Guernica.
The strongest CP0.
Inside the Room of Authority, the Five Elders all turned their gaze to this man, the most loyal and sharpest blade in their hands.
Unlike Stussy, that two-timing snake, in the Gorosei's eyes, Guernica was truly, absolutely loyal.
That was why they hadn't bothered to hide their discussion about Ozz in front of him at all.
He wore a pristine white suit, a white dress hat, a white mask, and a white coat draped over his shoulders.
The standard CP0 look, crisp and striking.
The moment the Five Elders questioned him, he dropped to one knee at once.
His mask concealed any trace of expression. Only his steady voice carried through the room.
"Reporting to the Gorosei-sama. Based on our CP units' investigation during this period, we have confirmed the following."
Guernica lowered his head, recalling weeks of infiltration and surveillance by himself and his subordinates.
"What we can confirm is that the group centered around Vegapunk is conducting a secret research project under the orders of Saint Ozz-sama."
"As for the specific location and objective, the targets frequently travel by deep sea submarine and maintain strong counter-surveillance measures, so we have not yet made progress."
The report made the Five Elders' brows tighten in unison.
That level of secrecy?
But the more cautious and airtight it was, the more uneasy they felt.
Because it meant whatever Ozz was working on was even harder to predict.
"And?" one of them pressed.
They didn't believe the strongest CP0 would come back with only that.
At those words, Guernica lifted a hand and adjusted the brim of his white hat, then continued in the same calm tone.
"However, through long-term tracking of maritime supply movement, as well as reports from embedded agents stationed among the underworld bosses, we can infer that this secret research involves large quantities of nutrient solutions and cultivation equipment."
"Our preliminary suspicion is that they may be cultivating some form of biological weapon."
His report ended there.
Guernica's voice fell silent.
For a moment, the vast Room of Authority sank into stillness.
Some of the Five Elders frowned in thought. Others exchanged glances.
And the feeling that rose in them was strangely uniform.
That's it?
Yes.
That exact mood.
The tension and complexity they'd been carrying eased, just a fraction, when they heard Ozz's project was likely nothing more than a biological weapon.
"So the Ozz who shakes the entire sea every time he moves... is only doing this much now?"
Leaning on his cane, eyes heavy and cold, Saint Saturn returned to that detached expression of a man who believed he held everything in his palm.
In their eyes, if Ozz had been researching an Ancient Weapon, or some broken development like the Sing-Sing Fruit, a terror capable of ending the world, then they would have thought, as expected of Ozz, truly troublesome.
But...
Biological weapons?
Just from the Five Elders' reactions, it was clear what they thought of that.
Even if it produced monster-level fighters and made things mildly annoying for the World Government, that was all it amounted to.
After all, no matter how terrifying a single combatant became, could it really be more terrifying than Ozz himself, the ultimate living deterrent?
Even Saint Saturn, who oversaw scientific matters among them, had personally pushed plenty of biological weapon research.
Including the Pacifista program, built on Kuma's template while preserving his memory and consciousness as much as possible.
And the next step beyond that, the Seraphim modeled after the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Those creations had exceptional individual power, yes.
But compared to Ozz, the pinnacle of individual might, it all felt like showing off in front of a master.
A laughable attempt at "teaching grandma to suck eggs."
So no matter what biological weapon Ozz created, the World Government could stomach it.
"Even so," Warcury Saint said after a moment's hesitation, still frowning as he issued an order to Guernica, "CP0 must continue to follow this closely."
"That is Ozz. No amount of caution is excessive. Without seeing the true product of his research, we cannot fully rest easy."
"Yes!" Guernica answered.
He withdrew respectfully.
And the heavy doors of the Room of Authority slowly closed once more.
...
"So you're really planning to start from the beginning of the Grand Line and sail another full loop?"
Seated atop the coffin boat, Mihawk adjusted his hat, looking at Ozz beside him with a hint of helplessness.
This boat was small enough already.
Add one more giant-sized man, and everything became inconvenient.
But Ozz didn't seem concerned at all.
With the Teleportation Fruit, he didn't need to do anything personally.
Even using the bathroom.
He gazed into the distance at the Red Line, where the towering current surged upward, water pouring endlessly toward the summit.
"Well... not exactly," Ozz said lazily. "I just feel like I'll see a lot of interesting things."
Ozz had basically entered early retirement.
After all, the people under him who had once been young were now at their peaks. He had little left to worry about.
If he didn't wander around, he'd lose his love for life.
And if he ever lost the joy of sailing and fell into decadence...
Then he'd have no choice but to return to Sabaody Archipelago, spend at least a trillion Berries, and accept ownership of countless beauties from the red-light districts, living a rotten life where food appeared at his mouth and everything was handed to him.
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
Compared to that, interacting with people from the story, whether he knew them or not, and satisfying that sense of participation...
It was honestly pretty fun.
"Of course," Ozz added, "if you get bored, you don't have to keep following me."
Mihawk's comment reminded Ozz that in the story, "Little Hawk" still had plenty of his own plotlines to get involved in.
Keeping him chained at his side wasn't ideal, so Ozz said it casually.
But Mihawk's reaction was unexpectedly telling.
"No..." he said after a pause. "I don't have anything to do lately anyway. Might as well travel with you."
And it was true.
He'd always drifted around at sea out of boredom.
Even without Ozz, he might have ended up wandering to East Blue sooner or later.
Besides...
The corner of Mihawk's mouth lifted, almost imperceptibly.
He knew exactly how terrified Ozz was of being bored.
The man was always trying to squeeze enjoyment out of life.
If he wasn't chasing entertainment, he was on the road to chasing entertainment, determined to stuff some color into his lonely days.
Following Ozz...
He might get to see a lot of interesting people and things.
"Then our first stop," Ozz said.
"Let's go pay a visit to an old senior from the ship."
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