"Bwahahaha, Michael, we really owe this one to you!"
Garp, wearing a tattered uniform that was barely holding together, let out a boisterous laugh while slapping Michael on the head.
That strength… Michael rolled his eyes.
Just how strong was this old man Garp?
There was definitely a handprint-shaped bruise forming on his shoulder now.
At times like these, Michael couldn't help but wonder—just how absurdly high was the physical threshold of humans in this world?
Standing before Garp, who was nearly three meters tall, Michael looked almost like a tiny shrimp in comparison.
Watching as Shiki was escorted onto Garp warship by a group of Marine officers, Michael turned to Garp and asked.
"Old man Garp, will Shiki… be executed too?"
"Of course not. A monster like Shiki belongs in the sixth level of Impel Down."
"Imprisoned? Why not just kill him outright and eliminate the threat for good?"
"Killing Shiki would only bring that threat back to the seas in another form" Garp replied, his expression turning serious as he dropped his usual grin.
"A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user of his caliber is powerful enough to create natural disasters. If we execute him, the Float-Float Fruit power will simply reincarnate somewhere else in the world."
"If a civilian or a Marine ate it, that'd be one thing."
"But what if another ruthless pirate got their hands on it? What if they became an even younger, even more dangerous version of Shiki?"
"So, as long as we have Shiki under control, the safest course of action is to keep him alive as long as possible—to slow down the cycle of such a powerful Devil Fruit."
Garp reasoning wasn't wrong. In fact, it was one of the Marines' guiding principles.
But there were always exceptions.
"What if the Float-Float Fruit user had been Roger instead of Shiki?"
Garp glanced at Michael, then shrugged without answering.
But his silence said everything.
When it came to Roger…
Even if it meant risking the loss of a powerful Devil Fruit, execution would still be the chosen path.
Roger influence was far beyond what a single Devil Fruit could compare to.
Michael sighed inwardly.
No wonder Ace… had such rotten luck.
His whole life was overshadowed by his father legacy.
Thinking of Ace, Michael couldn't help but glance at Garp again.
This old man had trained Ace relentlessly from the start, hoping to make him a Marine—probably as a way to protect him, to ensure he wouldn't meet the same fate as Roger.
But in the end… nothing had changed.
For a moment, Michael actually felt a little sorry for this silly old man.
His own son was a Revolutionary, his grandson and adopted grandson were both pirates.
This whole family… didn't have a single responsible member to speak of.
Thankfully, the Monkey family had a hereditary lack of common sense.
If they were even slightly more emotionally intelligent, they'd probably have died young from sheer frustration!
"You two, stop chatting" Sengoku interjected, having finished organizing relief efforts for the townspeople and recruits.
"Garp, escort Shiki to Impel Down."
Then, his eye twitched as he glanced at Michael—who had acted decisively earlier but was now just lazing around—before pointing at him and adding:
"And you're going with him."
"Right, it's about time. After delivering Shiki to Impel Down, let's pick up Roger on the way."
"Then we'll head straight to Loguetown."
Garp flashed an exaggerated grin, giving a thumbs-up in acknowledgment.
With that, he threw an arm around Michael shoulders and steered him toward his Vice admiral flagship.
Despite the generational gap, they looked like two buddies hanging out.
Michael glanced up at Garp with mild exasperation.
This boisterous act was just a cover for the loneliness hidden in his eyes.
"Michael, when we get to Loguetown, keep your eyes wide open" Garp said seriously.
"Witness the end of an era."
Michael nodded solemnly.
This journey marked the conclusion of an old era...
And the dawn of a new one.
***
"Michael, want some rice crackers? I swiped them from Sengoku office."
"Old man Garp, I don't expect much from you, but at least try to be professional!" Michael rolled his eyes at the carefree vice admiral.
"The Marine hero, a vice admiral and all you do is steal snacks from your colleagues... Let me try some."
He nearly forgot—he wasn't exactly the picture of reliability either.
Oh well.
No room for double standards here.
He took the rice cracker, devoured it in a few bites and swallowed.
Then his gaze drifted toward the eerily calm waters of the Calm Belt, Over the years, he'd crossed this stretch countless times.
Yet the surreal sight never failed to amaze him—a testament to the Creator's wonders.
Different worlds, different rules.
Different perspectives shaped by those rules.
A sea with no wind, no currents...
It had long since shattered his Earth-born understanding of physics, forcing him to rebuild from the wreckage.
The journey to Impel Down still had some way to go and Michael was starting to feel bored.
His personality was catlike—playful yet sensitive, endlessly curious but easily distracted.
Just when Michael was at his most listless, the world always seemed to throw him a curveball.
The mirror-like surface of the sea suddenly shattered.
From the towering waves, an enormous Sea King burst forth, diving straight toward Garp flagship!
"Holy—what the hell?! Since when do mantis shrimp get this big?!" Michael smacked his lips.
The translucent flesh of the several-meter-long mantis shrimp revealed... Its tantalizing, orange-red roe!
"Mantis shrimp... at their plumpest between spring and summer."
Without hesitation, he spread his wings and shot toward the creature!
Holy flames erupted from his hand, instantly coalescing into a blade.
With a reverse grip, Michael drove the blade into the shrimp spine, severing its nerves in one strike.
Then, using the shrimp' own momentum, he split it cleanly down the back with his fiery weapon.
With a thunderous crash, the massive mantis shrimp lay motionless on the deck.
"Tell the kitchen we're having a feast today!" Garp cheered, having watched the spectacle with amusement.
Marine soldiers poured onto the deck, ready to carve up the enormous catch.
The shrimp was far too big for the kitchen, but Garp wasn't one for formalities.
He set up a massive grill right there on the deck.
Charcoal-grilled mantis shrimp—now that was genius.
Even Garp took out a portion and delivered it to the makeshift seastone prison cell that had been temporarily set up on the deck.
Shiki inside the cage didn't stand on ceremony either, reaching out to grab and eat it immediately.
Michael was utterly dumbfounded by this sight.
He had underestimated these veteran powerhouses—their physical prowess was truly terrifying.
Even if Michael were to come into contact with seastone handcuffs now, he would barely be able to walk without someone supporting him.
In the original story, Luffy in the early to mid stages would instantly crumble upon touching seastone.
But Shiki... He ate and drank without missing a beat.
Michael gritted his teeth.
The sea... was truly terrifying.