One Piece : Admiral Falcon is Pissed off again today!

Chapter 580 580

Watching Ginny, who had been thoroughly bamboozled and was now stumbling off to find Kuma with her vacation days, Michael shook his head.

"Tsk, am I the supreme leader or the neighborhood committee auntie? Why does every little family squabble end up on my doorstep?"

"That's because they only trust you, you know?" Imu returned to the desk nearby. "Even though you dump all the work on me... your own plate is never empty."

"Tsk tsk, what a happy problem to have."

Michael chuckled.

Truth be told, he was actually someone who feared loneliness.

Having a lively atmosphere around him, while occasionally annoying, was something he genuinely enjoyed most of the time.

"But isn't Bonney taking things a bit too far... How did she suddenly latch onto Luffy like that?"

"Is it strange?" Imu looked up, her expression quite serious. "He's also Nika... Every Nika possesses that peculiar, inexplicable charm. Luffy is like that... and so was Joy Boy."

"You know what, you're right..."

...

Whole Cake Island, Cake Island.

"Are you sure you're not going back to Elbaf?"

In the garden belonging to Charlotte Linlin, a man whose height rivaled that of the ancient Giant Race sat upon an enormous chair.

Across from him, Charlotte Linlin calmly crossed her legs and looked up at him.

"Elbaf... holds no meaning for me anymore," the man raised his head, his eyes concealed beneath bandages.

"To Elbaf, Loki is now nothing but a redundant nuisance... What difference would it make if I returned?"

Charlotte Linlin gazed at Loki, feeling a hint of melancholy in her heart.

Ever since Elbaf had elected her as the new ruler, they had shown little regard for Loki, the son of the previous king.

Of course, the main reason was their inherent disdain for Loki himself.

"Have you decided what you'll do from now on? Let me make this clear upfront—becoming a Pirate or anything of the sort... is completely out of the question." Charlotte Linlin waved her hand dismissively.

"Michael has already issued a strict decree to eradicate Pirates entirely, while establishing the legitimate profession of 'Adventurer'... If you still wish to set sail, that's the only path left for you."

"Sailing... was nothing more than a youthful delusion." Loki's tone carried a hint of aged weariness as he lifted a teacup—large enough to serve as a bathtub for ordinary people—and took a sip of black tea.

"All I want now is to find a place to spend the rest of my days."

"Youngster... spend the rest of your days..." Charlotte Linlin sighed helplessly before continuing.

"Have you forgotten that you're only sixty-three? Among the Giant Race, you're still just a brat... You have at least three or four hundred years left to live..."

"Ahaha, that's not important." Loki let out an awkward laugh. "Anyway, I have no ambitions left to fulfill... How about I become your live-in son-in-law? Doesn't your Charlotte family have plenty of daughters?"

"...Are you sure?" Charlotte Linlin stroked her chin, seemingly pondering the possibility. "But if you become a son-in-law of the Charlotte family... from now on, you'll have to obey my orders, you know?"

"As if I could disobey you now anyway..." Loki shook his head. "Didn't Michael hand me over to you so you could keep me in check and prevent me from causing trouble? Not that I have any intention of stirring up trouble in the first place..."

"Who told you to have such a long list of past offenses? Michael has always been the type to leave no stone unturned... The fact that he didn't eliminate you as an unstable factor right after the war ended is already a testament to his mercy..."

"Are you sure it's not because he spared his own daughter in the end and feels guilty toward everyone?"

"Sometimes, you brat, you don't need to see things so clearly."

"Damn it... Charlotte Linlin! You're only five years older than me!"

"But I'm stronger than you... Do you have a problem with that? Want to settle it on a deserted island? Let's see if you can survive against me?"

"Uh... Let's just talk about marrying your daughter instead."

...

"Welcome to Shakky's Rip-off Bar, sir. What would you like to drink?"

"A delicious glass of mead... with a little extra love from the proprietress."

The teasing voice made Shakky, who was mechanically welcoming customers, freeze in place.

In the next moment, she kicked straight at the white-haired old man standing before her.

"Isn't this the famous Rayleigh? What brings a high-ranking official of the new government to my little tavern?"

"Shakky... your expression is really terrifying when you say things like that." Rayleigh reacted with lightning speed, catching Shakky's slender yet powerful calf before she could strike.

"But there's one thing you got wrong. I was originally a high-ranking official of the Angel Alliance, but I have absolutely no connection to the new government..."

"You were cast aside after being used?"

"I resigned on my own."

"Too old and no longer up to the task?"

"No." Rayleigh shook his head, then gently kissed the clean, slender calf.

"There's a debt of gratitude I owe you, and I have to repay it."

The sensation of his lips brushing against the skin of her calf sent a sudden shiver through Shakky's entire body.

A glimmer of anticipation flickered in her eyes.

Just then, the tavern door swung open again, and Gaban poked half his body inside, shouting at the two of them.

"Hey! Rayleigh! Shakky! Are you two really going to act out this twilight romance right now?"

"I brought my wife and son to the Elbaf resort on Sabaody Archipelago for vacation!"

"Come on, come on! Let's go have a drink with us first!"

Neither Shakky nor Rayleigh paid any attention to Gaban.

"You... just happened to be passing by here?"

"Well, no, actually Gaban and the others are the ones who just happened to be passing by."

"Alright, don't say any more..."

One minute later...

"Uh, Rayleigh, with all these people coming and going, do you really have to make a scene here?"

Gaban looked speechlessly at Rayleigh, who was sprawled against the tavern door, wailing with his mouth wide open.

"Get lost! You get lost! You got married and had kids! I'm still nowhere close!" Rayleigh kicked Gaban squarely in the lower back.

"The atmosphere was perfect just now! If I'd known, I never should have brought you along, you bastard!"

"Ahahaha, Rayleigh, you finally have a day where you're really worked up!"

In the distance, Ripley and Colon looked over.

"Huh? Why are Dad and Uncle Rayleigh fighting?"

"Colon, you're still young, so you don't quite understand... this is the bond between brothers."

"The bond between brothers?"

Ripley nodded.

"That's right. When danger comes, they are each other's best comrades-in-arms..."

"But normally, they are each other's greatest danger."