One Piece : Admiral Falcon is Pissed off again today!

It took Michael a great deal of effort to finally clarify his relationships to Sora.

"So, sis, can you stop looking at me like I'm some kind of scumbag?" Michael said with a helpless smile.

"We're actually here to do something important."

"Whether it's important or not, let's set that aside for now..." Sora, having recovered, grabbed Michael's hand and patted it firmly.

"Our family is still counting on you to carry on the bloodline."

"...Somehow, when you say that, it feels less like you're looking at your little brother and more like you're eyeing a stud horse."

Michael's lips twitched.

What was this sister of his thinking?

Disgusted by his supposed debauchery, yet urging him to produce more offspring!?

What kind of feudalistic parenting was this, damn it!

Fortunately, Sora didn't dwell on the matter too much.

After leaving him with the advice, "In any case, take care of your health," she patted Michael on the shoulder and went back to her room to sleep.

Leaving Michael alone to face the three people in front of him, all wearing equally resentful expressions.

"Uh, you guys staring at me like this is putting a lot of pressure on me."

"A little pressure is good..." Hawkeye said coolly. "Maybe we should just leave tonight... Otherwise, I can't even imagine how tangled our relationships must look in your sister's mind."

"Agreed." x2

****

"What? You're saying King Riku of Dressrosa actually went to Alabasta? And had a pleasant conversation with Michael at the banquet?"

"That's right, Doffy. That's the message Corazon sent back." Trebol leaned in closer.

"Could it be that King Riku is trying to strike some kind of deal with Michael?"

"Most likely... Ever since the incident at Fish-Man Island, Dressrosa has been declining day by day." Doflamingo, draped in his flamingo coat, wore a grave expression.

"I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to infiltrate Dressrosa... but who would've guessed he'd turn to Michael instead."

"What about our original plan then...?"

"Scrap it all!" Doflamingo gritted his teeth.

"After all, Michael's power is just too overwhelming... I don't want to die by his hand just yet."

Even after several years, Doflamingo's strength and influence had grown incomparably.

But when it came to Michael, he still held a deep sense of reverence.

The sheer dominance and power Michael had displayed back then left an indelible mark on his mind.

So much so that every time Michael was mentioned, his hands would tremble ever so slightly.

Even if it wasn't apparent on the surface, Doflamingo knew it himself...

This feeling was called fear.

Although he had accepted the Five Elders' offer of cooperation, he still didn't dare to fully align himself with them.

Instead, he became something like a double agent, passing information between both sides.

But there were benefits—he received support and assistance from both the Five Elders and Michael.

The progress of unifying the underworld had greatly accelerated.

"Is this all the information Corazon... Rosinante managed to send back this time?"

"Rosinante's intel ends here... but we also received a letter, sent by Michael." Trebol said, holding up an envelope and handing it to Doflamingo.

Doflamingo frowned slightly as he took the envelope and gave it a shake.

It was very thin—probably just a single letter inside.

He tore open the envelope and pulled out the paper inside.

The moment he unfolded it, Doflamingo froze in place.

After a long pause, a wicked smile curled at the corners of his lips.

"That Michael... really does understand me."

"With this, there's no longer any question about who to choose between the Five Elders and Michael."

Trebol looked at the document in Doflamingo's hand with confusion.

It was unmistakably a Warlord appointment letter.

"A Warlord? An officially sanctioned pirate who can legally hunt other pirates and claim their bounties?"

"Exactly."

Doflamingo nodded with a grin.

The underworld emperors who had been blocking him and the Donquixote Family from entering the New World... were probably wasting their efforts now.

With this status, he had the perfect breakthrough.

This was far more reliable than the Five Elders' promise to "return him to the Holy Land" after everything was settled.

"Have everyone gather at Fish-Man Island... as for the infiltration of Dressrosa, abandon it." Doflamingo burst into laughter.

"Fufufufufu, we have much bigger ambitions now!"

"Contact Kaido—tell him I agree to the collaboration!"

*****

Two days later, in the West Blue, Kano country.

"Honestly, this country seems like one of the rare peaceful places in the New World."

Sitting on an island made of Island Cloud and looking down from the edge, Stella let out a sigh of admiration.

"It certainly looks that way." Michael shrugged.

"But their peace is upheld by this country's long-standing pirate crew, the Happo Navy."

"And the entire Kano country has eight pirate fleets, from the Niho Navy to the Happo Navy... They're made up of eight families from the country."

As he spoke, Michael pointed at a pirate ship sailing into the harbor in the distance.

"Rather than pirates, they're practically the country's official armed forces." Crocodile scoffed.

"This kind of thing is pretty common in the New World. Since the Marine has little control here, countries have to maintain some ties with pirates to avoid trouble."

Michael wholeheartedly agreed with Crocodile's assessment.

This had always been the reality of the New World.

It had nothing to do with the so-called "Great Pirate Era."

Even without Roger's final words, the New World would still be like this.

The strongest pirates ruled these seas, and these nations could only survive in the cracks between them.

Over time, the nation's armed forces gradually came to be labeled as "pirates."

This was the way of survival for countries in the New World.

Celestial Tribute was paid to the Celestial Dragons as protection money, while the armed forces called "pirates" served to appease and intimidate other pirates.

"But why are we here?"

"Old man Sengoku gave me seven Warlord positions and only two have been filled so far..." Michael pointed downward.

"This country also has someone worthy of becoming a Warlord."

After saying this, Michael waved at Stella.

The small Sky Island woven together by Stella's Devil Fruit ability began descending from the sky.

The citizens of Kano country watched the approaching cloud with bewildered expressions.

"What!?"

"The cloud is falling!?"

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