One Piece : Admiral Falcon is Pissed off again today!

"Who exactly are you? Why do you want to see our boss?" Ginny warily stuffed the last piece of meat from the bone into her mouth before asking.

As for why Dragon was called "boss"?

The boss of my 'big bro' is naturally my boss too!

[The big bro here is Ivankov]

And now this strange Marine was demanding to see the boss right off the bat?!

As a former slave from God Valley, Ginny held no favorable impressions of either the Celestial Dragons or the Marines.

After escaping to the Sorbet Kingdom, she had witnessed firsthand how certain Marines from the South Blue branch colluded with King Bekori of Sorbet Kingdom...

So...

This Marine before them must be someone intending harm to the boss!

"Kuma! Capture him first!"

"Ginny, he just helped cure elder Linny illness... He can't be bad, right?"

Kuma's overly kind and pure heart made him acutely sensitive to the goodwill or malice people emitted.

From this man before them, he sensed not an ounce of malice.

Only the faint bloodstains on his sleeves seemed slightly out of place.

And those blue eyes held a trace of... Pity when looking at them.

"Stupid Kuma! That's obviously just a disguise to trick us!" Ginny stubbornly retorted before glaring at the strangely smiling Marine.

"State your name first!"

"My apologies for the oversight. I'm Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral Michael." Michael nodded politely at Ginny who's now dressed in Freedom Fighters uniforms.

"Perhaps you don't know, but Dragon and I go way back—childhood friends, you could say."

Kuma bent down to whisper in Ginny's ear.

"He doesn't seem hostile, and one man can't cause much trouble... If he could defeat us all alone, why would he need us to lead the way?"

Ginny irritably patted her head before turning towards the former Sorbet Palace, now the Freedom Fighters Army base.

"Sorry, she's never been fond of Marines."

"I completely understand. As former God Valley slaves, I'm surprised you didn't attack me on sight."

Michael walked alongside Kuma.

But his words made the gentle giant's face twist in shock.

Michael patted his arm, laughing.

"Ahaha, no need for such tension. I just happen to know a bit more than most."

"Though it is regrettable..."

"The conditions back then were too poor—you didn't even get the chance to kill a few Celestial Dragons."

A sudden flash of killing intent pierced through Michael's smiling eyes.

Kuma shuddered, his expression complicated.

So... not all Marines were lapdogs of the Celestial Dragons?

Walking through Sorbet Kingdom's streets, Michael clearly felt the unusual stares from all directions.

Tsk tsk tsk.

Seems this Marine isn't welcome in the birthplace of the revolutionary flame.

But overall, Michael was pleased.

Dragon truly was a born revolutionary—even his first attempt showed understanding of establishing post-victory order.

And those Freedom Fighters soldiers patrolling the streets were all people of conviction.

This force... was truly impressive.

Soon, accompanied by Kuma, Michael arrived at the Sorbet Palace.

At that moment, a group of the Freedom Fighters Army was hauling out large quantities of gold, silver and treasures from the vaults of Sorbet Kingdom's palace.

"Register all the assets, then exchange them for Berries to support the reconstruction of the entire Sorbet Kingdom!"

"Use the remaining funds to purchase weapons, equipment and all the supplies we need!"

"Sorbet Kingdom is just the beginning! It is absolutely not the end!"

"Our goal is to liberate... the entire world!"

Michael looked at Monkey D. Dragon, who was directing the Freedom Fighters Army, feeling deeply moved.

Back when Dragon was in the Marines, he often wore a cold expression, especially towards Onigumo and Sakazuki—his demeanor towards them was particularly indifferent.

But now, though Dragon's face still rarely showed a smile, it was no longer lifeless.

His resolute will had shattered the gloom that once clouded his eyes.

After finishing his commands, Dragon noticed the towering figure of Kuma and walked over.

"Kuma, is something wrong?" Dragon looked up at Kuma's face.

"I just saw Ginny storming into the warehouse in a huff. Wasn't today supposed to be your free clinic day?"

"That's right. Today, before we even arrived, someone had already healed all the patients—even Elder Linny, who was seriously ill."

"He introduced himself as a Rear Admiral from Marine Headquarters."

"And... he wants to see you."

After speaking, Kuma stepped aside, revealing Michael standing beside him.

"Hey, big bro Dragon, long time no see."

"...Michael?"

Dragon's eyes widened abruptly and in an instant, his fist, imbued with Haki, swung towards Michael's head without hesitation.

"Hey, hey, hey, still treating me like a kid?"

With a flap of his wings, Michael dodged backward, evading the strike.

"Rear Admiral?" Dragon withdrew his fist, dispersing the Armament Haki.

"Seems you're done pretending, huh?"

Monkey D. Dragon gazed at the young brother he had once befriended in Marineford, his heart filled with emotion.

Back then, the two had known each other's secrets.

Michael knew he planned to leave the Marines.

And he, in turn, knew of Michael's monstrous potential.

Now, that boy who had once tried so hard to appear ordinary... had become a Rear Admiral?

What had changed him?

"Listen to yourself—does that even sound like something a human would say?" Michael stared at Dragon, whose face still lacked the imprint of a shoe sole.

"What do you mean 'pretending'? Back then, I was just a little lazy..."

"Let's save the nostalgic banter for later." Dragon waved his hand, cutting off Michael's complaints.

"Who sent you to Sorbet Kingdom this time? Admiral Sengoku? Or the old man?"

"See, always jumping to conclusions." Michael placed one hand behind his back while pointing at Dragon with the other.

"Can't I just visit my long-lost big bro? Maybe even help reinforce your convictions and mental resolve."

Dragon glanced at the Freedom Fighters officer in charge of intelligence, who confirmed.

"There are no Marine warships near Sorbet Kingdom" before finally trusting Michael.

Of course, Michael wouldn't blame Dragon for his caution.

If he were the one starting a rebellion to liberate the world, he'd be even more paranoid than Dragon.

Friends?

Even if you were my own father, I'd investigate you thoroughly first!

Just as Dragon was about to speak, a member of the Freedom Fighters came sprinting from the direction of the prison!

"Boss! Something terrible has happened!"

"The former king we imprisoned—"

"He's dead!"

Upon hearing this, Kuma instinctively glanced at the faint bloodstains on Michael's sleeve...

Could it really be such a coincidence?

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