"Hiss... That can't be, right? The World Government and the Celestial Dragons are actually this patient? That doesn't sound like them at all?"
Michael hovered mid-air, casting a puzzled glance toward Mariejois.
Previously, they had confined the Celestial Dragons simply because they couldn't pinpoint Michael's exact location at sea, so as a precaution, they kept the Celestial Dragons from venturing out...
But now, he had deliberately revealed himself to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons...
Why was there still no reaction?
Could it be that they've actually... grown brains?
Michael smacked his lips, suddenly feeling a bit disenchanted.
The legendary Imu... Is this all there is?
He had truly wanted to witness the might of Uranus firsthand.
What a pity.
Still, in this stalemate, Michael was completely unfazed—even pleased.
Aside from safeguarding Kozuki Toki, this trip was also meant to divert the World Government's attention, buying time and maneuvering space for the merger discussions between the N.E.W Marine and the Revolutionary Army.
Once the N.E.W Marine—operating both openly and covertly—fully merged with the Revolutionary Army, they would finally stand as equals against the World Government.
Or perhaps, the same class that had been divided by the World Government was now standing together once more.
Beyond the military forces of both sides, there was also the logistical support of Fish-Man Island, Alabasta, the Germa Kingdom, and the entire Four Seas.
Egghead Island, meanwhile, played the role of technical support.
Given this, after this matter was concluded, Egghead Island's position ought to change…
Or rather, Vegapunk's position ought to change.
There was no reason for the technical division to stand on the front lines.
As Michael continued pondering the future, movement finally came from the direction of Mariejois.
Several streaks of black lightning flashed across the sky.
The next moment, black magic circles lit up across the island beneath Michael's feet…
And the same black lightning descended from the heavens.
In an instant, several figures appeared at the centers of these magic circles.
Though Michael knew that the Five Elders and members of God's Knights could teleport using magic circles, he wasn't sure whether this was a learnable technique or a power granted to them by Imu…
And for some reason, Michael couldn't shake the feeling that these magic circles…
Felt familiar.
"Michael! Didn't expect this, did you? This island beneath your feet is actually an outpost guarding Mariejois! That's why I left magic circles here to teleport in!" Saturn laughed loudly, pointing at Michael in the sky.
"Did you think we'd chase you by ship and let you lead us around like dogs!? Just surrender quietly!"
"For all Five Elders to act together… you're the only one in the entire world to receive such an honor."
"All of this is for the World Government, all of it for… Imu-sama!"
Michael looked down at the Five Elders and the silent Figarland Garling, his lips curling into an eerie smile.
"Five Elders plus Garling… six opponents at the level of Yonko and Admirals."
"It seems you're truly… terrified of my existence."
Michael's words struck straight at the hearts of the Five Elders.
This was the truth they least wanted to acknowledge, yet had no choice but to admit.
They…
Were afraid of Michael.
The world they had once manipulated at will had, under Michael's influence, gradually gained the power to stand against the World Government.
Though they hadn't yet fallen from their divine pedestal…
There was now someone who could rise above them, standing face to face with the great Imu.
And that person was Michael.
The Archangel… Of the End.
In the historical truths known to the Five Elders, this Archangel of the End had brought ruin to the Great Kingdom.
Now, it seemed he would bring ruin to the World Government as well.
This was why, for so many years, they had relentlessly hunted down those who obtained the Nika and Seraphim Fruits.
Yet despite their relentless efforts…
They had still failed to prevent Michael's emergence.
It was as if…
This was an unstoppable fate.
In the end, it was Figarland Garling who shattered the eerie silence.
"Whether we're afraid or not doesn't matter," Garling said, lifting his head to gaze at Michael in the sky, his eyes blazing with intensity behind his sunglasses.
"Michael… let's fight!"
"Garling, you've become completely different from before," Michael remarked with interest as he watched Garling draw his sword.
"The old you was an arrogant and aloof Celestial Dragon... But now, you're starting to resemble a pirate on the seas more and more."
"All of this is thanks to you, isn't it?" Garling replied with a smile. "You're the one who got me exiled onto the seas by the World Government, allowing me to discover the true way of survival out here... So, I suppose I should thank you?"
"That's hardly necessary," Michael said, looking down at the powerful Celestial Dragons with a cruel smile.
"How about you just repay me with your life instead?"
"Then... as you wish."
As soon as the words fell, the long-restrained Five Elders transformed.
One with the lower body of a spider and the head of an ox—Onigumo.
Another resembling a wild boar but with four massive, horn-like tusks—the Fengxi.
A giant sandworm with a mouth full of neatly aligned human teeth.
A colossal skeletal horse draped in horsehide over its face and back.
And finally, the Itsumade—a hybrid of bird and snake, with a bird's head, wings, claws, and a serpent's body.
Their shared trait was the swirling black clouds surrounding them, a stark contrast to the white clouds that manifested with the awakening of the Nika fruit.
"My, my... this is truly spectacular," Michael mused. "Five awakened Mythical Zoan users... This is the World Government's eight centuries of accumulated strength huh..."
And that wasn't even counting Imu, who had never once made a move.
No matter how one imagined it, Imu's combat prowess had to surpass even the Five Elders.
"If you understand, then resign yourself to fate! Whether it's you, Michael, the N.E.W Marine, or the Revolutionary Army—all of you will be crushed without mercy!" The most hot-tempered of them, Saturn, stepped forward.
In his beast form, now towering at a giant's height, he meet Michael's gaze eye-to-eye.
"This time... you've truly crossed the World Government's bottom line."
"Oh? I don't think so."
Slowly, Michael drew Morning Star and pointed it directly between Saturn's brows.
"I think your bottom line... can go even lower."