"Michael! You've been holed up in your room for three days already!"
"Even Stella knows to go train and keep herself fit!"
"You're the youngest Commander in the Navy! But everyone calls you 'Headquarters' strongest nepotist,' you know that?"
At nine in the morning, just as Sengoku was heading out the door, his voice rang out right on time.
When college students return home for vacation, the parental affection lasts only three days.
Same goes for Navy Commanders.
In fact, by the third day of Michael's return, Sengoku had already transitioned from teary-eyed joy to utter annoyance.
What made it worse was that Stella had taken the initiative to start new recruit training.
And Rosinante had already begun learning Rokushiki under one of the Navy's powerhouses.
When there's only one slacker in the house, that person becomes especially annoying.
And that slacker… was Michael.
And when a slacker gets kicked out of the house by a strict guardian, they evolve into their next form…
A loafer on the streets.
With hands in his pockets, Michael strolled near the Navy training grounds.
The training field at Marine Headquarters was sunken into the ground and more than three times the size of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Throughout the year, Navy officers rotated in and out of the place, serving as instructors.
As for who you ran into on a given day, that all came down to luck.
Standing on high ground, Michael scanned the area and quickly spotted the only female soldier on the field.
Stella was following behind a group of Navy recruits, dripping with sweat as she did push-ups.
She was giving it her all, but her pace was still only half that of the others.
Michael rubbed his chin.
Tonight, when we get back home, I should continue healing her with the Holy Light...
Three days ago, she couldn't even complete one push-up.
After all, as a former wandering singer, how strong could her body possibly have been?
But now, most of the hidden illnesses and lingering issues inside Stella's body had already healed under the effect of the Holy Light.
...
"Yo? Isn't this Sengoku's spoiled little white-hair brat? Finally decided to come back to Marineford?"
Just as Michael was thinking, a hearty old man's voice suddenly came from behind.
And with it—
The sound of howling fists cutting through the air.
Michael's senses screamed danger. His body instantly entered a heightened state.
He jerked his head and body to the right just in time to dodge a punch that barely grazed his head.
The force behind that punch wouldn't have seriously hurt him, but who in their right mind wants to take a punch for no reason?
Having dodged the blow, Michael spun around immediately.
The punch came from a towering old man, nearly three meters tall, with graying hair and a brawny frame.
After the swing missed, the old man didn't pursue. Instead, he leaned against the nearby railing.
Michael got a good look at the old man's face and couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Gramps Garp. Knew it was you."
"Only you would be so bored as to test Navy officers with your fists."
"I really worry for your descendants… Wait, didn't Dragon join the Navy and then leave just to get away from you?"
Garp mimicked Michael's expression and rolled his eyes right back.
"Mind your own business, brat!"
"But I gotta say, your reflexes have gotten way better than two years ago."
"Looks like things went well under that brat Gion's command… But hey, I'm stronger than her. Wanna transfer and become my adjutant?"
"No way," Michael refused without hesitation. "And if Bogard heard you say that, he'd be heartbroken."
"As if." Garp waved his hand with a straight face. "Bogard's been dying for me to find a new adjutant."
"…Why do you sound proud of that!?"
"Ahahaha!"
Garp scratched his graying hair with a big laugh and dropped the topic.
Instead, he pointed one large fan-like hand down toward Stella.
"I heard that little girl was someone you rescued from a slave ship?"
"Yeah." Michael nodded. "She got lucky. I happened to confiscate a Devil Fruit that wasn't listed in the encyclopedia—judging by appearance, it could've been either Paramecia or Logia, so I let her eat it."
"Turns out it's a Logia—Cloud-Cloud Fruit."
"What the hell?" Garp whipped his head around. "A Logia-type fruit?"
Michael grinned.
Knew that would get you riled up, old man.
No matter the era, Logia fruits were always rare goods.
Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan were pre-selected as the next Admirals because they had Logia fruits.
That was the biggest edge they had over other candidates.
In this era where the Admirals hadn't yet reached their peak, if you looked only at physical combat and Haki, those three weren't necessarily stronger than Tokikake or Gion.
Borsalino, in particular, had been scolded by Zephyr more than once for relying too much on his fruit ability.
"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to get interested in that little girl you brought back," Garp's eyes lit up as he threw an arm around Michael's shoulders.
"Michael, listen—Gion just transferred to the Sabaody Archipelago. She's probably going to be stationed there for years."
"Yeah? You think everyone's like you, loafing around as a Vice Admiral, dumping the branch work on Bogard and sailing the seas aimlessly?"
Sometimes, Michael really didn't know what to say to this old man.
Aside from fighting pirates, Garp dodged every other responsibility he could.
In terms of slacking, he was almost on Michael's level.
Michael had enough stress as it was!
"What I mean is—Gion has to manage the chaotic mess that is the Sabaody Archipelago. Whether it's you or the girl, she doesn't have the time to teach you both." Garp pounded his chest with a loud thud.
"But me? I'm free! You said it yourself—I'm idle! I can train you two!"
Michael genuinely took Garp's suggestion to heart.
For all Garp's eccentric and unpredictable ways…
When it came to training rookies, only Zephyr could outclass him in the Navy.
The biggest thing they both had in common…
Was that they reached Admiral-level strength through pure martial arts and Haki.
They were the best when it came to building a solid foundation.
Because no matter how powerful a Devil Fruit was, it always relied on the user's physical strength.
Just like how Ace's physical abilities were nowhere near Blackbeard's, and since his fruit was countered, he was taken down so easily.
"Gramps Garp, I won't lie, that offer's actually pretty solid."
Michael had recently hit a bottleneck with his strength and desperately needed a breakthrough.
And Garp really was one of the best people to help him do that.
...
Just as Michael and Garp reached a consensus, the clear sunny sky began to darken.
Gradually, sunlight was swallowed by spreading shadows.
When Michael looked up, the horizon was already blanketed by an ominous darkness.
Within that shadow...
Was a wave of killing intent, thick with destructive energy.
Like a natural disaster... about to descend.