After enduring a direct strike from the King of the Heavens·Uranus, Michael vanished from the seas in the year 1517 of the Sea Calendar.
All of this…
Had actually been part of his calculations from the start.
He had simply wanted to test just how powerful the Uranus truly was, to establish a benchmark for future plans.
Leaving the Lunar Technology in Baltigo was no accident either.
Lunar Technology required an immense amount of energy to activate, and the attack from Uranus was, in essence, a massive surge of energy.
Moreover, according to Toki, he was destined to travel back over 800 years into the past. So rather than waiting for an uncertain coincidence, he decided to take the initiative and create the opportunity himself.
Thus, this series of plans took shape in Michael's mind.
Though he knew his sudden disappearance from the original timeline would have a massive impact on both allies and enemies alike…
A planned departure was still far better than vanishing without warning.
With the N.E.W Marine and the Revolutionary Army merging at this very moment, his disappearance would likely strengthen the unity among those he had brought into the same faction.
This way, even if the World Government had the Five Elders, the God's Knights, and Imu herself—countless powerful figures—
Michael's allies would at least be able to hold their own against them.
And after this incident, the true nature of the King of the Heavens·Uranus was exposed to the public, thanks to Big News Morgans' covert filming and reporting.
Michael was confident that with Sengoku and Dragon intelligence, they wouldn't recklessly engage in a final showdown with the World Government before finding a way to counter Uranus.
Though Michael had thought through all this, in reality, only an instant seemed to have passed.
The sensation of weightlessness vanished abruptly, and control of his body returned to him.
He snapped his eyes open—only to find himself plummeting from the sky, hurtling straight toward the ground.
Using his core strength, Michael twisted midair to right himself, then willed his Wings to manifest.
With six wings flapping rapidly, he managed a rough but safe landing.
"Damn, time travel hits harder than I expected?"
Michael shook his head, his near-limitless stamina clearing his mind instantly.
Then, he took in his surroundings—
A sizable city, with all nearby pedestrians staring at him in utter bewilderment.
Under the scrutiny of the entire street, Michael felt a twinge of awkwardness.
So, he raised a hand and waved casually.
"Uh… everyone eaten yet?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the stunned crowd seemed to reboot, screaming as they scattered in all directions.
"Help! There's a winged pervert who just fell from the sky in the city center!"
"Someone call the city guard! This guy just said he's going to eat us!"
"He's handsome, but… his tastes are way too extreme!"
Watching the now-empty street, Michael's lips twitched.
'Am I... that terrifying?'
The bustling street that was just crowded with people was now completely deserted.
Michael instinctively looked down...
'Holy shit!?'
'Not even my underwear survived!?'
But after a moment's thought, he understood.
When he directly confronted Uranus, his skin and flesh had been destroyed and reconstructed countless times by that terrifying energy impact.
It would be strange if his clothes had survived.
As for everyone running away...
Well, seeing a winged man descending from the sky bare-assed naked, it's normal to be scared off, right?
Michael didn't dwell on it.
He casually grabbed a white robe from a clothing stall by the roadside and draped it over himself.
At least it temporarily covered his body.
Then he turned to look at the half-length mirror on the stall...
Hmm, not bad.
The six full Wings also...
Huh!?
Michael's eyes widened suddenly, his sapphire-blue eyes filled with disbelief.
The third pair of Wings had fully grown.
And this seemed to indicate...
His fruit...
Had awakened?
Thinking this, he instinctively tried to activate his fruit ability.
But...
Only a faint Holy light emerged from his fingertips.
However, Michael quickly realized the reason.
The Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan type, Seraphim Form, was already in the process of awakening.
But during this process, besides clashing directly with Uranus, there was also the time travel via Lunar Technology.
The consumption from both had nothing to do with physical stamina.
When Rocks traveled through time, he lost all his power and even sacrificed an arm and a leg...
This clearly showed that while this machine could traverse time, most people probably wouldn't survive the process.
Even someone at Rocks' level had to pay such a heavy price.
After going through all this, Michael only temporarily lost most of his fruit abilities.
In his understanding, this situation was commonly known as "mana depletion."
Once the fruit fully awakened, everything would return to normal.
With this thought, Michael's frown gradually eased.
Honestly, even without relying on his fruit abilities, just his physical strength and mastery of Haki alone placed him firmly at the Emperor-Admiral level.
Even if this was the unknown world of over 800 years ago, he could still walk around unimpeded.
Just then, a faint rustling sound came from not far behind him.
Michael instinctively activated his Observation Haki, extending it toward the source of the sound.
Within a few dozen meters, there was only one life signal... a little girl.
Michael froze.
'Wait a little girl?'
He quickly walked over, his lips twitching at the sight of the overturned bamboo basket.
Reaching out, he lifted the basket.
Inside, a green-haired little girl in tattered but ornate clothes was crouching in a defensive posture, visibly trembling all over...
She kept muttering:
"Don't eat me, don't eat me..."
Michael was stunned.
The people who ran away earlier were also saying he was going to eat them...
When had he ever said that!?
All he did was greet them by asking, "Have you eaten?"
They could actually imagine that I was planning to make a meal out of them?
An eight-hundred-year cultural gap—what a coincidence to encounter it now.
But...
Michael sighed.
Who could deny that this was fate already written?
Slowly, he reached out and picked up the little green-haired girl.
"Don't worry, I don't eat people. I'm just a lost traveler."
"What's your name?"
With his overwhelmingly handsome appearance, Michael effortlessly dispelled the little girl's fear and wariness with just a warm, comforting smile.
"M-my name is..."
"Toki."