Sabaody Archipelago.
"We're finally back."
As the ship under Sammy's command slowly pulled into port, Ozz disembarked with Rouge in tow. This was a private dock that led straight to Area 17—surrounded entirely by Sammy's turf. No nosy bystanders around.
And the moment they returned, Ozz was greeted by several familiar faces.
"Hey!! Ozz!!!"
Before he could even speak, a figure launched itself at him—led unmistakably by a big, red nose.
"Sashi buri dana, Buggy!!!"
Seeing him, Ozz lit up with joy.
It wasn't just Buggy either—Rayleigh and Shanks followed close behind. Ozz had already told them where he'd be staying.
"That was so cool, Ozz! We saw the articles about you!" Shanks grinned as he greeted him.
"Ehh... that was all just dumb luck," Ozz replied, scratching his head a little awkwardly.
The newspapers had exaggerated everything to the point of embarrassment. He could deal with strangers seeing it—but friends? That was a different kind of cringe.
Rayleigh gave Ozz a hearty pat on the shoulder, smiling warmly at him.
This was the same kid who used to collapse within a single round of sparring, constantly bugging him with questions—and now, here he was, a full-fledged pirate making waves on the seas.
Thinking back on it all...
It felt like just yesterday that long-haired, shirtless kid was shouting about joining the Roger Pirates.
Time really flew.
"Oh, right! Almost forgot to introduce you all—this is Rouge."
Considering this was Captain Roger's wife—pregnant with his child—Ozz felt it was only right to formally introduce her.
But before he could say anything more...
The three of them were already frozen in stunned silence, their eyes glued to the slight swell of Rouge's belly.
Ozz: "???"
"Hey, Ozz..." Buggy looped an arm around Ozz's neck and whispered, half-scolding, "I know you're into the red-light scene, but isn't this a bit much?! You've only been off the ship a few months, you dog..."
Shanks didn't say anything, but the look he gave Ozz said it all—seriously?
Even Rayleigh wore a look of mild concern.
"If you start down this road too young, Ozz, the path ahead won't be easy."
Ozz's face scrunched up in disbelief.
"You guys... what the hell are you thinking?!"
"She's Captain Roger's wife. And that baby? It's his, too!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the three of them stiffened like statues.
Even the air around them seemed to freeze.
And then—
"EEEEHHHHHHHH?!?!?!?!?"
…
They didn't stay long.
After entrusting Rouge to Sammy and Rayleigh's care, the three of them set off immediately for Loguetown.
On the Passenger Ship—
"Man, I still can't believe it... Captain Roger had a wife? And you're the one he trusted to look after her?" Shanks said between bites, the three of them catching up over a hearty meal.
Buggy leaned in, equally curious.
"Well..." Ozz swallowed a mouthful of noodles. "I visited him in Impel Down a while back, and we made the arrangements then."
Buggy nodded along at first.
"Ohhh, I see. So it was during your trip to Impel D—"
His voice trailed off. His eyes widened.
"Pfft..."
"NA...NANI?!"
"You mean that Impel Down?! The underwater hell fortress!?"
Even Shanks looked like his jaw might hit the floor.
Ozz smirked. "Well, yeah. What other Impel Down would I be talking about?"
"Are you insane?!" Buggy all but shouted. "That's the prison where they keep the worst monsters on the Grand Line! No one's ever broken in or out! It's literally Hell itself!"
"You think everyone's built like you?! No—they're not! You're a monster among monsters!!"
Ozz shrugged, unimpressed.
He may have been the first... but he certainly wouldn't be the last.
His temporary ally not long ago—none other than the Golden Lion, Shiki—was about to make history of his own.
The three of them had a lot to talk about after so long apart.
But eventually, the topic circled back to the real reason for their journey—
Captain Roger's execution.
The air in the room turned somber the moment it came up.
Only Ozz kept eating like nothing had changed, stuffing his face without missing a beat.
Shanks frowned. Watching Ozz, he couldn't hold back any longer.
"Ozz... don't you feel anything?"
"I mean, Captain Roger's about to be executed. Just last year, we were all sailing free on the seas together…"
Ozz paused, then shook his head.
"Of course I feel something. I'll miss him. No question about that."
"But honestly? I'm more glad than sad. He's dying for his dream. There's nothing more romantic than that out on the sea."
"But if he'd died in a hospital bed, hooked up to machines and wasting away in pain… that's the kind of death I couldn't forgive."
Shanks and Buggy were stunned into silence.
They both realized—deep down—Ozz was right.
But they were still just kids, really. Even if they agreed in their hearts, it didn't make the pain any easier.
As for Ozz...
Saying he felt nothing wouldn't be true either.
He owed Roger a lot—years of care, protection, belief.
But in his past life, he'd seen Roger's execution play out more than a thousand times.
So by the time it came to pass for real, it just... didn't hit as hard anymore.
The hours passed quickly as they talked.
And by the next morning—
The three of them set foot in Loguetown.
The execution would take place that very morning.
And they'd made it just in time.
"Hey, Ozz, Shanks—have you noticed? There are a lot of Marines around here…" Buggy muttered as he eyed the warships in the harbor and the patrols weaving through the streets. He was already starting to sweat.
"Don't worry, Buggy. You don't even have a bounty," Ozz said with a calm grin.
He looked around at the swelling crowd—pirates, civilians, nobles...
In this tiny East Blue town, it seemed like everyone had shown up.
But the Marines wouldn't dare start a crackdown here, not today.
If chaos broke out during an event this high-profile—an event meant to carry global weight, streamed to every corner of the world—the World Government would become a joke.
And that was a risk they simply could not afford.
----------------------------------------------------
(Next Chapter: "Join the Seven Warlords, Ozz")
The next storm's already brewing—Patron's where it hits first.!
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