"Hiss—so you're saying you're royalty from the Germa Kingdom now?"
Garp crossed his arms, staring at Michael as if he were some rare creature.
"To be precise, I only became a member of the Germa royal family after the new queen took the throne."
Michael shrugged and then recounted the coup in the Germa Kingdom—though, of course, he employed some creative storytelling to omit his and Crocodile's roles in it.
He simply said that the king and queen had turned against each other over the issue of modifying their children, leading to the queen overthrowing the Vinsmoke Family's rule.
As for himself, he claimed he had merely been passing through the Germa Kingdom to procure some North Blue-exclusive goods when he stumbled upon the conflict and intervened.
It was through this twist of fate that he reunited with his long-lost sister.
"Your life has been quite the rollercoaster Michael," Borsalino remarked with a chuckle, nodding repeatedly.
"How terrifying."
"Terrifying my ass! I never expected to run into my sister like this either." Michael rolled his eyes—this part was genuine.
Had he not seen Sora's resemblance, he might have forgotten the whole thing.
"The reason I'm telling you this is because I want to send my five nephews to Marineford for education."
"To Marineford? Are you sure?" Sengoku frowned. "While we do have a comprehensive education system here, it's still essentially a naval academy... Will your sister, the queen of Germa, accept that?"
"Of course she will. What's wrong with her children becoming Marines when their uncle is already one?" Michael shrugged. "And wouldn't the Marines want to foster good relations with a nation built on cutting-edge military technology?"
Michael's words made Sengoku's eyes light up.
Exactly!
The original Germa Kingdom, though equally powerful, maintained an ambiguous relationship with the World Government, focusing solely on expanding its influence in the North Blue.
But now, things were different.
With Michael's identity in play, the Marines could directly collaborate with the Germa Kingdom, just as they had with Alabasta.
"If there are no objections to this matter, I'll inform my sister."
"Of course, no objections here," Tsuru replied with a smile, nodding.
"After all, we're all on the same side."
With that, she took a sip of the hot tea in her hand.
To Michael's ears, Tsuru's words seemed loaded with meaning.
But all he could do was sigh, take the teacup from her hands and say with a chuckle.
"Grandma Tsuru, it's already nighttime. You should drink less tea—you're not as young as you used to be. Wouldn't want you losing sleep over it."
This little old lady had watched him grow up after all.
Not only did she understand him deeply, but with her combination of intelligence and emotional insight, she was undoubtedly the Marine's top strategist.
Could it be… that Grandma Tsuru had already picked up on some clues from his actions?
The corner of Michael's lips curled slightly.
If Tsuru had indeed noticed something, her current attitude was… highly suggestive.
It seemed that compared to Sengoku, the old man with his blind loyalty, Tsuru as the Chief of Staff, held…
Clearly no loyalty towards the World Government.
******
After Michael's self-disclosure session, everyone left Garp's house.
Michael and Sengoku walked side by side on their way home.
"Michael, have things been busy lately?"
"Not too bad," Michael shrugged. "Alabasta has always been peaceful, but since it's located on the Grand Line, there's bound to be some trouble now and then."
"Hmm. In any case, I'll leave Alabasta entirely in your hands." Sengoku nodded, his gaze carrying a hint of acceptance as he looked at Michael.
"As for what you're really planning… I'm not interested, nor do I want to be."
Michael froze for a moment before letting out a helpless smile.
Sengoku, after all, had the reputation of being the "General" It wasn't surprising that, like Tsuru, he could pick up on subtle hints.
"Old man… you're really not curious about what I'm up to?"
"Not curious." Sengoku shook his head. "You wouldn't do anything truly heinous, so why should I worry?"
"Well, what I'm doing isn't heinous, but it might be a bit… rebellious."
"As long as you don't betray the Marines and everything we stand to protect… then a bit rebellious is fine."
Michael's head snapped up as he stared at Sengoku in disbelief.
These words… Were something Sengoku could actually say?
Damn!
Had he changed?
"You're not testing me, are you?"
"It's not a test. It's just… I trust you."
The people Sengoku trusted so firmly could probably be counted on one hand—Garp and now, Michael.
Even with someone like Tsuru, Sengoku wouldn't place blind, unconditional faith in them.
"Then… thank you for your trust, old man. I won't let you down."
"Ahem, well, whether you let me down or not aside… there's something I need you to handle."
After a cough to mask his awkwardness, Sengoku spoke to Michael in earnest.
This left Michael utterly speechless...
The truth was finally revealed!
No wonder there had been so much buildup—it turned out they were setting him up.
"...What exactly is the matter that has even our Fleet Admiral Sengoku so conflicted?"
"It's about the Ryugu Kingdom..." Sengoku sighed. "Despite being a World Government affiliate nation, they've always faced discrimination because their citizens are fish-men and merfolk."
Hearing this, Michael was momentarily stunned.
This was precisely one of the most frustrating aspects of the One piece World.
With so many diverse races, only a select few faced discrimination—particularly merfolk and fish-men, who suffered the most.
In Michael's view, this discrimination was deliberately perpetuated by the World Government.
Because they were valuable resources.
Fish-men and male merfolk were generally strong and well-suited for combat and underwater construction.
Female merfolk, on the other hand, were exceptionally beautiful.
They had once been highly sought-after commodities in the slave trade.
Even for Celestial Dragons, owning a stunning female merfolk slave was considered a status symbol.
However, after Michael dismantled the criminal networks behind slave trafficking and smuggling, this system began to crumble.
Clearly, this wasn't what the World Government wanted to see.
"The Ryugu Kingdom... something happened on Fish-Man Island, right?"
"Correct." Sengoku nodded. "A few days ago, the World Government issued an order revoking the Ryugu Kingdom's status as an affiliate nation."
"In just a few days, Fish-Man Island has already started decended towards lawlessness."
But Michael's focus wasn't on that.
"Old Man Sengoku..."
"You just said the Ryugu Kingdom is no longer a World Government affiliate, right?"
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