"Sanji, my boy!!!"
Ozz had not expected that just wandering casually across the sea he would bump into his adopted son. His mood immediately improved and he waved at him with a big grin.
Sanji was not just happy.
He was ecstatic.
Even though his body had become thinner and weaker from long term starvation, at that very moment some hidden strength burst out of him. He bounced up and down with joy, waving his arms at Ozz with all his might.
"Father!!!"
By the end, he skipped right past "godfather" and yelled straight up "father".
From the way he was shouting, you would think Ozz really was his biological dad.
Beside him, Zeff blinked. Because of the prolonged lack of food, even though he had once been a pirate of no small strength, now he could barely move. He opened his mouth, pupils trembling in shock.
Was that not the Black Emperor… no, Lord Black Gun he had met many years ago?
He is this blond brat's father???
Ozz gave a light hop and landed on the small, sheer cliff island. The rocks around the island had been smoothed slick by the waves, making it impossible to fish or climb down to the sea. The two of them had probably been stranded here for two or three months already.
Ozz did not hold back. Every time he went out to sea nowadays he brought plenty of food. Even if he had none on him, he could always grab a Sea King and have a taste.
He dropped the big sack of food down. Sanji did not even have time to say anything before he lunged forward, grabbing whatever his hands could reach and stuffing it into his mouth.
"Lord Ozz…"
Many years ago, Zeff had crossed paths with Ozz once, but he was not sure if a big shot like Ozz would still remember such a small fry.
"Yeah, been a long time. The last time we met was on the Grand Line, right."
Of course Ozz remembered him. He had even freeloaded as a guest on the Cook Pirates' ship back then.
Seeing the way Zeff subconsciously swallowed, Ozz smiled.
"Eat as much as you want. Take it as thanks for looking after this kid."
Sanji wolfed down food while crying, mumbling something incoherent through a mouth full of bread and meat.
"Sniff… so good…"
Ozz ruffled his dry, straw like blond hair. It was obvious the boy was half dead from hunger. More than once he started choking and had to smack his own chest to force the food down.
Hearing Ozz's words, Zeff froze for a moment, then gave him a grateful smile and stopped being polite, digging in as well.
Only after eating until his stomach bulged round did little Sanji flop backward onto the ground with a look of pure bliss. His eyes were sparkling as he stared at Ozz.
"Hey, Father, what are you doing in the East Blue!"
Back when he was very young, Ozz had already left a huge impression on his heart. On top of that, he had saved his mother's life.
Even though Zeff had shattered his own leg and given all the food to Sanji, in Sanji's heart, on a deeper level, Ozz and Zeff were both his foster fathers.
"In my case…"
The sea breeze brushed past, lifting Ozz's long hair. His handsome face carried a faint smile.
"I guess you could say I am traveling. And while I am at it, checking in on some old friends."
Before Sanji could ask anything else, Ozz added casually:
"So, how is your mother doing these years?"
The pure gold had frozen her life at a fragile point, so Zola had probably stayed in a weak state all this time, but at least it had not worsened.
"She is good!!!"
Sanji nodded with a bright grin. It was as if he had remembered something that made him very happy.
"Mom has not been in great health all these years, but nothing bad has happened."
Ozz sat down on a rock, chatting with Sanji and Zeff for a while. Then he patted his clothes and got ready to leave.
"Sanji had it rough when he was little. I will leave him in your care, Zeff."
Ozz did not like raising kids. Handing Sanji over to Zeff like this was, in his eyes, already doing what he ought to do.
"Huh???"
Sanji and Zeff were both stunned.
He is leaving?
What about us???
But Ozz did not actually mean to leave them to die. What if things diverged from the original story and no ship passed by for another month or two?
He tore off a piece of his own Vivre Card and handed it to Sanji, then called Sammi and had a ship sent over.
"Take care of yourself from now on, Sanji."
"Yes!!!"
"Got it."
…
Ozz was in no hurry to rush anywhere. He wandered his way through the East Blue, this lowest of low ranked seas, taking it as a vacation. The scenery here really was not bad.
The East Blue was mostly populated by ordinary people. The weather rarely reached the extremes of the Grand Line. The simple, ordinary lives people led here had their own charm.
Holding a giant East Blue specialty barbecue skewer in one hand, about as tall as a grown man, Ozz chewed as he walked. When he was really bored, he would sit on the Seagull King's back and let the wind blow past him while he looked down over the vast ocean.
Meanwhile.
In the Music Kingdom, Elegia.
"This opera house is really something."
Leading the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks adjusted the straw hat hanging on his arm as he looked up at the magnificent hall.
The rough looking pirates of the Red Hair crew did not match the ornate surroundings at all. If not for Uta, they would have seemed even more out of place.
Soon, a slightly hunched man walked over with a smile.
"You must be the guests Lord Ozz told us to expect."
"Oh?"
"I am the manager of Elegia's Grand Opera House. Please, come this way…"
For the first time, the Red Hair Pirates were being welcomed as honored guests and not as pirates. The crew scattered to look around the place.
Shanks accompanied Uta up onto the stage. People came forward to lay out sheet music for her. He watched with a wry smile on his face.
"This is a bit too enthusiastic, do you not think."
When he saw the hundreds of scores laid out in front of Uta, cold sweat ran down Shanks' back. He scratched his head.
"Are you sure you want to perform all of these, Uta?"
Uta, on the other hand, was thrilled.
"No problem. I had special training from Uncle Ozz. I am really strong now."
To have great singing, you needed a good set of lungs and a decent physique. When he had nothing better to do, Ozz had acted as her famous instructor for a while.
Now, Uta might not be a little monster in the combat sense, but when she fought with little Luffy she never lost an inch, even though she was a girl.
Shanks nodded helplessly.
How was he supposed to know that the strength of the Demon King of Song, Tot Musica, also scaled with its host's physical abilities?
Uta's terrifying talent for singing made the people of Elegia desperate to keep her. At the same time, someone came to them with a strange score.
"Man, I thought I could make it in time. Looks like I lost too much time on the way."
Ozz scratched his head as he watched from afar. The battle seemed a bit rougher than he remembered. Shanks's expression was heavier than in his impression.
He had no idea what had gone wrong.
It did not help that when the film Red came out, he had not watched it properly. Most of his impressions were from random clips online.
Still, he did not really care.
He snapped his fingers. The black blade Ace slowly appeared in his hand.
His calm gaze fell upon the rampaging Demon King of Song. He raised a brow, as if running through calculations in his head.
Even from far out on the sea, the explosion of Conqueror's Haki and shattering space made the battlefield on Elegia freeze for a heartbeat.
Black and red lightning and warped air coiled around the dark blade.
"One slash…"
"It should not accidentally take out little Uta along with it, right?"
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