Sengoku looked at Michael before him, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes.
After wiping away some unknown liquid that might have been tears, he raised his head again, having returned to his former self—Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"Guards! Arrest this traitor who abandoned the Marines!"
"Tsk tsk, really? That stingy after all these years?" Michael hopped down from the desk. "Did you think I'd say 'I missed you' first or something?"
"...I thought you'd died out there."
"Die? As if!" Michael laughed it off before glancing behind Sengoku. "Well, since no one's coming to arrest me, let's just move past this! Look, the old Marine doesn't exist anymore, which means my 'betrayal' is already history. The current N.E.W Marine isn't the same one that expelled me back then!"
"You really do have the audacity to spin nonsense with a straight face!"
Sengoku glared fiercely at his thick-skinned foster son, though deep in his eyes, a trace of nostalgia flickered.
Back then, Michael had been nothing more than a carefree slacker.
Those days had been peaceful...
But now, they existed only as memories.
He had grown old.
And Michael was already thirty-five, entering the prime of his life.
Even his hands had orchestrated the fates of the Marine, pirates, the Revolutionary Army, and the World Government with flawless precision.
"So this time, you're done pretending?"
"Nah, I just came to see you. And to put your mind at ease... It's not time for the full reveal yet." Michael raised an eyebrow.
"After all, if I didn't give you a heads-up, you might've come after me personally... and that would've been troublesome."
When Michael said "troublesome," his tone was deadly serious.
Setting aside Sengoku's formidable mastery of all three Haki types and his Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Buddha...
No matter how strong Sengoku was, Michael would never raise a hand against him.
No matter what, Sengoku had raised and protected him.
And among the people constantly by his side, there wasn't a single one who could stand against a Fleet Admiral.
That was why Michael had called it "troublesome."
"Hmph, at least you know your place." Sengoku circled the desk and sat back in his chair. "Out with it. You didn't come just to visit this lonely old man, did you? You're the infamous Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, swamped with responsibilities. Since when do you have time for idle chats?"
Unfazed by Sengoku's sarcastic tone, Michael nodded shamelessly.
"Actually, I did come for something."
"And it's a big deal."
"A big deal?" Sengoku shot Michael a sidelong glance, but seeing he wasn't joking, his expression gradually turned serious.
"Don't tell me you're targeting that organization again? After wreaking havoc on the pirates and now showing up here with the Marine... You're not planning to turn on your own Revolutionary Army next, are you?"
"I'm doing this all for your own good!"
Sengoku looked at Michael's earnest expression without changing his expression.
But inwardly, his mind was in turmoil.
Because Michael hadn't denied his earlier half-speculative, half-joking remark.
Which meant...
"The Revolutionary Army has been doing quite well lately, hasn't it? I hear most countries in Paradise have either started cooperating with them or been completely revolutionized under their leadership... Under Dragon's command, they're truly unstoppable."
"Dragon's capabilities go without saying, but the biggest credit actually goes to you, doesn't it?" Michael pointed at Sengoku with a smile and continued.
"The Marine's military presence between Paradise and the New World is absolutely terrifying. How could you possibly allow the Revolutionary Army to operate so freely unless... you were deliberately cooperating! Come on, when did you and Grandma Tsuru first realize my true intentions?"
"We had our suspicions even before you were discharged from the Marine... But it wasn't until recently, when Borsalino and Garp confessed everything to me, that we got concrete proof."
Michael watched Sengoku's composed demeanor but remained completely unfazed, even feeling somewhat smug.
After all, he'd never underestimated anyone with brains.
Especially not the two men known for their "wisdom" across the seas.
"In that case, I won't beat around the bush." Michael leaned forward with both hands on the table, his eyes burning with intensity as he looked at Sengoku.
"The N.E.W Marine and the Revolutionary Army... should officially merge!"
"Merge? You mean combining the N.E.W Marine with the Revolutionary Army?"
"Exactly! After breaking away from the World Government, all those administrative tasks previously handled by them now fall entirely on the Marine's shoulders. But after decades of being controlled by the World Government, most Marine personnel only know how to catch or kill criminals—real bureaucrats who can handle paperwork are few and far between. What used to be just some overtime has probably turned into sleepless nights, hasn't it?"
"I understand the Marine's shortcomings, but does the Revolutionary Army have such personnel?"
"Ah, you'd be surprised—the Revolutionary Army actually does, and in terrifying numbers." Michael casually pulled out a world map from the table.
"Having completely occupied the four seas long ago, neither governed by the World Government nor protected by the Marine... To maintain this temporary system, many veteran Revolutionary Army soldiers voluntarily stepped back from the front lines to learn and manage our bases!"
Sengoku couldn't help but nod.
Even he had heard about the Revolutionary Army's bases across the four seas.
With Garp constantly talking about his son, it was impossible for him not to know about the Revolutionary Army's activities.
"But while maintaining your influence across the four seas, how many people can you actually spare to take over Paradise?"
"That's indeed a good question, since experienced retired soldiers are indeed limited..."
Sengoku rarely heard Michael concede anything and was about to speak when Michael continued with a string of words.
"But back then, I sent all the scholars from Ohara to Alabasta..."
"In present-day Alabasta, the scholars have properly educated at least tens of thousands of notable students..."
"The Paradise region urgently needs literate, educated grassroots cadres now. Aren't they the most suitable candidates?"
"Though lacking experience, with just a brief trial-and-error period, I believe they'll quickly become capable of handling responsibilities independently."
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