The battle in the alley erupted instantly.
Zoro versus Shamrock... or rather, Shamrock's sword.
Kozuki Rin against the other members of God's Knights.
Swordsmen's battles are usually straightforward...
Though Zoro, despite being illiterate, always recites poetry when unleashing his ultimate moves—that's his unique quirk.
But this fight... was proving exceptionally difficult.
Though facing just one sword whose owner hadn't even joined the fight, this was no ordinary blade—it had consumed a Mythical Zoan fruit and awakened.
By any measure, this was utterly absurd.
Zoro even felt like he couldn't fully exert his strength.
Facing the three massive swords spat out from the mouths of the hellhound, he was already struggling to keep up.
His counterattacks left bloody gashes on Cerberus' three heads, but they healed almost instantly the next second.
This was the awakened Mythical Zoan—possessing unreasonable vitality.
Meanwhile, Kozuki Rin's battle was equally arduous.
Though her combat prowess and decisiveness far exceeded the God's Knights' expectations...
Their initial expectations had simply been too low.
In reality, Kozuki Rin wasn't strong enough to take on three God's Knights members alone.
In a one-on-one fight against any single opponent, she stood a decent chance of winning.
But unfortunately... there were three of them, and they didn't hesitate to gang up on her.
While they feared Imu's regard for Kozuki Toki and her descendants, they also knew failing to bring back Nefertari Vivi would be far worse.
So...
They ganged up without hesitation.
Though the God's Knights were nominally "knights," their actions were never honorable. Concepts like chivalry...
Paled in comparison to completing their mission.
Under the pressure of three overpowered Devil Fruit abilities, Kozuki Rin gradually fell into disadvantage.
She was barely holding on.
Kozuki Hiyori, meanwhile, had been assessing the situation, planning to escape with Vivi...
If they could just reach her grandfather, everything would be fine!
However.
"Did you forget? That green-haired swordsman over there is only fighting my sword."
Just as Hiyori pulled Vivi toward a window, a cold voice spoke behind her.
She turned slowly to see the man who shared Red-Haired Shanks' face staring at her with emotionless eyes.
Hiyori swallowed hard, forcing a bitter smile.
They were screwed.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Facing the five Admiral-level fighters of the SWORD Special Forces, Michael couldn't hold back...
After all, they were no longer the weaklings they once were.
Both in raw power and combat experience, they had reached their peak.
For Michael to defeat them—one against five—he had to go all out.
And going all out meant using his signature abilities.
Like the power of the Seraphim Fruit.
Or his "Morning Star."
By the time the Old Geezers Pirates, led by Sengoku, arrived to spectate, Michael had already ended the battle swiftly.
The moment they saw the angelic wings unfurling behind Michael, the five had frozen.
What followed wasn't just easy—it was effortless.
"So this is why you combined Conqueror's Haki with grappling techniques to choke Enel unconscious?"
Sengoku facepalmed as Michael tossed Enel—the last one—onto the ground.
Too embarrassing to watch!
Three Admirals of the Angel Alliance, plus two Logia users whose importance rivaled Admirals—all knocked out cold!
At least it was Michael.
Sengoku was used to this by now.
If anyone else had defeated them, the Angel Alliance would truly be finished.
"F-Father! Is that you?!"
Sandersonia and Marigold, who had been knocked away at the very beginning, finally managed to crawl back.
At close range, though they could no longer make out the man's features beneath the mask...
She wasn't blind, nor was she stupid.
She could recognize the old-timers who had arrived.
Seeing Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—the three former pillars of the Marine—standing here basically confirmed this man's identity.
Michael had no intention of keeping up the pretense at this point.
Or rather, he hadn't planned to hide anything when he made his move.
"My, my, Sandersonia, you've grown so much smarter over these seven years," Michael chuckled as he removed his mask.
For the three Boa sisters—the first to call him "Father"—Michael had always held a special place in his heart.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have painstakingly raised them with such care back then, nor would he have devoted himself entirely to their training.
After all, in the original universe, all three had independently chosen the quickest path to power.
The side effects were obvious.
Two girls who should have been as beautiful as their elder sister had instead become towering, muscular anomalies.
So seeing Sandersonia and Marigold as they were now, Michael couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Followed by the bittersweet thought, "My daughters have grown up."
The next moment, both girls crashed straight into Michael's embrace...
And then, while clinging to him, sent him flying dozens of meters away.
In her excitement, Marigold seemed to have lost control of the superhuman strength granted by her Riki Riki no Mi.
Michael felt like he'd just taken a full-force spear tackle.
But... it didn't matter.
Michael gently stroked Sandersonia and Marigold's hair, his eyes unconsciously softening with paternal affection.
This was how most people became with age.
Though Michael's appearance had never changed.
His actual age, due to time-travel shenanigans, was a solid forty-five.
"Alright, you two, get up before those old geezers start laughing at us," Michael said, struggling to his feet—only for the girls to cling even tighter to his waist.
Soon, he felt his chest and collar grow damp.
With a resigned sigh, he peeled the sisters off and was met with their tear-streaked faces.
Meanwhile, Smoker and Hina—who hadn't joined the close-quarters scuffle—finally approached.
But rather than interrupt the family moment, they first saluted Sengoku, their leader.
"Sengoku... sir."
"Don't spout nonsense! I'm Boss old geezer, not some 'Sengoku'!"