"Bro… that's Joy Boy?!"
Ozz had expected it, sure, but he still hadn't expected it to feel this oppressive.
Especially that Conqueror's Haki, spread out in a truly boundless release. It wasn't just pressure, it was like the world itself was being pushed flat.
Among the Twenty Kings, several Zoan Devil Fruit users, those Mythical types, were forced back into their human forms on the spot.
That included Im, that scheming old snake.
"Who are you?"
Joy Boy's eyes went to Ozz first.
This guy was strange.
Joy Boy could hear the Voice of All Things, and from that "sound"… he could tell the world was rejecting Ozz, as if reality itself didn't want him here.
But Ozz didn't answer.
He only swallowed hard and stared at the various figures gathered around that monster of a man.
Minks. Lunarians. A Sea King mermaid princess. People of Wano. Even the robot Emet…
No wonder he could go toe to toe with twenty of the world's strongest kingdoms and their kings.
Even Ozz had to admit it.
Joy Boy really was that guy.
"He should be dead by now… right?"
…
East Blue.
"Uh… where am I…?"
A man from legend opened his eyes in midair.
As he dropped in freefall, he ran a hand over his body, checking himself.
There was a lot of blood.
The wounds were severe.
His body tore through the air, wind screaming around him as he fell.
But the sea was always loud, so nobody noticed the thing falling from the sky.
Nobody… except a short pink haired mop-head.
Whether by coincidence or some strange instinct, he'd been mopping the deck, but suddenly he looked up.
A black shadow appeared, plunging straight toward their ship.
His legs went weak instantly and he collapsed on the spot.
That reaction drew the attention of the pirates nearby.
They grabbed him by the collar, already cursing.
"What the hell are you doing, Coby?! Don't you dare pretend your legs went soft so you can slack off!"
"N no no! It's not that! It's the sky!"
Coby stammered, face turning green as he pointed upward.
"Huh???"
They all looked up together.
There was nothing.
Not even a news seagull.
"Trying to fool us? You want to die, kid?!"
"I'm not lying!"
But Coby was telling the truth.
That shadow had already vanished, flashing into the ship's hold in an instant.
"All just regular trash… fine. I'll use this to barely top off my strength."
Grimacing, Ozz didn't bother being picky. He snatched up apples and whatever else he could grab and stuffed them into his mouth.
Like a bottomless pit.
Supplies disappeared at a terrifying speed.
Feeling the Conqueror's Haki in his body, the kind that had finally completed its transformation, Ozz still felt lingering fear.
Damn it…
Was that Joy Boy even human?!
That laughing, warping style of fighting, turning everything around him into the same "stuff" like he was twisting the world itself… there was no way to get a clean grip on it.
And that Conqueror's Haki…
Ozz was fine. Barely. With the Black Gun, he could keep himself steady.
But Im?
That guy dropped to his knees.
Shaking like a leaf, cold sweat pouring down his face. He didn't look like a king of the world at all.
Still, it was enough.
Ozz hadn't left behind any descendants, but he'd carved his name into the Twenty Kings.
At least he'd participated. At least he'd left a mark.
Celestial Dragons or not, Ozz didn't really care.
What mattered was strength.
After that ancient world-shaking war, he'd finally stepped into the near-top tier.
Even without relying on the Black Gun gimmick, he was now someone who could wrestle with Rocks and Im head-on.
Thinking that, the pain in his body didn't feel so unbearable anymore.
It was worth it.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Coby, freshly scolded and humiliated, trembled his way back into the storage room, face twisted like he was about to cry. He just wanted to sit down for a second.
Then he looked up.
A blood-soaked figure was there, devouring supplies nonstop.
Judging by the empty crates nearby, more than half of it was already gone.
Coby didn't even think.
He lunged forward, arms spread wide to block Ozz, panic all over his face.
"Hey! Are you trying to die?!"
"This is the ship of the great pirate Alvida! If she finds out you ate all her supplies, you'll definitely…"
"No, not just you. Me too! We'll both get killed!"
(￣～￣)
Ozz kept chewing. He lifted his eyes to the little runt in front of him. He was about to flick him away with one finger.
Then he paused.
That mop-like hair. Those tiny eyes. That cowardly aura…
"Hey. What's your name?"
Ozz kept eating, tone casual, like the question didn't matter at all.
"Huh? I I… I'm Coby."
"Thought so."
Ozz smiled, but his hands never stopped. He kept eating like nothing in the world mattered.
Coby, being as spineless as ever, didn't dare fight him.
And seeing how covered in blood Ozz was, he even assumed the man had been starving for ages. He couldn't bring himself to stop him.
So he could only clutch his head with both hands and sink into despair.
"It's over… Alvida is definitely going to kill me…"
And honestly, Ozz recognized this whole crew the second he stepped aboard, especially Coby and Alvida.
Coby… the future "Runaway King." Ozz knew him well. But he had no intention of killing him now. He wanted to mess with him properly later.
As for Alvida, Luffy's first little boss. Also one of his buddy Buggy's crew later on.
After she ate the fruit, she even became pretty decent looking.
"Coby!!!"
Right then, a rough, booming female voice roared through the ship.
Ozz kept eating, but he turned his head out of curiosity.
Mm. She looked like Kaido and Big Mom had a baby.
"You! Who the hell are you, eating all my supplies?!"
Alvida, red-faced with rage, hoisted her massive spiked club.
But in front of Ozz's towering frame, it didn't look intimidating at all.
If anything, her confidence wavered the moment she saw him standing there so calm.
"H hey… this guy looks kinda familiar…"
"Like he was on a wanted poster?"
They grew suspicious. Even Alvida, with her violent temper, was shaken by Ozz's frightening wounds and sheer size.
Ozz didn't react.
He simply glanced at them, and the whole room froze in place.
"I don't have time to play with you. Let me finish eating first."
Normally, if Ozz ran into familiar "plot characters," he'd get mischievous immediately.
But he was in bad condition right now, and he wasn't in the mood.
And these East Blue bumpkins had no idea what kind of existence stood before them.
They definitely didn't understand that because of this man's return, the sea was about to enter a new storm.
…
"Goodbye, everyone!"
"I'm heading out!"
As the rope slowly slipped free, the year was Sea Circle Calendar 1520.
A man named Monkey D. Luffy, unaware of what his future held, had just punched the Lord of the Coast flying with one clean hit…
And began his journey.
…
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