"Eight hundred years ago?"
"Mhm!"
"Six-winged angel?"
"Mhm!!"
"Waiting for you in the future?"
"Mhm!!!"
"Wait, I'm a bit confused right now."
Michael clutched his head as his shocked, frozen brain struggled to process.
Only after a long while did Michael finally raise his head again.
"Ahaha, I must have been dreaming just now, right?"
"No, Father. This is all reality." Kozuki Toki shook her head, speaking joyfully.
"At first, I just thought you looked somewhat similar... But when Hiyori became obsessed with you and started frantically collecting your merchandise, I gradually began to suspect... This is the original timeline you existed in."
After several deep breaths, Michael slowly regained his composure and rationality.
To summarize the current situation...
His future self, after fully awakening the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Seraphim, would somehow—whether through some means or an accident—travel back in time eight hundred years.
There, he would adopt Kozuki Toki (who was still surnamed "Amatsuki" at the time).
After she ate the Time Fruit, she would accidentally send him away during an ability overload.
And the so-called "waiting for you in the future" was simply because... time loop!
This... was a bit too much.
Hadn't he just transmigrated into the world of One Piece?
How did he end up with a Time travel twist?
Michael wiped his face and looked seriously at Kozuki Toki.
Having "daughters" like Yamato and the Boa sisters, who were over a decade younger than him, was one thing.
But now...
A daughter older than himself? That was a bit hard to swallow.
"The version of me you knew... did he already have complete six wings?"
"Yes, complete six wings, incomparably powerful, like... a god."
"Since you're my 'daughter,' you should know I have... strong opinions about so-called gods."
"It's just a figure of speech." Kozuki Toki said calmly. "Just like the revolutionary and liberation ideologies you taught me back then—I remember every word clearly and have been spreading them throughout Wano..."
"Huh?"
Michael suddenly looked up.
No wonder Wano, despite not fully opening its borders, had living standards resembling those of the Four Blues...
So the one driving Wano's internal reforms was actually... Kozuki Toki?
Though thinking about it, Kozuki Oden's brain was only good for fighting—governing a country was beyond him.
This made perfect sense.
"Does... Kozuki Oden and your children know about this?"
"Of course not... This is a secret just between you and me." Kozuki Toki shook her head.
"Now I think I understand why Hiyori is so obsessed with your merchandise... Perhaps my admiration for you was passed down to her?"
"Wow, that can be inherited?"
Michael forced a laugh before falling into deep thought.
Now, according to Kozuki Toki's description, the current version of himself had completed the logical loop.
All he needed was to travel back eight hundred years in the future after his fruit abilities fully awakened.
But the problem was...
How exactly did he get there?
The Time Fruit could only traverse backward through time, not forward.
And in the Pirate King World, there were no other time-traveling abilities...
Unless...
It was a new ability gained after his fruit awakened?
But that didn't make sense either?
If it was his own ability, why would he have to wait until Kozuki Toki's powers went out of control to leave?
Could it be... simply to complete the logical loop?
Based on Kozuki Toki's fragmented explanations, it was impossible to deduce the specifics.
However, Michael had one advantage—if he couldn't figure it out...
Then screw it.
According to this logical loop, he was definitely coming back anyway.
Just let things take their natural course.
Thinking this, Michael raised his head.
Now, when he looked at Kozuki Toki, there was an inexplicable sense of... familiarity.
But the one thing that remained unchanged was his dislike for that brat Momonosuke...
Even though Kozuki Toki had raised the kid well, this feeling was deeply rooted in Michael's heart.
The power of the original work... was just too strong.
"So, should we tell your husband—my son-in-law—about this next?"
Once Michael fully accepted this setting, he immediately loosened up.
He was even somewhat eager to see what kind of expression Kozuki Oden would make upon learning everything.
"Of course we have to tell him," Kozuki Toki shrugged—a gesture eerily identical to Michael's.
"Following you is definitely better than letting that fool make his own decisions... I'll prepare a banquet tonight. You must come, Father."
...
"Uh, is it really okay for us to hide here like this?"
At a corner of the garden, Kikunojo crouched nervously at the very back.
Meanwhile, everyone who had just left was now hiding behind the flower bushes in various poses.
Secretly watching Michael and Kozuki Toki's private moment.
No sooner had Kikunojo spoken than Kozuki Toki suddenly embraced Michael.
A mouthful of blood nearly surged up his throat.
Then he saw Michael pat Kozuki Toki on the back.
At this moment, Momonosuke and Hiyori simultaneously let out cries of despair.
"Guh! Mother! How could you do this!"
"Ah! Mother is too cunning! Using her married woman charm to get ahead! I knew she was also a fan of Michael-sama! I recognize that look!"
Yamato and Jack, lying flat on the ground, turned to stare at Kozuki Hiyori in shock.
What the hell was going on in this girl's head...?
Besides, even if these two were a bit slow, Izo, you have Observation Haki, right!?
If you just activated it, wouldn't you have heard everything clearly?
This was clearly a touching father-daughter reunion, wasn't it!?
A sincerity so pure even Yamato couldn't feel jealous!?
"Uh, Big Brother! Say something... Big Brother, why have you passed out!?"
Izo, who had been kneeling on one knee, had already lost consciousness.
"So you fainted because you couldn't accept the truth!" Jack deadpanned.
Just as everyone was thrown into chaos, two soft coughs suddenly sounded from beside the flower bushes.
Only then did the group snap back to attention, looking up to find that the two figures who had been far away moments ago were now standing right before the blossoms.
"You children... aren't behaving very well."
Kozuki Toki maintained her graceful smile, but her hands emerged from beneath her kimono...
Drawing forth a pair of short broadswords.
Oto, Kogarashi.
Michael's lips twitched, fully confirming that Kozuki Toki... was indeed likely his daughter who had traveled eight hundred years into the past.
Kozuki Hiyori and Kozuki Momonosuke looked up with pleading expressions, attempting to awaken even a shred of maternal affection in Kozuki Toki.
"Um, Mother... could you spare our lives?"
"Go back and start over, you little brats!"