"Big trouble? What kind of big trouble?"
"Your own subordinates have been beaten to a pulp!"
Although the adjective was abstract and exaggerated, Michael knew there was probably no life-threatening danger.
After all, Im's expression remained relatively calm.
"What exactly happened?"
"I just took the little ones on a big shopping trip... Zoro, who was responsible for buying rum, and the Kozuki sisters who followed him went missing for a while." Im shrugged.
"Then, when we found that green-haired Zoro again, he was lying in a small alley covered in wounds. Kozuki Rin and Kozuki Hiyori also had quite a few injuries."
Michael's brow instantly furrowed.
Zoro getting beaten up was actually quite a rare occurrence.
Based on Michael's understanding of his strength, there shouldn't be anyone on Sabaody Archipelago capable of taking down Zoro in a small alley without alerting others.
In other words...
There were uninvited guests.
...
"Ah, so sleepy... Huh? Why is my grandma waving at me from across the river?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Zoro! Don't you dare fall asleep! And don't cross that river! Once you cross it, you'll never come back!"
Kozuki Hiyori shook Zoro's green head, her voice filled with urgency.
She paid no attention to the bleeding wound on her own arm.
"No... he probably isn't going to die just yet." Sanji crouched nearby, watching Kozuki Hiyori and Zoro, a barely suppressed smile at the corner of his mouth.
"But if you keep shaking him like that, the green-haired idiot might really kick the bucket."
Reiju vigilantly scanned the surroundings, then waved to the others.
The group, originally acting as a firefighting team, immediately and seamlessly sealed off the area, beginning to search for clues.
"What... exactly happened here?" Reiju turned back, looking at Kozuki Rin covered in cuts and scrapes.
"Who could possibly defeat Zoro?"
"It was the God's Knights." Kozuki Rin's expression was grim. "But the fact that the God's Knights defeated us isn't the important part. What matters is that Princess Vivi from Alabasta was captured."
"What!?"
A voice came from behind. Kozuki Rin turned and saw Michael's face, finally allowing herself to relax.
"Rin, say that again?" Michael arrived in the alley, followed by a large crowd. "Who did the God's Knights take?"
"Princess Vivi from Alabasta." Zoro lifted his head, looking seriously at Michael. "The leader was a red-haired guy! A man who looks exactly like the one on Red-Haired Shanks' wanted poster!"
Upon receiving this confirmation, Michael instantly thought of Vivi and Lily.
After all, in the original story, Im's attention to "Vivi" was even greater than that given to Luffy and the others.
In many speculations, Im is Lily, and Lily achieved immortality through some means—an immortality that requires renewal through the bloodline of her own people after a certain period.
Now, from Michael's perspective, Im indeed is Lily.
And through some means, Lily had acquired the abilities of that unknown Devil Fruit, along with the Immortality Surgery.
So, the sudden appearance of the God's Knights—a highly sensitive identity—on Sabaody Archipelago, quietly defeating Zoro and kidnapping Vivi…
It seemed the earlier speculations were becoming more plausible?
But regardless of the truth, one thing was now certain: Vivi had been captured by the God's Knights.
And how should he handle this situation? Setting aside what Vivi herself represented, or what Lily intended to do after obtaining her…
Just the identity of "Cobra's daughter" was enough for Michael to abandon all his plans and use every means possible to rescue Vivi.
After all, from the very beginning, when Michael lacked sufficient power, Cobra had unhesitatingly supported him from behind the scenes, becoming his ally…
In a sense, Michael regarded Cobra as a brother.
So, no matter how he looked at it, he absolutely could not afford to hold back.
…
If no other major events had occurred, Michael might have been able to continue playing the role of a peaceful pirate.
But now, it seemed he had to stir up something big directly.
"Robin… how are things? Any clues in the nearby waters?"
"Unfortunately, there are no clues at all… You know how massive the flow of people on Sabaody Archipelago is." Robin sighed, then looked at Michael's face and remarked.
"You know, when you suddenly appeared outside my window just now, I thought I'd truly gone mad from missing you."
"That's a bit of an exaggeration." Michael chuckled. "Since there's no news in the nearby waters… then have the on-site investigation team pay attention to any media with strange symbols drawn on them. Bring them all back!"
Without hesitation, Robin immediately contacted the personnel in charge of the on-site investigation via Den Den Mushi and relayed the order.
Of course, she did so in her own name.
"However, for the God's Knights to dare to cause trouble on Sabaody Archipelago… they must have planned this for a long time, not on a whim." Robin frowned. "But… among the information we've gathered about the Celestial Dragons before and after, there really aren't any traces… Could it have been a spontaneous, sudden action?"
"Absolutely impossible. The God's Knights are the Celestial Dragons' most elite core combat force. For them to carry out such a mission already holds extremely significant meaning… Wait!" Michael seemed to recall something and urgently asked Robin for confirmation.
"Speaking of which, in recent years, hasn't that Im-sama been absent from the public eye for a very long time?"
Robin was taken aback for a moment, then compared the timelines in her mind before exclaiming in surprise, "Yes! And this period coincides exactly with when a large number of Vice Admiral-level powerhouses began appearing among the Celestial Dragons."
Michael wore a thoughtful expression.
Now he had a new idea.
The Celestial Dragons, whose bloodlines were forcibly catalyzed into their current state, gaining immense power…
Could this be something Lily achieved through the Devil Fruit or some other power, in order to create more forces to confront the angels?
And for this purpose, she paid some extraordinary price, which suddenly made the kidnapping of the Alabastan bloodline, originally not urgent, a top priority.
In other words...
Lily needed Vivi to sustain her life!