"Fa... famous across the world?"
Buggy froze in place, snot dripping from his nose. For a moment, he even forgot the joy of being reunited with Ozz.
"Of course."
Ozz smiled and placed the Den Den Mushi in Buggy's hands.
"This is the perfect chance to make a name for yourself. A live performance broadcast to the whole world."
"Can I really do it?"
"You absolutely can!"
The underlings erupted into cheers, their faces flushed red as they looked at Buggy-sama, the man who called that Black Spear brother.
They were so excited they were practically about to faint.
"How strong are you really, Captain Buggy, if even Black Spear acknowledges that you'll become world-famous?!"
"We'll follow you forever, Captain Buggy!"
Ozz patted Buggy on the shoulder, then waved and turned to leave.
"Wait! Ozz, where are you going??"
Seeing Ozz leave just like that, Buggy suddenly felt reluctant.
It was not only because they had not seen each other in so long. It was also because this battlefield was far too dangerous. Only when he stood beside Ozz, just like back in the days on Roger's ship, did he feel safe.
After all, they had fought side by side through so many battles.
"Sorry, Buggy. The fight in a little while might get dangerous, so you should take these boys and go do the broadcast."
"After all, the Marines are about to cut off the live feed. You only get one chance to become famous across the world."
"Uh... all right!"
The moment Buggy heard the word dangerous, he gave in instantly.
And he also believed that whatever danger it was would pose no threat to Ozz at all.
So he took his underlings and ran toward the edge of the battlefield, just waiting for the right moment to begin the one and only live broadcast of the Summit War.
...
"That is..."
"No way!!!"
As Ozz walked forward with his hands in his pockets, the wide coat on his back swaying with every step, both pirates and Marines gave way in terror, sweat pouring down their faces.
"Stop fighting, get out of the way!"
"Soldiers, move!"
In the middle of that chaotic battlefield, a path was forcibly opened.
Even those who had been helping Luffy charge toward the execution platform stiffened the instant they saw Ozz approaching.
Whitebeard's pupils contracted sharply.
Sengoku's face lit up with joy.
Countless Marines started cheering.
As for Luffy himself, his expression changed drastically, turning stiff and trembling.
Not long ago, he had personally been taught a lesson by Ozz and knew better than anyone just how terrifying he was.
But to save Ace, Luffy could not stop.
"Ozz-ojisan, move!!!"
"That won't do. You and I are practically from the same generation."
Ozz kicked out. Luffy bent backward at the waist and barely dodged.
It almost looked like the two of them were fooling around, or perhaps like Ozz was acting. He even chatted while attacking.
"By the way, you've met the old man by now, haven't you? How's he doing?"
"Huh?? You mean Old Man Gick?!"
At the mention of him, Luffy blanked for a moment, then grinned.
"Oh! He's in great shape. His cane still hurts like crazy when he whacks me on the head!"
Hearing that, Ozz smiled as well.
He already knew the old man had personally gone to Impel Down.
That old man really still had quite a bit of influence left on the seas.
"Well then, consider this a little reward."
Since Luffy had managed to make the old man so happy, Ozz decided to reward him.
Yes, reward him with a kick.
"What?!"
At the very edge of Luffy's reaction speed, Ozz kept both hands in his pockets and raised one long leg high.
Instant Kick.
Whoosh!
The moment his foot connected with Luffy's head, Luffy vanished from where he stood.
The surrounding pirates and Marines were left staring stupidly.
"How terrifying!!!"
"He kicked Straw Hat Luffy into ashes with one blow?!"
"No, wait!!!"
Those with sharper eyes noticed what had really happened.
"Straw Hat Luffy is under the execution platform now!!!"
Sadly, the next instant, Kizaru kicked him away again.
"Oh my, that was close. You almost made it to the execution platform, Straw Hat Luffy."
As he said that, Borsalino cast a glance toward Ozz.
He understood, but said nothing.
That was the basic professionalism of the great Acting Monkey.
"Tch..."
Ozz suddenly found it boring, though at least he had managed to send Luffy closer to the platform.
At that exact moment,
a sound of flesh being pierced rang out from the bow of the Moby Dick.
Ozz turned his head.
"You really have gotten old, Whitebeard. The man who once fought me hard enough to shatter an island bigger than Marineford... and now you can't even dodge a cheap sneak attack."
"Old man!!!"
"Squard, what are you doing?!"
Ozz felt a trace of melancholy as he silently lit a cigarette.
The old monsters of Roger's era really were beginning to leave the stage one by one.
Watching the farce unfold, Ozz found himself thinking that perhaps, as one of the younger remnants of that old age, the most he could do was make sure they received endings that did not utterly disgrace them.
Whitebeard coughed up a mouthful of blood.
In front of all his pirates, he pulled that foolish son of his into his arms.
A moving scene of fatherly love immediately played out.
"He's about ready to take the field himself. If he waits any longer, his old injuries might flare up and it'll get harder and harder for him to fight properly."
Ozz could see it clearly.
Whitebeard was already at the end of his strength. He could not even dodge such a clumsy backstab. Between old age and illness, the Whitebeard of old had completely fallen out of the tier of Kings.
As Whitebeard leaped down from the ship,
the Marines immediately went on full alert.
"It's coming!!! The strongest man in the world is about to unleash his fury!!!"
Sengoku, as always the king of hype,
was hard to read at moments like this. Was he warning his allies, or just helping build up Whitebeard's momentum?
Even so, though Whitebeard no longer possessed peerless Conqueror's Haki, he could still unleash earthquake power capable of ruining the heavens and the earth.
He spread his fingers as though gripping the very air itself.
Crack crack crack crack!!!
"That move again. Everything's shaking all over the place."
Ozz stood firmly on the ice, hands in his pockets, not swaying in the slightest even as the surface tilted under him.
Marineford and the surrounding sea split into massive pieces under the apocalyptic force.
Ignoring the disaster around him, even as people near him lost their footing and fell with the terrain shifting, Ozz simply looked up toward the sky.
The wind whipped his coat behind him, making it snap loudly.
"So you couldn't resist the urge to come find yourself a grave too, huh?"
Ozz spoke toward the heavens.
Soon, a wild and unruly laugh came roaring back.
"Jihahahahaha!!!"
"How could a war like this be complete without me? These people today don't understand what a real pirate is."
"Let's continue the war we left unfinished before..."
"Together, let's overturn Marineford, Ozz!!!"
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