"You still want to set sail!?" Kozuki Toki turned around and directly grabbed Kozuki Rin's ear, "As the soon-to-be Shogun of Wano Country, you're still thinking about going to sea!?"
"Ouch! Mom! Let go, let go! My ear's going to be torn off!" Kozuki Rin said with a pained expression.
"I told you back then, you and Dad should hurry up and start over with a new character... but who knew you were determined to tornt !"
"Tornt you!?" Kozuki Toki was instantly furious, "It's clearly that your father and I have high hopes for you, okay!? Even though you've beco a girl, both your abilities and mindset are completely different now!"
Just as Kozuki Toki was about to roll up her sleeves to discipline Kozuki Rin, a hand rested on her shoulder.
"Toki, at Michael's place, at least give the child so face... after all, she's already in her thirties."
Kozuki Toki turned around, her expression instantly softening.
The newcor was Angel D. Sora, followed closely by Reiju.
"Aunt Sora, it's precisely because I'm in my thirties that I'm anxious..." Kozuki Toki sighed.
"Whether it's the Shimotsuki family, the Kozuki family, or the Amatsuki family, their children have already started families and had kids of their own."
"Isn't that good news?" Kozuki Rin muttered, "That way, once these kids grow up, I can pass the heavy burden of Wano Country's Shogun to them."
"You idiot!"
"Missed!"
Before Kozuki Toki's exasperated slap could land, Kozuki Rin had already ducked and run into the house.
"Aunt Rouge! I'm here to help!"
"Shoo, shoo! Get out of here!" Rouge, busy in the kitchen, rcilessly drove Kozuki Rin out, "Do you think I'm not busy enough!? Do you rember what happened last ti you went into the kitchen with Ace and the others?"
"Uh..." Kozuki Rin awkwardly scraped her foot on the floor a couple of tis, "It was just one stove that exploded..."
"You know the consequences then, don't you!?"
A while later, Kozuki Rin, who was unwelco everywhere she went, could only obediently sit on the sofa, listening to a bunch of old folks chatting.
Bored out of her mind, she leaned over to Michael and whispered.
"By the way... haven't the grandmas co back yet? It's getting late."
"Why are you more anxious than I am?"
"Obviously! Once the grandmas are back, my mom's attention will shift away from !"
"Well, you'll have to wait then." Michael shrugged, "Crocodile went out a few days ago to deal with so bandit suppression and is already on her way back... Gion went to award the top ten in the All-Army Decathlon Competition, and Stella, as the captain of the Pangaea Castle garrison, has been accompanying Imu handling official duties."
"All your wives are out working, and you're just lying around at ho? Listening to these old folks brag?" Kozuki Rin's eyes held a hint of disdain, "Can you be any more of a slacker?"
Without hesitation, Michael gave a thumbs-up, then flashed a bright, sunny smile... and his gleaming white teeth.
"I'm just trash!"
"Impressive."
Not long after Michael and Kozuki Rin's idle chatter, more and more people arrived at the house.
Tsuru arrived with her granddaughter, Kujaku, and Miss Goldenweek.
Ace and Sabo, clamoring for a rematch.
Sakazuki and Kuzan, arriving together but eyeing each other with disdain, along with Borsalino who's just here for the show.
Fujitora, descending from the sky with dice and fine wine in hand.
Whitebeard, still robust despite his age, and Charlotte Linlin, who seed to grow younger with each passing day.
"Huh? I know it might not be the best ti to ask, but... where's Kaido?"
Michael looked up at Charlotte Linlin.
Fortunately, when he had built the house, he had taken such possibilities into account—the ceiling height was more than enough to accommodate soone like Charlotte Linlin, who stood over ten ters tall.
"Still outside, working on his ntal state," Charlotte Linlin said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"His strength has grown over the years, but his courage has only shrunk... he's regressing."
"Well, what can you do? He's hit too many walls with Yamato," Michael chuckled. "After all, this whole ss was his fault from the start..."
"True enough."
anwhile, Rouge, the sole ruler of the kitchen today, was flexing her authority... by kicking so people out to go grocery shopping.
