"Wedding!? No no no! Commander, it's not like that between us!"
At those words, Kuma's overly honest face flushed red instantly, but what he blurted out completely contradicted his expression.
Meanwhile, sitting on his shoulder, Ginny's expression dimmed for a moment, but as if she was already used to it, she quickly grinned and said to Michael:
"Hahaha, Michael, I've tried a few times before too—Kuma never takes the bait!"
"Getting married isn't really necessary anyway!"
Michael clicked his tongue, looking at the two who clearly said one thing but meant another.
He felt a little irritated.
If this had been him before deciding to start the revolution, these two could love or hate each other all they wanted!
But now that he had chosen to change the fate of the entire world, to bring about a better future for all of the seas...
Then why not start with the people in front of him?
"...Kuma, do you really not love Ginny?"
Michael stood in front of Kuma, looking up with eyes full of understanding.
"Or is it because you love her... that you feel you must reject her?"
With that single line, Michael seemed to pierce the secret Kuma had been hiding deep in his heart.
He looked at Ginny sitting on his shoulder, her eyes full of hope.
Then he looked at Michael, whose face was more serious than ever before.
In the end, Kuma let out a sigh.
"I just... don't think I'm good enough for Ginny."
"But I will always stay by her side—until the day she no longer needs me."
Michael rolled his eyes. In the end, it was still that inferiority complex talking.
"You sure you're not good enough?"
"Then what if, someday in the future, Ginny is captured on the battlefield by the Celestial Dragons' God Knights, and forced to become a Celestial Dragon's wife..."
"Even then, would you remain indifferent?"
"Kuma, I don't recall the Revolutionary Army having any cowards like you."
At Michael's words, both Kuma and Ginny stiffened.
Not out of anger, but surprise.
Surprised that Michael's hypothetical scenario somehow made their hearts feel unbearably heavy.
Especially Ginny, whose chest suddenly welled up with a nameless fire.
Right now, she desperately wanted to let it out.
Kuma's face also changed several times.
Just imagining the scene Michael described made his hands clench involuntarily.
That was something he absolutely... could not accept!
His only wish was that the person he loved could live happily in this world forever.
Not just Ginny, but Ivankov and Dragon too...
And maybe now, he had to add Michael to that list.
But if his own cowardice were to allow Ginny to actually fall into such a fate...
Kuma shook his head.
He would never allow it!
The three of them stood there, none of them speaking.
After a while, Kuma suddenly uttered a word.
"Five years!"
"Five years? What do you mean by five years?"
"Within five years, we'll liberate all four seas!" Kuma declared firmly, then turned to look at Ginny on his shoulder. "And on the day we liberate the seas... I'll propose to you."
Hearing Kuma's resolute tone, Michael raised an eyebrow.
Not bad—still a man after all.
Even someone like Kuma couldn't accept the tragic fate of having his future bride snatched away by the Celestial Dragons.
Ginny's face was tinted red by the setting sun.
Usually brash and carefree, the girl said nothing this time.
She just nodded.
Her eyes were sparkling with joy.
...
"What did you say to them this time?"
Aboard the Revolutionary Army's ship, Dragon leaned against the mast, staring coldly at Michael who had just returned.
"Come on, Dragon, do you have to look at people like that all the time?" Michael shrugged. "I didn't say much—just gave those two a little push."
He said with a grin.
"You two really have too much time on your hands!"
Ivankov walked over with his massive dark face, holding a supply list in one hand.
"We've completed the food procurement. This should be enough to supply our current Revolutionary Army for about a year and a half to two years."
"But we're definitely going to keep expanding our numbers, so this... really isn't a lot."
"But fortunately, I've already looked into it—the food stockpiles in the East Blue are massive. I just didn't buy too much at once, fearing we'd alert the local Navy."
Michael and Dragon nodded in unison.
"So our best option is to directly make the liberation of the East Blue our next goal," Ivankov said.
"That way we'll control the most stable source of food."
"No."
Michael rejected the proposal without even thinking.
And Dragon nodded in agreement.
"Hey! Could you two at least think it over before shooting me down?"
"There's nothing to think about," Michael replied with a smile. "When you were out buying food, did you stop by a village called Foosha Village?"
"Yeah, we did. Among the villages in that area, Foosha Village's output is second only to Shimotsuki Village. And it has even more other resources," Ivankov said after thinking for a moment.
"Then do you know who that village belongs to?"
Michael said this while casting a mischievous glance at Dragon.
Dragon's seemingly impassive face didn't change much, but his upper body tensed noticeably.
"Whose village is it?" Ivankov asked, confused by the reactions of both Michael and Dragon. "Is there some bigshot in the East Blue?"
"Foosha Village... is the hometown of Navy Hero Garp."
As soon as Michael finished speaking, Ivankov's hand trembled violently.
Navy Hero Garp!?
The one who defeated Rocks at the Valley of the Gods?
The one who fought alongside Roger against Rocks, giving them an opening to escape?
Strictly speaking, Garp and Roger were benefactors to all three of them.
"Alright, let's drop this irrelevant topic for now."
"Notify everyone—we're moving out!"
"Return to Baltigo!"
At Dragon's command, Ivankov stopped chatting with Michael and nodded before walking off.
Michael leaned on the railing, watching the sails catch the wind overhead.
Only after the ship had sailed for quite a while did Dragon finally shift his posture.
He stood upright, then turned his back to Michael and asked softly:
"How's the old man been lately?"
"Garp? Eating well, drinking well, playing with his grandkid all day! I haven't seen a single Marine more idle than that guy!"
Michael rolled his eyes.
Even Sengoku couldn't do anything about Garp's now blatantly lazy attitude.
That old man truly didn't give a damn about anything.
"Is that so... Good to hear." Maybe it was the moment, but even the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, seemed to fall into a rare moment of melancholy. "Having a son like me... he must really be worried."
But Michael didn't hesitate to interrupt his self-pitying monologue.
"No kidding. You Monkeys—none of you ever bring peace of mind!"
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