One Piece : Admiral Falcon is Pissed off again today!

"Hey, Shanks, are you really going to become one of those damned Shichibukai?"

After Michael and the others left with the children, Ben Beckman sighed and asked Shanks.

"Why not? We're already enemies with other pirates—might as well make it official," Shanks replied cheerfully despite his injuries.

"Plus, we can openly collect bounties on pirates now!"

"But doesn't that make us no better than dogs of the World Government and Marines?"

"There's a huge difference." Shanks shook his head seriously. "Michael would never submit to the World Government."

"How can you be so sure?" Ben Beckman eyed Shanks suspiciously. "Did he brainwash you during your long cabin talk?"

"No, not brainwashing... just sharing truths I needed to know." Shanks turned toward the cabin.

"Oh, send a letter to Buggy for me... tell him I've got leads on some treasure Captain Roger left elsewhere. See if he's interested in hunting it down with me."

"Huh? Buggy? That idiot you used to sail with?"

"If you really think he's a fool... then you're the one being foolish."

*****

Although his nephews had dared to run around everywhere, even hitching rides on pirate ships—earning each of them a spanking from Michael—when this news reached Sora's ears...

All five of them would be hung from the five blades of a ceiling fan, set to the third speed, and left dangling for half a day.

But such was the fate of mischievous brats.

Troublemakers must always face justice.

Still, this trip had been quite fruitful.

"That red-haired guy... I think I saw him during Roger's execution," Crocodile remarked. "Never expected him to be so strong... Probably even sharper than that Hawkeye fellow."

"Obviously. He's Gol D. Roger's legitimate final disciple, after all." Michael chuckled.

If anyone knew Shanks' potential, it was him.

Especially in this timeline, where it was clear at glance that Shanks was unlikely to lose an arm to a seaking noless.

Just how terrifying his ceiling could be with all limbs intact remained unknown.

Even though Michael had just knocked Shanks down a peg, he knew the man's claim of "chasing Whitebeard's peak" was no empty boast.

Choosing Shanks as the first Warlord had essentially set the tone for the entire organization.

No matter who was recruited afterward, they'd inevitably be overshadowed by Shanks.

And the man's character was relatively reliable...

Aside from the risk of him potentially luring children into piracy, there were no real flaws.

Meanwhile, his nephews sat together with Stella on the deck of the Transponder Snail Ship, watching her train her Devil Fruit abilities—specifically, analyzing and deconstructing the properties of Island Clouds.

This shouldn't have concerned a bunch of kids, but they were genetically modified humans.

While the negative effects had been removed by Michael, their enhancements remained intact.

Michael had even cured Sanji's condition, eliminating the suppression of his genetic modifications caused by potent drugs.

Moreover, their brains retained some basic scientific knowledge implanted by Vinsmoke Judge.

To Michael's surprise, under the kids' enthusiastic analysis, Stella successfully created a one-meter-square patch of Island Cloud just as they were about to return to Alabasta.

"Stella, it's like a trampoline!" Sanji exclaimed excitedly. "Is this really made of clouds?"

"It's called Island Cloud," Stella explained with a smile. "When we visited Skypiea before, the foundations of those sky islands were made of this."

Hearing the commotion, Michael walked over.

"Finally succeeded, huh?"

"Finally? I've been busy running around all year—when did I have time to properly develop my fruit?" Stella grumbled.

But Michael took mental note of this.

Indeed, aside from a few exceptions, this was why the Marine's so-called "prodigies" or "elites" progressed slower than pirates of comparable talent...

The Marine was, after all, an official institution.

From the Fleet Admiral down to the lowest-ranked marine, everyone had fixed daily duties to fulfill.

Although one can grow stronger through combat missions...

The Marine's work isn't just about fighting.

In contrast, pirates have much more free time.

This is why, at roughly the same age, most Marine personnel tend to be weaker than pirates.

For example, in the original story, among pirates within three years of Smoker's age, there were Shanks, Enel, Catarina Devon ...

Yet Smoker was only a vice admiral, and not even among the strongest in that tier.

But in terms of innate potential, Smoker was at least no weaker than Catarina Devon.

The main reason for the gap in their personal strength was simply the difference in time available for improvement.

Another example is the CP9 agents, who spent five years undercover in Water 7, resulting in little growth in their strength.

Yet two years later, they transformed into the leaders of CP0, with their combat abilities skyrocketing.

This goes to show...

Work really gets in the way, damn it!

"You're right, we are indeed too busy..." Michael muttered. "It seems the Marine should start recruiting specialized administrative personnel."

Every time he thought of the mountains of paperwork on Sengoku's desk, or the documents Bellemere had to handle daily at the Alabasta branch...

Yes, this was absolutely necessary!

"Recruiting administrative staff? That's certainly a solution," Stella quickly nodded. "With the entire City of Gold as our backing now, we definitely have enough funds to expand the Marine's administrative payroll... The only question is whether Fleet Admiral Sengoku would agree?"

"Would he disagree? The old man would be the first to agree!" Michael laughed heartily.

"He wants to vomit just looking at the paperwork on his desk! And that's even with Grandma Tsuru helping him with some of it!"

"This would be a great benefit for all combat personnel in the Marine."

Of course, Michael left one thought unspoken.

Once they started recruiting administrative staff, who would be the most likely candidates?

Naturally, the scholars of Alabasta and their students who had traveled the world!

Although military power represents a nation's voice in external affairs...

But internally, the power of discourse lies in the pen.