"King Neptune, Queen Otohime, I came in quite a rush this time, so I didn't inform you in advance—I just had Jinbe bring me straight in."
Michael glanced at Jinbe. At this moment, Jinbe wasn't wearing his usual kimono but was clad in the officer armor of Ryugu Kingdom.
At this point in time, Jinbe was still an officer of Ryugu Kingdom.
"Fisher Tiger, there's no need to be so formal with me." Neptune shook his head. "Don't forget, you've always had access to Ryugu Palace. No one would ever stop you."
"In that case, I'll gladly accept." Fisher Tiger nodded, then turned to Michael. "Navy man, I think your proposal is a very good one. If possible, I'm willing to help you out. The entire Fish-Man Island is willing to show me some respect."
Michael gave an awkward nod.
Still, Fisher Tiger's status here was absurdly high—arguably even more respected than Neptune and Otohime in some ways.
It was kind of ridiculous.
But having such a grassroots opinion leader supporting him would definitely lighten his workload.
After all, the hardest part of this operation was uniting all the factions on Fish-Man Island.
With Tiger on his side, the toughest part was already solved.
And then, at that moment...
"Bururururu! Bururururu!"
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on Garp rang out.
Garp reached into his clothes, pulled out the snail, and answered:
"Hello, this is Garp."
"Vice Admiral Garp!" A voice filled with urgency and fear came through the Den Den Mushi. "We were buying supplies on Fish-Man Island's commercial street and were suddenly—"
Before he could finish, a burst of chaotic noise cut in. Then, a different voice took over.
The Den Den Mushi's face shifted, transforming to match the new speaker.
A crescent-shaped mustache appeared, and a voice filled with the domineering presence of someone who looked down on the world followed.
"Kurarararara! So it's the Navy, and they even brought a Den Den Mushi?"
"Well, you're just in time. Go ahead and deliver a message to Sengoku and Garp for me!"
"Tell them that from this day forward, this island will be under the protection of Whitebeard!"
Garp's eyes widened. He shouted into the Den Den Mushi:
"Newgate! What the hell are you trying to do!? If you've got a problem, come at me!"
"Hm?" Whitebeard's gaze sharpened. "So it's you, Garp! Don't worry. I wouldn't bother with a few low-ranking Navy soldiers... But isn't there a certain Marine under your command who just took down over fifty pirate ships? I'm quite interested in him. Can I have a word?"
"You old bastard, what the hell are you planning—"
Before Garp could finish, Michael reached out and snatched the Den Den Mushi from his hand.
"Hello, is this the legendary Whitebeard, Edward Newgate?"
"Kurarararara! A voice I've never heard before—so young! When did the Navy start producing such young monsters?" Whitebeard laughed heartily, then shifted his tone. "You dared to spy on my ship and even injured my beloved sons. The Navy owes me an explanation!"
Michael rolled his eyes.
Garp's troops really were all a bunch of hot-headed morons just like him!
They spotted Whitebeard's ship and didn't even think to report it—just started spying!
And even after being discovered, they still managed to injure one of Whitebeard's crew.
Unbelievable.
"So, is your son badly hurt?" Michael replied with a casual smile. "I'm not much of a fighter, but I'm pretty good at healing... How about I patch him up, and you return my men?"
"A man who took down fifty pirate ships is a doctor?" Whitebeard sounded like he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world. "Kurararara! And what if I don't feel like giving them back?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Michael kept up his friendly smile, but his eyes gleamed with a fierce light. "Obviously, I'll send you straight to your grave, you old fossil!"
"Kurararara! You've got guts, brat! I'm in the plaza at the far end of Fish-Man Island's commercial street. Come meet me there, and I'll guarantee your subordinates' safety... And tell Garp, if the Navy had more punks like you, maybe they wouldn't be so damn pathetic."
With that, Whitebeard hung up.
Everyone who had heard the entire conversation wore different expressions.
Garp was simply furious.
King Neptune and Queen Otohime exchanged looks of disbelief—they hadn't expected Whitebeard, someone they had a decent relationship with, to announce he would be protecting the whole island at a time like this.
But Fisher Tiger fell into deep thought.
He was weighing whether it was better to side with Whitebeard... or with the Navy.
Michael, however, had no interest in pointless conversation. He gave Neptune and Otohime a brief nod, then rushed out of Ryugu Palace with Garp.
"Garp, why would Whitebeard show up now?"
"Neptune was close with both him and Roger. He's probably here to protect an old friend," Garp replied seriously. "Though Newgate is a pirate, I won't deny he's the kind of man who would give everything for his friends."
That made sense.
Whitebeard showing up to protect Fish-Man Island wasn't some pre-set historical event—it was something triggered by changing conditions.
And that condition... was Fish-Man Island being pushed to the brink of collapse. Out of loyalty to an old friend, Whitebeard had come to its rescue.
This was likely a result of Michael himself altering the timeline dramatically.
After all, thanks to Michael and the SWORD Secret Special Force's sweep, the sea was now in a much better state than it had been in the original timeline.
Which made Fish-Man Island's sudden downward spiral all the more conspicuous.
As Michael passed by Tiger and Jinbe, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him.
A look filled with hatred and distrust.
Michael instinctively turned his head and saw the glare came from Jinbe.
That tracked. Given Jinbe's early mindset, he was even more extreme than Arlong.
But...
Michael didn't have time to straighten out this thick-skulled fool's thinking.
A terrifying aura burst out—then vanished in the blink of an eye.
With a single strike from the hilt of his sword, he sent Jinbe flying.
The ambushed Jinbe barely managed to stabilize himself in midair before raising his head and glaring at Michael with wide, furious eyes.
"Instead of throwing tantrums and playing guilt, you useless rage monster, why don't you go outside the palace and actually help your people survive?"
Michael didn't even bother to look at him as he spoke, then shot off in the direction of the palace gates.
No time to waste on him!
Right now, he had an unprecedented, world-shaking grudge match to settle...
With the strongest man in the world!