This was Michael's first time going all out against someone of equal strength.
His previous bouts with Garp had more of a teaching vibe—Garp hadn't really been fighting seriously.
After all, Garp was still in his prime, and his strength was downright terrifying.
"Clang! Clang, clang, clang!"
Two Supreme Grade Blades clashed repeatedly in the hands of Michael and Vice Admiral Gion, ringing with sharp metallic echoes through the air.
Feeling the force transmitted through the opposing blade, Michael—despite having the strength of an Admiral candidate—was still secretly shocked.
Everyone always said that Gion and Tokikake, the so-called "Admiral candidates," were far weaker than the actual Admirals.
But now Michael understood—"Admiral candidate"...
Was just a title. It didn't necessarily mean they were weaker.
Tokikake, Gion, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino were all Admiral candidates.
Now Michael was sure—if it weren't for Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino bursting onto the scene, Gion might've already dropped the word "candidate" from her title.
So no, Gion and Tokikake weren't weak.
Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino were just too damn strong.
"Gion, so back when we used to spar... you never went all out, huh?"
"You were strong back then... but not this strong." Gion swung her Konpira blade, a hungry grin tugging at her lips. "The way you are now... you can finally satisfy me."
"...That phrasing is way too misleading, you know!?"
Maybe it was because Gion had always treated him so gently over the years that Michael had subconsciously overlooked the fact...
Gion, though a representative of the women's corps, was a total battle maniac.
But Michael didn't notice that the corners of his own mouth had started curling into the same kind of excited grin Gion wore.
Some people just naturally click—there's always a reason.
There were no fancy moves or tactics between them—just pure, unfiltered strength colliding.
Gion had the edge in raw power, while Michael had superior stamina.
This intense and exhilarating contest of strength lasted... not too long, but not exactly short either.
By the time Rosinante recovered from his dazed, heavenly expression, Michael and Gion simply exchanged a glance—and at the final clash of their twin blades, they stepped apart.
Rosinante stared, still somewhat lost, at the last blow exchanged between Michael and Gion, not quite sure what had just happened.
But all the other early-waking SWORD special ops members were already numb with shock.
The gap they once imagined...
Now, after witnessing Vice Admiral Gion and Rear Admiral Michael going all out, they understood immediately—
The difference between them was far greater than they'd ever imagined.
Shu, the most educated among them (aside from little Robin), remarked dryly.
Michael wiped away the sweat dripping from his jaw and stepped up to Gion.
"So? What did you want from me this time?"
"Don't tell me you just came to beat me up."
Seeing Gion remain silent, he got the message instantly.
He turned and said to Stella, "Everyone's worked hard this month. Take the kids out and let them blow off some steam... Honestly, I'm worried they'll all end up mentally scarred if we keep pushing them like this."
They'd been run into the ground by their devil of a superior officer for a whole month!
The mental strain alone had been intense. If they didn't get a break soon, Michael genuinely feared some of them might snap and get hit with the ol' mental collapse.
That's not the kind of illness you fix easily.
They needed to relax...
Because in a few days, Michael had something even more terrifying planned for their training.
He had definitely absorbed the essence of that old man Garp's methods!
Just thinking about it made him a little excited.
Stella nodded, understanding that Gion probably had confidential info to pass along to Michael.
She led the others away.
After so many days together, Stella had already become like the vice-captain of the squad.
...
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Just then, Issho entered from outside, tapping his blind cane against the ground.
As he stepped into the courtyard, he paused, then turned—as if he weren't blind at all—toward Michael and Gion.
"You two got something going on? Should I leave?"
"No need, Issho-san. It's fine if you hear this."
Gion spoke up to stop him. She was also quite curious about this blind middle-aged man.
According to Smoker, the SWORD loudmouth who couldn't keep his pants or his mouth shut, Michael had personally gone to Pleasure Street in the New World to recruit this man.
But the man had never shown any real combat skills. He just looked like a regular blind guy...
If it weren't for his godlike gambling luck, she would've thought Michael finally made a poor judgment call.
Michael looked at Issho oddly.
