After the Devil Fruit Users were selected, Michael didn't concentrate them in one location.
Instead, he dispersed them into over a dozen units, stationed in remote areas closest to the Great Kingdom.
He then dispatched a group of seasoned Devil Fruit Users to lead them in training.
The priority wasn't to develop their Fruit abilities—but to master them.
After all, in large-scale battles, control is particularly crucial.
Minimizing friendly fire is a must.
During this time, Joy Boy returned to Alabasta with a large quantity of Treasure Tree Adam and over a hundred giant warriors.
"These giant warriors aren't just here as allies to fight—they're also here to help me build a warship!"
"A warship?" Michael's lips twitched. "Have you considered that the interior of the Red Line doesn't actually need ships?"
"Well, the Great Kingdom has ports and inland rivers. I could even sail straight to their doorstep along those waterways!"
"...Wait, if you already have a plan, why are you telling me this?"
"Heh, well… I wanted you to help me name the ship!" Joy Boy scratched his head sheepishly. "I originally wanted to call it the 'Cosmic Invincible Tyrannosaurus Dragon God,' but the giant craftsmen outright refused..."
"Just refused? That's it?" Michael's eyes burned with exasperation. "They should've beaten you up after rejecting such a ridiculous request! How could you even come up with such an embarrassing name?! Did you skip your cultural lessons again?!"
"Cough, cough—I'm the leader of the rebellion! What kind of leader spends all day studying cultural lessons?!"
"Ask anyone—a leader who names ships like that is nothing but an insult to them!"
"Which is why I've seen the error of my ways and come to you for help!"
"How about…" Michael paused, then suddenly froze. "Call it Pluto. The Pluton."
...
A year later.
"The Great Kingdom's garrison on Sabaody Archipelago has been completely crushed!"
"Round them all up. Investigate whether they've committed any crimes locally—execute them on the spot if they have. If not, send them to the mines or similar places to dig rocks for five years, then release them as civilians!"
"Yes, Commander Michael!"
A soldier who had eaten the Avian-Avian Fruit, Falcon Form saluted Michael before departing with the orders.
Over the past year, the rebel forces had secretly been training these Devil Fruit Users.
Meanwhile, the Great Kingdom hadn't stopped their own maneuvers.
For instance, they had taken advantage of a weak point in the blockade to launch a surprise attack on Sabaody Archipelago, constructing a heavily fortified defensive line.
However, this seemed to be nothing more than a diversion.
On the surface, they wanted to establish an outpost for launching attacks, but in reality… they were trying to make contact with the Fish-Man and Mermaid tribes living in the depths of the sea.
But in this era, coating technology didn't exist, so they had no way to sail directly to Fish-Man Island.
After a year of futile attempts, they were ultimately crushed by Michael, who led a squad of trained Devil Fruit Users—without ever establishing contact with Fish-Man Island.
"So why is the Great Kingdom so determined to reach the Fish-Men?"
Michael muttered to himself.
Could it be… they wanted to recruit Poseidon—the current Mermaid Princess—into their ranks?
"Hmm? Father, didn't you know?" Toki followed beside Michael and said, "The Fishmen and Merfolk were actually one of the powerful races that helped establish the Great Kingdom back then. It's just that they had no innate desire for power, and couldn't adapt to long-term life on land... so they chose to return to live at Fishman Island under the sea."
"There's actually such a backstory?"
Michael was somewhat surprised.
If that was the case, then in a way, the Fishmen were similar to the Giants.
The only difference was that their combat strength wasn't as formidable as the Giants', but they relied on the sea as their natural barrier.
However, once humans developed the coating technology, that advantage completely collapsed.
Yet, this was a race Michael had never been able to understand.
Logically speaking, they initially had an almost perfectly safe environment and access to the inexhaustible resources of the seafloor.
But instead of flourishing into a stronger civilization, after over 800 years, they had regressed further and further.
Now they were living comfortably, even to the point where the Great Kingdom had to seek their aid.
But in the future, the World Government wouldn't even treat the Merfolk and Fishmen of Fishman Island as human beings!
They truly proved with their lives the saying, "Backwardness invites aggression."
It wasn't until Michael took them under his protection that they gradually found a development path suited to them.
"Has the Great Kingdom's garrison not established contact with Fishman Island in a whole year?"
"You'll understand when you see this."
As Toki spoke, she pulled out from behind her...
A message in a bottle.
"What is this thing?"
"As you can see, Father, this is the legendary message in a bottle." Toki sighed.
"Who knows which genius came up with the idea of trying to contact an underwater race using a bottle... And the reason we knew what the Great Kingdom's garrison on Sabaody Archipelago was trying to do was because our people found one of these bottles..."
Michael didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
So now...
It really had become "contact me by message in a bottle."
Except the ones being contacted weren't potential allies, but enemies.
"Hey hey hey! I was the one who found the bottle!" Joy Boy burst in from outside the cabin.
"Speaking of which, back when I was the mascot king of the Great Kingdom, I met the Fishmen and Merfolk a few times... The one who came was some Mermaid Princess, and she was incredibly huge!"
"Wait, you know the Mermaid Princess?"
"I've met her, but I wouldn't say I know her?" Joy Boy scratched his head. "You know how it is with mascots... In those kinds of situations, we didn't exactly have a say in anything."
Michael nodded.
Then without another word, he walked outside.
Toki and Joy Boy exchanged glances, completely baffled by what Michael was planning, and could only hurriedly follow after him.
They saw Michael head straight to the central area of Sabaody Archipelago, near the main trunk of the Eve Sunlight Tree.
"Father, what are you planning to do?"
"Help the Great Kingdom achieve their goal, of course."
As he spoke, Michael placed his hand on the main trunk of the Eve Sunlight Tree.
Then, his Observation Haki, infused with the power of the Voice of All Things, pierced into the Eve Sunlight Tree, traveling along the trunk that transported sunlight and oxygen all the way down to the seafloor.
"Princess Mermaid, I believe you can hear me."
"Please show yourself for a conversation..."
"Joy Boy is waiting for you at Sabaody Archipelago."
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