"Did you call me just to say these few words?"

"Of course not. It's just that the conversation led here." Garp's voice carried a hint of helplessness.

"Even someone like me misses you a little, brat."

"Impatient, always so impatient. Sooner or later, the Revolutionary Army and the Marines will be one family."

"Then give me a heads-up when your plan is nearing success. I need to retire before that happens... Otherwise, I'll really end up becoming my own son's subordinate."

After muttering this, Garp continued, "Alright, let's get to the point... You must have received Rosinante's intel by now, right?"

"I did... I never expected that old lion to stay quiet for so many years only to pull off such a big stunt."

"If it were just a stunt, it wouldn't be a big deal... But now, the Flying Pirates are subtly emerging as the leading force among pirates." Garp's voice grew increasingly serious.

"Did you know? Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, that shadow-playing guy has already struck a deal with the old lion."

"Gecko Moria?" Michael frowned. "The impact isn't that significant... I never cared much about him anyway. The main reason I supported his rise as a Warlord was to keep Kaido perpetually annoyed."

Even so, Michael wasn't entirely pleased.

The sudden resurgence of the Flying Pirates had disrupted his rhythm somewhat.

The timing was just too coincidental.

Just as he'd decided to lead the revamped Revolutionary Army into action, a new Flying Pirates emerges?

And with that lineup—who would believe they weren't targeting Michael specifically?

"If it were just Gecko Moria siding with the Flying Pirates, it wouldn't be a big deal..." Garp sighed, observing Michael's expression.

"The World Government secretly met with the Golden Lion."

Hearing this, Michael suddenly felt a sense of clarity.

It aligned perfectly with his earlier suspicions.

Now it all made sense. It made perfect sense.

Over the years, he had become the World Government's—and the Five Elders'—biggest thorn in the side...

Secretly backing the new Flying Pirates not only effectively influenced pirate factions, maintaining high tensions and opposition, but also allowed the Flying Pirates to completely upend the New World's balance.

Most importantly...

The new Flying Pirates were strong enough—so strong that even after Michael's display of severely injuring two Admirals, the World Government still believed this crew could pose a threat to him, even kill him.

Just how much did they hate him?

"The World Government just can't stay idle... Seems I'll have to give them something to keep busy with recently." Michael curled his lips.

"By the way Garp, how's old man Sengoku doing lately?"

"You only know to ask about Sengoku! Why don't you ask about me! I'm about the same age as him!"

"Oh give it a rest... You may be around Sengoku's age, but you don't handle any duties, lazing around all day. How can you compare to the Fleet Admiral?" Michael's dismissive tone made Garp bristle with anger.

"Don't take it the wrong way! You've got a wonderful daughter and three grandsons by your side! All old man Sengoku has besides wrestling with paperwork is feeding that poor unlucky goat for comfort."

"Who says that! Your five nephews are still doing just fine in the junior division! They're all living directly at Sengoku's place now!"

"Those five little rascals! Placed before Sengoku, they'd just give him more headaches!"

After finishing the conversation, seeing that Garp's message had been conveyed, Michael simply exchanged a few more casual words before hanging up the Den Den Mushi.

Though his tone had been normal while discussing this with Garp...

In reality, for the entire ocean, this was an enormous matter.

Jack and Yamato had listened to the entire exchange.

"This world has truly gone mad... The legendary pirate Golden Lion has returned to the scene... Tsk tsk, Chief of Staff, seems your plan for the Marines' independence will have to be postponed." Jack said with an inscrutable expression.

Michael shot him a glance, flew up and smacked Jack hard on the back of his neck.

"Too much talk from you!"

"Go steer the ship!"

...

Noon, Egghead Island.

"All personnel, hear this order! From today onward, everyone is to proceed to the surrounding islands of Egghead for temporary exercises!"

Stella and Crocodile stood before the garrison troops of Egghead, loudly announcing.

As the Fleet Admiral's personally appointed permanent Vice Admirals of Egghead, Stella and Crocodile's authority on this island was nearly unshakable.

Both originating from the SWORD Classified Special Forces and being elite Vice Admirals with impeccable strength.

But... there are always exceptions.

Recently, Egghead had gained a reckless newcomer.

"Vice Admiral Stella! Vice Admiral Crocodile! I haven't received any notifications about conducting exercises!"

"Sentomaru, this is our temporary decision. Do you have any objections?"

Crocodile leisurely walked up to Sentomaru.

This woman, famous throughout the entire Marines, was considered comparable to the Empress despite the horizontal scar across her face.

But even facing such an attractive countenance, at this moment Sentomaru only felt the invisible killing intent emanating from her gaze.

The hot-blooded Sentomaru suddenly remembered.

This was Crocodile after all...

Due to guarding Egghead Island and dealing with numerous forces attempting infiltration or invasion, her kill count ranked among the highest in the entire Marines.

Though her codename was "Yellow Sand"...

But when other marines mention Crocodile, they unanimously use another nickname...

"The Funeral Witch."

Both out of respect... and fear.

And in the instant his mind wandered, Crocodile's golden hook was already flying toward his head.

Sentomaru immediately gathered all his focus and instinctively counterattacked.

"Air Walk!"

This move directly transforms Haki into a tangible attacking force outside the body, allowing for long-range strikes that can even damage the opponent internally.

This is the so-called advanced application of Armament Haki, known as "Ryou" in Wano Country.

If this had been the original Crocodile from the story, failing to react in time would likely have resulted in injury.

But the current Crocodile is completely incomparable to her original counterpart.

Not only has her mastery of the Sand-Sand Fruit far surpassed its original level, but her proficiency in both types of Haki and physical combat also makes her a true powerhouse.

Though she hasn't yet reached the level of an Admiral, she is undoubtedly on par with—if not superior to—those so-called "Yonko Commanders."

This, in fact, is the height Crocodile should have reached.

After all, she was someone capable of fighting evenly with Bullet, her contemporary.

So...

"Guh!" A mouthful of blood sprayed out.

Crocodile's golden hook completely ignored Sentomaru's Armament Haki, sending him flying with a direct hit.

"Since it's your first offense, I went easy on you."

Crocodile's beautiful eyes were filled with icy coldness.

"...Follow orders. Understood?"