Michael didn't care why Imu's voice could reach him directly.
After all, as the most deeply hidden world boss in the entire One Piece World, it was only natural she'd have some unknown special abilities.
If the Five Elders could communicate telepathically regardless of distance, then Imu, who granted them their powers, was even less of a surprise.
What concerned him... was the enormous, almost unbelievable thing above his head...
"Uranus, the King of the Heavens."
Or rather, an island transformed into a mobile sky fortress.
No wonder it required massive energy consumption—keeping something this huge airborne would be impossible without it.
And that wasn't even accounting for the energy needed to launch attacks...
"Tsk tsk, seems you're really determined to kill me, even dragging out the legendary Uranus..." Michael's eyes gleamed with excitement. "But how do you know I didn't plan for this all along?"
"Michael, you're a smart man. I know that despite your strength, you haven't stormed Mary Geoise directly because you fear the World Government's Ancient Weapon Uranus... So you're willing to use yourself as bait to draw out Uranus, and I'm willing to expose Uranus to kill you."
Imu's voice showed almost no emotion, but Michael faintly detected a trace of... excitement.
"Then we're completely on the same page, Imu." Michael looked up at the overwhelming presence of Uranus looming above him.
"Let me witness just how powerful this legendary Ancient Weapon truly is."
"Don't struggle, Michael. You no longer have time to escape Uranus's range." Imu chuckled lightly before continuing, "It seems Toki was wrong! You'll die here... which means you definitely aren't him!"
Michael's eyes narrowed sharply.
As soon as Imu finished speaking, Michael could already feel an overwhelmingly terrifying energy gathering above him.
Uranus, the Ancient Weapon, activated with earth-shaking force!
The underside of the massive floating island in the sky began cracking apart, revealing enormous energy discharge ports.
And within it, energy extremely similar in nature to the Mother Flame continuously brewed and expanded.
"Hey hey hey, this is... a bit too exaggerated."
Michael looked up in astonishment.
Although he had always mentally categorized the three Ancient Weapons as being on the level of "nuclear weapons"...
He never expected that when actually facing one of them, even with his current power, he would feel such extreme danger.
"Farewell, Michael."
As the words fell, The long-accumulated energy poured down at tremendous speed.
Michael's pupils constricted sharply, a trace of pure white creeping into the corners of his eyes.
"Stairway to Divinity - High Noon!"
Without hesitation, Michael activated his strongest state.
The Wings belonging to his Seraphim Form instantly vanished, replaced by those radiant Holy light Wings that once enveloped all of Onigashima appearing behind Michael.
Yet compared to Uranus, they still appeared far, far too small.
When Michael's supremely sacred Holy light collided with the destructive energy of Uranus, it immediately triggered violent shockwaves.
The seas around Baltigo were instantly whipped into massive tsunamis.
"Hiss!"
Michael's body began to endure the baptism of this destructive energy.
The energy continuously tore through Michael's skin and muscles,
While his Holy light constantly repaired his body.
But the energy was ultimately too overwhelming. Even with nearly limitless stamina, the destructive force eventually surpassed Michael's threshold.
Under the pressure of Uranus's energy, the angel descended from midair toward Baltigo.
At first, the massive wings formed of Holy light could still protect Baltigo...
But as the energy levels kept rising, they were finally breached.
Baltigo was almost instantly reduced to nothing by this destructive power.
Yet simultaneously, the Lunar Technology still stored in Baltigo's warehouses seemed to sense this energy and began operating autonomously.
The energy that should have destroyed this machine was instead siphoned into it like a vortex.
The patterns on the machine ignited with energy, gradually forming a force field opposing Uranus.
This force field was positioned directly beneath Michael.
As Michael was struck down by this attack...
He happened to touch the falling technology.
With a blinding flash of white light...
All of Baltigo and the Lunar Technology turned to dust under Uranus's assault.
...
Ten days later.
"We've conducted four large-scale sweeps of the vast sea areas around Baltigo. This time, both the N.E.W Marine and the Revolutionary Army mobilized their full forces, along with the combined strength of Fish-Man Island conducting continuous underwater searches..."
"The result... no trace of Mr. Michael was found."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, please... accept our condolences."
"Dark King" Rayleigh, "Mountain Eater" Gaban, and Gloriosa - the three prominent figures of the Cross Guild - stood before Sengoku's desk, reporting with grim expressions.
Though they were reluctant to admit it... by all accounts, Michael had perished under the invincible might of Uranus.
"Condolences? Michael couldn't possibly be... That guy was never reckless enough to die so easily!" Sengoku waved his hand dismissively, rejecting all the negative information he'd heard.
"You're... lying to me."
"Sengoku, do we look like people who would deceive you?" Rayleigh stepped forward, placing both hands on the desk as he stared at Sengoku's face.
"Michael was the true founder and leader of Cross Guild. Do you think I wouldn't want him alive?"
"Then keep searching! Expand the scope to the entire Grand Line! Michael must have been caught in an underwater current... Though he's a Devil Fruit user, with his physical strength, drowning in seawater was impossible..."
"SENGOKUUU!" Rayleigh's roar silenced the former Fleet Admiral. "To me and Gaban, Michael was no different from Roger, understand?"
The two old men stood in silent confrontation.
They were both struggling to process this...
It was all... too sudden.
Meanwhile, the plaza below had gathered virtually every notable figure.
Whitebeard and all his division commanders.
Charlotte Linlin with her entire family.
Nearly all high-ranking Marines and Revolutionary Army cadres.
Royal families from nations allied with the Revolutionaries - Alabasta, Germa Kingdom, Dressrosa leading them.
Michael's faction... assembled in full.
Everyone except Michael himself.