"Why are you bringing this brat along? You planning to let her board the ship?"
Mihawk, walking behind the small, tearful but defiant Robin leading the way, couldn't hold back his question any longer. His tone was cold, but not hostile more curious than anything.
Not that he really cared, of course. He was just traveling with Ozz; the decision wasn't his to make.
"Huh? What gave you that idea? I don't babysit during my travels, you know. I didn't even bring Little Six or Little Seven, and they're my favorites."
Ozz waved a hand dismissively, looking completely relaxed. "It's just that, since we're here, might as well meet the star of this little event."
"Event?" Mihawk frowned slightly.
"Yeah. Should be starting any minute now. You'll see," Ozz replied with a smirk, leaving Mihawk in the dark on purpose.
After all, in Ozz's eyes, the so-called terror of the Buster Call only applied to ordinary nations or lone warriors caught off-guard.
To him and Mihawk? It barely qualified as a mild inconvenience.
As little Robin led the way, her small figure stiff and tense, she didn't say a word, just kept her head down and kept moving forward. Ozz had originally assumed she might be taking them on a stroll through town or something, but his Observation Haki, spanning over ten thousand meters picked up something unusual.
"She's leading us somewhere odd," he murmured.
Mihawk glanced around, eyes sharp despite his aloof demeanor. Even with no sense of direction, he could tell something was off.
Ozz nodded slightly, hands tucked in his pockets. His mouth curled into a mischievous grin.
This little Robin so defensive just because he gave her a little scare. And now she was dragging them straight to the grown-ups for help.
Cute. Did she really think that would save her?
As if sensing Ozz's gaze, Robin's steps became frantic. She veered toward a cliff and suddenly broke into a run.
Not toward the edge she wasn't about to jump.
"Saul!!!"
She screamed the name, her small body dashing forward without a second thought. She didn't stop to consider why the two men behind her weren't trying to catch her.
"Hmph. Seems we've been labeled the bad guys," Ozz muttered, rubbing his chin as he turned to Mihawk. "Hey, hey, Little Hawk do I really look that much like a villain to you?"
Mihawk didn't dignify the question with a response.
Instead, he slowly drew the black blade from his back, hawk-like eyes locked on the cliff ahead.
The ground trembled softly.
A massive shadow loomed.
Towering dozens of meters high, a giant stepped into view his body bulked up top-heavy, with disproportionately small legs, an awkward contrast to his sheer size.
Former Vice Admiral of the Giant Marines Jaguar D. Saul.
He was also, at this point in time, young Robin's closest friend.
"What's wrong, Robin?"
He caught the tear-streaked girl in one massive hand, his tiny eyes filled with confusion until they fell on the two figures behind her.
And then.
Recognition struck like lightning.
You… you're…
No… it couldn't be. That was impossible. He had to be mistaken.
And yet…
No doubt about it.
"Black Gun" Ozz.
Terror flooded Saul's face. His massive frame involuntarily stepped back.
That figure, carrying both blade and rifle, was etched into the memory of every Marine an unshakable nightmare.
But… hadn't he vanished from the seas for years?
Standing atop the giant's open palm, Ozz smiled and gave a casual wave.
"Y'know, it's been a while since I've seen a giant. Last time must've been Elbaf, back when I was sailing with Captain Roger."
Before anyone noticed, Ozz had appeared in Saul's palm, hands still tucked in his coat pockets, looking up at the giant with amused curiosity.
Even though Ozz's body looked tiny against Saul's colossal form…
The giant didn't dare move a muscle.
He had never fought Ozz himself but he knew Kuzan's strength, and that was enough. To him, Kuzan was a monster beyond reckoning.
And yet, even he had once spent a month recovering from a shattered leg… a leg broken by none other than the man now standing in his palm.
Saul glanced at the stunned Robin in his hand, then turned his pleading gaze to Ozz.
His voice trembled with sincerity.
"Please… don't hurt her. Robin is a kind girl. If she's offended you somehow… then please."
"Take my life instead. Spare hers!"
"Saul!!!" Robin sobbed, voice cracking as tears streamed down her face.
Watching the touching scene between the giant and the girl, Ozz's expression twitched slightly.
Why did this feel like a Buster Call already happened?
Was his name really that terrifying now?
"Oi, you two…" Ozz's eye twitched. "Can either of you understand human speech, or are you just terminally paranoid?"
"I'm just here on vacation! Having a local show me around is normal, right?!"
…
In the end, after witnessing firsthand how much dread his name now carried across the seas, Ozz left the forest feeling vaguely depressed.
So much for meeting a canon character.
All he'd managed to do was come off like some creepy uncle…
Still, the encounter did one thing it broke whatever sentimental filter Ozz had been subconsciously applying to the Straw Hat crew and their allies.
Turns out, they weren't so different from everyone else in this world.
A bit disillusioned, Ozz dragged Mihawk along on a tour of Ohara.
They sampled the local cuisine, wandered the island's streets, even paid a visit to the massive tree at the island's heart.
And of course, Ozz snapped a ton of photos with his Den Den Mushi.
Photos of all kinds:
Mihawk lounging in the Tree of Knowledge with one leg crossed over the other and a book in hand…
A selfie with Ozz's arm around Mihawk's shoulders…
A panoramic aerial shot of Ohara from thousands of meters in the sky…
Despite the occasional scowl and half-hearted protest, Mihawk ended up tagging along for the whole island tour. He may have grumbled about it, but he never actually refused.
Classic case of saying "no" with your mouth and "yes" with your feet.
Ozz didn't call him out on it. He just smiled slyly, watching Mihawk snack on Ohara's famous tree fruit even though he'd just claimed he wasn't hungry.
"What are you looking at?"
Mihawk narrowed his eyes at him.
"Oh, nothing…" Ozz chuckled.
"I just figured our time in Ohara's just about up."
He paused, then added with a lazy smile:
"Some old friends are arriving at sea."
With his Observation Haki stretching across miles, it was easy to sense them.
A fleet of warships, bristling with cannons and swords, cutting through the ocean, slowly closing in around Ohara.
The dreaded Buster Call had come.
But neither Ozz nor Mihawk showed a hint of tension.
"Welp. Been a while, huh?" Ozz stretched.
"C'mon, Mihawk. Let's go say hello~"
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