"Michael, all the intel has been relayed to the N.E.W Marine," Ginny said as she stepped out of the Seraphim Ship's cabin.
"But the moment they heard you were already on your way, they stopped worrying entirely. They're even planning to use this time to conduct another internal sweep."
"That style... You didn't contact the SWORD Classified Special Forces, did you?"
"Then what else?"
Ginny shrugged. "I never had any interest in making friends with the Marine before, so the contact frequency I got from Yamato... Among those, who else could handle this besides your SWORD Special Forces?"
Michael nodded.
As his own trusted faction, the SWORD Special Forces were naturally the most suitable to receive the intel and relay it to the N.E.W Marine's higher-ups.
But Michael wasn't particularly concerned about informing the Marine...
After all, if he personally intervened and still couldn't protect Shirahoshi, he might as well commit seppuku in apology!
This wasn't some complicated dilemma—it was simply the Regional Justice Faction acting so brazenly right after the Marine had expelled them, before the news could even spread across the seas, launching this operation on Fish-Man Island.
Once the incident unfolded, even if Shirahoshi were rescued by the Marine or others, the public would only see it as the Marine attempting to kidnap the princess for Fish-Man Island's wealth.
Explaining afterward that these Regional Justice Faction members had already been expelled from the Marine would only come across as covering up the truth.
So... unless this plan was nipped in the bud, whether it succeeded or not, it would benefit the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.
They had been itching for a good opportunity to smear the N.E.W Marine.
As for the Regional Justice Faction members... they were already half-discarded pawns—useful if they survived, but expendable if they didn't.
From any angle, the World Government would emerge unscathed from this incident.
"Tch, truly worthy of those who've ruled the world for over 800 years—masters of scheming," Michael mused, gazing toward Fish-Man Island with interest.
"But... this also means the World Government genuinely doesn't want to see the N.E.W Marine and the Revolutionary Army unite."
"Why? Even without uniting, both the N.E.W Marine and the Revolutionary Army still exist. The pressure on the World Government wouldn't lessen at all, right?" Ginny frowned. "At most, it just prevents a situation where one plus one exceeds two..."
"If the N.E.W Marine and the Revolutionary Army were purely military forces, you'd be right..." Michael shook his head. "But you should know—the Revolutionary Army's greatest strength isn't its military power, but the economic and cultural systems I've built over the years. In essence, the Revolutionary Army is already a superpower without fixed territory."
"And the Marine, though fully a standing army, is more than just a military force. During my tenure, they became the true embodiment of 'justice,' representing fairness and public trust."
"Combined, you'd have a superpower wielding an army unmatched in both strength and ideological influence... One plus one greater than two? More like one plus one greater than ten! So tell me—would you rather deal with two ones, or one ten?"
Ginny stroked her chin and sighed.
Then she naturally floated onto Kuma's shoulder.
"Ugh, I don't get it, I don't get any of this! I'm just here for intel and fighting—all this stuff you're talking about is way over my head!"
"Then stop asking questions if you don't understand! Take a page out of Kuma's book—just sit there quietly, nice and calm!" Michael rolled his eyes. "Don't forget, you still have to fight that guy called 'Ryokugyu.' Sure, he's trash in my eyes, but to you? He's a monster among monsters… As the Hand of Liberation and the Flame of Freedom, you better not let the people of Fishman Island down."
The Seraphim Ship moved at incredible speed.
As an experimental vessel created by Vegapunk in the past, its capabilities far surpassed any warship currently sailing the seas.
On top of its base attributes, it effortlessly achieved full coverage.
For example, despite its hull being only slightly smaller than a War Behemoth, it could reach the maximum speed of those small assault boats.
The already short distance was rapidly shrinking.
As they approached the waters outside Sabaody Archipelago, Jack, who was operating the ship from the cabin, directly activated submarine mode.
The ship's sides rose, merged, and transformed into a sealed submarine, ignoring ocean currents and standard routes as it plunged straight toward Fishman Island in the depths of the sea.
However, since they were taking a direct shortcut instead of following the Marine's designated route, they naturally encountered some minor troubles that randomly appeared outside the usual paths…
Namely, the Sea Kings.
However, these Sea Kings were not the kind summoned by Poseidon—those ancient Sea Kings, several of which combined could rival the size of Zunesha.
Instead, they were the more common variety found in the Calm Belt.
The largest among them stretched over a kilometer, while the smaller ones still measured several hundred meters.
Michael's Observation Haki clearly detected the presence of these colossal creatures.
After all, the Seraphim Ship was an intruder that had suddenly barged into their habitat, standing out like a sore thumb.
Their far inferior intelligence compared to the ancient Sea Kings drove them to swarm toward the ship in a frenzy.
"Ah, beasts will always be beasts..." Michael sighed. "But beasts do have one advantage..."
As he spoke, his eyes sharpened.
The overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, which had held its own against both Shiki and Kaido, erupted from him, instantly suffusing the surrounding waters.
In an instant, the Sea Kings scattered in panic, much like the Lord of the Coast when glared at by Red Hair.
They didn't even get the chance to take a bite before fleeing.
"The projected route is now completely clear!" Yamato glanced through the periscope and marveled, "Conqueror's Haki of this magnitude... I wonder when I'll ever reach that level."
"Instead of fixating on such flashy applications, why not master your Conqueror's Haki Coating until it becomes second nature?" Michael shot Yamato a stern look.
"Ever since you defeated Queen during the Wano battle and escaped unscathed from 'Fire Famine' and the onslaught of the Beast Pirates' Devil Fruit users, you've gotten a bit too full of yourself."
With that, Michael slowly drew Oto and Kogarashi.
"F-Father... what are you doing?"
"Since you call me 'Father,' it's only right that I fulfill my paternal duties..."
Michael raised his head, revealing a benevolent smile.
"During this journey, I'll thoroughly correct your attitude!"
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