In the capital of the Arclesia Empire, a small cafe stood quietly at the edge of the main thoroughfare.
The shop was far from spacious, boasting only a few counter seats and two small tables. Currently, only the owner and a single customer occupied the space.
Ozma—a man with messy black hair, unshaven stubble, and a perpetually wrinkled, slovenly grey trench coat—sat at the counter, leisurely sipping his coffee.
"Mmm... just as I thought. The coffee here is always delicious."
"I appreciate the compliment, but putting that aside... Uncle? Would it kill you to shave at least once in a while?"
"Well, ahaha... you know how it is. This old man is just a lazy soul at heart."
"Honestly..."
The petite girl behind the counter stood barely a hundred and thirty centimeters tall. A Dwarf by race, the shopkeeper spoke with an exasperated fondness to Ozma, who had been a regular since her father’s time.
Hearing her words, Ozma scratched his head awkwardly and offered a relaxed reply.
"No, but really, your skills have truly improved."
"I'm still no match for my father, though."
"Mmm. The previous owner had his own merits, and you have yours, young lady."
"You say that, but Uncle, do you even know the difference in taste?"
"Well, ahaha... you've got me there."
While her tone might have been considered rude to an ordinary customer, for the girl who shared a long history with Ozma, it was simply business as usual.
Ozma gave a faint, self-deprecating smile as he idly scanned the empty shop.
"How is business? Is it tough?"
"...Well, I can't exactly lie and say I'm raking it in, but I'm not in the red. I have eccentric regulars like you, after all."
"I see... Oh?"
As Ozma spoke with concern for the girl who had lost her parents early and managed the shop on her own, she replied with a bright smile.
Ozma started to return the gentle look, but he suddenly sensed something. His gaze shifted toward the entrance.
Drawn by his movement, the girl turned as well. At almost the exact same moment, the shop door was roughly thrown open, and several men with thuggish appearances barged in.
"...You people again..."
"Hehehe, we've come to negotiate. Right, Miss Shopkeeper?"
"No matter how many times you come, I have no intention of letting go of this shop! This is a precious place I inherited from my father!"
"Is that so? However... it must be hard doing this all alone, isn't it? After all, 'you never know what might happen.'"
"——!?"
Seeing the man's vulgar smirk, the girl recoiled in fear, yet she still directed a sharp, defiant glare at the intruders.
The atmosphere was thick enough to choke on—a volatile, electric tension that was suddenly shattered by the sound of a cup clattering against the floor.
"Whoops!?"
"Uncle!? A-Are you okay?"
"Oh, bother... I’ve gone and spilled it..."
"Wait! I'll get a towel right now..."
Looking down at the coffee cup he had dropped, Ozma wore a look of utter dejection as a large stain spread across his trench coat.
Perhaps their momentum was drained by the pathetic sight, or perhaps they merely wished to avoid causing a scene while witnesses were present. The leader of the men clicked his tongue and turned to leave.
"Tch... we'll be back."
With those spat-out words, the man departed, his subordinates trailing behind him.
While wiping the stain with the towel the girl provided, Ozma watched their retreating figures, his usual relaxed expression returning to his face.
"Geez! Uncle, you have to be more careful..."
"Ahaha, no, sorry, sorry. My hand just slipped... Still, those were some rather rough customers. Do they come by often?"
"...Yes... They're Land Sharks hired by a merchant guild that has nothing but bad rumors surrounding it. It seems they want this land."
"Hmm. You find those types everywhere, don't you... Are you alright?"
"I'm fine! This shop was precious to my father, so I won't let go of it no matter who comes!"
Though the girl behaved bravely despite her small stature, her shoulders were trembling slightly.
Ozma pretended not to notice. He pulled a coin from his pocket and placed it on the counter.
"I see. I'm sure it's difficult in many ways, but do your best. Rely on adults when you're in trouble, okay?"
"D-Don't treat me like a child! I'll be fine!"
"Hahaha, is that so? Then I suppose I was being meddlesome."
"...Thank you——Wait, Uncle!? Please wait! This is a Gold Coin, isn't it!? The change..."
"Ah, it's for the broken cup. Don't worry about it, just take it..."
"No, no, even so, this is way too much!?"
"Well then, I'll see you again~"
"Ah, wait!?"
Ignoring the girl's protest, Ozma left the shop with a casual wave.
The sun had completely set, and the back alleys were illuminated only by moonlight. In a location not far from the cafe, the Land Shark and his subordinates who had visited earlier that morning were gathered.
"...Hehehe, are we really going to do it?"
"Yeah. I can't afford to waste any more time on a tiny shop like that."
"So we're going to negotiate with her body, then... I'm looking forward to it."
"What? You like women with bodies like a brat's? Well, do as you please. Since that woman's going to go missing anyway, take her if you want to... but make sure you dispose of her properly when you're done, got it?"
"Hehehe, I know."
As he replied to his subordinate who spoke with a lewd grin, the leader smirked.
