"Hey hey hey, Sengoku... you told me to do this, but I think Shu recognized me," Garp turned his head and whispered to Sengoku behind him.
"Won't this blow our cover?"
"Obviously, the point was for Shu and T-Bone to recognize you... you didn't actually want to watch Michael fight his own subordinates to the death, did you?" Sengoku rolled his eyes at the old man.
"We're just here to retrieve someone. Having them subtly recognize us makes things easier without risking unexpected situations."
"Oh..." Garp nodded. "But... if Shu recognized me so easily, wouldn't that mean our enemies could too?"
"You don't need to worry about that... It's precisely because Michael's subordinates act so unpredictably that they'd even consider this scenario," Sengoku said with a smirk.
"As for those old acquaintances of ours on the seas, even if you didn't bother with any disguise at all, they'd never believe you're actually Marine Hero Garp. After all... how could you possibly become a pirate?"
Sengoku burst into laughter as he spoke.
This was, in a way, a brilliant stratagem in broad daylight.
By being so blatant, no one would believe it was actually happening.
Meanwhile, Shu also caught sight of Sengoku standing behind Garp.
Instantly...
Cold sweat broke out on his back.
What in the world are these two old men playing at!?
Since when did they become pirates!?
Shu suddenly regretted not paying closer attention to the news recently...
Otherwise he would have definitely seen Garp and Sengoku's faces on that "Old Geezers Pirates" wanted poster.
Then today's mess wouldn't have happened at all!
"Hey! Shu! What are you spacing out for!" T-Bone shouted loudly.
At that exact moment, the Golden Thief closed in rapidly and threw a punch.
T-Bone instantly crossed his Garuda sword horizontally, the thick blade blocking the strike—but the impact still sent him flying out over the sea.
"Wai—"
Before Shu could even finish saying "wait," the Golden Thief grabbed his collar and hurled him toward T-Bone's trajectory.
The next instant, the Golden Thief crouched low... and charged in the same direction.
The two were sent flying several kilometers before barely managing to stabilize themselves.
As they used Moon Walk to rise from the sea surface, they found the Golden Thief also using Moon Walk, hovering right before them.
"You... who exactly are you!? Why are Garp and Sengoku on your ship?"
Shu frowned.
He could pretty much confirm now that this person wasn't an enemy...
Which made it even more infuriating!
As allies, they came looking for a fight and beat them up!
What kind of friendly forces behave like this!?
"Tsk tsk, Shu, sometimes being too clever isn't necessarily a good thing," the Golden Thief said as his pristine white robes billowed slightly.
The next moment, six pure white Wings unfolded from his back.
In that instant, both Shu and T-Bone were utterly dumbfounded.
Shu at least had some psychological preparation...
But for T-Bone, this was a complete shock.
The mask of the "Golden Thief" was removed, revealing Michael's face.
"M-M-M-M-Michael!?" T-Bone was completely stunned, "Shu... am I still dreaming? I think I'm seeing Grand Inspector Michael..."
"Oh no, he's so shocked his memory's gone haywire!?"
Michael paused, then approached T-Bone with a gentle, crystalline Holy light glowing in his hand...
Only to deliver a resounding slap right to T-Bone's head.
The sudden impact combined with the purifying effect of the Holy light immediately snapped T-Bone back to his senses.
And then...
"Where have you been all this time!"
T-Bone's eyes welled up with tears as he displayed an expression terrifying enough to scare most children to death.
Even Michael found such emotional intensity a bit hard to handle.
"Stop, stop, stop! T-Bone, how many times have I told you to at least manage your expressions a little?!"
Michael stretched out a hand, mercilessly rejecting his subordinate's attempt at a hug.
There was no helping it—he simply couldn't accept such a hellish sight.
However, T-Bone quickly composed himself.
Gazing at his superior before him, he had never felt such serenity in his heart.
"So… why didn't you inform us after your return? Instead, you… ended up becoming a pirate with those old geezers?"
Shu steadied himself and asked.
"Just wanted to be a pirate, that's all," Michael replied with a smile. "After all, the current Marines, the Revolutionary Army, and the Cross Guild have all been fully integrated into the Angel Alliance… So aside from the Angel Alliance and the World Government, the only remaining third-party faction is the pirates."
"Are you trying… to dismantle this third faction by infiltrating them as a pirate?"
"I told you, sometimes you shouldn't be so sharp. Leave some room for others to breathe."
Michael rubbed his temples.
"As for my return, keep it between yourselves, understand?"
"We won't tell anyone," T-Bone nodded.
But Shu voiced a different opinion…
"Not even Stella, Crocodile, or Vice Admiral Gion?"
"…Isn't your implication a bit too obvious?" Michael's lips twitched. "When the time is right, I'll tell them myself…"
...
The battle between the "Golden Thief" and Shu and T-Bone lasted for quite some time.
During this period, with Shu and T-Bone absent, the guards and officers at Enies Lobby gathered but didn't dare to act directly.
Until… the corpses of Shu and T-Bone were brought back to Enies Lobby.
The Golden Thief let out a sinister laugh before taking Uta and her two companions away.
And when Uta saw the unrecognizable remains of the two, the way she looked at Michael… changed.
...
After returning to the ship, Uta spent three days in deep contemplation in her room.
Finally, she resolved to confront the Golden Thief.
She… didn't want to stand alongside someone who killed so casually.
Even as a pirate, this was unacceptable.
After steeling herself countless times, she pushed open her cabin door and stepped out…
Only to see the two Vice Admirals who were supposed to be corpses standing awkwardly among the old geezers of the Old Geezers Pirates, forcing polite smiles.
"Hey, what've you been mulling over in your room these past three days?"
A voice came from behind her.
Turning around, she saw the Golden Thief, masked and draped in a red fox scarf.
"Th-this… you… they…"
"Oh, nothing much. Just new crewmates…"
From behind the mask came words laced with unmistakable amusement.
"You'll all have to get along well from now on."
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