"King Neptune, Queen Otohime, I came in a hurry, so I didn't notify you. Jinbei brought me straight here."
Michael glanced at Jinbei, who wasn't wearing his usual kimono but the Ryugu Kingdom's officer armor.
So at this point, Jinbei was still an officer of the Ryugu Kingdom.
"Tiger, no need for formalities," Neptune said with a shake of his head. "You know you're always welcome in Ryugu Palace—no one would stop you."
"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony." Fisher Tiger nodded, then turned to Michael.
"Marine, your proposal is excellent. If possible, I'd like to assist. The whole of Fishman Island respects me—I can help rally support!"
Michael wiped his brow and nodded.
Damn, so you're the one with the 'Respect-Respect Fruit' here?
Fisher Tiger's status on Fishman Island was almost absurdly high—in some ways, he commanded even more influence than Neptune and Otohime.
It was kind of ridiculous.
But having such a prominent community leader on his side would definitely lighten his workload.
The hardest part of this plan was uniting Fishman Island's factions—and with Tiger's help, that obstacle was already resolved.
Just then—
"Brrrrrring! Brrrrrring!"
The Den Den Mushi on Garp's person suddenly started ringing.
Garp reached out and pulled out a Den Den Mushi, answering the call with a gruff.
"Yeah, this is Garp."
"Vice Admiral Garp! This is communications officer Atama!" A voice filled with urgency and fear came through the other end.
"We were procuring supplies in Fish-Man Island's shopping district when we encountered—"
Before he could finish, a burst of chaotic noise erupted and the voice on the other end abruptly changed.
The Den Den Mushi's expression morphed into a different face—one adorned with a crescent-moon mustache, exuding an overwhelming, world-dominating aura.
"Gurararara! Marine with a Den Den Mushi, huh? Perfect timing. You lot can pass a message to Sengoku and Garp for me!"
"Tell them—starting today, this island is under Whitebeard's protection!"
Garp's eyes widened instantly, and he barked into the Den Den Mushi.
"Newgate! What the hell are you scheming now?! If you've got a problem, take it up with me!"
"Hmm?" Whitebeard's gaze sharpened. "Didn't expect it to be you, Garp! Don't worry, I've got no interest in wasting my time on a few ordinary Marine grunts… But tell me, isn't there some Marine underling of yours who just took out over fifty pirate ships? I'm curious about him. Let me talk to him."
"You old bastard, what are you—"
Before Garp could finish, Michael reached over and took the Den Den Mushi from his hand.
"Hello? Might you be the legendary Whitebeard, Edward Newgate?"
"Gurararara! A young voice I've never heard before! Since when did the Marine produce such a monstrous rookie?" Whitebeard roared with laughter before his tone shifted sharply. "You Marine dogs spied on my ship and injured my beloved sons. You owe me an explanation!"
Michael rolled his eyes.
Of course Garp's subordinates were just as reckless as he was!
They spotted Whitebeard's ship and didn't even report it first—instead, they had the audacity to spy on it!
And when caught, they even managed to injure his crew?
Absolutely insane.
"So, how badly are your sons hurt?" Michael replied with a smile. "I'm not much of a fighter, but I'm pretty good at patching people up… How about I treat them, and you return my men safely?"
"The man who sank fifty pirate ships… is a doctor?" Whitebeard sounded like he'd just heard the funniest joke.
"Gurararara! And what if I refuse to hand them over?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Michael kept his friendly smile, but his eyes gleamed with menace.
"I'll just have to kick your old ass straight into the grave!"
"Gurararara! Impressive guts for a brat! I'll be waiting at the plaza at the end of Fish-Man Island's shopping district. Come see me, and I'll guarantee your men's safety… Oh, and tell Garp—if the Marine had more brats like you, maybe you wouldn't be so damn pathetic."
With that, Whitebeard hung up.
Everyone who had heard the exchange wore varying expressions.
Garp's face was pure fury.
King Neptune and Queen Otohime exchanged glances, stunned that Whitebeard—someone they had some ties with—would choose now to declare the island under his protection.
But Fisher Tiger fell deep into thought.
He was pondering whether it would be better to cooperate with Whitebeard or the Marines.
Meanwhile, Michael couldn't be bothered to waste words on them.
After nodding to Neptune and Otohime, he rushed out of the Ryugu Palace with Garp.
"Garp-san, why would Whitebeard appear at a time like this?"
"Neptune has a good relationship with him and Roger. He's probably here to protect an old friend," Garp replied solemnly.
"Though Newgate is a pirate, I have to admit—he's the kind of man who would give his all for his comrades."
That made sense.
Whitebeard's arrival to protect Fish-Man Island wasn't a historical event triggered at a fixed time, but rather one that occurred when certain conditions were met.
And that condition was when Fish-Man Island teetered on the brink of collapse.
For the sake of friendship, Whitebeard would come to its aid and shelter it.
This was likely a result of the massive impact Michael himself had on the worldline.
After all, thanks to Michael and the SWORD efforts, the state of the seas had improved countless times over compared to the original timeline.
But at a time like this, Fish-Man Island's sudden decline stood out starkly.
As he passed by Fisher Tiger and Jinbei, Michael suddenly felt a gaze upon him—one filled with hatred and distrust.
Instinctively, he turned to look.
That gaze belonged to Jinbei.
This fit the setting.
After all, Jinbei's mindset in the early stages was even more extreme than Arlong's.
But…
He was in a hurry.
He didn't have time to straighten out this stubborn fool's way of thinking right now.
A terrifying aura erupted into the sky—only to vanish in an instant.
A single strike from the hilt of his sword sent Jinbei flying backward.
Jinbei barely managed to steady himself after the sudden attack, then glared furiously at Michael.
"Useless rage. Instead of wasting time blaming me, why don't you go outside the Ryugu Palace and help ease the suffering of your people?"
Michael didn't even spare Jinbei a glance.
With those words, he dashed off.
No time to deal with him!
Right now, he had to face off against the strongest man in the world in an unprecedented battle!
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