Though Olvia's hands were symbolically bound together, she otherwise had no restraints whatsoever.
After Robin left the office, Olvia felt an inexplicable unease creeping into her heart.
She was worried—worried that Robin might be caught in the crossfire of the battle.
Even though she knew her daughter wasn't some helpless ordinary person, before today, her impression of Robin had still been that of a carefree little girl…
So, worry was only natural.
Just as she completed her fiftieth lap around the office, a series of footsteps echoed from outside the door.
The next moment, the door swung open.
Michael staggered in, then collapsed weakly onto the floor.
Lifting his head slightly, he looked at Olvia with an apologetic expression.
"S-sorry… I tried my best…"
"From now on… the Revolutionary Army… is in your hands…"
"Ah! I'm dead!"
With that, he stuck out his tongue and died with his eyes wide open.
This was an outcome Olvia had never imagined.
The invincible Michael… how could this happen?
A trace of helplessness instantly flickered in Olvia's eyes as she instinctively knelt beside Michael.
"Vice Admiral Michael… even jokes should have their limits!" Nico Robin's exasperated voice rang out from the doorway.
"Are you trying to give my mother a heart attack?"
"Ahaha, just a little prank, that's all." Michael flipped upright and stood up, grinning at Olvia.
"I'm still alive… those three outside couldn't take me down."
"Yes, yes, you're the strongest, alright?"
Behind Robin, Kizaru entered, followed by a contemplative Gion and a thoroughly bewildered Tokikake.
Once everyone was inside, Gion casually closed the door.
"What… is going on?"
Olvia shook her head, regaining her composure and rationality.
"Nothing much—just putting on a big show for the garrison at Sabaody Archipelago."
Michael shrugged.
The moment Robin had called out to him with "Let's talk," hands with mouths on their palms had sprouted on all four of them.
Then, a grand performance of Michael pretending to be overpowered and captured unfolded.
Kizaru and Gion had caught on immediately.
But Tokikake was completely out of the loop.
Even after instinctively playing along, he still wore a dumbfounded expression.
"Sabaody Archipelago is a bit special… there might be World Government spies lurking around." Michael shrugged.
"But if I got taken down by Borsalino, Tokikake, and Gion alone, wouldn't that be suspicious?"
"Suspicious how? Losing to one Admiral and two Admiral candidates is way more believable than openly injuring two Admirals in front of all the Vice Admirals, right?" Robin scoffed.
"Your previous feats were a bit too exaggerated. Using this to downplay your strength and lull the enemy into complacency isn't a bad idea." Robin finished speaking and sat back down behind her desk.
Olvia looked at her daughter, then at Michael, and then at the Admiral Kizaru...
"So now... you're all working together?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Borsalino, unusually, showed a hint of irritation as he pulled out a cigar, lit it silently, and took a deep drag.
"Of all the troublesome things, why did this have to fall on me..."
"After all, the Marine is barely maintaining a superficial harmony with the World Government right now... but behind the scenes, things are tearing apart, aren't they?" Michael chuckled and patted Kizaru on the back.
"Compared to the World Government, the Revolutionary Army's relationship with the Marine isn't entirely adversarial anymore... You must have interacted with the Marine officers withdrawn from the four seas these past few years. You should have heard from them about what the Revolutionary Army has been doing there."
"Of course... Otherwise, why would I have been convinced?" Kizaru took another deep drag and exhaled slowly.
"Never thought... you were planning from the very start to make the Marine independent from the World Government's control."
"More than just independent..." Robin lifted her head and said calmly.
"Admiral Kizaru, the Revolutionary Army's internal military philosophy is almost identical to the ideas Michael spread through the Marine's 'Great Learning' initiative back then... Doesn't that make you think of something?"
Kizaru paused mid-drag, his head snapping up, his eyes filled with disbelief:
"Identical... You don't seriously think the Marine would just transform entirely into the Revolutionary Army, do you?"
"No, no, no—it's about the Marine and the Revolutionary Army merging into one." Michael clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to himself.
"Every member of the SWORD Classified Special Forces knows about this."
Robin nodded in agreement.
"W-Wait... I need a moment." Tokikake clutched his head and sat on the floor. "That's way too much information to process all at once..."
"Aside from the people just mentioned, who else knows about this?" Gion stepped in front of Michael, staring into his eyes.
"Tell me..."
"Well, old man Garp and Instructor Zephyr know. Grandma Tsuru... I'm not sure if she's figured anything out." Michael continued, "Oh, and Issho knows too."
"Issho... Issho? 'Fujitora' Issho? The guy who joined the Marine through the World Military Draft?" Tokikake frowned.
"His reputation isn't exactly great... He's the Vice Admiral closest to the World Government."
"But before he made a name for himself and was planted into the Marine by the World Government through the draft... he was an advisor to the SWORD Classified Special Forces."
For a moment, Kizaru and the other two, who had just learned the truth, exchanged stunned glances.
The sheer amount of information was... overwhelming.
"Now that I've told you the truth, naturally, I need your help."
"Help? What makes you think I'd help?"
"Because your dear friend Vegapunk is also on my side?"
"...Vegapunk is involved in this too!?" Kizaru finally showed genuine surprise.
"I thought you went to Egghead for the Shiki..."
After speaking, the last trace of hesitation on Kizaru's face completely disappeared.
Among the Three Admirals, there was no doubt that Kizaru had the lowest loyalty to the World Government.
Their styles simply didn't align.
And ever since the World Government and the Marine began drifting apart, maintaining only a superficial harmony, he had known…
The Marine's independence was inevitable.
The only thing he hadn't expected was…
Michael.
"You… just when did you start planning all of this…?"
"When did I start?" Michael shrugged.
"I set a fire across the sea…"
"That fire was the spark that would ignite the plains."