Bubble Bikes were a completely unique way to get around the Sabaody Archipelago.
This was because the entire island chain wasn't made of dirt or rock, but was actually formed by the massive roots of the Yarukiman Mangroves floating on the ocean.
When the roots of these giant trees breathed, they released special bubbles that floated upward.
These bubbles could only survive within Sabaody's unique climate; the second they left the archipelago or the area covered by the mangroves, they would pop. But here on the islands, people had found tons of ways to use them.
The Bubble Bikes used to travel between the different zones were just one example. Another was ship coating.
If a pirate crew wanted to cross the Red Line by diving underwater and sailing through Fish-Man Island, their ship had to be coated using a special resin made from these mangrove bubbles.
"What an interesting place. Hearing about it a hundred times is nothing compared to seeing it with your own eyes," Robin remarked as she pedaled her Bubble Bike.
Cyrus sat on the back of Robin's bike, his eyes scanning their surroundings.
This archipelago really was fascinating. There was no solid land at all, only giant tree roots floating on the water's surface.
Much like bamboo growing in the dirt, what looked like a massive forest of separate trees was actually just one colossal mangrove tree.
However, each giant trunk and the root system below it formed its own district, and every giant tree had a massive number painted on it.
"I've already looked into it. The Sabaody Archipelago is split into many numbered areas. Areas 1 through 29 are totally lawless zones where even the Marines rarely step foot. It's basically a massive hangout for pirates, slave traders, and criminals. I plan to set up the Guild's temporary headquarters in one of those areas," Crocodile said from the side, riding his own Bubble Bike.
"Is that so? You make the call. I already handed this whole project over to you," Cyrus replied effortlessly.
"Aren't you worried about it at all?" Crocodile frowned, biting down hard on his cigar.
"I have complete faith in you. I know you'll do a great job," Cyrus said, flashing Crocodile a bright smile.
Then, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Of course, if you don't do a good job... as a pirate, do you remember who I am?"
Crocodile's face completely stiffened.
'Is that a threat? That's definitely a threat, right?'
"Just kidding!" Cyrus laughed, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement.
Unconsciously biting his cigar even harder, Crocodile glared at Cyrus for a second before turning his head back to look at the road ahead.
"We need to speed up the Sky Island plan," Cyrus continued, stroking his chin. "There's a ridiculous amount of treasure up there from pirate ships that got blasted into the sky by the Knock Up Stream, not to mention all the native gold. Oh, and you'll also need to arrange for the supplies the Skypieans actually want. What they need most is regular soil, but shipping tons of dirt on a boat is obviously going to be a massive headache. I'll ask Issho to figure out a way later."
With Issho's gravity powers, he should easily be able to lift an entire island of dirt up into the sky, right?
'Well, his power isn't exactly the Float-Float Fruit, so I'll have to ask him how it works,' Cyrus thought to himself.
...
Shakky's Rip-off Bar
Meanwhile, Issho, of course, had absolutely no idea that Cyrus was currently plotting to make him levitate an entire island up to the clouds.
He gently set down the Den Den Mushi and spoke. "He is on his way back. He should be arriving shortly."
After putting the snail away, the blind swordsman turned his head toward Rayleigh.
"Cyrus will be here any minute."
Rayleigh nodded quietly.
For the past two days, the old man hadn't left the bar to do any ship coating jobs, nor had he tried to sell himself at the auction house.
After all, with a Warlord like Hawkeye and a monster like Issho sitting in the room, he couldn't exactly relax.
Oh, right, and there was also that guy who seemed completely out of his mind, who turned out to be a user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
This whole crew... Rayleigh had absolutely no idea how Cyrus had managed to gather such an insane group of people.
But with all of them together, they could easily flip the entire world upside down.
"It sounds like your ship is finally ready. When are you all heading to the New World?" Rayleigh asked, setting his bottle of rum down on the table.
Shakky, who was busy wiping glasses behind the counter, pricked up her ears to listen.
"After all, you guys are a massive target here in Paradise. Everything you do draws too much attention. The New World is where people like you belong," Rayleigh pointed out.
"My apologies," Issho said, shaking his head slowly. "That is not for us to decide."
"Looks like we'll just have to wait for the young man to arrive. I really am getting old," Dark King Rayleigh sighed, feeling a sudden wave of nostalgia for his own wild days sailing the seas.
Suddenly, he stopped. "He's here!"
Rayleigh spoke sharply and immediately stood up from his chair.
His Observation Haki had just picked up Cyrus's group approaching on their Bubble Bikes.
Boom!
Without any warning at all, a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Rayleigh's body.
A split second later, an equally monstrous wave of Haki blasted out from Cyrus, who was still walking up from the street outside.
Black and red sparks of electricity flashed violently in the air.
Both Issho and Hawkeye snapped their heads to look at Rayleigh in pure shock.
What was going on? Were they seriously going to fight before they even said hello?
Rayleigh's expression was dead serious.
He hadn't actually done it on purpose.
He had just sensed the faintly leaking Conqueror's Haki coming from Cyrus and his own spirit had reacted purely on instinct.
The violent clash of two Supreme Kings instantly swept across the entirety of Area 13.
Outside, after stepping off the Bubble Bike, Cyrus rested one hand casually on the hilt of his sword and gave Robin's shoulder a reassuring pat.
He then walked step by step toward the entrance of the Rip-off Bar.
With every step he took, the clash of Conqueror's Haki grew even more intense.
Right in the dead center of the two opposing forces, the very air itself seemed to warp and distort.
But just as Cyrus raised his hand and pushed open the tavern door, both men perfectly retracted their Haki at the exact same time.