"Uh, Grandpa, can your status sink any lower?" Kozuki Rin, walking beside Michael, teased. "Getting kicked out by Aunt Rouge is just... wow."
"What can he do? Uncle Michael is unemployed, after all," Ace chid in with a grin. "The unemployed are at the bottom of the food chain at ho."
"Ace... no one would mistake you for mute if you kept quiet!" Michael flicked Ace's forehead with a light tap.
"Speaking of which, your family titles are a ss... you call Grandpa, but Rouge is Aunt... by that logic, you and Ace should be the sa generation, but Ace calls Uncle..."
"Ahem, let's just go by individual relationships, individual relationships," Sabo interjected, trying to smooth things over.
"Our family structure is a bit too complicated."
"Exactly! Father! Overthinking this is pointless!" Hancock stepped forward. "Titles and bloodlines don't matter... what matters is the bond."
Hearing this, Michael glanced back at the group behind him...
The Boa sisters, Yamato, Kozuki Rin and Kozuki Hiyori, plus Ace and Sabo...
"So, is that why you all got kicked out to go grocery shopping with ?"
Michael couldn't help but feel a bit speechless...
He seed to have beco the designated babysitter during holidays.
Such were the downsides of being old enough but not quite elderly.
"Speaking of which... why do Reiju, Kujaku, and Marian get to stay at ho?" Ace wondered aloud.
"Aren't they just kids to the old-tirs too?"
"Because you're all useless in situations like this," Michael replied with a mischievous grin. "Families can be cruel! Those without a purpose get to loiter outside until alti."
...
Grocery shopping was nothing new for Michael.
But shopping with the kids? That was a first...
After all, the kids were now the backbone of the Angel Republic.
And ever since stepping down as the supre leader, Michael had completely let go of all work related to the Angel Republic.
After all... the Angel Republic could now operate independently without his protection.
The most dangerous period for a new governnt had passed...
As long as they didn't ss things up, there would be centuries of peace ahead.
As for the demon remnants established by Blackbeard under Michael's direction, they too would continue to be passed down through the generations...
It could even be said that, in essence, the demon remnants were also a part of the Angel Republic.
Light and darkness always exist in mutual dependence.
This world could never beco one of pure light, nor could it beco one of complete darkness.
However, the people at the Mary Geoise market were all seasoned and worldly...
So, when it ca to these high-ranking officials with well-known reputations, they treated them just like the most ordinary custors.
There were no scenes of fawning or offering free vegetables and eggs.
At most, they might just add an extra comnt...
"Ah, who would have thought that the little brat from back then has already stepped down as the highest leader..."
Michael was taken aback...
Damn!
These were the old rchants who had relocated from Marineford!
Michael paid, took the vegetables...
And fled with his face covered.
The blackmail these people held was no less formidable than that of Sengoku and Garp!
After fleeing all the way back to his private island, Michael sent away all the burdens around him and walked toward the other side of the island—the direction away from the estate.
When he reached a seaside cliff, Michael pulled a cigar from his pocket, one he had casually swiped from Sakazuki's pocket before leaving.
Holy flas drifted from his fingertips, lighting the cigar.
Michael took a deep drag, then let out a long sigh.
Satisfying!
Ever since the four won in his household beca pregnant, he hadn't had a single puff in a long ti!
After all, four pregnant tigresses were truly terrifying.
Even Michael had no courage to challenge them and could only obediently quit.
Just as Michael finished half the cigar, he suddenly spoke, as if to himself:
"Alright, co out... If I hadn't noticed you, would I have co all this way just for a smoke?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a massive, demon-winged brute flew up from the cliff.
"Zehahahaha! I really can't hide anything from you, Michael!"
"As the leader of the demon remnants, you probably shouldn't be here, right?"
"But as a collaborator, sneaking over to congratulate you seems reasonable, doesn't it?" Blackbeard landed beside Michael.
"After all, you kept your promise... and so will I."
"...Have you visited your foster mother and two sisters recently?"
