"Is that… an island whale?"
Riding the current all the way down, a single wooden plank shot smoothly out of Reverse Mountain's raging torrent.
To rookies, this place was a sheer cliff they could never climb.
To true monsters, it was basically child's play.
"Yeah… sail a little farther and we'll be close to Alabasta."
With a curl of his finger, Ozz teleported the two of them and their tiny plank "boat" straight into the whale's belly.
Inside, an old man was enjoying his retirement at an almost comical level of leisure.
"Sashiburi dana, Crocus-san!!!"
Hearing the voice, the old man in slippers, shorts, and a tank top, with hair shaped like an umbrella, slowly lifted his head.
"Oh?! Isn't that Ozz?!"
"Long time no see!!!"
Crocus recognized Ozz instantly.
"How the hell are you here?"
Of course, he wasn't asking why Ozz was inside Laboon's stomach. He knew enough about Ozz's abilities for that.
What he really meant was why Ozz had shown up at the starting line of the Grand Line, the place where kids from the four seas began their dreams.
Ozz smiled, bringing Mihawk along as they moved to the side near the "island." He sat down beside Crocus like it was the most natural thing in the world. After all, Crocus had been Roger's doctor. They'd known each other for years.
With a grin that made it sound obvious, Ozz said, "Setting off from the four seas, climbing Reverse Mountain into the Grand Line… that's what ambitious young pirates do, right?"
"…This…"
Crocus blinked, suddenly unsure how to respond.
Sure, that was true. Every hot blooded rookie started their journey here.
But why were you joining the crowd, Ozz?
Ever since leaving the Roger Pirates, Crocus had spent decades at the Twin Cape lighthouse, living out his quiet days. In all those years, this was the first time Ozz had appeared.
If Crocus had to guess, Ozz used to just skip the whole route, warp over the Calm Belt or past the Red Line, and go wherever he pleased. Why would he bother taking the long way like everyone else?
Crocus stared at him for a long moment before speaking again.
"You're not a young man anymore, Ozz."
"Uh…"
Ozz fell silent.
He wanted to say he was still the same young holdover from the old era.
But then he looked at Crocus, a full-on old man now, looked at Mihawk with that mature beard, and then… looked at himself.
"…But I've never actually formed a pirate crew, have I?"
Ozz refused to lose, forcing the words out like a stubborn argument.
That line instantly made Crocus' expression tighten, suspicion flashing in his eyes.
What did that mean?
"H-Hey, Ozz… don't tell me you're planning…"
Starting from the Grand Line's beginning, circling the world, chasing One Piece, becoming Pirate King… it was the dream of almost every pirate who passed through Twin Cape.
And now Crocus had a very bad feeling.
"…"
Seeing Crocus' face turn ugly, Ozz sighed and shook his head.
"Relax. I'm not going to Laugh Tale."
"…Oh. Thank goodness."
Crocus' mood flipped instantly. He even slapped one palm into the other with a bright, relieved grin.
"You really thought I was going to do it?"
Ozz was speechless. This world had way too many brutally straightforward people.
They sat together for a while. Mihawk lost interest the moment he learned Crocus was a ship's doctor, not a swordsman.
"Still, if it's not for that… why start your trip from the first half of the Grand Line?" Crocus asked, chatting as he hosted them. "With your talent and ability at your age, you're probably not worse than Roger was. You could ignore everything and go anywhere you want."
"Well…" Ozz took a bite of meat instead of answering directly. "Crocus-san, do you remember what Captain Roger said about the 'right time'?"
"Time…"
Crocus remembered.
"Isn't it in two years?"
"Pretty much. A new era doesn't just snap into existence." Ozz smiled. "I'm setting sail this time to see what the true new era really looks like."
"…I see."
Crocus looked at Ozz seriously.
He thought about those apprentice kids from back then. The little brats on the ship were now pirates who could shake the sea itself.
"Maybe I really am old," Crocus said quietly. "The things you youngsters are mixed up in… I can't meddle anymore."
"The real era is coming. Go see it for Roger, Ozz."
"Yeah." Ozz's hand brushed the saber at his waist, once proof of the old era, now more like a keepsake.
…
"Seagull King, I'm counting on you."
"Gah!"
Sitting on the plank boat, Ozz reached up and took a long strip of paper, shaped like a newspaper page.
"Fire Fist Ace has appeared in the first half of the Grand Line. He was sighted around the Lulusia Kingdom and is now suspected to be heading for Alabasta."
"What's that?" Mihawk noticed and asked.
"An exclusive tip from the World Economy News Paper. I told Morgans to feed it to me."
Out at sea, relying on ordinary newspapers alone was too slow.
"Beru beru beru…"
Ozz's Den Den Mushi rang.
"Kacha."
"Moshi moshi, Ozz-sama! Do you need any more information? I can keep providing it!"
A bird face appeared, speaking with deep respect.
For someone like Ozz, a terrifying backer who also supported Morgans publishing explosive headlines, Morgans was always one hundred percent polite, almost enthusiastically so.
"No, not for now. You did well, Morgans."
Ozz praised him at just the right moment. He'd gotten used to activating future sight when he took calls, so on Morgans' end, the Den Den Mushi displayed Ozz with glowing crimson eyes and a satisfied smile.
"It's what I should be doing."
Then Ozz shifted the topic.
"But… if I asked you to spread fake news across the sea, you wouldn't have a problem with that, right?"
"Fake news?"
Morgans stiffened.
But he immediately agreed anyway. He knew when to bow to the storm.
He didn't dare refuse Ozz.
"Good. I might need you later… to push certain messages out to the whole sea."
Ozz's grin widened, turning a little too wicked, like he'd just thought of something hilarious.
"Not yet, of course. The experiment isn't perfected. But just imagining it is already fun."
"This era…" Ozz's eyes curved with amusement.
"It's only interesting when it's chaotic."
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