"What, Amazon Lily!? The place we're headed to is actually the legendary 'Island of Women'!?"
"Heavens! Earth! Who blessed me with this divine gift!? It must be you, Michael!"
Onboard the warship, Smoker and Shu reacted in different tones, but with the same level of disgraceful excitement.
Especially Shu—his usual laid-back, snarky facade was instantly shattered by this piece of news.
Michael's mouth twitched as he looked at his two hopeless subordinates, resisting the strong urge to fire them both on the spot.
But after some thought, he held back.
It hadn't been easy roping in such talents. If they were hopeless in this regard, so be it.
Meanwhile, the others, who still retained some ability to think rationally, naturally had some concerns.
"Michael, if I remember correctly... Amazon Lily is the country ruled by the Kuja Pirates, right?" Stella furrowed her brows slightly, then glanced toward the cabin, where Shakky and the three Boa sisters were resting.
"Although Amazon Lily is mostly known for raiding pirates who enter the Calm Belt or smugglers trying to shortcut through it... in the end, they are pirates. As Marines, are we even allowed to land on the island?"
"That's not something you need to worry about, Stella." Michael took Stella's hand and gave it a gentle pat.
"Soon, the Kuja Pirates will cease to exist."
"...You're actually planning to destroy the entire Kuja Pirates!?"
"Your level of understanding... Seriously, stop hanging around people like Smoker whose IQ isn't exactly stellar. Try talking with Robin more! She's smart!" Michael sighed, then said softly, "Though you're not wrong calling it destruction, the method is just... different from what you're imagining."
Hearing this, Stella fell into thought as she looked at Michael.
Based on what she knew of him, Michael was definitely not the kind of person who sought to kill every pirate in sight.
What he always pursued was maximum benefit.
Just like how he hadn't eliminated Doflamingo, but instead used him as a puppet to unify the underworld.
With Amazon Lily... he must have a specific goal in mind.
"I'm not the brightest, but I'll always stand by your side."
"Even if I plan to do something utterly heretical in the eyes of the World Government?"
"Most of the things you do are already pretty heretical."
...
With Shakky guiding the way, the group reached Amazon Lily in just a single day.
"This warship's speed... is kind of insane."
Looking at the rapidly approaching silhouette of Amazon Lily, Shakky couldn't help but voice her amazement.
Although she had expected that, with Michael's navigation, they'd get there faster than usual, she hadn't expected it to be this fast.
Normally, even the Kuja Pirates' ship—drawn by two massive sea serpents—would take almost two full days to get from the Sabaody Archipelago to Amazon Lily.
With that in mind, Shakky was even more stunned by the technological advancements in Marine warfare.
"No need to be so shocked. Even within the entire Marine fleet, there's no warship faster than this one." Michael smiled. "Unless, of course, Vegapunk suddenly feels charitable and decides to upgrade all the Marine tech with his secret stash. Then, who knows?"
"What do you mean by that?" Shakky raised a brow. As the most powerful informant in the Grand Line, she keenly picked up on the oddity in his tone. "Don't tell me Vegapunk isn't loyal to the Marines? Or to the World Government?"
"What do you think?"
Michael didn't answer directly. Instead, he turned toward the cabin and called out:
"We're almost at Amazon Lily. Prepare to disembark!"
At that moment, a massive pirate ship was closing in from the southeast.
Judging by its size, it was even a notch larger than the war beasts used by elite Vice Admirals.
"That's... the Kuja Pirates' Perfume Yuda!" Shakky turned to look and recognized the ship immediately. "Looks like they've noticed the warship and are trying to stop us."
"I think... they're planning more than just stopping us." Michael's mouth twitched. "Did you forget that Amazon Lily's future Empress was just kidnapped by some brazen outsiders?"
With that one sentence, Shakky instantly knew what was about to happen.
But after pondering for a moment, all she could say was...
"...Sigh. Go easy on them when the time comes. They're going to be your fellow Marines soon, after all."
"Shakky, if only everyone in Amazon Lily were as smart as you."
With that, Michael spread his wings and, with a gentle flap, lifted off the deck and soared toward the swiftly approaching Perfume Yuda.
Shakky glanced sideways at Issho, who was standing near the railing, feeling the sea breeze.
This blind man who wasn't even wearing a Marine uniform—when was he going to make a move?
As an informant, she had an instinctive urge to gather intel on all unknown factors.
Because knowing Michael's personality, there was no way he would recruit just some gambling addict into the Marines.
And then, in the blink of an eye, Issho turned his head and "looked" directly at Shakky.
He even smiled kindly in her direction.
But that simple act made cold sweat break out on Shakky's back.
That terrifying Observation Haki... is it really that sharp?
In an instant, Shakky felt as though she had been flipped inside out and laid bare in front of Issho.
That sensation of having all her secrets seen through... was extremely unpleasant.
She forcibly pulled her attention back and looked toward Michael.
Michael was now soaring upward, hovering above the Perfume Yuda, and slowly descending onto its deck.
He made no effort to conceal himself—landing openly, calmly, and with a smile on his face.
"Enemy attack!"
The Kuja Pirates on deck immediately sounded the alarm, raising their bows. Arrows were notched and drawn, already coated in purple-black Armament Haki.
Michael's eyes lit up.
Yes! This was it!
Even the regular watchmen of the Kuja Pirates could wield both skilled archery and Armament Haki!
Despite lacking top-tier combatants, they were still able to protect Amazon Lily—aside from the Calm Belt acting as a natural barrier, they had a huge number of elite warriors.
Their base-level combat power was among the best across the entire sea.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several arrows of different lengths and widths shot toward him from all directions.
The one thing they shared in common was the dense Armament Haki coating each arrow.
Michael showed no sign of panic. He swiftly drew the straight sword at his waist—"Myōjō."
With a single motion, all the arrows, even those laced with Armament Haki, were cleanly deflected and scattered across the deck.
"Kuja Pirates, send someone who can actually speak for you."
"Your Empress is currently aboard my ship."
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