"Imu-sama is Lily..."
"How should I face my own daughter then?"
"Is there still room for reconciliation between us?"
Michael lay on the rooftop, gazing at the darkened night sky.
There was no moon tonight, making the stars exceptionally bright and clear.
Though Michael kept questioning himself, deep down, he already had the answer.
This... was a deadlock.
He didn't believe that mere paternal persuasion could turn Lily—who had endured eight hundred years of twisted time and developed an extreme personality—from the ruler of the world, Imu-sama, back into the tsundere daughter who refused to call him "Father."
Too many insurmountable barriers stood between them.
Eight hundred years, her sudden disappearance back then, countless confrontations before the time travel...
No matter how he looked at it, the only outcome between Michael and Lily seemed to be mutual hostility.
After all, Michael had the entire Angel Alliance behind him.
And Lily was the World King of the World Government, "Imu-sama."
The distance between him and his daughter could only grow wider.
At this moment, Michael even felt a twinge of guilt in his heart.
Guilt toward the entire world.
If he had known Imu-sama's true identity was Lily before traveling through time...
He would have done everything in his power to take her with him using the Time Fruit's abilities.
Would that have prevented the Celestial Dragons and the World Government from existing today?
Would his daughter still be that tsundere girl?
But all of this was merely self-comfort in Michael's heart.
Because Lily had become "Imu-sama," meaning she was the absolute victor eight hundred years ago.
Even Joy Boy likely died by her hand.
Given Joy Boy's nature, the moment Lily created the "Celestial Dragons," they were already irreconcilable enemies.
From this perspective...
it seemed the only choice between father and daughter was to kill each other.
At this thought, Michael's eyes grew vacant as he stared at the starry night sky.
Ever since he arrived in this world and abandoned the path of idleness... he had always been the one to steer the tides of the era.
But now, for the first time... he wished for guidance.
Slowly closing his eyes, every stage of Lily's growth flashed before him.
Lily, covered in filth, her eyes filled with despair.
Lily, carried on his younger self's back, wearing a joyful smile.
Lily, vengeance achieved, yet estranged from his younger self.With ambitions gleaming in her eyes, Lily became the queen.
And finally appearing was the "Great Imu," wearing a crown and clad in that eerie robe.
Michael let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.
Only to find an old, rugged face filling his vision.
"Damn it!"
Instinctively, Michael threw a punch.
...
"…Michael! What the hell did I do to you?!"
Garp covered his left eye while glaring at Michael with his remaining one.
"Cough, cough… I was just deep in thought… and then your old mug suddenly popped up—scared the hell out of me. So I reacted on reflex."
"Is that an excuse?! I'm a seventy-eight-year-old man, you know!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure. A seventy-eight-year-old man who's still bouncing around after taking my punch!"
"What, you want me to lie on the ground and extort money from you?!" Garp scoffed. "So what were you thinking about so hard that you didn't even notice me? I didn't even try to hide my footsteps!"
"Just some important matters." Michael stood up and continued, "Since you're already here… the others must have arrived too, right?"
"Everyone stationed at Marineford is here." Garp dropped his joking tone, his expression turning serious.
"Seven years is a long time… but I have to say, your timing couldn't be better."
"Oh? Perfect. I've got plenty of questions I need you all to answer."
With that, Michael followed Garp down from the rooftop.
The moment they descended the stairs from the second floor, the crowded room fell silent.
Only the sound of their footsteps and the faint creaking of the wooden stairs remained.
Once downstairs, Michael walked straight up to Sengoku.
Without a word, he simply stared at the old man, whose hair had turned completely white.
"These seven years you've been gone… you must've lived quite comfortably, huh? You haven't aged a bit."
"While it was seven years for you, it was ten for me." Michael grinned and pointed at his face. "I'm already forty-five now, you know."
"Is that so… forty-five, huh." Sengoku nodded, but his composure cracked.
Despite his aged body, he stood tall as he wrapped his arms tightly around Michael.
"You've been through a lot… kid."
"Ahaha, not too bad. Just unlucky." Michael chuckled and patted the old man's back before adding.
"Anyway… let's save the personal talk for when it's just the two of us."
As the "Tactician" and one of the few top-tier powerhouses on the seas, Sengoku quickly reined in his emotions.
Within seconds, he released Michael, his stern expression returning as if the near-tearful old man from moments ago had never existed.
Meanwhile, Michael scanned the room, taking in the familiar yet slightly changed faces.
Tsuru… still looked the same as before, though her hair had gone from gray to fully white.
Ginny looked no different from when Michael had left...
This world seemed rather forgiving to women with good looks.
Before their strength completely waned, their appearance wouldn't change much.
Marco had a few more wrinkles on his face and was pretending to be an intellectual by wearing a pair of glasses.
Zephyr-sensei, with both arms intact and full of vitality, still had a thick head of purple hair since he was a few years younger than Garp and the others.
Kuzan arrived wearing a set of home pajamas, but for some reason, his eyes burned with intense fire.
And the last person was... Rocks.
"Well, well, if it isn't my favorite old friend, the Archangel of the End, Michael?"
Michael quickly rushed forward and covered Rocks' mouth.
"Shh! Let's not bring up that cringeworthy chuunibyou title in this era, okay?"