"So this is… eight hundred years ago?"
With a blade and a spear strapped to his back, Ozz slowly opened his eyes.
He was no longer in that familiar laboratory. Instead, he stood in the wilderness, on sand that stretched as far as the eye could see, yellow and barren.
It was his first time here. Everything felt unfamiliar. Ozz walked forward without any clear direction, until a woman's voice rang out.
"Hello. Excuse me, are you also a warrior headed to the Twenty Kingdoms Alliance?"
Ozz turned around slowly. In truth, he had noticed this group a while ago, but with no information and no familiar faces, he did not recognize a single person.
The blue-haired woman introduced herself first.
"Nice to meet you, unknown powerhouse. My name is…"
"Nefertari D. Lily."
…
After Ozz vanished, the sea fell into a calm.
Of course, it was only calm on the surface.
During this time, Buggy continued to lie low in the East Blue, carving out a little kingdom of his own, while occasionally wondering when Ozz would return again.
Shanks rose smoothly to the position of Emperor of the Sea through overwhelming Haki and swordsmanship, the Red Hair Pirates' fame soaring straight upward.
After all, he was a close friend of "Black Spear" Ozz, and a vicious criminal responsible for the destruction of Elegia.
Bounty: 4,489,000,000 Beli.
Mihawk remained the sea's drifting lone wolf, piloting his tiny coffin-boat as he wandered from place to place. But after Red Hair lost an arm, Mihawk had one less opponent worthy of trading swordsmanship with, which left him a little regretful.
Even so, his life was not idle.
More often than not, he ended up cleaning up Ozz's messes. After all, Supernovas appeared every year, and some of them could still cause trouble.
The world kept running as usual even without Ozz.
But with Ozz himself rarely showing his face and living in a half-retired state, it was inevitable that pirates across the seas would gradually forget what that name truly meant.
Even the Navy's three monsters officially became Admirals.
Time blurred past.
Before anyone realized it, the calendar had turned to the Year 1517.
East Blue, Goa Kingdom, Foosha Village.
"Then… I'm setting sail!"
Ace sat in a small sailboat, an orange hat on his head, the familiar smiling-and-crying emblem hanging from it. With nothing but simple gear, he headed out to sea.
He wore the bright, inexperienced grin of a rookie just stepping into the world. The smile seemed glued to his face.
Rouge stood on the shore, crying so hard her face was a mess, but she did not say a single word to hold him back. She only hugged Ace tightly, then waved goodbye.
"Once you're out there, you have to be careful!"
"I know!"
Young Luffy stood nearby too, laughing loudly as he waved his arms. He was genuinely happy for Ace.
"When I set sail, I'm gonna get super strong too!"
Almost all of Foosha Village came to see Ace off.
As the little sailboat drifted farther and farther away, Rouge, who had been silently shedding tears, finally could not hold it anymore. She began to sob.
It was not only the pain of parting from her son.
This scene dragged her back to years ago. When Roger left her, he had waved and smiled just like that.
Father and son really did look alike.
Makino supported Rouge, who was shaking from grief. Even though Makino was worried too, she still tried to comfort her.
"Don't worry. After Ace sets sail, there are still people from Mr. Ozz watching over him. He'll be fine."
"Mr. Ozz…"
Hearing that, Rouge finally remembered that mysterious figure who always appeared whenever she and Ace ran into trouble.
She looked at Makino, then nodded, her eyes complicated, full of hope.
"I hope so…"
…
The era was steadily moving toward its climax.
The age of chaos was coming, monsters emerging one after another.
But even so, the legend of Ozz still lingered on these seas.
As the most dazzling rising star among pirates, Ace's name quickly caught the Navy's attention.
"That brat… he really became a pirate!"
Garp clenched the newspaper so hard it crumpled, his face turning pitch black with rage.
Sengoku, on the other hand, remained steady, the composure of a Fleet Admiral. He held Ace's wanted poster and asked the soldier beside him.
"D… where is he from?"
…
Clearing obstacle after obstacle, Ace's journey went smoothly. On a lonely island, he met Deuce, then ate the fated Mera Mera no Mi.
Brimming with confidence, he planned to recreate the legend of Uncle Ozz, to charge into the New World and become a true great pirate.
But first, he arrived in a mountain range swallowed by blizzards.
Inside a cave, a group of pirates huddled together for warmth. No one knew why their travels had dragged them all the way into a place like this.
"Spade Pirates?"
"Is a newcomer to the seas here to pay me respects?"
Shanks slowly raised his sword. His expression was hidden in the shadow, but Ace simply waved a hand and exhaled a breath of white frost.
"No…"
"I just keep hearing my little brother talk about you. He says you're his benefactor. And I've also heard you're the close friend of one of my elders, so I came to visit."
Hearing that, Shanks looked puzzled.
"A close friend?"
"Yeah."
Ace sat down across from him. Even facing the lineup of an Emperor's crew, he did not look nervous at all.
"I've heard it out on the sea. You and Uncle Ozz… you should be good friends, right?"
The atmosphere immediately softened.
Shanks loosened his cloak collar and smiled.
"You know Ozz?"
"And your name is… Ace, right?"
At this point, Shanks already had a guess in his heart, but he did not show it.
He and Captain Roger had been close, but what he cared about was the inheritor of Roger's will. Ace's identity itself did not stir much emotion in him.
The two drank together, and no fight broke out.
After all, among the Emperors, Red Hair's temper was still considered mild. As long as you did not step on his line, he would not casually serve you a Divine Departure.
And Ace was someone deeply connected to both Captain Roger and Ozz.
…
Now then…
Since he had made it to the New World, the first step toward becoming a great pirate…
Would be to challenge Whitebeard.
Ace pointed a finger and the idea popped out. The crew all agreed.
But before he could challenge Whitebeard, he ran into a blue, rotund obstacle.
"'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe? I remember you. You're one of Uncle Ozz's men, right?"
Ace did not want to fight. Jinbe was someone under the man Ace respected.
But Jinbe was solemn.
"Ace, is it? That is not quite accurate…"
"This old man is not only under Mr. Ozz, I also owe a debt of gratitude to the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Water Shot!"
Fish-Man Island was protected, half by one man and half by another. So now that Ace stood in his path, Jinbe had to act, or he would betray the conviction in his heart.
Even if he had come looking for Ace under the task Mr. Ozz left behind before departing.
"Then I guess there's no helping it. But even if you're Uncle Ozz's man, I won't hold back!"
"Fire Fist!"
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