One Piece : Admiral Falcon is Pissed off again today!

This was Michael's first time engaging in an all-out battle against someone of equal strength.

His previous fights with Garp had always carried an element of training—Garp had never truly gone all out against him.

After all, Garp, who was still at his peak, was simply too terrifying in terms of strength.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The two Swords clashed repeatedly in the hands of Michael and Gion, the metallic echoes reverberating through the air.

Even though Michael already possessed combat strength comparable to an Admiral candidate, he couldn't help but feel shocked by the power transmitted through their blades.

Everyone said that the two "Admiral candidates," Momousagi and Chaton, were considerably weaker than the Three Admirals.

But now Michael understood—being an Admiral candidate... was merely a title, not an indication of true strength.

While "Yonko Commander" was just a fan-made analogy, Admiral candidates were an actual concept in the original work.

Chaton, Momousagi, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru—all were currently Admiral candidates.

Michael was now absolutely certain that if Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru hadn't emerged so spectacularly, Momousagi would likely have already shed the "candidate" label.

So it wasn't that Momousagi and Chaton were weak.

Rather, Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru were simply too strong.

"Gion, so you've never gone all out against me in our previous sparring sessions."

"You were always strong... but not as strong as you are now." Gion swung her Konpira, a delighted smile playing on her lips.

"The current you... can definitely satisfy my desires."

"...The way you phrase that is way too easy to misinterpret, you know!?"

Perhaps because Gion had treated him with such gentleness over the years, he had subconsciously forgotten...

Despite being from the women's division, Gion was a battle maniac at heart.

But Michael didn't notice that an identical smile had begun to form on his own lips as well.

So you see, when certain people naturally click, there's always a reason for it.

No fancy techniques, no elaborate tactics—just the simplest clash of raw power.

Gion held the advantage in swordmanship, while Michael excelled in stamina.

This exhilarating contest of might didn't last particularly long, but neither was it brief.

By the time Rosinante had recovered from his near passed-out state, Michael and Gion merely exchanged a glance before separating after one final crossing of blades.

Rosinante stared dumbfounded at the concluding strike between Michael and Gion, completely clueless about what had just transpired.

Meanwhile, all the other SWORD members who had woken up earlier were utterly stunned.

The gap they had originally imagined?

After witnessing Vice Admiral Gion and Rear Admiral Michael going all out, they immediately understood...

The disparity between them was far greater than they'd ever imagined.

Wiping the sweat dripping from his jaw, Michael approached Gion.

"Alright, out with it. What exactly did you come to see me about this time?"

"Don't tell me you came all this way just to beat me up."

Seeing Gion remain silent, understanding dawned on him.

So Michael turned to Stella and said.

"Everyone's worked hard this past month. Take the kids out for some fresh air... Honestly, I'm worried they might develop issues from being cooped up too long."

They had been mercilessly drilled for an entire month by their demonic superior, Michael!

The mental stress over the past month had been no small matter.

If they didn't unwind, Michael was genuinely worried he might drive these guys into depression.

That wasn't something easily cured.

So they needed a proper break…

After all, in just a few days, Michael had designed an even more terrifying training regimen waiting for them.

In this regard, he had absolutely mastered the essence of that old man Garp!

Just thinking about it got him a little excited!

Stella nodded, understanding that Gion likely had some classified information to relay to Michael.

So she led the others away.

After so many days together, Stella had practically become the de facto vice-leader.

Tap… tap… tap…

Just then, Issho walked in from outside, his cane lightly tapping the ground.

But the moment he stepped into the backyard, he paused abruptly, then—as if he weren't blind at all—"looked" in the direction of Michael and Gion.

"You two have business? Should I leave?"

"No need, Issho-san. There's no issue with you hearing this."

Gion spoke up to stop him.

She was deeply curious about this blind man.

According to Smoker—whose mouth was looser than his belt—Michael had specifically gone to the Pleasure District in the New World to recruit this man.

Yet Issho had never displayed any combat ability, behaving instead like an ordinary blind man…

If not for his unbeatable gambling prowess, she would've thought Michael had finally misjudged someone.

