In Michael's earliest plans for sourcing troops, the final location was Wano.
But the primary target had never been Wano's samurai, but rather the Mink Tribe of the Mokomo Dukedom, living atop Zunesha's back.
Although Wano's samurai were fairly capable, with many powerful warriors proficient in Ryuo…
Overall, they were still too conventional.
What's more, compared to Wano's military strength, Wano's true value lay in functionality.
For example, resources and forging.
When it came to average combat power, it actually couldn't match the Mokomo Dukedom.
Not to mention that the Mink Tribe possessed the race-wide trump card known as "Sulong."
As long as they were trained, under a full moon they could transform into the Mink Tribe's true form.
Their bodies would grow larger, their frames taller, their fur would turn white, their hair would lengthen, their eyes would glow red…
And whether it was speed or strength, many of their core attributes would receive massive boosts.
The only drawback was that it couldn't be maintained for long.
Although the conditions were rather harsh, if the flaws of the Sulong state could be overcome, a Mink Tribe force would absolutely become a surprise trump card.
Of course, Michael himself had no way of solving this problem.
But that was fine!
At times like this, it was best to hand the matter over to the all-purpose Vegapunk.
Although Vegapunk had countless things to research, he would surely welcome research into Sulong.
After all, no matter how one looked at it, this state was produced by the Mink Tribe's unique lineage factors.
This was precisely Vegapunk's area of expertise.
Originally, Michael had planned to resolve Wano's crisis first, then arrive at the Mokomo Dukedom atop Zunesha under the banner of "Savior of Wano," leveraging that favor for benefits…
After all, the two leaders of the Mokomo Dukedom were both retainers of the Kozuki family…
But unexpectedly, he ended up directly hearing Zunesha's call.
The Voice of All Things…
This was supposed to belong only to Roger, Luffy, Oden, and Momonosuke.
This ability had nothing to do with strength; it was simply an independent talent.
Michael didn't even know when he had gained this ability.
Perhaps he had possessed it long ago, but it had never been triggered.
Or perhaps it awakened at the very second before he encountered Zunesha…
But no matter what, being able to communicate directly with Zunesha was definitely a pleasant surprise.
And moreover…
From what Zunesha said to him… there was gossip to be had!
...
"Zunesha, what do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean by 'appearing once again'… did you know me before?"
Michael raised an eyebrow.
Because of the existence of Kozuki Toki, Michael already knew that at some point in the future, he would travel back more than eight hundred years into the past…
So the possibility that Zunesha knew him…
Honestly, it wasn't all that surprising to Michael.
Still, questions had to be asked—extracting information had already become an occupational habit for him.
"Michael… angel… Joy Boy's companion… you told me that in the future, we would meet again…"
"You told me… that I had not made a mistake."
"I kept walking… so that one day… I could reunite with you and Joy Boy…"
"I… miss you very much… Angel Michael."
After Zunesha finished speaking, its enormous trunk slowly lifted.
It drew in vast amounts of water and sprayed it toward Zou on its back.
The twice-daily "water spray" ensured Zou's water supply.
But with seawater raining down everywhere, Michael was also drenched like a drowned rat.
Helplessly sweeping his hair back with one hand, Michael continued:
"Zunesha… I want to go up and speak with the Mink Tribe now. Is that alright?"
"Of course, my friend… oh, right… Joy Boy… left you… a message… in Zou."
Michael froze.
A message?
Could this trip actually bring unexpected gains?
Without overthinking it, Michael flew directly toward Zunesha's towering back.
...
If encountering Zunesha directly, Michael might still have let out a gasp of amazement.
A colossal beast capable of carrying an island—an entire nation—on its back.
But just minutes earlier, he had completely crushed the slightly smaller Douglas Bullet… so in terms of visual impact, it fell somewhat short.
That said, Bullet himself couldn't compare to Zunesha—after all, Zunesha existed in this state naturally.
Bullet's form, on the other hand, was a rare product of Devil Fruit awakening combination techniques.
Passing over Zunesha's massive head, Michael saw Zou upon its back.
With a flap of his wings, Michael sharply increased his speed.
But just as he drew very close to the Mokomo Dukedom's town, bullets and crossbow bolts continuously shot up at him from below.
Michael frowned, then quickly understood.
An unidentified flying object entering national airspace without stating its purpose—of course they'd try to shoot it down first!
Ideally, they could've tried communicating or issuing a warning before opening fire.
The people of Zou were just a bit too wild!
Well, they were the Mink Tribe after all—humanoid beasts by appearance, so fiery tempers were normal.
So Michael glanced at the dense forest below and descended directly.
He was here to lead a revolution, not to launch an invasion.
The moment he landed, dozens of Mink warriors burst out of the forest, filling the ground and trees alike.
"Zou does not welcome outsiders! Leave immediately!"
"That's right! Zou is Mink territory—the territory of the Mokomo Dukedom! Hairless monkey, get out!"
Michael tilted his head, looking at the various Mink species around him.
It seemed that the Mink Tribe's overall information flow was quite outdated.
Even if they didn't recognize his face, someone should've heard of "that guy with angel wings."
Yet the Mink Tribe showed no reaction at all…
"I am Michael, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. I've come for peace…" Michael thought for a moment—was that too empty-sounding? So he added, "And I just rescued Wano from a powerful pirate alliance… are you sure this is how you want to treat me?"
"Wano? What does Wano have to do with us?"
Michael froze, suddenly realizing something.
Come to think of it…
Although the Mink cat-and-dog duo—Inuarashi and Nekomamushi—were retainers of Kozuki Oden and two of the Nine Red Scabbards…
The rest of the citizens weren't!
A classic case of "my vassal's vassal is not my vassal."
"Uh, alright—if mentioning those two isn't very effective… then surely you've heard of Lindbergh? I'm his good friend."
Lindbergh, commander of the Revolutionary Army's South Army.
"Uh… Lindbergh is sort of my distant cousin."
As that voice rang out…
The atmosphere instantly turned cheerful.
"So that's it—he's a friend of Lindbergh!"
"Then he must be our friend too!"
Michael wiped sweat from his brow as he looked at the suddenly adorable Mink Tribe members.
Yeah…
Wildness and simplicity really could be considered roughly equivalent.
-----------
Fanfic is finished. 583 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg