"You should leave."
Ozz hesitated for a long time, but in the end he still gave up on rushing growth. He had not enjoyed his young face and body nearly enough yet.
And more importantly, it was for the sake of his future development.
In the end, he let Shinobu go. Ozz only kept a vial of her blood, material for producing Green Blood later, to be used for Seraphim tool-men down the road.
But right before she left, that lingering look in her eyes made him shiver.
"My stomach's kind of empty…"
Ozz stretched, feeling his body. Beneath that flawless exterior, the flesh was still repairing itself slowly. That meant he needed a lot of energy replenishment.
He stood up and headed outside.
Just in time, he saw the couple cooking porridge.
"Oh! Perfect, you're about to eat?"
"Tama!"
It had to be said, when Ozz was not angry and not drunk, his overall vibe was genuinely gentle. He smiled often, warm and easy.
If they had not personally felt his power earlier, they might have mistaken him for the boy next door.
"Ozz sir… if you don't mind, have lunch with us."
The husband was nervous, but out of instinctive kindness, he still invited Ozz.
Both of them were good people.
And later, that goodness would be passed down perfectly to Tama.
Ozz did not refuse. He even pinched little Tama's cheek, watching the baby giggle and babble.
But when he turned and saw what they were eating, his brow lifted.
A bowl of porridge so thin it was almost water, and a plate with a few stalks of greens.
That was Tama's family's everyday lunch.
Seeing Ozz's gaze, the couple looked embarrassed.
It was not that they did not want to treat him better. They simply had no extra food. That bit of rice was already more than they usually used.
"…"
Ozz fell silent. He looked at the couple's apologetic faces for a moment, then spoke.
"Then… I'll dig in."
He picked up the bowl and drank it without hesitation, then ate several bites of greens. There was not the slightest hint of disdain on his face.
Only then did Tama's parents finally smile a little. They began feeding Tama the rice grains they had fished out of the pot, while they themselves drank the thin broth.
Ozz watched quietly, saying nothing.
He was a rotten person.
But when he faced people who were truly gentle, who carried real feeling in their hearts, he always looked straight at it.
That side of him had shown itself many times before.
The old man who raised him.
Captain Roger's care, given without asking anything in return.
The real friendship between him and Buggy.
Kuma, gentle to the point of pain.
Whenever Ozz met that kind of warmth, he could not help being moved.
And this meal, and their selfless invitation, genuinely touched him. He finished the porridge in a few gulps.
Then he walked out.
Tama's parents said nothing, only worried they had failed to treat their guest properly.
Not long after…
Ozz came back.
Bang.
"Th… this is?!"
Staring at the fish in front of their house, bigger than the house itself, and all the other things they had never seen in their lives, Tama's parents clearly could not process it.
"My name is Ozz. Consider this a return gift for that meal."
Ozz scooped Tama up and lifted her high over his head. The baby burst into bright laughter.
Before the couple could refuse, Ozz cut them off.
"Enough. I'm giving it to you, so take it."
"On this sea, nobody can refuse me and call it pride."
They still wanted to refuse, but then their stomachs growled.
Grrr…
Their faces flushed red. In the end, the kindhearted couple could not say anything at all. They dropped to their knees and thanked him over and over.
Ozz could only sigh.
Wano people. They loved kneeling at the drop of a hat. It was part of their etiquette.
"Ozz sama… we'll remember your kindness for the rest of our lives, truly…"
"We can't thank you enough!"
"For me, it's nothing. Don't do this."
Ozz waved a hand, hooked a finger, and lifted them back up.
Holding "Beasts Tama" in his arms, he ate a full meal with them.
He rested there for a while, living a simple, ordinary life for a stretch of days.
During that time, he also learned that Tama's parents were devoted supporters of the Kozuki.
They firmly believed these bitter days would pass, that the Kozuki clan would return, and that Wano would be liberated and saved.
Ozz offered no opinion. He simply left them a huge supply of food.
Then he rode away on the Seagull King.
When Tama's parents found the food and could not find Ozz, they understood.
He had already left.
They did not grieve too deeply. But each night before sleep, when they held tiny Tama and told her stories, they would sometimes bring up one particular tale.
"Once upon a time, there was a man called Ozz sama. He was the most handsome man in Wano, he had more delicious food than anyone could ever finish, and he came to visit us…"
…
Ozz left Wano.
This time he did not linger. He headed straight for the island where Dr. Vegapunk was.
"Dr. Vegapunk, I didn't bring you the user of the Ripe Ripe Fruit."
"But I brought you material you can use to make Green Blood."
That sudden voice in the lab nearly scared Vegapunk to death. He almost blew up the test tube in his hand before he managed to steady himself.
Only then did he turn around and see Ozz.
"You scared me half to death!!!"
"Sorry."
Ozz smiled like it was nothing. While Vegapunk glared, Ozz strolled over, sat at the workbench, crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and set several tubes in front of him.
"Everything you wanted is done."
At that, Vegapunk's expression instantly changed.
His eyes lit up as he grabbed the samples, then he looked up at Ozz.
Ozz explained them one by one.
"This one is appearance material."
"This one is material for exceptional Haki talent."
"This one is what I mentioned before, the foundation for holding multiple Devil Fruit abilities…"
"And this last one is from the Ripe Ripe Fruit user. I thought bringing her back was a hassle. You can just make an extra Seraphim with it."
Vegapunk nodded. For him, that part was not difficult.
"If that's the case, we're basically set. I can start preparing."
Even for Vegapunk, an engineering project this huge and complex was a major challenge.
He would need a long time. Harder than creating the Seven Warlords Seraphim.
"Don't worry. I'm not in a rush, and money is unlimited."
Ozz took a drag of his cigarette and watched Vegapunk get to work.
Even while busy, Vegapunk still found time to scribble notes and toss out a question.
"Oh, right. That time machine… since funding is absurdly plentiful, I already fixed it with the best materials."
"Are you still interested in using it?"
"Oh?"
Ozz's interest in vacationing and indulging in pleasure districts instantly cooled.
The past that truly tempted him, besides Rocks' era, was Im's era.
And with the main story still so far away…
Why not…
Go take a look eight hundred years ago?
…
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