Having lived through various eras, Michael had a clear understanding of each period's power dynamics.
Take the Great Pirate Era—while the prevailing doctrine was "Haki reigns supreme," Devil Fruits remained more accessible than Haki.
After all, one could amass a hundred million Berries but still fail to master Haki.
Devil Fruits didn't discriminate based on talent.
Anyone who ate one gained its power, instantly boosting their strength.
At most, talent determined the upper limits of a Fruit's potential, but the baseline was as simple as taking a bite.
In contrast, both Armament Haki and Observation Haki required innate aptitude to even have a chance of awakening.
As for Conqueror's Haki? That was beyond cultivation altogether—it was purely a matter of destiny.
Back in Rocks' era, though many consumed powerful Devil Fruits, combat still primarily revolved around Haki and physical prowess.
It wasn't the explosive proliferation of ability users seen in the Great Pirate Era, but individual fighters were no less formidable.
Eight hundred years ago, in the era of the Ancient Kingdom, neither the Haki system nor the Devil Fruit system had been fully established...
What was most revered then were powerful racial traits and inherent advantages.
It was essentially a contest of raw, primal physical gifts.
This was why races like the Lunarians and the Bakanians became undisputed dominators during the Ancient Kingdom's reign.
Numbers combined with overwhelming physiques meant they could effortlessly overpower the majority without even training.
In the Great Pirate Era, such an exaggerated disparity was only seen in Charlotte Linlin.
Oh, and Loki too.
Though Loki had instantly backed down upon encountering them, his lineage as an Ancient Giant ensured he'd remain a rare powerhouse—whether in the past or present—even without training.
This was Michael's foundational understanding of the eras.
But now, he began to doubt his own reasoning.
Could the scarcity of Devil Fruit powers in this age be because these colossal beasts hadn't yet perished?
After all, the defining trait of Devil Fruits was their uniqueness—once consumed by a person or beast, no duplicate would appear until the user's death.
Judging by Rocks' expression, he'd clearly arrived at the same conclusion.
After their long trek, they finally reached the abyss's end.
Here, the scenery was utterly unlike anything before.
A tree... so massive it defied belief.
In all his years of wandering, Michael had seen much.
He'd witnessed the Tree of Omniscience on Ohara, its leaves dancing like embers of final hope amidst the flames.
Having witnessed the Eve Tree that connects the Sabaody Archipelago and Fish-Man Island, capable of bringing sunlight even to the depths of the ocean ten thousand meters below.
Having seen the colossal tree atop Zou, fully grown into the shape of a white whale, where even Joy Boy chose to leave behind a Poneglyph.
And having beheld the Adam Wood in Elbaf, towering to the heavens, nearly spanning the entirety of the land.
Yet even Michael, who had seen all manner of sacred trees, couldn't help but marvel at the sheer size of the one before him now.
...Especially when the reference point beside it was a land beast already over thirty meters tall.
"Hey, hey, hey... isn't this a bit... too big?" Michael craned his neck, gazing up toward the canopy.
"Could it really be as you said? The legendary Devil Fruit Tree actually exists?"
"Tch, it was just a guess," Rocks sighed. "Who knew kicking some random girl into the abyss would lead to something this huge!"
"It's not exactly a small matter, but not the biggest either," Michael narrowed his eyes. "Wait... I think I see Devil Fruits!"
With that, the six wings on Michael's back unfurled, and he soared into the air.
The higher he flew, the more astonished he became.
The depth of this abyss had to exceed ten thousand meters.
And the tree before him—its size stretched for several kilometers.
Though not as exaggerated as the Eve Tree or Adam Wood, those trees were so immense that their full scale couldn't be grasped at a glance, making them less viscerally shocking.
After all, humans are visual creatures at heart.
After rapidly approaching the massive tree canopy, he finally got a clear view this time...
Devil Fruits really do grow from this thing!
Before him was a fruit that resembled a mango, yet its outer color was indistinguishable from a Dalmatian's spots.
Moreover, it had two small protrusions that looked exactly like a pair of dog ears.
So...
This was most likely the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Dalmatian.
In other words, the very same Devil Fruit ability possessed by Dalmatian, one of the Marine Headquarters' vice admirals over 800 years later.
During the Summit War in the original story, this was the man who had severely wounded Luffy with his Finger Pistol technique.
Michael examined the fruit but didn't pluck it.
There was no need for that now.
What mattered more was confirming whether this fruit was an iSorated case.
After all, when a Devil Fruit User dies, their power either condenses into the nearest fruit or manifests on a tree capable of bearing such fruits.
Michael flew deeper into the canopy.
And with that, it felt like stepping into another world.
With just a casual glance, he spotted at least a dozen different Devil Fruits.
That bizarre luster enveloped each and every one of them.
Michael exhaled deeply.
Having confirmed the true nature of the Devil Fruit Tree, Michael immediately flew back.
Meeting Rocks' eager, inquisitive gaze, Michael nodded.
"This... is indeed the legendary Devil Fruit Tree."
"Ha! I knew it!" Rocks slapped his thigh. "If this is the legendary Devil Fruit Tree, then everything makes sense! After the fall of the Great Kingdom, sea levels rose drastically, submerging this place... Land beasts drowned after eating Devil Fruits, and the fruits on the tree flowed into the ocean, drifting across the world. That's how the notion that 'Devil Fruits come from the depths of the sea' emerged! Logical! Damn logical!"
"I'm not particularly interested in whether this is the Devil Fruit Tree or not... but I must raise this point, Father. Given the sheer number of Devil Fruits here... couldn't we assemble an army of Devil Fruit Users?"
"Of course we should." Michael nodded. "After all, we'll need to personally bring about the downfall of the Great Kingdom."
No sooner had Michael spoken than an eerie vibration reached his ears.
Slow. Heavy.
Like the footsteps of a giant.