They were all Marines.
Doll chose to believe in Ozz. Sengoku and Garp stayed neutral. And there were those who rejected the idea entirely.
Crack, crack, crack.
Frost spread outward, crawling from the office and creeping into the hallway. Countless Marine soldiers cried out in shock and scrambled back to get out of the way.
Inside the office, a man wearing a Marine coat and a sleep mask pushed up onto his forehead stood there with a face like ice. His expression was as dark as a storm cloud.
He stared at the newspaper in front of him, at that casually seated figure in the photo.
So it really happened.
The thing he had feared most had finally come to pass.
Without the leash of the title of "Emperor," Ozz, who had not only failed to cause any major chaos but had even, to some extent, set order upon the seas, was beginning to show signs of going out of control.
He had worried about this long ago. Ozz was even more frightening, and far more unpredictable, than the Ancient Weapons.
Back then, his actions followed rules and patterns. He maintained a certain order on the seas and respected certain boundaries. That was still acceptable.
But if he ever decided he was tired of the game and wanted to flip the table over, it would be a catastrophe for the entire world.
And now, the trend was already visible.
No matter how you looked at it, wiping out an entire country like Elegia…
Was far too extreme.
…
Holy Land Mariejois.
Inside the Room of Authority.
The sky above Mariejois was choked with storm clouds. Thunder rolled overhead and rain lashed down, plunging the Room of Authority into darkness.
Only when lightning split the sky now and then would it briefly illuminate the grim profiles of the Five Elders.
"Where is Red Hair now?"
"He is actually moving together with Ozz. Is it just for the sake of old friendship, or is there some larger scheme at work?"
Saint Mars was thinking along many lines at once, his tone dripping with suspicion and conspiracy.
"His whereabouts are unknown. But since Ozz has gradually begun to step back from the seas, he likely does not intend to stir up any more storms. And Red Hair is still a son of the Figarland family after all…"
"A man like Red Hair is already troublesome enough on his own. If he gains Ozz's help on top of that…"
Listening to his colleagues debate back and forth, Saint Warcury gripped his cane, his brows knitting tightly together.
"All of this is the mess Roger left behind."
…
"Are you really sure this is fine?"
Out at sea, the Red Force sailed onward. Shanks walked over and leaned next to Ozz, who was letting the sea breeze wash over him.
"Right now I am the one on all the wanted posters. People may not dare talk about you openly, but you know they will be thinking about you in their hearts."
Ozz turned his head, tugged at the corner of his mouth in a lazy half smile.
"It is fine. A guy who worries too much about what others think could never become the freest pirate."
The reason Ozz refused to become one of the official "Emperors" was because he was sick of the way the world looked at him. People were always so convinced they knew what someone like Ozz should or should not do.
Those so-called reputation and interests that everyone else scrambled for were, to someone on Ozz's level, nothing more than a light drizzle.
Have you ever seen a billionaire fussing over a few cents?
"The freest one, huh."
Shanks mulled over Ozz's words, then nodded thoughtfully. Inexplicably, it felt very similar to Captain Roger's ideals.
His heart filled with mixed emotions.
It was not only Buggy who had once said that Captain Roger should have let Ozz inherit everything. Even Shanks sometimes could not help but wonder.
If Ozz had been the one to stand in his place, would he have done an even better job?
Whether it was strength, leadership, charisma, or his commitment to the idea of a pirate's freedom, Ozz outpaced him in every respect.
But when Shanks touched the straw hat on his head, his resolve did not waver.
There were things he had to do. Things he had to see through to the end.
On the way back to the East Blue, rain fell without pause, a long gray curtain over the sea. Ozz walked across the deck, and wherever he passed, the rainwater vanished. Not a single drop clung to his clothes.
The Seagull King perched on his shoulder, staring off toward some distant point on the horizon, as if its instincts had sensed something unusual.
"Gaa."
"Yeah. Looks like a government ship."
Ozz stood by the rail, propping his chin up on one hand, smiling as he watched the distant silhouette without hurry.
It was as if a cannon duel between the two sides did not even rate as an inconvenience in his eyes.
Beckman lifted the binoculars and observed the enemy vessel.
"Looks like a CP9 ship. That is annoying."
But Shanks had a very clear purpose. It was obvious he had come here specifically for them.
After a single exchange of cannon fire, the CP9 unit led by Who's-Who was completely outmatched by the Red Hair Pirates. He could not help shouting.
"Hey, Red Hair, there is no treasure on this ship."
What he did not know was that treasure was exactly what Red Hair had come for.
Shanks ignored him and strode straight into the cabin. There, a chest was sealed away.
"So it really is here."
He opened it full of anticipation, only to freeze in shock.
Inside the chest…
Was nothing.
"Hey, Shanks, Mr. Ozz is gone."
At that exact moment, Beckman's voice came from the deck, making cold sweat run down Shanks's back.
His mind pieced it together almost instantly.
What is Ozz trying to do?
Did he not promise Captain Roger?
…
"Beru beru beru…"
Ozz had barely gotten far when Shanks's Den Den Mushi already started ringing.
Click.
The line connected. The Den Den Mushi now wore a little scar over its eye, mimicking Shanks's anxious and tense expression.
"Ozz. Why did you take…"
"I know you are in a hurry, but calm down first."
Ozz cut him off. Riding on the back of the Seagull King, which had taken the form of a colossal storm hawk, he gazed at the purple Devil Fruit in his hand, his eyes thoughtful.
He had planned to snatch the Rubber Fruit, or rather the Nika Fruit, ahead of Shanks for a long time.
It was not that he wanted to go back on his word, to betray the promise he made to Captain Roger and crush the coming new era in its cradle.
He simply had something he really wanted to try. Something that would make his boring life a little more interesting.
"I will give this Rubber Fruit back to you. It will not be long, so…"
"The new era will not die in my hands. Relax."
Hearing this, Shanks let out a long sigh. As expected, Ozz knew far more than he ever said. But he still could not keep himself from protesting.
"All right then. But the right time is coming up fast."
"Ozz, remember to hurry."
There was nothing else he could do.
Ozz was not CP9. He was not someone you could just beat and rob.
Even if Shanks could find him, and catch up to him, so what?
He did not particularly want to be on the receiving end of Ozz's Divine Departure.
Seeing that wounded and helpless look on Shanks's face in the Den Den Mushi, Ozz chuckled and put the line down.
His imagination was as wild as ever, and now that he had Vegapunk as his personal mad scientist, capable of extracting Devil Fruit powers…
Whether it worked or not, Ozz wanted him to try.
He looked at the few components laid out in front of him.
The Nika Fruit, the Dark Dark Fruit, a sample of Ancient Giant blood from Loki, and the Lunarian genes Vegapunk already possessed.
"Not a bad little toy."
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