"So... that brat Michael really died?" Whitebeard sat imposingly on his massive chair, suppressed fury beneath his calm.
"I refuse to believe he'd go out so simply."
His words drew heavy sighs from those surrounding him.
They all shared the same thought.
"Hmph. Never thought a pirate would care so much about Michael... You've grown soft in your old age, Whitebeard."
A defiant voice cut through the air.
"Turning sentimental... In that case, maybe I should claim your head now... Tch. Nevermind. There are targets more deserving of my killing intent than you pirates at present."
Whitebeard turned to see a Marine in uniform with two cigars clamped between his teeth.
"Akainu" Sakazuki.
The Emperor knew this particular Admiral's reputation - a man who stopped at nothing.
Yet while his words remained characteristically arrogant...
His eyes burned with unmistakable hatred.
Hatred not directed at Whitebeard, but toward...
The direction of Mariejois.
"Sakazuki... So you and Michael were on good terms?" Whitebeard found it remarkable that the notoriously ruthless Akainu, despised by pirates and civilians alike, suddenly seemed less detestable.
"How unexpected... I'd have thought you'd despise men like Michael most of all."
"You're right, but... Michael once said he wanted me to become the next Fleet Admiral," Sakazuki raised his head, his expression growing more resolute.
"In this life, I've had very few people I could truly call friends... Michael was one of them."
At this moment, due to Michael's disappearance, the former Emperor and the Marine Admiral found themselves speaking calmly for several sentences—an unprecedented occurrence.
Compared to them, Charlotte Linlin's reaction was far more violent.
The massive crater nearby was created when Charlotte Linlin suppressed her killing intent and thirst for revenge, slamming her power into the ground.
And this was with Galz's attempts to calm her down.
But their reactions, in truth... didn't matter.
Because right now, the vast majority of people were gathered around one person, terrified that something might happen to her.
Angel D. Sora, who was barely holding on, hadn't closed her eyes for a single second in ten days.
"Lady Sora, you should rest..." Stella sighed, whispering her plea. "Michael wouldn't want you like this..."
"No! I must wait! Michael hasn't returned yet! He will come home! He's my little brother... my only brother..."
Before she could finish, a hand struck the back of her neck with lightning speed.
Exhausted beyond measure and caught off guard by the swift blow, Sora's eyes rolled back as she collapsed unconscious.
Stella looked up to see who had acted...
It was Crocodile.
The two exchanged silent glances.
Whether it was the SWORD Special Forces or the Revolutionary Army cadres, all had emerged from their overwhelming grief with only one thought in mind...
"Revenge."
Just then, Sengoku and Rayleigh walked out side by side from the Fleet Admiral's office.
Their expressions were grim...
Everyone's hearts sank.
It seemed Michael's death... was now an irrefutable fact, beyond any hope of reversal.
What remained now...
Was a fight to the death.
"Everyone, please remain calm... there may still be a way!"
But in this moment of suffocating tension, a woman's voice rang out from nearby.
It was Kozuki Toki, whom Imu had summoned.
After Imu confirmed Michael's "death," Toki had been consumed by such profound grief that she nearly attempted to take Imu down with her.
Yet Imu paid her no mind, even allowing her and Kozuki Oden to leave Mary Geoise unharmed.
Behind her stood the vast procession of Wano Country's forces.
Toki's words sent waves of sound rippling through the crowd after a brief silence.
"Toki! Tell me, what's this chance? Could Michael still be saved?"
"Lady Toki! Are you certain!? Please tell me this isn't a lie!"
"Or does Michael have some contingency plan? That man never acted recklessly!"
"Speak quickly, Lady Toki!"
Finally, Sengoku raised a hand, silencing the voices. He stepped forward, his gaze burning with a flicker of hope.
"Please tell us, where does this chance lie? What price must we pay?"
Kozuki Toki shook her head, then looked up at Sengoku."No, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you don't need to pay any price."
"Just... listen to my story."
Kozuki Toki's voice seemed magical.
The moment she spoke, everyone present—whether Marines, Revolutionary Army members, or pirates—fell completely silent.
The vast square became so quiet that the distant sound of waves could be heard.
Kozuki Toki glanced around and took a deep breath.
"My name is Kozuki Toki. Before marrying Kozuki Oden, I was known as Toki of the Amatsuki clan."
"A few among you already know this—I am not from this era. I am from eight hundred years ago... I traveled through time to the present using the TIme Time Fruit."
The moment these words were spoken, most of the crowd was stunned.
From... eight hundred years ago?
"W-wait!? From eight hundred years ago? Then why do you refer to Michael as 'Father,' just like the rest of us!?"
Hancock's face was filled with shock as she pulled over Yamato, who was already mentally overwhelmed, and demanded an answer.
"That... is fate."
"Over eight hundred years ago, on the day Toki of the Amatsuki family lost her parents... a man with three pairs of Wings descended from the sky."
"He took her in, taught her knowledge and ideas far beyond that era, and bestowed upon her two swords."
As she spoke, she drew the twin short broadswords from her waist.
"Kogarashi and Oto!? Aren't those swords always with Michael? And the wear on these blades... it's far more pronounced than the ones Michael carries!"
T-Bone rushed forward, staring intently at the twin swords.
"Could it be...?"
"Correct."
Even facing T-Bone's ghastly visage, Kozuki Toki remained composed.
"My adoptive father... was Michael, who had traveled back over eight hundred years due to some reason."
"Michael... is still alive!"
"And he is destined to return to the future because of my out-of-control fruit ability."
"What we must do now is..."
"Wait."
...
In the year 1517 of the Sea Calendar, Michael was declared "dead," and the N.E.W Marine merged with the Revolutionary Army.
All factions allied with Michael pinned a brooch symbolizing angelic Wings to their chests.
The seas officially entered a standoff between angels and demons!
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