"Not bad. The old lady is still strong and healthy, still the undisputed champion of argunts in Shadow Harbor... As for my two sisters, though they aren't married yet, they both seem to have soone they like—both are local governnt officials of your Angel Republic... Wait, you didn't arrange this, did you?"
"Do I look like I have nothing better to do than arrange sothing like that?" Michael curled his lip.
"Alright, you've delivered your congratulations. Now get lost... Don't forget your duty and destiny."
"Yes, yes, yes... Truly the Archangel of the End."
After a brief exchange, Blackbeard spread his black demon wings once more...
And vanished rapidly into the horizon.
Michael watched the direction Blackbeard had left, slowly smoking the cigar in his hand.
Just as he took the last few puffs, a swirl of yellow sand suddenly drifted up beside Michael...
'Hmm? Yellow sand?'
His body instantly stiffened.
"My dear husband... I seem to recall we repeatedly emphasized that we absolutely must not let our baby beco a chain-smoker before they're even born, didn't we?"
"Uh, Chichi, can't you cut so slack?"
"Dream on!" Crocodile erged from the yellow sand, directly locking Michael's throat from behind.
"And who told you to call that! Call Crocodile!"
"But Chichi, haven't you already reclaid your identity?" Michael said with a grin, "So calling you by your original na shouldn't be a problem... And during intimate monts, didn't you also ask to call you that na?"
"Ahhh! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"
"Alright, Crocodile, you can't possibly murder your own husband at a ti like this, can you?" Gion's voice sounded from behind, "Choking play... you two are into such wild gas?"
"Look who's talking, playing the courtesan ga with Michael in your own ho... where pulling the sash makes you spin and strip all at once..."
"Stella, before criticizing others, maybe reflect on whether you have any issues yourself... Didn't you also go up to the clouds with Michael for so 'life harmony'?"
Finally, everyone turned their gaze to Imu, who had spoken last.
"Right, right, right, you're the purest one playing the queen ga, aren't you?"
Michael looked at the bickering tigresses, the light of life already gone from his eyes.
Since stepping down from his position, he hadn't activated his Observation Haki or anything of the sort for a long ti.
Even when he t Blackbeard earlier, it was only because Blackbeard used his Devil Fruit ability to send him a beacon made of negative emotions.
Otherwise... how could he have failed to notice his own tigresses?
"Well... about the cigar thing, I can explain..."
"Explain what? Divine punishnt!"
Later that night, as the master of the house, Michael did not appear at the family dinner.
When asked, he was said to be feeling unwell.
But the four tigresses who answered that question had a terrifyingly radiant glow about them.
...
Six months later.
"The delivery rooms are open!"
"Everyone, get ready!"
Toki and Sora, as the leaders of the household, directed the won of the family, big and small, rushing between the four delivery rooms.
anwhile, Michael, the husband, could only sit in a room on the second floor, silently waiting.
Though he was sowhat nervous... it really wasn't much.
After all, the threshold for humans in this world was set there... childbirth was rarely problematic.
The stagnant population growth was entirely due to the backward social structure and economic developnt.
In the five years since the Angel Republic was established, the number of newborns had increased more than tenfold compared to the previous five years.
Naturally, Michael wasn't worried...
And even in the case of a difficult birth, as long as he intervened, there would be no issues.
So, until any real problems arose, Michael sat quietly by the window in the room.
On the large bed by the window lay a blue-haired girl.
Like a sleeping beauty.
As ti passed, news of successful deliveries ca from the four delivery rooms one after another.
Instantly, the warmth of life filled the entire island.
And just then...
The blue-haired girl on the bed twitched her fingers slightly.
Then, she opened her eyes.
"Fa...ther?" Michael suddenly turned his head, looking in disbelief at Lily, who had already sat up.
In her eyes, there was no longer any trace of madness or desire...
Only childlike adoration and... a not-so-intelligent gaze.
Michael was taken aback.
Lily... had lost all her mories, and even her intellect had regressed to that of a young child...
But finally... she had called him father!
Michael sighed softly.
Then he gently embraced Lily.
Countless words ultimately condensed into a single phrase.
"My daughter..."
= The End =
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