The moment Michael spoke, both Rouge and Rayleigh were instantly petrified.
What the hell?
Did a human just say that?
Change your surname and conveniently adopt a new father?
They recognized every word he said, but put together, it made no sense whatsoever.
Meanwhile, Garp's face was rapidly shifting from deep red to a liver-colored purple.
When Michael first told him about this plan, Garp had flat-out rejected it.
But Michael insisted that only with this kind of identity could they truly fool everyone.
Only the title of Navy Hero and Roger's rival would shine brightly enough...
To blind everyone to the truth.
Not even Sengoku's Admiral position could compete with this!
After being tirelessly brainwashed by Michael the entire way here, Garp had basically accepted the plan.
But accepting it in his mind didn't mean his body wasn't reacting in protest.
Rouge having to acknowledge a new father felt awkward enough.
But Garp suddenly having a daughter out of nowhere? That was even weirder.
"But do any of you have a better idea right now?" Michael shrugged. "Honestly, the Marines and CP agents searching the island right now aren't even worth mentioning. If I really wanted to avoid their search, I could just wait until nightfall and fly Rouge straight off Baterilla Island."
"But the problem is—what happens after that?"
"The Marines and the World Government have influence across the entire sea. Even if we went into hiding in some remote corner of the world, they'd eventually find us."
"So, the best solution is to have an identity that no one would ever suspect."
Michael spoke with absolute certainty.
In the original timeline, the reason Ace's identity was discovered by the Navy was because there were too many holes in his backstory.
Garp suddenly had a grandson?
What about the kid's parents?
Even though the Navy didn't know much about Garp's family aside from Dragon, they'd definitely be suspicious.
Then they'd check the timeline, cross-reference locations.
Add in Garp's personality...
And it wouldn't be hard to figure out Ace's true identity.
But if there was a living mother involved, it would be a completely different story.
Because with a living mother, the family tree was intact.
No one would dare question something that appeared whole and perfect.
That's just how people think.
And when the old man asks questions, Garp can just say his daughter was born in another sea and grew up with Dragon.
What's he going to do? Track down Dragon and ask for clarification?
Yeah, right. You'd have to be dreaming to even get a glimpse of Dragon!
"This is... a bit too far-fetched."
Rayleigh, at least, was the Pirate King's right-hand man. His intelligence had been temporarily stunned by this absurd plan, but his mind eventually snapped back into gear.
"What, you think conventional methods can survive an alternating investigation between the Marines and the CP?" Michael sighed. "You pirates seriously underestimate how good the World Government is at digging into people's pasts. If they really want to know, they'll even find out what color underwear you wear."
Rayleigh chuckled bitterly.
"No wonder no matter where we hid back then, Garp always managed to find us so quickly..."
"So? Rouge, can you accept this plan?"
Michael waved a hand in front of Rouge's face, finally snapping her back to her senses.
She thought for a moment...
But still looked hesitant.
"I don't have any issue with changing my surname."
"Vice Admiral Garp's age makes it more than fitting for him to be my father. And after all he's done for me, it's like he's given me a second life. I'd be honored to call him my father."
"But the issue isn't the identity—it's the appearance. Even if the Navy hasn't gotten my details yet, they'll eventually gather info from Baterilla Island, won't they?"
Michael immediately stepped forward, his face full of "I've been waiting for you to ask this" energy.
He rubbed his hands together and said to Rouge:
"Of course I can handle that! Otherwise, why would I even propose this plan?"
As he gestured around Rouge's head, he continued,
"Using holy flame and Haki, I can slightly alter your bone structure. Then, by consuming fifty percent of my holy light, I can condense a seed of holy light. After you swallow it, your hair will transform to the same color as mine."
He pointed to his own hair.
"But the only downside is—this transformation is permanent. Irreversible. Even eating Seastone for breakfast won't change it."
"You could say... everything's ready."
"All that's missing is your... determination."
Michael said nothing more after that.
In the end, the final decision rested with Rouge.
The hardest part was for her to overcome it herself.
Sure enough, after Michael finished, Rouge's expression became even more conflicted.
She gently stroked her swollen belly, feeling the blood bond between her and her child.
For the sake of her baby, all this...
Didn't seem so hard to accept.
"Michael, I'm ready."
"Ready to become Portgas D. Rouge. Ready to become someone else entirely."
"For Ace, I'm willing to give up everything."
...
The morning sun rose, and golden light spread from the ocean to the shore,
Then blanketed the entire Baterilla Island.
The Marines under Onigumo's command were sweeping from two directions and finally, at daybreak, they reached the cliffside Portgas Estate.
Onigumo looked toward the Marines encircling from the other side and asked in confusion:
"Did you see Vice Admiral Garp or Commander Michael during your search?"
"Reporting, Vice Admiral! We haven't seen them!"
"That's strange... Don't tell me Vice Admiral Garp went back to his ship to rest? That's not like him."
Onigumo muttered a few more words, but didn't think too much of it.
After all, what bigshot would stay up all night working alongside the grunts?
So, after asking, he let it go.
Now, the only place left to search on the island was this estate.
Before this, they had already found nineteen pregnant women whose due dates were estimated to be around the target time.
If Garp weren't here, Onigumo would've already dragged them all away by force. Anyone who resisted? Execute on the spot.
But now, they could only retain the information and kindly ask the women not to leave the island for the time being.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Marines! We're here to search!"
"Please cooperate!"
Onigumo knocked firmly on the estate's gate, and finally heard movement from inside.
The front door opened, and a man lazily strolled out toward the entrance.
Onigumo squinted. This guy looked familiar...
Wait a second—
Wasn't that Michael!?
"Knock, knock, knock!"
"That's all you people do!"
"First thing in the morning and you're already here to ruin someone's peace!?"
Michael rubbed the sleep from his eyes and opened the iron gate, letting the Marines inside.
"Mi-Michael?! What are you doing here?"
"Huh? What's weird about that?"
Michael rubbed his eyes again and replied casually:
"Garp-san's staying at his daughter's house. I just tagged along and scored a room."
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