the call ended, Ozz decided to use the earlier CP0 incident to tack on a final demand.

The Five Elders, now thoroughly vexed, reluctantly agreed to one more not-too-unreasonable condition:

"The World Summit's coming up next year, right? The escort ship for the Kingdom of Dularmos… I want to choose the Navy officers."

"And I want extras. The New World isn't exactly safe, is it?"

"Who?"

"Vice Admirals: Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino."

...