They had decided to take the cafe by force. The owner was just a lone Dwarf girl; from their perspective, she was someone they could handle however they wished.
That thought itself wasn't wrong. Indeed, the girl had no means to resist the violence of men.
"Hmm. This old man doesn't really like that sort of thing, you know?"
"Wha!?"
A voice echoed quietly in the alleyway. As the men hurriedly looked up, they saw the small, orange glow of a cigarette. Ozma slowly emerged from the shadows.
"You see, I’m not particularly fond of those sorts of... Bad Ends. The ones where a kid working her hardest gets crushed by violence in the end. I much prefer a Happy End, don't you?"
"W-Who the hell are you!?"
"Hmm. I thought I was fairly famous, honestly... That young lady didn't recognize me either. I wonder why that is? Is it my Haki? Is my Haki lacking after all?"
"...Tch. Hey, you lot! Get rid of this annoying geezer already! It'll be a pain if he causes a scene."
Toward Ozma, who spoke in an unperturbed manner, the man clicked his tongue and barked orders at his subordinates.
Naturally, the man had no intention of letting Ozma go. Since he had been seen, the witness would be eliminated. It was a truly foolish choice.
"Die!"
"Now, now, you shouldn't say 'die' so lightly... There."
"Gwah!? Gah!?"
One subordinate swung a scimitar down toward Ozma, but the older man shifted his body with a deceptively slow movement, effortlessly evading the strike.
Furthermore, he didn't stop there. Ozma placed his own hand atop the man's wrist and rotated it with a quick, fluid twist.
With just that, the subordinate's body flipped vertically and slammed onto the ground.
In a world called Japan, this technique was known as Aiki. The flowing strike, which redirected the opponent's own strength, possessed a quality that was almost beautiful.
Ozma glanced at the subordinate groaning on the ground and exhaled a plume of smoke.
"...I think it would be better if you stopped. This old man is actually quite strong..."
"Damn it! What are you doing! Get him already!"
"Hey now, you should listen properly to the words of your elders..."
With the leader's roar, multiple subordinates rushed Ozma at once. Scimitars were swung simultaneously from the right and left; Ozma caught the blades between his fingers and pulled them toward him.
As the two men lost their balance and pitched forward, he delivered light palm strikes to their necks, plunging them into unconsciousness. Continuing his motion, he parried the side of an approaching blade with his palm.
As he leisurely watched the subordinates closing in one after another, a small smile played across Ozma's lips.
To any informed observer, it would have been a pitiful sight. There were only about a dozen subordinates; against a man like him, that would never be enough.
"Hii, aah..."
"You know, this old man is actually quite kind. I won't kill you or anything, so feel free to relax."
Looking at his dozen or so subordinates lying unconscious on the ground, the leader stared at Ozma with a terrified expression.
Ozma still wore a gentle smile, but his grey eyes were radiating a deep, sharp sense of Intimidation.
"But, yeah. I'd like you to do one small favor for me."
"A... favor?"
"Yeah. No, it's nothing major. I just have something I'd like to talk about with the person who hired you for this job. So, you see? Could you lead the way?"
"...Aa... aaah... uwaaa..."
In the dim alleyway lit only by moonlight, the man standing before him was an overwhelming powerhouse. The choice was an illusion; the leader had never been given one.
Morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the cafe. Ozma was back in his usual spot at the counter.
"...I mean, Uncle?"
"Hmm?"
"Why is your coat already covered in wrinkles, even though you just got a new one!?"
"Ah, ahaha... Well, maybe it was bad of me to just bunch it up and throw it over there..."
"Geez, you're as slovenly as ever."
"Ahaha, you're quite harsh."
While enjoying their peaceful conversation, Ozma took out a cigarette and lit it.
The girl, who had been watching him with an exasperated look, spoke up as if she had suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, Uncle. About that merchant guild that was trying to take the shop... apparently, they were dismantled because evidence of corruption was found. Thanks to that, the Land Sharks stopped showing up too."
"Is that so? Well, if people do shady things, that's what eventually happens to them."
"Yes, I'm so relieved."
"Mmm-hmm, that's good. As I thought, luck tends to side with kids who work hard."
"Hey, why are you patting my head!? Stop treating me like a child!! I'm already twenty years old!"
"Ahaha, from this old man's perspective, you're still a child... Refill on the coffee, please."
"Honestly..."
Puffing out her cheeks like a squirrel, the girl went to brew more coffee. Ozma watched her with a serene smile.
Ozma said nothing. He didn't speak of the fate of the Land Sharks, nor of the negotiation he had conducted with the merchant guild afterward. He would never boast of his own achievements.
Because...
"Here, a refill on the coffee."
"Thanks. Yeah, as I thought, the coffee here is delicious."
"Fufufu, of course it is. After all, I brewed it with all my he——I told you! Don't pat my head!!"
Because the taste of this coffee, preserved exactly as it had always been, was the greatest reward he could ever ask for.