"You're paying ten times the original price for any tables or chairs you just broke!" Shakky scolded, the cigarette bobbing between her lips as she glared at Cyrus walking in.
"Fair enough!" Cyrus laughed.
His gaze immediately locked onto the old man with the glasses. "I've heard so much about you, Dark King Rayleigh!"
Rayleigh stared back at the tall young man who had just walked in, his face deeply serious.
'What unbelievable Conqueror's Haki.'
In his decades of sailing the deadliest oceans in the world, Rayleigh had met plenty of powerful people who possessed the spirit of a king.
The raw power of their Haki always varied, as did how they used it.
But the Conqueror's Haki rolling off the young man standing in front of him was almost absurd.
'What a monster.'
'The East Blue really does breed the craziest people,' Rayleigh thought to himself.
"I'm just a retired coating mechanic these days," Rayleigh said aloud, waving his hand dismissively.
"Your current job doesn't exactly hide your glorious past. After all, you are a man who stood on Laugh Tale soil," Cyrus replied, a wide grin spreading across his face.
As soon as those words left his mouth, the air in the bar froze solid.
Robin, Crocodile, and Tom, who had just followed Cyrus inside, stopped dead in their tracks and didn't make a single sound.
"So, is that your ultimate goal as well?" Rayleigh asked after a long, heavy silence.
It was impossible to tell what the old pirate was thinking just by looking at his face.
"Not at all. I have absolutely zero interest in that," Cyrus replied easily, shaking his head with a smile.
He walked past Rayleigh and headed over to the table where Issho, Hawkeye, and Enel were sitting.
"You'll be following him from now on. Once we get things settled on Sky Island, you'll be in charge of running the Hunter examination grounds," Cyrus ordered, sitting down and pointing straight at Crocodile.
Enel looked at the man Cyrus was pointing at.
Crocodile, whose eyes had been glued to Dark King Rayleigh the entire time, caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to glare at the lightning god.
Enel immediately nodded eagerly at Cyrus's order.
'Thank me.'
It seemed he finally didn't have to hang around Issho and Hawkeye anymore.
Even though they hadn't actually beaten him up since dragging him down from the sky, just standing near those two monsters constantly reminded him of getting beaten half to death.
"It's been a very long time, Rayleigh!" Tom the Fish-man stepped forward, his booming voice filled with deep emotion.
"It really has been a long time. I never expected to see you all the way out here. Back in the day, even when Roger himself begged you to join us, you refused to leave Water 7," Rayleigh said warmly, looking at the massive fish-man and remembering the days right before the Roger Pirates conquered the New World.
"Tahahaha! Yes, I honestly thought I was going to die back there, but life took a very strange turn," Tom laughed, throwing a quick glance over his shoulder at Cyrus.
"So, you joined his crew?" Rayleigh asked, gesturing toward the young swordsman.
Tom shook his head, then nodded.
"I just invited Tom to join my Hunter Guild. So, first mate of the Pirate King, do you want to join my Guild too?" Cyrus asked, turning his head to look back at Rayleigh.
"The Hunter Guild? Sorry, kid, but I'm officially retired. I'm way too old to be swinging a sword around," Rayleigh chuckled, shaking his head.
"That's a shame. I really wanted to see the legendary swordsmanship of the Dark King with my own eyes."
"You want to test my blade?" Rayleigh paused, instantly understanding what Cyrus was really asking.
'It looks like I'm not getting out of this after all.'
"But before we do that, it looks like we need to take care of a rather annoying guest first," Cyrus said suddenly.
With that, Cyrus stood up from his chair and walked right back outside.
Everyone inside the tavern watched him leave, completely confused by his sudden change in attitude.
...
Outside Area 13
High up in the sky at the very edge of Area 13.
Hovering in the air, Admiral Kizaru rubbed his temples.
Thinking about the terrifying clash of Conqueror's Haki he had just felt, and looking down at the now dead-silent Area 13, he felt a massive headache coming on.
'Fleet Admiral Sengoku really knows how to give me the absolute worst jobs.'
'Cyrus was not an easy person to talk to.'
Based on their brief standoff back in the North Blue, Kizaru already knew exactly how stubborn the kid was.
Besides, hadn't the Marines already tried inviting him to join, only to get rejected?
And now he had to fly all the way out here to try again.
This place is way too dangerous right now!
Thinking about Cyrus and the freaks of nature currently sitting inside that bar, Kizaru pushed his tinted glasses up his nose and stared down at the street.
Even from high up in the sky, he could clearly see Cyrus walking out of the tavern and looking right up at him.
After a moment of hesitation, Kizaru sighed.
His body turned into a blinding flash of yellow light, and he materialized on the ground right in front of Cyrus a split second later.
"What's the problem? It looks like you came all the way out here just for me," Cyrus asked casually, looking Kizaru up and down.
"Trust me, if I didn't have orders, I would never want to come anywhere near your neck of the woods," Kizaru drawled, his face twisted in a look of pure dread.
Just as the Admiral finished speaking, the tavern doors swung open again.
Seeing the group of people casually walking out to stand behind Cyrus, Kizaru felt a very cold sweat break out on the back of his neck.
Hawkeye Mihawk.
The blind monster named Issho.
The Dark King Silvers Rayleigh.
And Crocodile.
Kizaru subconsciously took a step backward, his body instantly tensing up.
"If you want to build a reputation that terrifies the entire world, killing an Admiral right here and now is definitely the fastest way to do it," Crocodile said smoothly, blowing a puff of smoke as he stared dead at Kizaru.
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