Hearing Shamrock's targets and Gunko's subsequent intelligence report, a drop of cold sweat rolled down Sommers face as he looked at the two with... a somewhat pained expression.
It was one thing for Shamrock to be this arrogant—his strength spoke for itself.
After all, the man making waves across the seas, now firmly seated as the top pirate, Red-Haired Shanks was his twin brother.
The gap in talent and ability between them wasn't that large.
But... there was still some difference.
After all, Red-Haired Shanks is not only the successor of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger but has also fought his way through the seas for so many years.
Compared to him, even the God's Knights are still the pampered type.
Coupled with the Celestial Dragons' tendency to pick on the weak, this has resulted in them having zero actual battles against top-tier fighters.
Though each possesses incredibly powerful—even borderline broken—Devil Fruit abilities, if they were to face someone like Red-Haired Shanks, escaping unscathed would be nearly impossible.
Because under the weight of Conqueror's Haki, everything is beneath him.
As for the Golden Thief…
He is someone who could become the next Red-Haired Shanks.
In fact, Sommers suspects that this so-called "Golden Thief" isn't some rookie but rather a hidden powerhouse who has taken up piracy under a new identity.
But the latter possibility actually puts Sommers more at ease.
Because… that would mean his limits are something the World Government can handle.
If it's the former… a rookie with a bounty exceeding a billion berries before even entering the New World…
That would be terrifying.
"Sommers, what are you thinking?" Shamrock turned to Sommers, the eldest among them.
Though Shamrock was the commander, he still valued Sommers's counsel highly.
"I noticed… your expression just now was off."
"Are you sure you want to eliminate both the Old Geezers Pirates and Princess Vivi at once?" Sommers dropped his usual careless demeanor and looked seriously at Shamrock.
"The Old Geezers Pirates… have the potential to become an 'Emperor of the Sea'… and might already possess strength close to that level."
"I have confidence in crushing them."
"Do you really? Don't you think we know far too little about the Old Geezers Pirates?" Sommers sighed.
"I understand—because of Red-Haired Shanks, you're under immense pressure, desperate to accomplish something to regain your father's attention… But right now, we're carrying out a mission assigned by the World Government and the Five Elders. You need to stay focused."
Shamrock opened his mouth.
But said nothing.
Deep down, he knew priorities mattered.
But… the mere thought of his father constantly praising Shanks filled him with such envy that it clouded his judgment.
Still, he wasn't completely foolish.
"I understand, Sommers."
After a long pause, Shamrock nodded.
"The Old Geezers Pirates can wait…"
"Our only mission now is to capture Princess Vivi of Alabasta."
Shamrock exhaled deeply after speaking.
"By the way… this Princess Vivi from Alabasta—technically, isn't she also one of the Celestial Dragons?" Gunko asked curiously.
"Though she's descended from one of the original Twenty Kings… the Nefertari family didn't remain in the Holy Land, so they aren't Celestial Dragons."
Killingham lazily answered Gunko's question, but beneath that laziness lay arrogance and conceit.
"Whether she's a Celestial Dragon or not… she's someone Imu-sama wants."
...
Michael arrived at Sabaody Archipelago with the Old Geezers Pirates, concealing their tracks, and gathered more information.
He learned that Vivi planned to stay on Sabaody for a while to handle diplomatic relations with various races from around the world before heading to Fish-Man Island.
Watching Vivi engaged in lively conversation with the royal family of the Longarm Tribe, Michael couldn't help but nod in approval from a distance.
Vivi… had truly grown up.
Though she still wore the pendant made from his feathers around her neck, the person before him was nothing like the little brat he remembered.
She was now a confident and beautiful woman.
For a moment, Michael felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he were seeing what Lily should have been like…
If only Lily had been born and raised in a peaceful or secure enough environment…
She wouldn't have ended up in this situation, standing against Michael in battle.
"Sigh…"
"Michael, ever since we returned to this era, you've been sighing far more often than you did eight hundred years ago."
"What can I say? Some things leave you with no better reaction than a sigh."
Imu and Michael sat at a nearby café, two cups of specialty coffee from Fish-Man Island resting on the table before them.
"However, as Lily's descendant... this girl really does bear a striking resemblance to Lily," Imu remarked with some emotion.
"Except... without those red eyes inherited from the Nerona family."
"After all, that might be considered a recessive genetic trait... plus Vivi isn't Lily's direct descendant, but rather the descendant of Lily's younger brother."
"That's true..." Imu also considered Lily's current identity. "After all, she's now 'Nerona Imu'... an identity she's maintained for over eight hundred years."
"Why do I detect a hint of sour grapes?"
"Isn't that normal? I was supposed to become queen, yet here I am—an anonymous figure eight centuries later."
"What do you want me to do? Should I find another Lunar Technology teleportation device to send you back?"
"Dream on! Did I say I wanted to go back!? I'm telling you to take responsibility!"
These days, Michael and Imu had been keeping close to Vivi.
Of course, it was mostly because Imu was quite interested in Vivi, though her gaze seemed to look past Vivi—toward that blue-haired, red-eyed girl from the past.
After all, Lily had once been the new queen raised by Imu, inheriting not only the throne of Alabasta but also the name of the Nerona family.
In a way, Lily had always been the successor Imu saw as her own descendant.
But now, she had no choice but to become enemies with the very successor she had once been most proud of.
Such is... what they call fate.
The greatest fairness of fate is that it is equally unfair to everyone.
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