"A Logia?!"
"No… based on what he showed earlier, doesn't it look more like a Paramecia?!"
Faced with a monster who didn't even die after being decapitated, Drake's pupils trembled. Then a terrifying force slammed up into his jaw.
And then came a very healthy, very peaceful sleep.
Hawkins didn't dare move.
Even though Ozz had his back to him.
"Among all these rookies, your ability really interests me the most, Hawkins."
Ozz didn't even turn around. He simply snapped his fingers.
In an instant!
A dozen straw dolls, each cut cleanly in half at the waist, burst out of Hawkins's body and dropped to the ground.
Silence.
Hawkins stared at the straw dolls on the floor, his pupils shaking violently.
His substitutes… all forced out of his body?
Which meant…
In that single snap, he had already taken over a dozen fatal blows.
Killed more than ten times in one breath?!
At this point, among the Supernovas, aside from Law, Luffy, and Zoro, everyone had been successfully captured by Ozz.
"Man… that actually took a while. Perfect timing, it's about time for lunch."
Ozz rubbed his stomach and headed toward the dining hall as if nothing happened. Before leaving, he tossed Hawkins a casual instruction.
"You watch these guys for now. We'll continue this afternoon."
With that, Ozz vanished from where he stood.
And for a brief moment, Hawkins became the guards' acting boss.
He looked at the "accomplices" chained in ultra high purity Seastone, expression blank. He had no interest in gloating. He simply marched them away.
"So monsters like this really do exist in the world… This is the old era, huh…"
Kid's face was covered in blood. Locked in a cage, he slid down the wall and sat there.
Across from him stood Hawkins, cold and expressionless.
"You still don't get it?" Hawkins said flatly. "In our fight, Mr. Ozz never even used one of his strongest weapons, Haki. He fought us entirely with the power he had as a youth."
As he spoke, Hawkins's voice turned a little hollow, a little helpless.
"A monster like that… isn't even living in the same world as us."
Kid and the others said nothing. Their faces were swallowed by shadow as they sat in silence.
Hawkins understood.
That kind of stubborn rebellion would flare back up later, once they'd suffered more and grown stronger. They'd definitely come challenge him again.
But Hawkins didn't believe Mr. Ozz would ever lose.
…
"Are you sure it's okay, Kuma?"
Ozz chewed a steak and looked at the man seated across from him.
Kuma was staring out the window, toward the place where the Supernovas were being held.
"No… Because of the experiments, CP has never stopped investigating me. I don't want to drag Bonney into it."
"…Alright."
Ozz didn't argue. If that was the case, that little brat Bonney would probably hate him for a long, long time.
Ozz finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and stood to leave.
"By the way, the Government's probably ordering you to attend that big event meeting, right?"
"Ah… yes."
"Then have a safe trip."
Once he stepped out, his Observation Haki confirmed Kuma had left. Ozz headed straight for the shore.
He'd gotten intel that Law was preparing to run.
Maybe it was because of the Pacifista, maybe it was because Ozz was on the island. Either way, Law was bolting now.
"Mr. Ozz."
Hawkins was already waiting. Ozz wasn't tired of this useful tool yet.
"Do me a favor," Ozz said lazily. "Calculate Law's odds of escaping today."
His tone was unhurried, almost arrogant. Like he wasn't worried at all.
Hawkins immediately pulled out a deck of tarot cards and began to divine.
"Escape rate: 0%."
"Yeah. About right."
Ozz reached the sea. The horizon was endless. There wasn't a single ship left in the harbor.
Hawkins glanced around and frowned.
"Rumor says Trafalgar Law travels on a submarine capable of navigating polar waters. Looks like they've already departed."
"Doesn't matter."
Now Ozz was certain Law had heard the news about him hunting Supernovas.
Otherwise he wouldn't be fleeing this urgently. He'd already gone deep underwater.
"Perfect. A little post meal warm up."
Ozz snapped his fingers. His clothes instantly turned into nothing but a pair of swim trunks.
He tugged up the corner of his mouth in a gentle smile, but to Hawkins, it looked downright chilling.
Then, in Hawkins's stunned stare, Ozz stepped off the shore and jumped straight into the sea, diving into the depths.
"What?!" Hawkins went blank.
Isn't Mr. Ozz a Devil Fruit user?!
Why would he jump into the ocean?!
A moment later, a massive column of water erupted on the surface, like something was plummeting downward at terrifying speed, the backlash force huge.
"What kind of monster…"
Hawkins could only wait on the shore.
…
Thousands of meters below.
A submarine continued descending, pushing deeper and deeper.
Crew in orange uniforms worked the controls. On the seats, a white bear and a man in a black and white spotted hat spoke in low voices.
"Not deep enough," Law muttered, unease tightening his brow. "That man's Observation Haki might be able to cross thousands of meters."
Bepo didn't really understand.
"That's way too exaggerated, Captain. How could a Devil Fruit user chase us in the deep sea?"
"Precisely because of his ability, we're in danger."
Law's face darkened.
If their depth wasn't enough, they really might fall within his Observation range. Then with one snap, they'd be popped right back onto the surface.
Forced to relive it all over again.
But the more you fear something, the faster it finds you.
A crewman suddenly shouted in panic.
"Captain! Something's following us outside!"
Bepo sprang up first.
"What, what?! A Sea King?!"
"No… it looks like a person?!"
The second those words landed, Law's composure shattered. He started to rise, but the submarine suddenly shook violently. Everyone staggered in the opposite direction, thrown off balance.
That force…
The submarine was being pulled upward?!
Law and the others rushed to the rear viewing window.
Outside the glass, a shadowy figure could be seen.
One hand gripping the submarine.
In the deep sea.
Dragging it back toward the surface.
Law stumbled back, step after step, cold sweat beading on his face as his expression turned ugly.
"No…!"
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