The violent clash of Conqueror's Haki in Area 13 had caused quite a stir, but very few people actually knew what had just happened.
Meanwhile, the two men responsible for the shockwave, Cyrus and Rayleigh, were now sitting on opposite sides of a tavern table.
Behind Cyrus stood Hawkeye, Issho, and Robin.
Behind Rayleigh, Shakky stood quietly with a cigarette dangling from her lips.
"Are you really going to do this?" Rayleigh's expression was dead serious, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword lying on the table in front of him.
"It's exactly what I came here for!" Cyrus mirrored the old man, his own hand resting lightly on the sword placed horizontally in front of him.
"That technique isn't something you can just learn from a single fight, even if you've already touched the edges of it."
Looking at the stubborn determination on Cyrus's face, Rayleigh let out a helpless sigh.
"I'm just a retired old man. Can't you just let me drink in peace?"
Hearing him say that, everyone in the quiet bar—except for Rayleigh himself—fought the sudden urge to roll their eyes.
Well, Issho was blind, so he didn't exactly need eyes to feel the urge.
"That's exactly why I'm here. If you weren't an old man, I never would have challenged you," Cyrus said, leaning back in his chair and resting his chin on his hand.
His eyes remained locked on Rayleigh. "After all, if I fought you in your prime right now, you'd definitely beat me to a pulp."
Cyrus had a very clear, realistic understanding of his own strength.
Leaving his hidden "Unyielding" state out of the equation for a moment... In his normal state, if he completely let loose and burned through his stamina without holding back, he could temporarily reach the level of a Marine Admiral.
And during that short window, he wouldn't be considered a weak Admiral, either.
But Silvers Rayleigh in his prime? He was likely even stronger than an Admiral.
Maybe he wasn't quite on Roger's level, but he couldn't have been far off.
Plus, an overpowered technique like Conqueror's Coating wasn't something Cyrus could just ignore.
"So, let me get this straight. You're bullying me just because I'm old?"
Cyrus's blunt honesty left Rayleigh completely at a loss for words.
This kid is way too direct!
'But wait... did he really just admit he was planning to beat me up?'
"Young man, being a pirate is not a child's game."
"I'm not a pirate, so whether it's a game or not has nothing to do with me. Either way, I'm absolutely not leaving this island until I figure out how to coat my attacks in Conqueror's Haki. And as luck would have it, I still have a few errands to run here on the Sabaody Archipelago anyway," Cyrus said with a wide grin.
His tone sounded completely relaxed and peaceful.
But to Rayleigh's ears, it didn't sound peaceful at all.
'Is this kid seriously holding me hostage?'
If this had happened a few years ago, Rayleigh might have just drawn his sword and slashed at him for the disrespect.
But now, looking at Cyrus, and then glancing past him to see Hawkeye Mihawk and the monster named Issho standing right there... He really couldn't do it.
Rayleigh stared up at the ceiling, sighed heavily, and finally nodded.
"Fine. If that's what you really want, we'll do it your way. But let me warn you right now, kid—I won't be holding back."
Rayleigh decided he needed to teach this arrogant young man a proper lesson.
At the very least, he needed to remind Cyrus that the sea was vast and full of monsters, before the boy's arrogance got him killed.
Even after hearing Hawkeye openly admit that he had lost to Cyrus, Rayleigh was still confident in his own skills.
At least, he was confident enough for now.
As for the future? That was a problem for the future.
Shakky, puffing quietly on her cigarette, listened to the entire exchange.
She blinked, then turned around, walked behind the counter and brought back several bottles of premium liquor.
"I'll just have some juice, thank you!"
Seeing the heavy bottle of booze Shakky placed in front of him, Cyrus smiled, politely waved it away, and thanked her earnestly.
"A true man of the sea has to drink!" Rayleigh immediately barked.
To prove his point, he grabbed the bottle in front of him, popped the cork, and took a massive swig, showing Cyrus exactly how a legendary pirate handled his liquor.
"I'm not of legal drinking age yet!" Cyrus replied, his expression completely serious and his tone light.
"Besides, once I'm the strongest guy around, drinking juice is going to become the new trend on the seas anyway!"
"Not of legal age..." Rayleigh suddenly fell silent.
'What was I doing when I was his age? Had I even set sail yet?' Rayleigh tried to dig through his memories, but those days felt like a lifetime ago.
He realized he hadn't even met Roger yet.
Back then, after his home was burned to the ground by pirates, he had just been drifting aimlessly on the ocean in a stolen rowboat.
"What do you actually plan to do with your future?" After a long moment, Rayleigh pulled himself out of his memories and stared closely at Cyrus, who was currently sipping out of a glass of fruit juice.
"Hmm?" Hearing the sudden, heavy question, Cyrus gave the old man a curious look.
"Are you planning to turn this sea upside down, too?" Rayleigh asked quietly.
It felt like a lifetime ago, but he clearly remembered joining Roger's crew precisely because the man in the straw hat had asked him that exact same question.
"Not interested!" Cyrus shook his head without missing a beat.
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed, trying to read the young man's face to see if he was lying.
"Even if the world really does get turned upside down later, it would just be a side effect. My only real goal is to introduce a completely new order to these seas," Cyrus explained, looking totally relaxed.
"A new order? You mean this 'Hunter Guild' of yours?" Rayleigh asked.
He had heard the name from Hawkeye and Issho earlier, and Crocodile had just mentioned it again outside.
"Exactly. Are you interested? If you join us now, I'll happily make you a branch president," Cyrus offered with a cheeky grin.
"But you haven't even built the thing yet, right? Are you really so sure you can pull this off?" To declare that you were going to rewrite the rules of the entire world... not even Gol D. Roger would have dared to say something so insane out loud.
Though, to be fair, Roger did end up starting the Great Pirate Era anyway.
"What does it matter if it's built yet? Someone has to do it. Thousands of rookies set sail every single year now, and every last one of them is aiming to be the Pirate King. I'm just planning to give them a brand-new target to aim for."
"If that's the truth... then I genuinely hope you succeed," Rayleigh said after a long, heavy silence.
"You pick the battlefield. You've lived here for years, so you obviously know the area better than I do," Cyrus said, getting back to business. "There are plenty of deserted islands nearby, but usually, pirates don't care where they fight."
"I already told you twice, I'm not a pirate. Besides, if the shockwaves get too big, innocent people might get caught in the crossfire. I don't want that," Cyrus said, his voice turning deadly serious.
"Is that so?" Rayleigh nodded in respect. "I'll lead the way tomorrow. But for today, my old bones need some proper rest."
Hearing that, Cyrus stood up, downed the last of his juice, and threw a quick glance at Robin.
Robin reached into her coat, pulled out a thick stack of Berries, placed the cash neatly on the table, and stood up as well.
Hawkeye and Issho silently followed suit.
"I'll come find you tomorrow."
With that, Cyrus turned and walked out the tavern door, his three companions trailing right behind him.
Watching the four of them leave, Shakky leaned her elbows on the wooden counter and looked over at Rayleigh.
"Do you really think that kid can do what he says?"
Hearing Shakky's question, Rayleigh slowly shook his head.
"Nobody knows until it's actually done. Building a new world order... it's an impossibly difficult road."
Forcing a new set of rules onto the world—how could that ever be easy? The Marines, the World Government, and even the Emperors of the Sea would never just sit back and watch it happen.
They would try to crush him.
And to force that new order into existence, Cyrus had to be impossibly strong.
Because if he failed, he would lose absolutely everything.
At the end of the day, this was a world that only respected raw power.
"But I have to admit... I'd really like to see it. I want to see just how far that kid can go!"
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