Michael rolled his eyes.
But honestly, he had expected this.
This time, he hadn't bothered with much concealment—in fact, he had been almost brazen, practically begging to be noticed.
Yet unfortunately, aside from Shanks, no one else had even considered the possibility...
Or more accurately, they hadn't dared to.
A former Fleet Admiral, a former Marine Hero, a former Chief Instructor, and a former Admiral—all turning to piracy together?!
Who would believe that?
Even Shanks hadn't given it much thought at first, but then it hit him...
What if it's true?
Especially since the notorious incident involved robbing the royal family of Alabasta.
Putting the pieces together, it was hard for Red Hair not to overthink it.
"Uh... huh!? Dad!? What are you doing here!?"
From the crowd, a girl with red hair on her right side and white hair on her left let out a voice filled with disbelief.
"...Uta!?" Even Shanks himself was momentarily stunned by this. "You... weren't you supposed to be in Paradise in the first half of the Grand Line? How did you end up in Elbaf... Wait, that's not the point! Why are you with Michael!?"
"We were in danger back in Water Seven, and then the captain saved us," Uta explained succinctly.
"After that, me, Kaya, and Usopp became combatants for the Old Geezers Pirates..."
"Ahem, don't promote yourself without permission," Michael coughed dryly. "You're clearly still reserve crew members on probation."
"Probation!? Reserve!? Substitute!? When do I get to become official!?" Uta clutched her head and wailed, utterly exasperated.
Meanwhile, Michael looked at the clearly bewildered Shanks and patted his shoulder with a smile, saying nothing more.
Some things, he really needed to digest on his own.
"Gaban... you've aged quite a bit over the years."
"Well, I really am old now... Don't forget, I'm the same age as Garp and the others!" Gaban laughed heartily.
"But even at this age... I still have the energy to stir up some trouble with you and the giant warriors."
"You're the man who married a giant, after all... I never doubted your energy," Michael said, eyeing the increasingly irreverent Gaban.
"Are the giant warriors all ready?"
"Under Dorry and Brogy's leadership, all the giant warriors are poised for action... Just give the word, and they can assemble and set sail for the battlefield in no time." Gaban's face was full of nostalgia.
"After all, in their eyes, you're on par with Joy Boy... the Archangel of the End... So isn't this a bit too coincidental? An angel just happens to be recorded in their history books and Joy Boy's diary?"
"Did you forget... the time I was missing was actually me traveling back 800 years..."
"Uh... you mean..." Gaban froze, then abruptly took off his small sunglasses. "You're the Archangel of the End... in the flesh!?"
"Unfortunately, yes, it's me." Michael shrugged. "Alright, go rally the giant warriors now... we set sail in a day."
Gaban nodded blankly but didn't move.
Clearly, his brain was still struggling to process it.
So, a couple of the other old geezers—excluding Rocks—grabbed Gaban by the arms and hauled him away.
Coincidentally, Sengoku and Garp, the former Marine figureheads, had the most contact with the giants.
After Gaban and the others left, Red-Haired Shanks looked at Michael with a complicated expression and finally sighed.
"Michael... thanks for looking after my daughter."
"It's not really a hassle. To be honest, I quite like kids," Michael said with a grin, patting Shanks on the shoulder. "But as for the babysitting fee... you'll have to chip in a little."
"...Uh, aren't Uta and the others your crewmates? Back in the day, Roger never asked me for any babysitting fees..."
"Of course not! What were you to Roger but what Uta is to you now?" Michael scoffed. "But Uta's a different story for me... Do you know she nearly wrecked the ship's engine system last week?"
"It was just almost!" Uta retorted defiantly from nearby. "And didn't we fix it in the end?"
"That was Usopp who fixed it!"
Honestly, Michael found the trio utterly exasperating.
They were the perfect little trio—one troublemaker, one apologizer, and one cleaner-upper.
Not entirely useless, but close enough to it.
If Usopp hadn't been busy tinkering with the Clima-Tact, Michael would've sent them packing long ago.
"Whatever, we'll deal with that later," Michael turned back. "By the way... why did you ask me to bring Rocks along?"
"You two... come with me." Shanks glanced at Michael, then at Rocks, before turning to lead the way toward the 'Underworld' beneath Oarst Castle.
Michael nodded at Rocks and followed.
The three descended to the very roots of the Adam Wood.
There, Loki—who had been bound there by Michael himself seven years ago—lifted his head and began shouting excitedly:
"Michael! Quick! Untie me! I'll join your crew! Please!"
"...Did the giants feed him pig tails or something?" Michael pointed at Loki. "Why's he so worked up?"
"That... would be thanks to the man beside you, Rocks." Shanks shrugged. "After all, he came to Giant Island years ago, beat up some kid and ended up with a lifelong admirer..."
"Huh? Me?" Rocks blinked, pointing at himself. "Wait, how is this my fault?"
Rocks walked forward and studied Loki.
"Hold on... those bandages over your eyes look familiar." Rocks rubbed his chin. "Did I beat you up?"
"You beat me up!" Loki roared excitedly at the voice he'd longed to hear. "I was bedridden for over a month!"
"...Damn, you're that brat from the Giant Tribe?"
Finally, Rocks dredged up the memory.
"Tch, Whitebeard even said I went too far back then..."
"But look at you now—a full-fledged warrior of the Giant Tribe!"
"Rocks!" Loki strained against his bonds. "Let me sail with you! I'm strong enough now to stand by your side! I'll help you become the King of the World!"
The moment Loki finished, Rocks leapt up and smacked him across the head.
"Ugh! Don't jinx me with that crap!"
"Do you have any idea that titles like 'God' or 'King of the World'... are the kind that get you dragged off by Michael to be burned at the stake!"
"I've seen it happen more than once!"
"Don't drag me into this!"