Garp was completely shocked when he heard the news.
He had originally thought that his son's so-called "Freedom Fighters" was at most organizing protest marches—essentially a charity organization doing good deeds most of the time.
But never did he expect...
This time, Dragon had actually joined a war!?
And intervened in another country's civil war no less!
"What's wrong? Do you find what Dragon is doing now that unbelievable?"
Michael curled his lips and said. "When I mentioned Dragon to Olvia, I thought you'd already come to terms with it."
Garp's expression instantly turned resentful.
That was easy for Michael to say...
But when it came to his own son, he couldn't help feeling his blood pressure rise.
He had no idea what kind of sin he had committed in a past life—his son was practically born to be a Marine, yet not long after joining, he ran off!
And now he was pulling the same kind of stunts as Michael!
Was he trying to scare this old man to death?!
Ignoring Garp's self-pitying grumbles, Michael turned to Bogard and asked.
"Did the intel mention the current situation in the Sorbet Kingdom?"
Bogard nodded and read aloud.
"King Bekori of the Sorbet Kingdom, in order to reduce the Celestial Tribute payments, came up with the idea of splitting the country in half. He enacted a 'North-South Partition' law, where one half of the territory would remain under state protection, while the other half would become a true 'lawless land.'"
After hearing this, Michael sighed inwardly.
This kind of country... was truly beyond saving.
Such actions were no different from the World Government's methods.
The state-protected half was like a World Government-affiliated nation.
And the so-called lawless land? That was no different from the non-affiliated nations.
A civil war breaking out because of this... was inevitable.
This was also the moment Dragon took the Freedom Fighter's forward.
It was from here that Dragon truly realized—persuasion, protests, all of it was nonsense.
Political power grew from the barrel of a gun.
And it was at this moment that Monkey D. Dragon began to consider transforming the Freedom Fighters into the Revolutionary Army.
Some time later, Olvia's arrival would bring news of the "Ohara Incident" to their ears, becoming the catalyst for the true birth of the Revolutionary Army.
"Any other intel?" Michael asked again, but Bogard shook his head.
"Alright then. Garp-san we should head back to Marine Headquarters."
Garp's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he stared at Michael in disbelief.
"Wait, Dragon's causing this much trouble, and you can still calmly say we're going back!?"
"Then what do you suggest? Are you going to arrest Dragon-san in the Sorbet Kingdom?" Michael rolled his eyes.
"Don't forget, his Freedom Fighters Army isn't exactly a criminal organization."
That's right—Monkey D. Dragon, who hadn't yet formally established the Revolutionary Army, wasn't even a wanted man by the Marines.
Aside from being his father, Garp had no authority over him.
But when had that fatherly status ever been useful?
Michael couldn't help but chuckle, turning Garp's face green with frustration.
Then from green to purple and from purple to black.
He was utterly humiliated and enraged.
By the time they returned to Marine HQ, five days had passed.
Michael winced as he stretched his shoulders.
A humiliated and furious Garp was indeed a force to be reckoned with.
If Robin hadn't woken up just in time and stepped onto the deck, he would've been at the mercy of the old man's wrath.
"Enough with the act. Someone of your strength shouldn't have much trouble taking a full hit from me, right?"
"Whether it's difficult or not is one thing" Michael said, grimacing.
"But whether it fucking hurts is another!"
"Enough already! I don't have time to waste on you—I'm going home to see my daughter and grandson!" Garp waved him off and strode off the warship towards his residence.
After being away for so long, even missing his grandson's birth, his eagerness was understandable...
"But at least give some instructions before leaving! You're a vice admiral for crying out loud! How can you still be so childish?"
Michael muttered under his breath, but seeing Bogard and the other Marines who were already used to this...
He couldn't help but feel that the G-3 branch Marines were truly suffering under Garp's antics.
But since they were used to it, they might as well keep enduring it.
Michael brought Stella to Sengoku's office.
Without knocking, he pushed the door open.
And plopped right onto the sofa.
"Hey, old man, I'm back."
"...At least knock twice before barging into my office! You're a lieutenant commander, for God sake! How can you still be so childish?"
"...Wait, those are supposed to be my lines!?"
"Hmph, don't play dumb. Weren't you supposed to be training at sea with Garp? Why are you back so suddenly?" Sengoku didn't even look up, his attention fixed on the documents.
"Don't tell me you two had a falling out?"
Michael's lips twitched.
Five days ago, he had indeed pushed Garp to the brink, leading to a brief fallout.
But if you're this good at guessing, old man, why bother being a Marine!?
Just become a fortune-teller instead!
Seeing that Sengoku still hadn't looked up, Michael decided to drop a bigger bombshell.
"Well, I went to Alabasta."
"Alabasta? Nice place. You and Garp sure know how to enjoy yourselves—even training in such a wealthy and bustling kingdom?"
"True, the grandeur of Alabasta as a major nation really left an impression on me." Michael nodded solemnly, then added.
"So I had a good talk with King Cobra of Alabasta and finalized plans to establish a Marine branch there."
"Then go ahead and establish it. It's just setting up a Marine branch in Alabasta... Wait, what did you say!?"
Suddenly sensing something amiss, Sengoku sharply raised his head to look at Stella covering her mouth in suppressed laughter and Michael's calm expression.
"Say that again? What did you just say?"
"Old man, you're only one year older than Garp. Are you already going deaf?"
"Alright, alright. You heard that right—I've reached an agreement with King Cobra of Alabasta to establish a Marine branch there... but there are conditions."
Sengoku's furrowed brows actually relaxed at this.
If there were no conditions, he would have thought Michael was tricking him.
Conditions made this seem normal!
"The first condition is that all government agencies related to the Marine branch must be staffed by Alabastans."
"That... shouldn't be a major issue."
Alabasta had always operated on the fringes of the World Government, so this condition was reasonable.
"As for the second condition..."
"King Cobra demands that I must be appointed as the commander of the Marine branch."