Feeling the scorching heat above, Michael looked up with a benevolent smile.
Sakazuki had attacked him.
This time, Michael felt no irritation—only pride.
Sakazuki wasn't striking out to exterminate pirates indiscriminately. He was lashing out in fury over the death of a subordinate he took pride in.
Though the outcome might be the same, the intent carried a completely different meaning.
At least for the latter reason, Michael could afford to go a little easier on him when punching back.
"Hey! Sakazuki!"
"While your change of heart warms my soul..."
"What the hell are you thinking, unleashing a massive AOE attack in public like this?!"
Michael lifted his head.
His face, now fully exposed, was unmistakable.
And behind him, six iconic wings unfurled in an instant.
At that moment, even Sakazuki—mid-meteor—felt his intelligence violently assaulted.
Golden Thief... was Michael?!
In an instant, all the eccentricities and incongruities of the Old Geezers Pirates became crystal clear!
In other words...
Had he just taken action against Michael, that so-called "Silver Falcon" who was practically synonymous with "underhanded tactics"?
"Wait! Can we settle this peacefully?"
"Regrettably, no, Sakazuki-kun."
After this exchange, the Angel Alliance soldiers working at the harbor witnessed something unprecedented—their nearly invincible Fleet Admiral Akainu being pinned to the ground and beaten.
Such an absurd scene suddenly became entirely reasonable once they realized the assailant was none other than the legendary Michael.
Still, Michael showed some mercy by sparing their Fleet Admiral complete humiliation.
By the time Monkey D. Dragon arrived at the harbor with his men, Sakazuki and Michael were already engaged in a solemn discussion.
Yet everyone around them wore expressions of suppressed laughter, barely holding it together.
This left Dragon puzzled.
Had they not fought?
Had Sakazuki's infamous temper softened? Or had Michael's explosive demeanor mellowed?
But when he approached the two and caught sight of Sakazuki's black eyes, he understood.
Neither had changed. How reassuring.
...
The incident of beating up the Fleet Admiral became nothing more than a brief interlude.
After all, Sakazuki had to retain some dignity—he'd never been this humiliated even on the frontlines against the Celestial Dragons!
Besides...
There were far more pressing matters at hand.
As night fell, the frontline command center at G-1 Base was packed to the brim.
Fortunately, Sakazuki had shown remarkable foresight during G-1's reconstruction—the command center was built spacious enough to accommodate all allies of the Angel Alliance under one roof.
The majority present were former Marine officers and Revolutionary Army cadres.
United as one, they sat under the leadership of the new Three Admirals: Hawkeye, Enel, and Hancock.
Veterans like Sengoku and Garp, who had temporarily stepped down from their posts, occupied the front rows.
Then came the other factions of the Angel Alliance.
The king of Whitebeard Kingdom, "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate, along with his sixteen division commanders.
The ruler of Whole Cake Island, "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin, accompanied by her Charlotte Family children. Notably, the warriors of Elbaf stood behind Charlotte Linlin under the leadership of the Red and Blue Oni, following their formidable new queen.
The shogun of Wano and his wife, Kozuki Oden and Kozuki Toki, flanked by the Red Scabbards, while prominent figures from the Mink Tribe also attended.
Though at the moment, they seemed preoccupied with scolding Kozuki Rin and Kozuki Hiyori.
Representing the unique circumstances of Ryugu Kingdom were Fisher Tiger, Queen Otohime, and Neptune, the Sea God.
From Germa Kingdom, Angel D. Sora attended alone, while her five children sat as commanders of the Germa Science Unit.
But the most astonishing presence was that of Vegapunk from Egghead Island, accompanied by five towering yet childlike Seraphim.
Although traces of the "Seraphim" could be seen in them—such as the same pure white hair and pristine Wings—their facial features clearly bore the genetic imprint of their DNA donors.
Rosinante, Hawkeye, Crocodile, Stella, and Hancock.
And when they spotted Michael in the crowd, their earth-shaking cry of "Mom!" echoed through the air.
Next were the former Cross Guild members—Rayleigh, Gaban, and Gloriosa.
Though Gloriosa kept trying to move over to the Whitebeard Kingdom's side, Rayleigh held her firmly in place.
And then…
The greatest victim of all—the Kingdom of Alabasta.
Cobra sat alone, his expression so grave that not a trace of a smile remained.
"Well… is everyone here now?" Michael lowered her head and whispered to Grandma Tsuru beside her.
"Should we… begin?"
"No, no, no, wait a little longer. There's still one more group," Grandma Tsuru suddenly flashed a mischievous grin.
"A special task force hasn't arrived yet."
...
After Kaido arrived at G-1 aboard a Charlotte Family ship, he felt inexplicably uneasy all over.
Back when the Marine was still the Marine, he had been deliberately captured countless times, only to eat and drink his fill before escaping.
He knew every Marine Branch and prison better than his own home.
But today, he didn't follow Charlotte Linlin into the Angel Alliance's frontline command center.
Though he didn't have any major grudges against Michael, standing before the person who had defeated him just didn't sit right.
So he wandered around the port instead.
Of course, the Angel Alliance members couldn't help but glance nervously at this former Emperor of the Sea who had once shaken the New World…
But that was all.
The Angel Alliance was full of pirates.
An extra Emperor of the Sea? No big deal. One less? Didn't matter.
Though they wondered why such a figure wasn't attending the strategy meeting, they knew better than to pry—doing their own jobs came first.
And so, under this strange unspoken agreement, Kaido loitered around the port for over ten minutes.
Then, the distant sea sentries relayed a message.
"A fleet of varying ship specifications is approaching G-1!"
"Identification confirms—it's the Angel Pirates and their Grand Fleet!"
"Wait! They've changed their flag!"
"It's the Special Task Force! The Special Task Force is requesting port entry!"
Special… Task Force?
That designation, mentioned once by Whitebeard… Could it be Yamato's unit?
Kaido whirled around, a flicker of hope flashing in his eyes.
Before long, the mismatched fleet sailed into the port.
And from the lead ship, a figure leaped high into the air…
Only for the kanabō A-Ken to come crashing straight down at Kaido.
Without warning, Conqueror's Haki erupted!
"Paradise Lost!"