"Why are you back so early today? Don't you usually wait until training ends, then just barely make it back in time for dinner from the casino?"
"Rear Admiral Michael, gambling has become the only love of my life..." Issho shook his head, then added, "As for why I came back—naturally, it's because I sensed the great battle between you and Vice Admiral Gion. I rushed back to watch—I mean, to see what could've made two Navy comrades draw blades against each other."
"You slipped up at the end there!"
But Gion noticed something strange.
Ever since she and Michael wiped out the gangs on Sabaody Archipelago, only one neutral, unaffiliated casino had been left standing.
And that casino...
Was basically on the opposite end of the island from the SWORD base.
Which meant this blind man, Issho, had sensed the fight from across the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
And returned in just ten minutes or so.
Even if it was to spectate...
Something about that just didn't sit right.
"Gion? Gion! What are you spacing out for?" Michael waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her back to reality. "So? What happened?"
"Mm... Here's the thing. The Golden Lion has escaped."
"That fast?"
Michael wasn't actually surprised.
He'd known this would happen.
Impel Down, said to be an unbreakable prison...
In truth, those in Level 6—if willing to pay a heavy price—almost all had the ability to escape.
But only the Golden Lion had ever been willing to pay that price.
"He cut off his own legs to free himself from Seastone shackles, becoming the first prisoner in history to escape from Impel Down."
"And the reason I'm here to tell you personally is because after escaping, he ran into Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Sengoku—but neither could stop him when he went all out to flee."
"Before escaping, he left a message... for you."
Michael froze.
What? Why would the Golden Lion leave him a message?
He didn't remember having any special relationship with the guy...
"Is he senile? Or did that ship's rudder lodged in his head finally turn him into a complete lunatic?"
"His exact words were: 'Tell that little winged brat, I'll be waiting for him in the New World!'... So, did you make a deal with the Golden Lion or something?"
Truth be told, Michael hadn't heard the second half of her sentence.
The moment he heard the actual message, he was stunned.
Wait—what? The Golden Lion went to the New World?
Wasn't he supposed to escape Impel Down and run to the East Blue?
After Roger turned himself in, he lost all faith in people and began experimenting on animals to create powerful beasts as subordinates...
Then he'd lay low for twenty years, only to be pulled into a movie plotline by the fated protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy—still stuck in Paradise—and then die pathetically.
Honestly, that second half of his life sounded pretty miserable.
But now...
He's gone to the New World! Which means that future won't happen!
As for the missing legs...
The reason Golden Lion had cut them off without hesitation was because they didn't impact his combat strength.
The thing that truly drove him mad and held him back was that damn rudder in his head.
And in the New World, full of bizarre and wondrous things, who's to say he won't find a way to get rid of it?
"Been thinking for a while now. Did something occur to you?"
"Nothing much. Just realizing how coincidences are both magical and pain-in-the-ass at the same time." Michael sighed. "Roger triggered this age of chaos, and now the Golden Lion has added another layer of unpredictability to it."
He...
Had to prepare himself.
Because in the unstoppable flood of this era, if he didn't want to be swept away—if he wanted to charge headlong against the World Government—he'd have to turn the Navy into a Noah's Ark capable of withstanding any impact.
To do that, the first and most crucial step...
Was to simultaneously strengthen the Navy's combat power and its control over all the sea's factions.
That meant, besides Wano, he needed to begin outreach to other recruitment territories too.
And also...
He needed to establish more Marine branches—like the one in Alabasta, which had already begun stockpiling construction materials.
Even though the New World was chaotic, the Navy needed perfect control over Paradise and the Four Blues.
But to achieve this, Michael would need the backing of the old man and Granny Tsuru.
It was time...
To start feeding some rebellious ideas into their heads—and into the future Admirals' too.
Let them see the true power of Mr. Democracy and Mr. Science.
"Michael, that smile of yours is really shady."
"Shh, Gion. Don't slander me. This is the brilliant smile of a master strategist, perfectly in control of every variable."
---
(For each review +1 additional chapter)
read +100 chapters on Patreon tambeerg