Three days later...
"I have to say, Michael, you really are the king of dirty tricks."
Gion and Michael swaggered openly down the streets of the lawless zone.
Seeing those thugs who usually committed all sorts of evil now pale-faced and on the verge of collapse, she couldn't help but give Michael a thumbs-up.
Although it was called the "lawless zone," overall, it still fell under the jurisdiction of the Navy.
But those who opened shops or built gangs here were more or less connected to the World Government or even the Celestial Dragons.
So the Navy had always turned a blind eye to what happened here.
But when they actually intervened, the usually arrogant and overbearing gangs and human traffickers who looked down on the Navy found out...
Compared to the Navy's power, they were utterly insignificant...
"Divide the stationed forces on the Sabaody Archipelago into six groups, conduct inspections in shifts and time slots every day, and each inspection lasts for three and a half hours."
"You'd even wear down the living into ghosts." Gion shook her head, a bit in awe. "Especially the scripts you came up with. Honestly, if I hear them a few more times, my brain starts echoing. I can't imagine the kind of pain this group is going through under such layered psychological torment."
"Did any of the gangsters or traffickers try to resist?"
"Of course." Gion nodded and pointed off in the distance. "Aren't they all over there?"
That was the central transport hub of the lawless zone, but right now, it was piled high with a small mountain of corpses.
Under extreme exhaustion and mental stress, some inevitably lost their minds.
What awaited them were bullets and blades.
"As for the major gangs and auction houses that hired powerful pirates for protection, after I captured six pirates with bounties over seventy million, they obediently submitted to inspection."
"Honestly, it's kind of funny. Forget continuing their human trafficking — they probably can't even manage daily life right now."
Michael nodded.
This outcome didn't surprise him at all.
"That should be enough. Let all Navy soldiers move in and rescue all the victims."
"And then..."
"Give them a swift execution and hang them outside the respective shops."
Michael spoke calmly, and even Gion, who already knew the plan, couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.
Was this method cruel?
Yes.
But when it came to these human traffickers and gangsters, Gion felt a deep, inner satisfaction.
They thought the Celestial Dragons were their backers, their protectors, so the Navy couldn't touch them?
Michael scoffed — he had plenty more tricks up his sleeve.
"Security's been bad lately, and the esteemed Celestial Dragons are planning a trip to the Sabaody Archipelago."
"I'm doing this for the safety of the Celestial Dragons — eliminating all hidden threats and preventing assassins from infiltrating!"
"What if a Celestial Dragon gets assassinated? Wouldn't that give me a perfect reason to sweep the entire Sabaody Archipelago clean?"
Gion glanced at the serious-looking Michael and grinned...
This little guy really had a dark heart...
But she liked it!
Still, even with that fondness, Gion looked at Michael, who was clearly still scheming, hesitated for a moment, then asked:
"Michael, I don't know what your end goal is, but... are you really doing this for the Navy's sake?"
Michael looked at her in mild surprise.
That didn't sound like a question coming from a battle-hardened fighter like Gion.
"If you view the Navy as a tool — as a means for the World Government to maintain rule — then no, I'm not doing it for the Navy's good."
"But if you see the Navy as protectors of peace and order, as defenders of the common people, then what I'm doing right now is a tremendous service."
Michael never kept his guard up around Gion. She even knew some of the details about his Devil Fruit.
"Weaken the influence of the Celestial Dragons, gradually remove the Navy from the World Government's control — ideally, turn it into a force that can balance the World Government itself."
"Remember, the World Government maintains its power through the Navy, not the lofty Celestial Dragons. When the World Government strays from the justice the Navy pursues, if the Navy doesn't act to correct it, then it's no different from propping up tyranny."
"Only when the absurd rule of the Celestial Dragons falls from its pedestal will the age of great pirates — born as a response to their tyranny and representing chaotic freedom — finally have a chance to end."
Michael lifted his head, gazing at the distant mound of corpses, and the morning sun rising behind it.
A clear sky should not be covered by dark clouds.
This time, the event known in history as "The Great Sabaody Archipelago Sweep" came to a close with round after round of executions.
...
"Sengoku, Michael really went overboard this time."
Garp sat in Sengoku's office, leaning back on the couch. For once, he didn't reach for Sengoku's snacks — his expression was unusually serious.
"Of course I know. I'm not blind..." Sengoku didn't even lift his eyes. "But this time... the Celestial Dragons didn't actually react much."
"They didn't?"
Garp was surprised. With an operation that massive, and the scale of it — and the Celestial Dragons didn't react?
Michael's actions this time — if you put it mildly — were a crackdown on slave trafficking and gangs. But if you took a broader view, it was like grabbing the Celestial Dragons by the face and smashing it into the ground.
"You think the Celestial Dragons care about the lives of traffickers and gangsters?"
"In their eyes, what could possibly matter more than preserving their own 'noble' lives?"
"So when Michael sent the pirates working for traffickers to World Government agencies and said they were assassins uncovered during the sweep, the Celestial Dragons didn't suspect a thing. In fact, they were glad they hadn't gone to Sabaody early."
Garp couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"When was the last time we saw the Celestial Dragons so humiliated?"
"Not only that — even after taking a hit, they didn't show any anger."
Even Sengoku allowed himself a brief smile — but it disappeared quickly.
"Don't get too happy too soon."
"The Celestial Dragons may have backed down, but... the Five Elders and the World Government haven't."
"So, just to be safe, recall Michael to Navy Headquarters."
Hearing that, Garp nodded too.
"Yeah, with all the merits he's earned over the past two years hunting pirates, a promotion is inevitable."
"But does he really need to return to Navy HQ? Didn't he want to become the commander of the Alabasta Navy branch? Why not just let him go straight there?"
"Establishing a new Navy branch takes a long time. And right now, Michael is better off remaining hidden in the shadows..."
Sengoku raised his head and looked at Garp:
"Remember what I mentioned yesterday?"
"You mean... that special forces unit?"
"Exactly. I think Michael is the perfect candidate."
As Sengoku spoke, he put down the file in his hands.
On the cover, it read:
"Preliminary Concept for Establishing the SWORD Secret Special Force"