"Hey, why are you staring at my face like that?"
After boarding the ship, Michael kept staring at Imu on the shore, making her uneasy.
"Is there something on my face?"
"Not at all," Michael shook his head. "I just wanted to know—what would you do after overthrowing the Great Kingdom?"
"What would I do?" Imu frowned.
"It's not like I alone have the final say… Based on my own ideals, there should never again be a singular ruler like the Great Kingdom. A system of divided governance among the major kingdoms would be best… But considering many kingdoms likely wouldn't accept this idea, I've also planned something called the 'World Government.' It would only have administrative authority, not ruling power, to help weaker nations establish themselves on the Red Line."
Michael narrowed his eyes slightly, lips parting but no words coming out.
If the "World Government" Imu spoke of was the prototype of the future World Government…
What exactly happened to Imu in between that made her transform what was originally akin to the United Nations into the sole world hegemony?
Yet Michael didn't voice this question aloud.
After all, the current Imu was still that queen filled with ideals and ambition.
Not the monster who would later reign supreme from the Empty Throne.
"...Is that so?" Michael nodded. "Alright, we'll be setting off then. During this time... everything concerning our rebel forces will be left in your hands, Queen Imu."
"As if I could ever rely on you lot for governance even if you stayed," Imu rolled her eyes. "I was born to be a queen. Managing several nations at once is child's play for me."
With that, she gave Michael a light wave.
"...But come back soon."
Then she turned and left without hesitation.
Michael froze momentarily before finally letting out a long sigh.
Joy Boy, who had been standing silently at Michael's side, observed every flicker of emotion.
He might come across as somewhat simple due to his earnest nature...
But when it came to reading emotions, Joy Boy—with his Voice of All Things—was undoubtedly the most perceptive.
Just now, he had clearly sensed a trace of hesitation, a hint of conflict within Michael...
And something else...
A fleeting murderous intent.
But that intent had dissipated completely after Imu's "come back soon," melting into that sigh.
Michael's inner turmoil was plain as day to him.
But...
Like he cared!
Joy Boy rolled his eyes. He couldn't be bothered with whatever complicated emotional baggage existed between Michael and Imu.
If he wasted time dwelling on such things, he wouldn't be Joy Boy.
Right now, what interested him more than Michael's drama was planning his grand entrance once they reached Elbaf.
...
"Will the giants truly choose us?"
"Lily, we've been over this..." Michael sighed. "I don't know what the giants are thinking. I'm just one man, not some mind-reading parasite in their guts."
"I know that. It's just... I feel uneasy." Lily rubbed her temples. "After all, the Great Kingdom is sending the Buccaneer Tribe to Elbaf this time... As mixed-blood relatives of giants, they naturally share similar stances."
"Do they really share stances?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "To me, Buccaneers are Buccaneers and giants are giants. They... would never unite so easily just because of blood ties. Giants might have simpler, more straightforward thinking... but they're not fools either."
Michael stretched lazily in his deck chair.
After the giants were driven out of the Great Kingdom by the Lunarian Race and other allied species, forcing their entire race to return to Elbaf, relations between the Buccaneers and giants hadn't completely soured.
But expecting blood ties alone to sway the giants' stance?
The Buccaneer Tribe no longer carried that kind of weight.Moreover, judging by the numerous mixed-blood descendants of giants and other races in the world, it seems the giant race doesn't place much importance on so-called "bloodline."
Playing the family card would inevitably lead to the Great Kingdom's defeat.
Because no matter what, the family card can never compare to the benefits card.
Not to mention, Michael here holds a trump card representing "faith"—Joy Boy!
With such a natural advantage, he has long been in an invincible position.
The only variable in this trip is how much profit they can gain.
"There's still some distance to Elbaf… But all you've been talking about along the way is the world situation and politics and economics… Can't you take a rare break?" Toki, who had been continuously swinging Kogarashi and Oto, finally stopped and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Shouldn't the most important thing be the defenseless civilians in the world? Why focus on these powerful races all the time?"
"Only by making these powerful races serve us can we better protect the lives of civilians."
"Tch, Lily, now that you've become the Queen of Alabasta, you're really becoming more and more like the people of the Great Kingdom." Toki slowly sheathed Kogarashi and Shigure. "I mean, you don't need to be so sanctimonious in front of me, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't mean anything." Toki's eyes remained clear. "I'm just telling you, as sisters, I'll spare no effort to help you, whether it's revenge or your imperial ambitions… But in this lifetime, I'll never truly understand you."
Michael sighed as he felt the tension between his two daughters.
Four years ago, when they had just rescued Lily, Toki had willingly carried her on her back without complaint, even smiling brightly.
But now, when the two stood together, there was no trace of that warmth left between them.
When exactly did their relationship start to deteriorate?
Was it when Lily decided to have Alabasta's civilians tighten their belts temporarily to raise war funds?
Or was it when Toki spared the wife and daughter of a greedy official from the Great Kingdom after killing him?
In this increasingly chaotic and bloody era…
Michael finally understood what it meant for "brothers to quarrel at home but unite against external threats."
Lily and Toki would die for each other in an instant.
But at all other times…
Their paths diverged.
They could no longer walk together.
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