After stepping outside, Michael didn't see anyone around, so he activated his Observation Haki.
In an instant, he locked onto Crocodile's location.
When he rushed over, he happened to hear Cobra's voice…
"Lanlan, I already know the truth!"
"...I don't understand what you're saying, King Cobra." Crocodile shook her head. "My name is Crocodile, a Marine stationed in the Alabasta branch."
After saying that, Crocodile turned to leave.
But Cobra, overwhelmed with emotion, stepped forward and grabbed her wrist—yet the moment he touched her, she crumbled into a pile of sand.
"I told you, I don't understand what you're saying, and I don't want to understand."
"Don't be so stubborn anymore… a handful of sand, the tighter you grip, the faster it slips away."
With that, she walked toward Michael without hesitation.
"The rest I leave to you..." Crocodile lowered her eyelids, as if pressing all her emotions beneath her crow-feather lashes. "Right now... is not the time to acknowledge each other."
Without waiting for Michael's reply, she headed back toward the banquet hall.
Michael sighed.
Crocodile's suppressed emotions were like the hidden currents beneath a calm sea—ready at any moment to break the surface and unleash waves too violent to contain.
Whether for personal safety or the greater situation, everything could capsize like a small boat.
So leaving quickly was the wise choice.
Crocodile's intelligence was undeniable.
But to make such a decision, one also had to embody "cruelty."
Toward herself, and toward others.
Michael turned back to face Cobra.
"You... still aren't calm enough, Cobra." Michael patted his shoulder, offering comfort. "Even though you're now completely one of us, this isn't the right time for a family reunion."
Cobra remained silent.
But the unwillingness on his face said it all…
He understood, yet he couldn't suppress himself.
For this normally gentle king, family bonds were of utmost importance.
Whether as a brother or as an ally, as long as Crocodile was present, he couldn't help but recall all the years his sister had been missing.
Regret, fear, and guilt crashed over him in relentless waves.
That he had managed to hold back for half a year before finally breaking—already showed his limit.
"If you're going to be like this, then I'll just have to take Crocodile away for now... It just so happens I need more people at my side lately. The other members of the SWORD Secret Special Force are currently spread out between Marineford and Fish-Man Island, so I'll have to recruit nearby."
"That… might be for the best."
Cobra, who had stayed silent all this time, finally spoke. His brows revealed both relief and a trace of gratitude.
Of course he knew this wasn't the right time.
But he was desperate to hear the answer from her own lips.
He trusted Michael, but when it came to his sister, he had to hear it face-to-face.
And from Crocodile's earlier reaction, Cobra was finally certain.
That kind of rebuttal was no different from outright admission.
"As long as you've come to terms with this..." Michael hooked an arm around Cobra's shoulder and led him toward the banquet hall. "But really, how is it that your sister ended up taller than you? Back when she was still a man, she was over two and a half meters tall, and even now, back in her female form, she's still a little over two meters."
"Lanlan... she used to be about my height." Cobra let out a bitter smile. "This must be the result of repeated transformations, right? Because of her current height, I didn't dare be sure at first—didn't even want to think in that direction."
Michael burst into laughter.
"All in all, being alive is the greatest fortune, isn't it?"
...
After the banquet, the royal families left that very night.
They had already heard rumors that the Revolutionary Army was advancing toward the Grand Line.
These guilty kings were like startled birds. Even without concrete proof, they had already scared themselves half to death.
But Sora didn't leave. Instead, she stayed at Michael's estate in Alabasta.
Her younger brother's home was her home.
After coaxing the kids to bed, Michael and his elder sister Sora sat together in the living room.
Under the bright light, Michael could see the worry etched on Sora's face.
"So… where is the Germa Kingdom planning to relocate?"
"As it stands, only Alabasta seems suitable." Sora pursed her lips. "Among today's royal families, more than half came from 'Paradise,' but unfortunately, I didn't see a single one I could trust enough to be our neighbor."
"But the Germa Kingdom is a nation of soldiers. You shouldn't need to worry about these countries scheming against you, right?"
"That's true…" Sora shook her head. "But you can't guard against thieves forever. Rather than living in constant fear of invasion, it's better to settle things once and for all—form an alliance with Alabasta, and build a stable community of shared destiny."
Michael nodded.
His sister's thoughts aligned with his own.
But the problem was…
"There aren't really any high-quality, suitable islands near Alabasta. The resource-rich ones don't have enough land."
"That's not a big issue." Sora smiled. "We can link them together with snail ships. After all, transforming those uninhabited islands will take a long time anyway."
Michael almost suggested renting out Alabasta's unused wastelands instead…
But seeing that his sister already had a solution, he decided not to say more.
At that moment, the door to the room opened from outside.
Crocodile walked in.
"I'm back."
"Oh, get some rest. Tomorrow I'm heading to the New World for a trip—you and Hawk Eyes come along with me."
"Fine."
Sora watched the two speak so calmly, but she herself was anything but calm.
"Wait, Michael, are you living with this woman now!?" Sora reached out and twisted Michael's ear.
"In the Maria family, we don't allow casual relationships like this! When are you two planning to get married!?"
"Huh!? Married? Me and Crocodile? Sis, are you kidding me!?"
Michael put on a baffled look, completely failing to understand how his sister had interpreted his relationship with Crocodile.
"Not just me, there's another one too." Crocodile smirked, lips curling with a sly, mischievous grin.
Right then, the door opened again, and Stella walked in.
"There's another one!?" Sora, even though already a mother of five, blushed furiously. "Shameful! How could the Maria family have such a shameless libertine!?"
As Michael gave a bitter smile and prepared to explain, the inner door suddenly opened.
Hawk Eyes stepped out, looking slightly groggy from sleep.
"If I'm not mistaken, it's nighttime right now…"
But his appearance sent the absurd scenario in Sora's imagination spiraling completely out of control.
"There's even a man!?"
"My brother goes both ways!? Sharing one bed with them all!?"
"Ga—"
"What the hell! Sis! How do you just faint like that!?"
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