That voice was so familiar…
So familiar that Kuma's paw was already halfway out when he forced himself to stop.
His eyes widened in disbelief. Vegapunk looked the same, and with a brain like his, he had already suspected it from the first syllable. Now that familiar tone hit him fully, and his jaw dropped.
"Oh!!! It's Ozz!!!"
"Ozz, sir?!!"
Ozz lifted his head and smiled. Then he glanced at the giant paw frozen beside his face, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
Before Kuma could react, Ozz casually poked it with a finger.
"Don't!!!"
Kuma tried to stop him, but it was too late.
That paw could send a person flying into the deep sea. A normal human wouldn't survive it. The ability was bug level.
Kuma closed his eyes in pain. Gentle by nature, he couldn't bear to witness Ozz disappearing.
But…
The scene that followed made no sense.
Ozz rapped his knuckles against Kuma's soft paw pad, as if he were tapping a tabletop, then strolled past like nothing had happened.
"Huh???"
Only after Ozz walked away did Kuma stare at his paw, stunned, as if it had betrayed him.
He clearly touched it just now…
"You're back, Ozz. How did it feel?"
Vegapunk didn't look surprised. In his mind, Ozz returning was only a matter of time. The man was the biggest sponsor in the world, after all. Vegapunk was genuinely happy to see him.
"What, you want to know about eight hundred years ago? You probably already got the gist from Ohara's books."
Ozz chuckled, then shifted his gaze to the colossal cultivation tank. Within the churning nutrient fluid floated a massive embryo.
"Well… yeah."
Vegapunk didn't press. It was just the founding war between the World Government's creators and the Great Kingdom. He wasn't a historian. Details didn't change his work.
"So? It's been almost ten years, right? Still no result?"
Ozz's Observation Haki spilled outward. He felt the embryo's heartbeat, its physique, its vitality.
He was satisfied enough. With bloodline and constitution boosts, it was already almost catching up to what he had been like as a kid.
"This…"
The moment Ozz brought it up, Vegapunk's earlier excitement froze. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He stroked his mustache, eyes drifting away.
Ozz raised an eyebrow.
A hidden fatal defect?
But Vegapunk hesitated for a long time, then finally sighed helplessly.
"I'm sorry, Ozz. I couldn't meet all the requirements you wanted…"
He tapped the console. A detailed analysis chart appeared in the air.
"As you can see, the current Seraphim Nika can't be called Nika at all. At best… it's just a rubber man."
In front of Kuma, Vegapunk didn't say the word "dark," but he made the point clear.
Cold sweat slid down his temple. He didn't dare meet Ozz's eyes. He felt like he'd failed to deliver a true finished product.
But Ozz's reaction was nothing like he expected.
Instead, the corners of Ozz's mouth lifted.
"So you're saying… aside from that, everything else I asked for is satisfied?"
"Yes, but the most important part of Nika is still missing…"
Vegapunk tried to explain further, but Ozz wasn't interested in hearing the rest.
He understood scientific rigor.
Vegapunk could label a copied Uo Uo no Mi as a "failure" just because the color was off. If Nika turned into rubber, then of course it couldn't be considered complete.
But Ozz didn't see it that way.
This had already met his expectations.
He knew how impossible awakening Nika really was. Without fate on your side, it almost never happens.
Creating something like this…
Ancient giant body, Yami Yami no Mi, Gomu Gomu no Mi, Joy Boy's face, monstrous talent…
That was already excellent.
It wasn't like it needed to debut immediately. When the real Nika form appeared in the future, Ozz could always harvest new material. For now, the rubber fruit could serve as the foundation.
"No. This is more than good enough, Dr. Vegapunk. I'll bring you Nika's material later."
Ozz spoke calmly, and in the same breath, soothed Vegapunk's wounded pride.
That single sentence hit Vegapunk like a cannonball.
"Really?!"
He couldn't believe it.
Nika's material?
Did that mean the legendary god would truly reappear in the world again?
Ozz nodded.
Then he looked at both of them.
"You've worked hard all this time. So… here."
Ozz had always been generous.
"From now on, if your research funding is under a hundred billion, don't even bother telling me. Just withdraw whatever you need."
Ozz had many things.
But above all, he had money.
Vegapunk's eyes practically lit up.
Then Ozz turned his attention to Kuma.
"But you'll have to shoulder a little more for me, Kuma."
Kuma didn't refuse. He smiled and nodded.
"Of course. Also, Ginny and Bonney asked me to thank you. They're completely healthy now!"
"Is that so…"
Just hearing Kuma say it, Ozz could feel the happiness in his voice. Ozz smiled back.
"Good. That's good."
Ozz didn't linger. He followed the staff toward the medical area and the dining hall.
The food on Alvida's ship had only been enough to refill his stamina and patch him up a little.
This wasn't like the time with Kaido.
This time, Ozz was truly, seriously wounded. Some injuries couldn't be fixed with Observation Haki. Those needed real doctors.
"Master, I'll take you there."
A white haired, dark skinned, winged beauty suddenly sprang out from the corner.
Ozz paused. The appearance clicked instantly in his mind.
"So this is the cloned Seraphim with the Juku Juku no Mi, huh. Figures she was gorgeous when she was young."
…
While Ozz dragged his injured body into comfort and care on one side…
On the other, the moment Umit leaked the news, the Underworld emperors and some of the Seven Warlords of the Sea received it.
"Oi. You've gotten the message already, right?"
A Den Den Mushi with a scar running across its face spoke in a gloomy tone, clearly familiar with the person on the other end.
On a small wooden boat, Dracule Mihawk, now an older man, ignored the explosions tearing through the sea around him. He gave the Den Den Mushi a cold nod.
"Yeah. He's back."
The Den Den Mushi chuckled, a cigar clamped between its teeth.
"Figures. A man like him. According to the special intel from the agency, his last appearance… was in East Blue."
"Is that so…"
Sailing straight through the fire and smoke, the man on the tiny boat lifted a hand to his hat, revealing eyes sharp enough to cut.
"Then let's go take a look."
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"