Michael watched Shamrock and Red-Haired Shanks clash blades, shaking his head with a smile before soaring higher into the sky.
This matchup had been his plan all along.
Luffy, however, was an unexpected variable.
Still... he proved a perfect match for Shamrock, who had been enhanced by Lily.
With Rosinante and Nami providing support, taking down this man from the Figarland Family shouldn't be too difficult.
But killing him... that was another matter.
Even suppressing his Immortality with Conqueror's Haki, preventing regeneration, was a temporary measure.
The root of the problem lay with Lily.
Michael knew he was destined for a life-or-death battle with his adopted daughter.
Though he hated to admit it... It seemed Lily had to die.
Not because Michael wanted to kill his adopted daughter.
But because Michael had to kill 'Lady Imu', the supreme tyrant who had ruled the world for over eight centuries.
The Angel Alliance wasn't his personal fiefdom, nor did he aspire to be its ruler.
But as the one who had ignited this global revolution, Michael knew that everything had to come to a conclusion.
'I must keep reinforcing my resolve,' Michael thought, bolstering his mental defenses.
He knew that without this self-persuasion, he would never be able to bring himself to act.
Though he maintained an air of resolve and determination in front of others... Apart from Toki and Imu, few could see the hesitation beneath his hardened exterior.
But... despite his hesitation, Michael had entered Pangaea Castle and was flying toward the palace where the Empty Throne stood.
The war had begun!
The sooner he ended Lily... The fewer casualties the Angel Alliance would suffer.
Even knowing that war brings death and revolution demands sacrifice... Fewer deaths were still better.
Just then, an arrow, swift and sinuous as a serpent, shot straight toward Michael's face.
Michael seized the arrow-shaped strip, which had been severed by a sharp edge.
Without using Armament Haki, even his immense strength couldn't alter the strip's directional pull. Attacks surged along the strip's trajectory.
These attacks, guided by the strip's path, had their kinetic energy amplified by the corresponding powers of the Arrow-Arrow Fruit, resulting in greater speed and destructive force.
As he observed the double-enhanced slashes, bullets, arrows, and various projectiles, Michael's lips twitched into a disinterested smile.
While these attacks, with their doubled potency, could overwhelm even someone of Momousagi and Chaton's caliber, potentially inflicting serious injuries...
To Michael, they were inconsequential.
Of course, this didn't mean he'd let the attacks strike his face... That would be mere posturing.
"Halt! We're the God Knights! State your name!"
Three figures of varying heights materialized before Michael: Killingham, Sommers, and Gunko.
These were members of the God Knights from the era when Shamrock served as Commander-in-Chief.
When Figarland Garling held the position of Commander-in-Chief of the God Knights, his loyal members had followed him into retirement.
Now, they fought alongside Garling.
"The God Knights... To be honest, I haven't dealt with you much, but almost every time, you pay a heavy price," Michael said, blinking.
He recalled the God Knights who had served as guards protecting the Celestial Dragons during their outings, only to be slaughtered by himself.
Then there was Garling, who had suffered defeats at Michael's hands.
As a special unit under Lily's command, they were among the Celestial Dragons' elite warriors, both before and after Lily's enhancements.
If they had deployed the entire God Knights against Michael from the start, he might not have survived.
But... Lily would have to be insane to send such valuable subordinates to deal with a mere lieutenant commander.
It can only be said that every drink and every bite is predetermined by fate.
"Get out of my sight, and I might consider sparing you for now," Michael said with a smile, his gaze settling on Gunko, the only woman among the three.
"You... you're quite special."
"Six wings, platinum hair..." Saint Killingham leaned his neck and head toward Saint Sommer's ear, whispering, "There's no doubt... that's Michael."
"Do you think I'm blind?" Sommers snapped, his expression grave as he shook his head.
Though he acted casual, carefree, and uninhibited... That was all an act.
He only adopted such a nonchalant attitude when dealing with the weak.
But facing a being like Michael... To be honest, Sommers was exerting every ounce of his strength just to keep from collapsing to his knees.
Michael hadn't even unleashed any Haki, merely standing there made Sommer's heart pound violently, as if on the verge of exploding.
Even the God Knights, who received orders from Lily, felt terror in the presence of the world's strongest being.
And it was true.
The World's Strongest.
This was the title used by the World Government, and even the Celestial Dragons, to refer to Michael.
The term "Archangel of the End" had also circulated within the World Government.
But after Lily's prohibition of the term, coupled with Michael's continued growth in power, the organization adopted "World's Strongest" as his official title.
Deep down, they subconsciously believed that while Lily was powerful... She remained secluded, rarely venturing beyond the Room of Flowers.
Michael, on the other hand, had defeated countless supreme beings across the world.
"You three... I've no interest in fighting you small-time thugs," Michael scoffed, rolling his eyes. Ignoring their presence, he strode forward without bothering to change direction, shouldering past Saint Somers and Saint Killingham as he continued on his way.
During this exchange, Saint Sommers not only refrained from retaliating but suppressed the counter-damage effect of his Devil Fruit ability.
After Michael passed, Saint Sommers breathed a sigh of relief.
Though loyal, he valued his life just as much.
Most importantly... the order not to obstruct Michael came from Lady Imu herself.
Otherwise, even if he had eight hundred lives, he wouldn't dare let anyone pass.
"Saint Sommers, we..."
"Silence, Gunko! The battle between Lady Imu and the world's strongest warrior isn't something we can interfere with! Moreover..." Saint Sommers closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.
Then he lifted his head. "Our opponent has arrived."
In the sky, Yamato, transformed into her beast form as the Okuchi no Makami, descended before them, carrying Kozuki Toki on her back.
"I sense my father's presence!"
"We regret to inform you, 'Blood Rain Angel' Yamato... we're under orders here... To defend to the death."