Michael was a well-known figure throughout Marine Headquarters.
After all, he was the strongest "strongest nepotist"—low-profile, rarely showing off his achievements—but widely known as something like the adopted son of Admiral Sengoku.
He was promoted to Commander at eighteen, and to Rear Admiral at twenty.
Granted, those Admiral candidateas had also become Vice Admirals in their early twenties.
But that was purely due to overwhelming strength—no one had ever questioned their promotions.
Michael, on the other hand, was viewed by most as nothing more than a rare flying Devil Fruit user.
Beyond that...
Nothing else.
So only the highest ranks of the Navy truly understood Michael's strength.
Ordinary Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals weren't even in the same category.
And in the past two years, Michael had been bouncing back and forth between the Secret Special Force, the Revolutionary Army, and the Cross Guild. He had barely shown his face at Marine Headquarters at all.
This led people like Doberman and Onigumo to pay him little attention.
What they did care about was that Michael had brought the Empress of a pirate nation—and even claimed that the entire Amazon Lily would become a Navy nation!
To the ultra-hardliners who believed anyone could be killed in service of the Navy, this was simply intolerable.
So, when Michael stood up, Doberman and Onigumo didn't feel pressure...
They felt humiliation!
A Navy officer who got in through connections dared to challenge seasoned combat veterans who'd fought tooth and nail on the seas?
"Michael! Don't think that just because you're Sengoku-sama's adopted son, we'll go easy on you!"
"You made a huge mistake—you should've executed these pirate brats with your own hands!"
Michael merely glanced at the two of them, then locked his gaze firmly on Sakazuki.
"Hey, Sakazuki—is this your stance too?" His voice was icy cold. "I thought we reached some kind of understanding the last time we met."
"I don't know anything about this. I'm just here to report recent developments at G1 to Sengoku-sama." Sakazuki shrugged, surprisingly calm. "Pirate numbers in the New World keep growing, and their strength is increasing too. That's why I'd like to transfer Vice Admiral Onigumo and Rear Admiral Doberman to G1 to assist me."
Sakazuki remained composed from start to finish. Even when looking at the three little sisters, his gaze only lingered a second longer.
At that moment, Michael understood everything.
Of course—if Sakazuki had any objections, with his personality, he would've said it directly, not sent subordinates to make passive-aggressive comments.
He was strategic, yes—but his communication style had always been blunt and straightforward.
He might not value the lives of his colleagues that much, but he wasn't the type to play petty games with them either.
"Good. That tells me what I needed to know."
As Michael finished speaking, his wings unfurled, and he lunged toward Onigumo and Doberman.
The two of them had not expected Michael to attack right in front of Sengoku and Sakazuki!
Michael reached out both hands and slammed them onto their faces.
Compared to these two over-2.5-meter-tall combat-hardened officers, Michael's body seemed rather "petite."
But that very "petiteness" made his terrifying strength all the more horrifying.
He shoved Onigumo and Doberman's heads straight into the floor.
The damage wasn't actually serious—but the humiliation was massive.
They were stunned—and then consumed by rising rage.
But then they realized something they could not accept...
They couldn't stand up.
Even using all their strength, they couldn't break free from the pressure of a single hand from Michael.
They were pinned, completely.
Especially as his fingers began to tighten around their faces, leaving dark purple bruises across their skin.
Only then did they truly realize—
Michael was clearly the same kind of...
Monster—as Sakazuki.
"Enough, Michael. Are you really going to kill fellow Navy officers right in front of me?"
With Sengoku's stern voice intervening, Michael instantly withdrew the pressure from Onigumo and Doberman.
He sat back on the sofa with a smile, casually reaching out to ruffle one of the three little girls' heads.
He picked one at random.
Sandersonia's face instantly turned red as she looked down shyly.
At that age, little girls were helpless against gentle big brother types.
"Old man, I wasn't the one looking for trouble. They started it." Michael shrugged. "As a Vice Admiral and a Rear Admiral, they really shouldn't run their mouths like that."
"Otherwise..."
"They might really die next time."
Though Michael's lips curved in a smile, his icy blue eyes held not even a trace of warmth.
Onigumo and Doberman, now pulling their heads out of the floor, trembled all over. Their eyes toward Michael were filled with dread and...
Fear.
They could feel it.
Next time—Michael would kill them.
"Alright, Michael. I promise you, this is the last time. Those two just didn't understand your plan." Sakazuki stood up. "Admiral Sengoku, about my request?"
"Approved. You can take Onigumo and Doberman to G1 immediately."
Sengoku's voice was unreadable, but his position was crystal clear.
After all, he saw this whole thing as a net gain—until those two hot-headed fools nearly ruined everything.
Sengoku had already begun to notice the increasingly sharp divide between Navy factions.
He was even considering whether to just ship all the radical hardliners off to the New World—at least then they'd be put to good use.
"Then we'll be taking our leave."
After saluting Sengoku, Sakazuki led his people out of the office.
"So... what was the point of those two even showing up?" Little Hancock suddenly asked. "Just to get their asses kicked?"
"Well... you can't expect everyone to have a brain."
Michael shrugged again, flashing his signature gentle smile.
But after everything that just happened, Little Hancock couldn't help but feel that Michael's smile...
Was terrifying.
"So, old man—about Amazon Lily, it's settled then?"
"Yes. Since you're taking the lead, you'll have full authority over it." Sengoku nodded. "Just don't stir up too much trouble... and don't worry about the military budget."
Michael nodded, then pointed to the three little ones.
"Also, these three kids—assign them to my unit."
"I'm already a Rear Admiral, and up till now, I've only had Stella under my command. It's kind of embarrassing."
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