Chapter 2: The Singer, Stella
Five years ago, just before officially joining the Navy, Michael consumed a Devil Fruit.
At that time, he was working on a merchant ship, tasked with guarding the fresh produce in the cargo hold. A sudden jolt caused a small mountain of fruits to collapse, though soft padding on the floor prevented any damage.
Among the fallen fruits was a peculiar apple, pure white with spiral patterns, which rolled to his feet.
Michael felt a strange voice in his mind urging him, "Eat it! Eat it!"
Following his instincts, he took a big bite. Despite an indescribable stench, he became a Devil Fruit user with the power of the Mythical Zoan Fruit, Seraphim Form. Yet, when he registered his ability with the Navy, he downplayed it, labeling it as the Zoan Fruit, Ancient Bird Form and disclosing only his flight capability.
But this time, he couldn't hold back his temper. Perhaps it was because he had never learned how to hide his emotions, or maybe his spirit had begun to burn anew with righteous anger.
With that holy white flame, he obliterated eighty-eight people.
Comparing their faces with wanted posters, he identified several high-bounty criminals among them.
"Not a single one could withstand even one attack? Then they truly deserved death."
Although bounty amounts don't always correlate with strength, some pirates receive high rewards for sheer cruelty. While most bounty hunters target these types, Michael's Navy comrades couldn't help but exchange uneasy glances after witnessing his ruthless power.
"I'd heard rumors that Lieutenant Commander Michael was powerful, but is it really this exaggerated?"
"He's only eighteen! Isn't that even more unbelievable?"
"Some people weren't happy about him being Vice-Admiral Momousagi's adjutant. But now… who would dare to question it?"
"But this was a slave ship carrying goods for the Celestial Dragons. Won't we be in trouble?"
Michael, while lacking the Haki abilities to sense such whispers directly, overheard them thanks to his remarkable physique.
"Hey, stop muttering and bring a medic here!" he barked.
"Yes, sir!"
As Michael's radiant light dispelled the storm clouds, sunshine bathed the slave ship. He retracted his angelic wings and walked calmly into the now-brightened hold.
"I am Michael, Navy Headquarters Lieutenant Commander stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago. For now, you are safe."
Indeed, for now.
Michael knew that among the captives, there were not only innocent civilians but likely some dangerous pirates as well. But as he went further, his glowing wings revealed a startling truth. Every slave aboard was a young, defenseless woman, including noble daughters and innocent girls. No hardened criminals or warriors were among them.
In the final cell, he spotted a blonde girl in the corner, scarred and trembling as she shielded several younger girls.
"You scumbags! What you're doing is a crime!" she shouted defiantly.
Michael rubbed his temples, thinking, Isn't she a bit too naive? You're a prisoner, yet you're provoking the captors?
"I'm with the Navy. You're safe now."
The girl's emerald eyes only narrowed in disbelief, practically shouting liar!
Michael sighed and spread his wings again, increasing the glow. With the hold now fully illuminated, she finally noticed the Navy uniforms and soldiers freeing the captives.
For the first time, she felt a sense of peace.
"Stella! Are you alright?" a young girl asked as the blonde seemed to waver.
Just as she was about to faint, Michael broke the cell's lock and checked her over.
"What did you call her?"
"St-Stella."
The name clicked. That's why she had seemed familiar—she was the same Stella from the backstory of Gild Tesoro, the "Golden Emperor." In One Piece lore, Stella was Tesoro's lost love, sold into slavery and eventually lost to the world.
Looking at this real, fragile girl made the story's loss feel even more tragic. "Don't worry," Michael reassured the others, "she's only fainted from exhaustion after protecting you all."
He gently touched Stella's forehead, allowing his holy light to flow through, healing her injuries and exhaustion. With a unique power, his holy flame could both heal and destroy.
As her face relaxed and her pain eased, Michael comforted the smaller girls clinging to his coat. He picked Stella up, saying to the officer nearby, "Take all of the victims to the ship. We'll sort things out back on the Archipelago."
"Understood, sir," replied the officer, pausing with some news. "Also, we found a chest in the captain's quarters. Along with the loot, it contains three Devil Fruits!"
"Three Devil Fruits? These scum really hit the jackpot this time."
Michael, a transmigrator, was as surprised as anyone. Not only had they taken over two hundred women, but they'd also stumbled upon three Devil Fruits, making this a billion-berry haul if they'd sold everything.
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