"Hey, Shanks, are you really going to become one of those damn Warlords?"
After Michael and the others left with the children, Ben Beckman let out a sigh and asked Shanks.
"Why not? We were already going to be enemies with other pirates anyway, so why not take advantage of it?"
Shanks, covered in scars yet still grinning cheerfully, replied, "Besides, this way we can openly bring pirates in to claim their bounties!"
"But then, what's the difference between us and the World Government's lackeys, the Marines?"
"There's a huge difference."
Shanks shook his head, his tone turning serious.
"Michael is someone who would never bow under the World Government."
"And how can you be so sure?"
Ben Beckman looked at Shanks with some doubt.
"Don't tell me that while you two were shut inside the cabin just now… he brainwashed you?"
"No, it wasn't brainwashing… he just told me a truth I ought to know."
Shanks finished speaking, then turned to head back into the cabin.
"Oh, and do me a favor—send a letter to Buggy for me. Just tell him I've found a treasure Captain Roger left behind somewhere else, and I was wondering if he might be interested in exploring it with me."
"Huh? Buggy? That idiot crewmate of yours?"
"If you really think he's just an idiot… then that makes you the real fool."
...
Although his nephews dared to run around everywhere, even hitching a ride with pirates, Michael had already smacked their butts one by one for it.
But if this matter reached Sora's ears…
The five of them would each be hung from a fan blade, set to third gear, and get spun around and beaten for half a day.
But such is the fate of little kids.
Mischief always gets punished.
Still, this trip wasn't without gains.
"That red-haired guy—I think I saw him back when Roger was executed," Crocodile said. "I never thought he'd be this powerful… he might even be sharper than Hawk Eyes."
"Of course. He's the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's personal disciple, after all."
Michael chuckled.
Others might not know, but how could he not know Shanks's potential?
Especially on this worldline where one glance was enough to tell Shanks likely wouldn't lose an arm. An intact Shanks, with no missing limbs, could reach unimaginable heights.
Even though Michael had just struck a blow against him, he knew very well that when Shanks said he would pursue Whitebeard at his peak, those weren't empty words.
The very first recruit for the Warlords being Shanks had already set the tone for the whole organization.
No matter who was recruited later, Shanks would still firmly suppress them.
And at least Shanks's character could be trusted…
Aside from the small problem of possibly luring children into becoming pirates, there wasn't much to fault him for.
Meanwhile, Michael's nephews followed Stella, sitting neatly on the deck of the snail ship, watching her develop her Devil Fruit ability…
Specifically, analyzing and deconstructing the properties of island cloud.
Normally this had nothing to do with a bunch of kids, but the problem was, they were genetically modified humans.
Although Michael had undone the negative side effects, their enhancements remained.
He had even helped Sanji by curing his body, lifting the suppression that strong drugs had placed on his genetic modifications.
And inside their brains, there was still a portion of the scientific knowledge Vinsmoke Judge had crammed into them.
So, with all the children babbling out ideas, Stella actually managed—just before they returned to Alabasta—to use her power to create a one-meter square block of island cloud.
"Stella-san, this feels like a trampoline!" Sanji exclaimed excitedly. "Is this really made of clouds?"
"This is called island cloud," Stella said with a smile. "Back when we went to Sky Island, the foundations of those islands were made from this."
Hearing this, Michael walked over.
"You finally succeeded?"
"What do you mean finally…? I've been running around busy for half a year. When have I had time to properly develop my Fruit?"
Stella muttered in complaint.
But Michael took note of it seriously.
Yes, this was one of the reasons why, aside from a few monsters, the "genius youths" or "elites" in the Marines developed their strength more slowly than pirates of the same talent level.
After all, the Marines were an official institution. From the Fleet Admiral to the lowest soldier, there were daily duties that had to be completed.
Sure, strength could be honed in battle missions…
But fighting wasn't the only work the Marines did.
By contrast, pirates had much more free time.
This was why, on average, Marines tended to be weaker than pirates of the same age.
For example, in the original timeline, among pirates around Smoker's age—give or take three years—there were Shanks, Enel, and Crescent Moon Hunter Catarina Devon…
While Smoker was only an Elite Vice Admiral, and not even in the strongest tier among them.
But in terms of innate talent, Smoker was at least not weaker than Catarina Devon.
The reason their strengths diverged so much was simply because they had different amounts of time to train and grow.
Another example was the CP9 members. They spent five years undercover in Water 7, so their strength barely improved.
Yet two years later, they suddenly became CP0 officers, and their combat power skyrocketed.
It just went to show…
Work really was a damn nuisance!
"You're right, things really are too busy…" Michael muttered. "Looks like the Navy should start recruiting people specifically for clerical work."
He thought about the mountains of documents piled up on Sengoku's desk, and about the daily paperwork Bell-mère had to deal with in the Alabasta branch…
Yes, it was absolutely necessary!
"Recruiting clerical staff? That's actually a great idea."
Stella nodded quickly. "Now that we've got the Golden City as backing, we can definitely afford the salaries for more Navy clerks… I just wonder if Admiral Sengoku would agree?"
"Agree? Sengoku-san will be the happiest one to agree!"
Michael laughed. "Every time he looks at the pile of paperwork on his desk, he wants to puke! And that's with Tsuru-san helping to share the load!"
"This would be good news for every combat officer in the Navy."
Of course, there was one more thing Michael didn't say out loud.
If the Navy began recruiting clerical staff, who would be the most likely candidates?
Naturally, the scholars of Alabasta who had traveled the world, and their students!
Sure, firepower represented external authority…
But within the institution, the authority lay in the pen.
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