Rayleigh could already feel Shakky giving him a strange look.
He turned his head to look back at her, and just as he thought, she was staring at him with a very peculiar expression.
Her hands, however, didn't stop moving.
"Bring this over!" Shakky said, placing the freshly prepared food on the counter.
Rayleigh didn't complain about being bossed around.
He stood up, grabbed the plate of food, and carried it over to the table where Hawkeye and the others were sitting.
"Shanks talked about you, but you don't look much like the Dark King Rayleigh from the Pirate King's crew back then," Hawkeye said just as Rayleigh was about to turn and leave.
"Oh? That kid Shanks mentioned me?" Rayleigh was surprised.
He turned back around, pulled out a chair, and sat down to chat.
Nearby, Enel and Issho listened to the conversation while they ate.
Rayleigh didn't hold back either, he naturally grabbed some food for himself and started eating.
"But I'm retired now. Just let this old pirate live out his retirement in peace."
Eating didn't stop Rayleigh from talking.
He had actually been the one to start the real conversation.
Shakky, with a cigarette hanging from her lips, watched the four men sitting around the table. She just shook her head and brought their drinks over herself.
"That's not for me to decide. Besides, running into you this time was just a coincidence," Hawkeye replied, shaking his head.
His expression didn't change at all.
"If it's a coincidence, then just pretend you never saw me."
"Like I said, it's not my call. And since Cyrus picked this bar as our meeting spot, he obviously knows you're here." As he spoke, Hawkeye glanced over at the sword that was still sitting out on the counter.
"Shanks once told me that he learned some of his swordsmanship from you. Because of that, I want to see the skills of a great swordsman who used to rule the seas."
Hearing this, Rayleigh immediately waved his hand to brush it off.
"Don't say that. Shanks learned how to use a sword from Roger. At most, I only taught him a few of the basics."
This time, however, Hawkeye didn't reply.
Seeing the serious look on Hawkeye's face, Rayleigh sighed to himself.
This guy is completely single-minded!
"Forget it, let's drop that for now. This Cyrus you keep bringing up—what exactly is he planning to do?"
From their short time together, Rayleigh could tell that even though this group was small, they were ridiculously strong.
And this Cyrus, who he hadn't even met yet, was clearly their leader.
"Only he knows the answer to that. We just happened to bump into each other, had a fight, and then decided to travel together," Hawkeye explained after a moment of thought.
"You two fought?" Rayleigh's curiosity was instantly hooked. "Who won?"
"I lost," Hawkeye said honestly, remembering the crazy ability Cyrus had shown at the very end of their duel.
'So the rumors were true? The only reason the world's greatest swordsman was following Cyrus was because he had actually been beaten by him.'
'It seemed Cyrus's strength wasn't just exaggerated gossip after all.'
'A genuinely interesting guy had finally shown up on the seas again.'
'The only downside was that this guy seemed to be looking for me!'
"So, where is he right now?"
"He went to Water 7 to get a ship built," Issho said, looking up from his meal.
'Gone to build a ship? Water 7...' Rayleigh suddenly thought about the old ship they had sailed on during their own wild adventures years ago.
That ship had come from Water 7, too.
...
Water 7
"Have you made up your mind?" Cyrus looked at Tom standing in front of him, and then at the group of people waiting behind him.
"Yes!" Tom nodded firmly.
Since Cyrus had offered him a way out, this was clearly the best option he had.
However, his student Iceberg refused to leave the shipyard in Water 7 behind, and Tom didn't want to force him.
"Then let's set sail for the Sabaody Archipelago. Once we get there, I'll introduce you to someone," Cyrus said simply.
Tom agreed and immediately ordered Cutty Flam and the other apprentices to get the ship ready.
These guys were amazing shipwrights and excellent sailors, they knew everything there was to know about surviving on the open ocean.
Even so, Cyrus didn't plan on keeping a massive crew on his ship.
The new vessel slowly pulled out of the shipyard. Iceberg stood on the docks, watching the ship until it completely vanished over the horizon.
Only then did he turn around to head back.
He knew the World Government would eventually show up looking for trouble, but he also knew he had ways to deal with them.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the four CP9 agents—who had been left totally stranded by Cyrus—finally breathed a massive sigh of relief once they were sure he was actually gone.
"I really thought we were dead this time!" Blueno gasped, letting out a heavy breath.
"He's a monster who can go toe-to-toe with an Admiral. But... he's not a pirate," Kaku added, nodding in agreement.
"Report this immediately. This whole situation is a massive headache," Rob Lucci said, looking over at Kalifa.
Spandam might be a nobody in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, but he was still an official director of a World Government intelligence agency.
And now, he had completely vanished in Water 7 without leaving a single trace behind.
They couldn't handle a mess like this on their own.
They had to report it to the top and wait for new orders.
Kalifa nodded, stepped away to make the call, and contacted their bosses.
A few minutes later, she walked back over with a very confused look on her face.
"What's wrong?" The three men stared at her, puzzled by her expression.
"The orders from the higher-ups are to just keep looking for those blueprints," Kalifa said.
"What about Cyrus?" Rob Lucci asked, though he already had a sinking feeling about the answer.
"They didn't say a single word about him," Kalifa replied.
"Is that so?" Rob Lucci muttered, nodding slowly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blueno asked, scratching his head.
"It means the people at the very top have taken over the Cyrus situation themselves," Kaku guessed.
Rob Lucci looked around at his team. "Cyrus doesn't have a bounty on his head."
The three of them froze for a second before nodding in realization.
Is the World Government actually trying to recruit this monster?
...
The Room of Authority
"Sengoku is entirely against this idea," Nusjuro spoke in a deep voice, resting his hands on his Shodai Kitetsu sword.
"The Marines have already tried to recruit this man multiple times in the past, but he has rejected them every single time. The Marines' stance on him is a bit too soft."
"True. However, while the man's strength is undeniable, he does not carry the Will of D."
As soon as those words were spoken, the Room of Authority went dead silent.
"Then tell Sengoku to send someone to talk to him again. We still have an empty seat in the Shichibukai."
"Agreed."
After a few quiet nods of approval, the room fell silent once more.
Clearly, as long as Cyrus didn't have a "D" in his name, these powerful old men didn't see him as a massive threat to the world order.
...
Back at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku had just gotten the news and was nursing a massive headache.
A director of a Cipher Pol agency had completely vanished, and Cyrus was almost certainly the one behind it.
Sengoku had actively fought against giving Cyrus a bounty this time.
He reminded the higher-ups of Cyrus's past actions and how the Marines were still trying to recruit him.
The final decision wasn't the worst-case scenario, but it definitely wasn't good news either.
As long as Cyrus didn't actually call himself a pirate, the Marines really didn't want to treat him like one.
Plus, fighting Cyrus's current crew would be a nightmare.
Sending even two Admirals might not be enough to secure a win.
Forget Cyrus for a second—he had two other top-tier monsters traveling with him, and one of them was a Warlord.
Sengoku rubbed his temples, trying to figure out how to handle the mess.
Right now, the best option was just to stall.
Cyrus probably wouldn't stay at the Sabaody Archipelago for very long.
If the Marines could just delay things until he finally sailed into the New World, he would be someone else's problem.
Finding an excuse to ignore him was easy enough.
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