Michael, however, gave Issho a strange look. "Speaking of which, why are you back so early today? Normally, you'd wait until training was over before rushing back from the casino just in time for dinner."

"Rear Admiral Michael, gambling is the only love of my life…" Issho shook his head, then continued.

"As for why I'm back, of course it's because I sensed the battle between you and Vice Admiral Gion. I hurried back to watch the excitement—I mean, to see what could possibly drive two Marine comrades to draw swords against each other."

"You totally slipped up there!"

But Gion, observing from the side, noticed something odd.

Ever since she and Michael had completely wiped out the underworld factions on Sabaody Archipelago, only one neutral, background-free casino remained.

And this casino…

Was practically at the opposite end of the island from the SWORD base.

Meaning, this blind man named Issho had sensed the fight between Michael and her from across the entire Sabaody Archipelago.

Then made it back in just over ten minutes.

Even if it was just to watch the excitement… No matter how you looked at it, that wasn't normal, right?

"Gion? Gion! What are you spacing out for?" Michael waved a hand in front of Gion's face, snapping her out of it.

"So, what's the matter?"

"Ah… right. Shiki has escaped."

"That fast?" Michael wasn't actually surprised.

After all, he'd known this would happen eventually.

Impel Down, though touted as the "inescapable" ultimate prison…

In truth, the most fearsome prisoners in Level 6 could almost all break out—if they were willing to pay a steep price.

But over the years, only Shiki had been willing to pay it.

"He cut off his own legs to free himself from the seastone, then became the first prisoner in history to escape from Impel Down."

"The reason I came to inform you specifically is that after breaking out of Impel Down, he once encountered Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Sengoku - yet even they couldn't stop Shiki when he fled at full strength."

"And before escaping... he left a message... for you."

Michael was stunned.

What the hell? Why leave him a message?

He and Shiki didn't have the kind of relationship that warranted a messages, did they?

"Has that old lion gone senile? Or did that damn steering wheel in his head finally give him brain damage?"

"The exact words were: 'Tell that winged brat - I'll be waiting for him in the New World!' So... did you make some promise with Shiki?"

Truthfully, Michael didn't even hear Gion's second half of the question.

He'd frozen completely upon hearing the message.

What the hell? Shiki went to the New World?

Shouldn't he have fled to East Blue after escaping Impel Down?

Because Roger's surrender made him lose all trust in humanity, so he started researching how to create powerful "beasts" as subordinates?

Then after lying low for twenty years, he'd get dragged into a movie plot by the destined protagonist Monkey D. Luffy who's still in Paradise, before meeting his final end.

Honestly, that second half of his life sounded pretty tragic too.

But now...

Him going to the New World meant that chain of events would never happen!

As for losing both legs...

Shiki could cut them off without hesitation because they didn't affect his combat power at all.

What truly limited his strength and drove him mad was always that damned rudder stuck in his skull.

And with all the bizarre things in the New World, who's to say he couldn't find something to fix that rudder problem?

"You've been thinking so long - did you figure something out?"

"Nothing much. Just thinking how coincidences can be both miraculous and utterly bullshit." Michael sighed.

"Roger started this crazy era of chaos, but Shiki just added more variables to the mix."

He... Would have to prepare properly too.

In the unstoppable tide of this era, if you didn't want to be swept along - or even wanted to fight against the current and screw over the World Government - you had to build the Marines into an ark sturdy enough to withstand any impact.

To achieve that, the first and most crucial step...

Was simultaneously strengthening the Marines' combat power and their control over forces across the seas.

Meaning, besides Wano, they'd need to start making contact with other military resource locations.

Next would be establishing more Marine branches, like the Alabasta branch currently preparing construction materials.

Though the New World's waters were dangerous, the Marines needed absolute control over Paradise and the four seas.

But Michael couldn't accomplish any of this without the support of the old man and Grandma Tsuru.

Seemed it was time to start properly indoctrinating the old man, Granny Tsuru and future Admirals with some delightfully heretical ideas.

Let them witness the power of Mr. Democracy.

"Michael... that's a rather sinister smile you've got there."

"Shh, Gion. Stop slandering me. This is clearly the wise smile of a master strategist who leaves no detail unaccounted for."