"Damn it! Garp, old man, look over there!"
Michael shoved Garp twice.
"What the hell is coming our way?"
"Is that some kind of weird weather unique to the Grand Line?"
"Why does it feel like... whatever that is, it's charging straight for Marineford?"
Garp's brows furrowed in an instant. Following Michael's line of sight, he unleashed his Observation Haki.
The moment his Haki touched that ominous shadow, his expression darkened completely.
"Damn it! It's the Golden Lion! Roger already turned himself in—what kind of madness is this lion planning now!?"
Garp's steel teeth almost cracked from the pressure as he turned to Michael.
"You go inform Sengoku! I'll intercept the Golden Lion!"
Without a second of hesitation, Michael unfurled his angelic wings and shot toward the main building of Marine Headquarters.
"Michael, you really need to get stronger faster... the monsters on this sea are only going to keep increasing..."
Muttering to himself, Garp steadied his mind, then shouted toward the Navy officers and soldiers training in the yard:
"Enemy incoming! Everyone, evacuate away from the coastline immediately! And notify everyone you see along the way!"
With that, he turned and raced toward the shore.
The Golden Lion was coming to assault Marineford head-on!
And this island wasn't just the base of Marine Headquarters—it housed a massive number of Navy officers, soldiers, and even the families of Marines who lived here!
If the Golden Lion succeeded, the casualties would be immeasurable!
Even for Garp at his peak, he couldn't guarantee a decisive victory against the Golden Lion.
A one-on-one duel was one thing.
But a full-scale assault and massacre—was something else entirely.
In a duel, only one's own life was at stake. But in this case, countless lives were involved.
That's why Garp sent Michael to alert Sengoku—to form a united front and stop the Golden Lion at the outermost coastal defense line.
...
Marine Headquarters, Sengoku's office.
Just as Sengoku began his day's work, picking up his pen to sign off on several routine Navy documents—
The window behind him suddenly exploded inward with a loud crash.
It was Michael who had crashed through.
Michael retracted his wings slightly, stood up, and shouted toward Sengoku:
"Old man! Stop burying your head in those damn papers!"
"The Golden Lion has appeared! He's already near the outer perimeter of Marineford!"
Sengoku, who had been absorbed in paperwork, suddenly looked up at the name.
"The Golden Lion? Are you sure?"
"Garp confirmed it himself!" Michael's face was tense, completely unlike his usual lazy demeanor.
"He's already headed to the outer defenses! You need to hurry too!"
"With the Golden Lion's damn Devil Fruit powers, even if Garp can beat him, he still won't be able to stop him from destroying Marine Headquarters!"
Sengoku didn't hesitate for a second. He stood up immediately.
"Michael, relay my orders to all commanding officers at Headquarters! Leave the Golden Lion to Garp and me! Everyone else is to evacuate as fast as possible—and protect the families!"
Without even waiting for Michael's response, Sengoku leapt straight out the shattered window, flying toward the coastline.
His face was already flushed with rage, like a wrathful guardian deity.
"This lunatic... Is he really throwing away his life over Roger?"
...
"Everyone, listen up!"
"Orders from Admiral Sengoku!"
"No one is to approach the outer perimeter of Marineford!"
"Gather all personnel and evacuate the families to safety!"
"The Golden Lion is attacking! I repeat—the Golden Lion is attacking!"
Michael spread his wings and flew at full speed, scouring every corner of Headquarters.
Making sure the Marines began executing the evacuation immediately.
His signature white wings were actually quite well-known in Marineford.
Though not necessarily for good reasons.
He was often dubbed "'Headquarters' strongest nepotist."
But everyone knew...
Before being transferred under Vice Admiral Gion, Michael had always served as Admiral Sengoku's personal courier.
So even if he was a "connection," he would never deliver fake orders in a crisis.
Which is why—at this urgent moment—no one doubted him. They all chose to follow the command.
As Michael exited the main building, he saw Stella running toward him.
Her golden hair was slightly disheveled, and her emerald eyes shone with panic.
As a Logia user with the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, she could already sense the immense negative aura emanating from the distant black clouds.
"Michael, what on earth is going on? That whole cloud formation... it's terrifying."
"Don't stand there! Stella, you heard the order! Get to safety immediately! The Golden Lion is attacking!"
At the name Golden Lion, Stella's gemstone-like eyes widened in shock.
The Golden Lion was powerful—not quite the strongest, but close.
As the captain of the Flying Pirates, he was infamous for burning, looting, and slaughtering—universally known and feared, even by children.
She didn't hesitate, nodded at Michael, and turned to leave.
Stella knew herself well—right now, she'd only be a burden.
But she could still do what she could.
As she headed for the safety zone, she transformed into clouds and picked up elderly and infirm civilians along the way who couldn't move fast enough.
Michael watched her go, then turned around.
"Damn it, how did I forget this? Just one week before Roger's execution... the Golden Lion launched a solo assault on Marineford!"
He felt torn.
Even the Golden Lion at his peak was bound to lose against both Garp and Sengoku.
But...
Not even the two of them combined could fully neutralize the terrifying threat posed by the Golden Lion and his Float-Float Fruit.
This would become the worst defeat in the history of Marine Headquarters!
A huge number of Marines and civilians would die, and nearly half of Marineford would be destroyed.
Even the later Paramount War didn't cause this much devastation to Headquarters.
This very battle elevated the Float-Float Fruit to the same tier of "natural disaster" as the Quake-Quake Fruit.
But he had just made up his mind to betray those scumbags in the World Government...
How could he sit back and watch the future base of operations be destroyed?
Gion was on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan had only just returned to their posts in the past few days.
Even if he contacted Borsalino now—it'd be too late.
With that thought, Michael took a deep breath.
Then exhaled slowly.
And soared into the sky.
Evacuating the entire Marine Headquarters into the city would take far too much time.
No one noticed the pair of pure white wings tearing through the sky...
Flying in the opposite direction.