About an hour later—
Two figures, one large and one small, stepped out from the little seaside house.
Rouge glanced back at the cabin, her eyes flickering with a trace of nostalgia. This modest place had once held some of her most cherished memories with Roger.
They really had spent a beautiful stretch of time here.
She hoisted a massive bundle over her shoulder. Ozz, standing beside her, noticed but didn't rush her.
"Let's go, Ozz-san."
Moments later, Rouge turned around with a gentle smile.
Perhaps that gentle and bashful personality Ace would one day grow into… had always lived in his mother's smile.
Ozz thought so, and smiled back with a nod.
He had to admit—Rouge was carrying a lot of stuff. Honestly, if it had been anyone weaker, they wouldn't have managed to lift it.
She'd practically taken everything that had even a sliver of a connection to Captain Roger.
Used dinner bowls, the pants he'd washed but never got around to wearing, his captain's hat...
Well—
If Rouge wasn't head over heels in love, there's no way a scruffy middle-aged guy like Roger would've ever stolen her heart.
Though the cottage stood near the sea, it wasn't directly beside the harbor. As they walked, Ozz noticed a fair number of townsfolk going about their daily lives.
"The Navy will be searching this place soon. Walking around like this is too much of a risk."
Marching through the streets like they owned the place was just begging for attention. Especially with Ozz carrying a load almost as big as himself—it was practically impossible not to draw eyes.
A little digging and anyone with half a brain would figure out who he was.
Ozz didn't mind trouble. What he did mind was someone bringing that trouble to Rouge.
Perhaps sensing the slight narrowing of Ozz's eyes, Rouge startled beside him, her expression flashing with shock and suspicion.
"Don't tell me… Ozz-san, are you planning to—"
Wipe out everyone here to eliminate the witnesses?
She didn't finish the sentence.
But the terrifying thought flashed through her mind—and startled her so much, she flinched at her own imagination.
"...Not quite."
Ozz chuckled. Did she really think he was that brutal?
Bzzzzm—
With a low hum, a surge of perfectly controlled Conqueror's Haki rippled outward.
Not even nearby—far off in the distance—people who had been working or eating collapsed one by one, eyes rolled back in unconscious stupor.
Just like that, the path cleared itself.
They reached the harbor without a single interruption.
If they traveled in a straight line, they'd likely arrive in two days or so.
Ozz estimated silently.
Stepping onto the dock, they saw ships of all kinds moored there—mostly merchant vessels.
A few luxury yachts, too, clearly belonging to some noble types visiting Baterilla Island to soak in its coastal charm.
"Ozz-san, which ship is here to pick us up?" Rouge asked, seeing him pause at the dock.
"Hm… how about that one?"
"Huh?"
Rouge blinked. Was… was he asking her?
Didn't he have something prearranged?
Why did it feel like he was choosing a ship on the spot...?
"Well, since you're pregnant and all… let's go with the fanciest one."
With a baffled Rouge in tow, Ozz slung the massive bundle over his shoulder and confidently strode up the gangway of the grandest, most extravagant ship in the harbor.
Naturally, it didn't take long for the guards to notice.
"Hey! Who the hell are you two?! This is the personal vessel of His Majesty the King of Sorilan! You filthy common—"
BZZZZM—
Thud.
The guard collapsed mid-sentence, knocked clean out before he could even finish his slur.
Ozz's casual boarding didn't go unnoticed for long.
Soon, under the command of the Royal Guard Captain, the ship's guards swarmed them, forming a tight circle around the two uninvited guests.
Clad in full armor, one soldier stepped forward, pointing a spear directly at them. "Who are you?! Identify yourselves!"
Rouge looked uneasy. Surrounded like this, anyone else would've panicked.
But Ozz stood calm as ever—cool as a cucumber. Guns didn't scare him. Honestly, unless they opened fire right now, none of these guys would even have the chance to shoot.
Still, if he knocked them all out… who would sail the ship?
He thought it over, then smiled, fishing a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handing it over.
"Here's my ID."
...Huh?
The Guard Captain froze.
ID?
That word made him hesitate.
Could this man be some bigwig from the World Government, trying to hitch a ride off the island?
After all, Sorilan was a member nation of the World Government. If that were the case… maybe they could technically give him a ride.
The Guard Captain opened the paper slowly—
Three big words stared back at him:
WANTED POSTER.
...???
The guard's brain flatlined for a second.
He stared at the sketch, an exact likeness of the man standing before him.
Then his eyes dropped to the bounty amount—and nearly popped out of his head.
A ten-digit reward. The kind you only read about.
This was that guy—the one who had leveled Marine Headquarters and walked away like it was nothing.
Blood vessels burst in his eyes as cold sweat drenched his face.
"Y-You… you… you…"
"So, what do you think?" Ozz leaned in, tone as casual as a friendly traveler. "Can we leave now?"
Then he dipped his head slightly, whispering by the trembling captain's ear like the devil himself—
"If you refuse… I'll wipe your entire kingdom off the map."
The Guard Captain turned green.
There wasn't a shred of doubt in his mind.
This wasn't a threat. It was a promise.
This was the pirate who had reduced the Navy's most secure stronghold to ashes—and still walked free.
"Alert all crew—set sail immediately!"
"But sir, the King hasn't returned ye—"
"Shut your mouth!"
With snot dribbling down his nose, the captain kicked the objector to the ground and jammed a rifle in the helmsman's face.
"Sail. Now."
As for their poor king, abandoned on the island with no boat in sight?
Well… for the good of the nation—
He'd just have to tough it out.
Ozz watched it all unfold with a satisfied nod.
Some people saw bounties as a target on their backs.
Ozz?
He saw his as a convenient passport.
Sometimes it worked better than an actual ID.
The grand vessel rumbled to life.
To appease their terrifying guest, the Guard Captain even cleared out the king's personal quarters for Rouge, giving her the most luxurious room on the ship.
It left Rouge feeling more than a little awkward.
She had finally realized—
The ship they were traveling on… had been commandeered.
Well.
What else would you expect from a former crewmate of the Pirate King?
Fortunately, Ozz had no plans to take this ship all the way to Sabaody Archipelago. Near the waters surrounding it, he disembarked.
He couldn't risk the crew knowing his final destination.
Before leaving, he helped himself to a few treasure chests from the ship's vault.
Not that he needed the money.
Consider it Rouge's living expenses.
Watching the luxury cruiser disappear into the horizon, he finally pulled out his Den Den Mushi and dialed a number.
"Moshi moshi, Sammy?"
"I'm on Tamiyara Island. Send a ship to pick me up."
----------------------------------------------------
The next storm's already brewing—Patron's where it hits first.!
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