Rocks' overly calm attitude left Michael somewhat speechless.
Most people would feel at least a bit uncomfortable upon hearing about the person who defeated them, right?
But Rocks showed none of that...
It felt incredibly strange, as if he was indifferent to everything.
Yet this indifference carried a subtle sense of disdain.
As if, in his eyes, everything in the world was equal—equally beneath him.
Rare, but that was the impression.
Perhaps this was the demeanor befitting the strongest of an era?
Michael didn't know.
He certainly didn't have that so-called "looking down on the world" aura.
He reached out and nudged Rocks.
"Don't get carried away just because I praised you... You threw my daughter off a cliff. If I were even slightly normal, I'd have you pinned to the ground by now," Michael rolled his eyes.
"What kind of teacher is this direct?"
"Jumping off a cliff is nothing for a master swordsman who can casually unleash Flying Slashes," Rocks didn't mind Michael's gesture.
"If I hadn't seen potential in that girl, I wouldn't have bothered teaching her so much."
"But even now, Toki could probably climb back up easily after jumping."
"Of course... I made her jump to test something else," Rocks smirked. "You should know that for a true powerhouse, strength and talent aren't the only measures..."
Michael froze.
What did Rocks mean?
Even he couldn't immediately grasp Rocks' intentions.
"Speaking of which, how long has it been since the girl jumped?"
"Three days now."
"Ah, should be about time, then?" Rocks stroked his chin. "If nothing goes wrong, she should be coming back up soon... I wonder if she has what it takes?"
Michael said nothing, simply standing beside Rocks at the cliff's edge.
This peninsula, located south of Wano and connected to the Red Line, was lined with towering mountains.
Below them lay a bottomless abyss, perpetually shrouded in clouds.
Toki had been kicked down there by Rocks...Of course, witnessing this scene, Michael almost kicked Rocks off the cliff right then and there.
However, after Rocks' explanation, he held back.
After all, Toki was someone he had personally trained.
If a mere cliff could take her life, that would be downright absurd.
Standing at the edge of the precipice, Michael took a deep look, yet still couldn't see the bottom.
"Michael, do you know what I consider the most important trait of a true powerhouse, beyond talent and strength?"
"How would I know what goes on in that head of yours?" Michael rolled his eyes. "You think I'm some kind of mind reader?"
"Hmm, generally, those strong enough to stand before me and speak like this usually don't lack this quality anyway..."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"That guy Newgate, in his youth, once dominated the seas with his overwhelming power, but even he had moments where he stumbled... Back then, he was so young he didn't even have a beard yet when dozens of notorious pirates ganged up on him. By the time I rushed to save that reckless fool, he'd already been overwhelmed, thrown into the sea, and swept away by the currents to who-knows-where." Rocks, without warning, launched into a nostalgic tangent, slipping into a flashback.
"I searched the surrounding waters tirelessly but came up empty-handed... Yet, months later, he reappeared before me completely unscathed... and had even eaten a Devil Fruit called the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. From then on, there was no stopping him."
Michael froze.
What Rocks was implying...
"You mean... luck?"
"Hahaha! See, you really are a man who thinks like me!" Rocks burst into laughter.
"Exactly—luck! Luck is a crucial factor that determines a powerhouse's ceiling! Take Newgate and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Even without it, he could've become one of those so-called 'Emperors of the Sea' you all talk about in the future. But would his sheer intimidation have been the same?"
Michael fully agreed with that.
After all... as a transmigrator who'd been reborn into this world, the act of crossing over itself was already an astronomically lucky, one-in-a-billion event.
And though he hadn't been gifted with some tangible system cheat after transmigrating, he'd been born with a monstrous physique.
Then, while guarding a fruit warehouse, he'd somehow eaten the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Seraphim...
If anyone in the world could claim to be the most favored by luck, Michael wouldn't hesitate to name himself.
So he instantly understood Rocks' reasoning.
"So throwing her into the abyss wasn't about whether she could climb back up... but whether she could bring something back with her?"
"See? I knew my philosophy would resonate with you!" Rocks grinned before his expression sharpened, pointing at the mist-shrouded chasm.
"Look! Something's happening!"
Naturally, Michael, with his heightened senses, noticed the disturbance in the clouds far sooner than Rocks, who had lost his strength and retained only a fraction of his perception.
So, he immediately activated his Observation Haki.
And instantly, he sensed the familiar presence of his daughter.
"Lion's... Thousand Rendering Slashes!"
Toki had just sliced a bird nearly the size of a Sea King into scattered pieces of flesh before returning to the cliff face and continuing her ascent.
Soon, she reached the edge of the cliff.
With a nimble flip, she landed steadily on the precipice.
Turning her head, she saw the kindly Michael and the despicable Rocks.
Then she rushed forward…
And gave her dear father a big hug.
"Father! I missed you so much! I was really scared these past two days!"
"..."
Michael's lips twitched.
Scared? Who was it that just calmly slaughtered that giant bird without batting an eye?
The Lionheart Princess was actually scared?
But Michael didn't expose his daughter's poor acting—a fifteen-year-old girl seeking comfort from her parent was perfectly normal.
Toki, however, didn't seem too accustomed to such exaggerated behavior either, so she quickly released Michael from the hug.
Then, with a spinning kick, she lashed out at Rocks.
But Rocks, a seasoned old fox, had lost none of his wits or experience, even if he had lost all his strength.
He practically predicted it… and sneezed.
The sneeze jerked his head downward just in time to dodge the kick, which hadn't been meant to kill.