Hearing Sakazuki relay the command to the reporting captain, Spandine's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Blinded by rage, he even drew his pistol and fired three shots at Sakazuki's back.
But the moment he pulled the trigger... regret flooded him.
His cowardly nature instantly took over.
Watching the three bullets pierce through the Justice cloak only to melt into nothingness against Sakazuki magma body, Spandine trembled uncontrollably.
"S-Sakazuki! I—I'm here under the orders of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government!"
"Call off the bombardment! Let us investigate ashore!"
Sakazuki abruptly turned around, his towering height and overwhelming killing intent bearing down on the clown behind him.
"Spandine, shut your noisy mouth."
Sakazuki grabbed the gun in Spandine hand, his body transforming into magma as he completely destroyed the weapon.
Spandine recoiled as if seeing a ghost, frantically shaking his hand free and stumbling backward.
"Hmph, a mere CP agent dares to think he can order me around!"
"You don't actually believe your command authority override Admiral Sengoku, do you?"
"Not even Admiral Sengoku has the power to stop a Buster Call!"
"As for you... just wait. I'll be filing an internal complaint with the World Government about your overreach!"
With Sakazuki roar like an erupting volcano, the terrifying firepower of the ten warships deployed for the Buster Call—enough to destroy a nation—rained down upon Ohara.
The Tree of Knowledge, with its five thousand years of history, once home to the world's greatest library...
was swallowed by the roar of cannon fire.
On this day, Ohara ceased to exist.
"Wow, wow, wow! That's some serious firepower!"
On an island just 10 miles from Ohara, Michael hovered mid-air, watching the fall of Ohara through binoculars.
"Hey! Michael! What are you looking at over there?"
Olvia and Saul approached him with wry smiles.
Behind them was Garp, who had little Robin perched on his shoulders, treating himself like a horse or a rocking toy.
The one calling out to him was of course, the old man Garp.
Ever since Ace was born, this unruly man had completely lost his resistance to children.
It was hard to imagine this doting old man would later subject his grandsons to hellish training.
Michael descended from the sky and waved his binoculars.
"Just making sure the Buster Call proceeds as we agreed with old man Sengoku—long-range bombardment without landing troops."
"I have to say, Sakazuki's temper actually works in our favor this time."
"Through these binoculars, I saw Spandine piss himself from Sakazuki's glare! Hahaha!"
Hearing Spandine name, Olvia and Saul exchanged relieved smiles.
It was Spandine and his CP9 agents who had killed the archaeologists and hunted the two of them.
Michael put away his binoculars and turned to Garp.
"Are the villagers settled in? No issues, I hope?"
"None. Compared to Ohara, this island is a thousand times better for ordinary folks—way more than that barren place with just one big tree."
This island was much larger than Ohara and the meager resources of Ohara paled in comparison to this island.
The villagers, initially unhappy about relocating, were overjoyed when they saw their new home.
But how had such a high-quality island, so close to Ohara, remained uninhabited all these years
Later, it was Michael and Bogard who led the Marine soldiers deep into the island for a thorough inspection, only to discover that the island was teeming with wild wolves.
And these weren't ordinary wolves—when the moon rose high at night, they exhibited a noticeable increase in strength and speed...
According to Garp's explanation, these wolves were called the "Moon Wolf."
This trait likely stemmed from some distant, barely traceable ancestral connection to the Mink Tribe generations ago.
However, while the Minks eventually evolved into a proper intelligent species, the Moon Wolf remained nothing more than beasts with a few special abilities.
Under Michael leadership, they swiftly eradicated all the Moon Wolves on the island.
Thus, the island became the new home for the former residents of Ohara.
"Olvia, Saul… are you two leaving as well?"
"That's right. We're setting off too."
"Have you found a place to go?"
"Not yet, but we definitely can't stay on this island" Olvia shook her head.
"It's only a matter of time before the World Government finds us here."
Michael nodded—Olvia wasn't wrong.
Back then, even Ace origins had been uncovered. Olvia would be no exception.
"In that case, how about I point you in the right direction?" Michael glanced at Robin, who was riding on Saul back, the two of them laughing carefreely, then lowered his voice so only Olvia could hear.
"Go to Sorbet Kingdom. Look for a man named Monkey D. Dragon. Tell him Michael sent you."
"What he needs most are warriors of justice like Saul… and archaeologists like you."
"Archaeologists who can decipher the Poneglyphs."
Olvia froze at his words, but then pointed discreetly at Garp in the distance.
Michael nodded. "That's right—Garp son. He'll be your most like-minded ally."
"You seek the truth. Saul seeks justice in his heart."
"And Dragon… wants to overthrow the World Government."
Olvia shuddered, her gaze burning as she stared at Michael.
"You're saying… he wants to overthrow the entire World Government?"
"Not just him. The man standing before you is striving for a similar goal."
Michael gave her a faint smile but didn't elaborate further.
At that moment, a group of peculiar faces peeked out from Garp's warship—the most distinctive among them being Dr. Clover.
"Vice Admiral Garp! Lieutenant Commander Michael! All scholars of the Tree of Knowledge are ready!"
"When do we set sail?"
Olvia stared blankly at the scholars on the warship, then turned to Michael in confusion.
"Michael-san, what's…?"
Michael shrugged and grinned.
"They're just hitching a ride."
"They're about to embark on their own journey as pioneers of knowledge."