World Economy News Paper Headquarters
"Silvers Rayleigh, you say?! Now THAT is some Big News worth chasing!"
Anything involving the late Pirate King, Roger, was an automatic front-page headline.
And a story involving the Pirate King's legendary first mate?
A monster who used to rule the darkest corners of the seas? If this Cyrus kid was actually sitting down to meet with Silvers Rayleigh, it was going to cause a global earthquake.
Morgans absolutely could not miss this.
"However, it looks like the Marines are already fully aware that Rayleigh is hiding out on the Sabaody Archipelago." Morgans stroked his beak with a feathery wing, his mind racing as he processed the latest intelligence reports.
Cyrus's crew had landed on Sabaody, immediately made contact with the Dark King, and had even engaged in a brief standoff with Marine Admiral Kizaru.
Unfortunately, Morgans's spies hadn't been able to get close enough to hear what the group had actually talked about inside the bar.
But Morgans was currently obsessing over the "Big News" that Cyrus had promised him back in Water 7.
"It seems that if I just keep a camera glued to this kid, the headlines will basically write themselves!"
Just as Morgans was laughing to himself, the personal Den Den Mushi sitting on his desk began to ring loudly. Ka-cha.
"This is Cyrus!"
The voice echoed from the receiver.
Morgans froze in shock.
He had literally just been thinking about the guy, and now he was calling him directly?
Could it be? Is the Big News finally happening?!
"Crocodile will be contacting you shortly to discuss logistics," Cyrus's voice continued before Morgans could even say hello.
Morgans blinked, his avian brain buffering for a second before the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Wait—the Warlord of the Sea, Sir Crocodile, is actually working for you?!" Morgans squawked, finding the concept completely unbelievable.
The Warlords were some of the most arrogant, dangerous monsters on the planet.
Crocodile was a ruthless Logia user.
And he just... submitted to a rookie? Just like that?
"It's just a business partnership," Cyrus replied coolly, completely ignoring Morgans's shock.
"Right, right! So, is there any other Big News for me today?! My sources say you just had a sit-down with both Dark King Rayleigh AND Admiral Kizaru!" Morgans expertly pivoted the conversation, his journalist instincts screaming that this was the real goldmine.
"Oh, that? Just setting up a little sparring match."
"A sparring match?!" Morgans's beady bird eyes practically turned into giant glowing stars. "Please! You MUST let my reporters record the fight!" Morgans begged, his voice cracking with desperation.
"Sure, do whatever you want. But if your photographers get too close and get vaporized by the crossfire, don't come crying to me."
Ka-cha.
Before Morgans could say another word, the Den Den Mushi clicked shut and fell asleep.
"This... this is going to be the scoop of the century!" Morgans whispered, staring down at the sleeping snail in his hands, his whole body trembling with pure excitement.
...
Back on the Sabaody Archipelago.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Cyrus casually stuffed the snail back into his coat and turned around to find all three of his crewmates staring dead at him.
"Uh... what are you guys looking at?"
"So, this massive commotion you're causing here on Sabaody... was all of this part of your grand master plan?" Robin asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"What plan?" Cyrus looked at her, completely confused.
"I see. It seems I completely overestimated you."
Seeing the genuinely blank look on Cyrus's face, Robin sighed and pursed her lips in exasperation.
"Does something like this really require a master plan? You just have to use common sense. It's not like it's complicated. Connecting a few dots and reacting when opportunities pop up—isn't that just basic logic?"
As soon as Cyrus defended himself, both Hawkeye and Issho cast very surprised, entirely unconvinced glances his way.
"I knew it. Back when you ordered me to contact that reporter in Water 7, you were already plotting to turn this into a massive spectacle," Robin said, giving Cyrus a sharp, knowing side-eye.
"I just need the brand recognition, that's all. Besides, I'm pretty sure Dark King Rayleigh doesn't care about a little media attention," Cyrus argued, stroking his chin defensively.
"The man has been living in total seclusion here," Issho pointed out gently.
"Yeah, but everyone who matters already knows he's here! At the very least, the Marines definitely know."
It was true—Rayleigh didn't even wear a fake mustache to hide his identity, and he walked around the auction houses in broad daylight.
As the former first mate of the Pirate King, his wanted poster had been printed millions of times.
It was physically impossible for a legend like him to actually stay hidden.
Luckily for Rayleigh, a lot of time had passed. Gol D. Roger had been dead for over twenty years.
"You're right. Compared to the sheer amount of blood and treasure it would cost the Marines to actually capture him, it's easier to just pretend he doesn't exist. A Dark King who just coats ships and drinks all day poses absolutely zero threat to the World Government," Hawkeye stated analytically.
"Not bad at all, Mihawk! Looks like you've actually got a pretty sharp brain in there!" Cyrus said, his eyes going wide with mock surprise.
"So, let me get this straight. In your eyes, is everyone else around you just an idiot?" Hawkeye retorted, his face totally blank.
Instantly, Robin and Issho shot Cyrus incredibly unfriendly glares.
Well, you couldn't technically read the emotion in Issho's blind eyes, but his frown spoke volumes.
"Whoa, I didn't say that!" Cyrus immediately threw his hands up in surrender, his survival instincts screaming at him to de-escalate.
"Speaking of which..." Hawkeye smoothly changed the subject, looking intently at Cyrus. "With your current strength, even if you sail into the New World tomorrow, there are very few people alive who could actually threaten you. If you activate that hidden power of yours, I genuinely don't think anyone could guarantee a win against you—not even Whitebeard or Kaido. So, why are you insisting on wasting time mastering this specific Haki technique here?"
Mihawk could completely understand training to get stronger.
But risking a fight with a legend just to learn one highly specific technique?
He would understand it if a weaker swordsman did it, but for a monster like Cyrus, it seemed completely unnecessary.
"Because..." Cyrus started, suddenly grabbing the attention of both Issho and Robin.
"Because I want to. So I'm doing it. It's not like I'm in a rush to get anywhere anyway."
"That answer..." Hawkeye paused, then gave a slow, barely perceptible nod. "...Honestly fits your personality perfectly."
Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you're saying you've got me all figured out now?"
"Not even slightly. It just fits your erratic style."
Cyrus's personality really was completely chaotic and impossible to predict.
Even though he had loudly declared his grand ambition to rewrite the rules of the world, he didn't act like a man who was burdened by destiny.
He was just... winging it.
'What an incredibly strange man,' Hawkeye sighed inwardly.
Red-Haired Shanks was also erratic and goofy, but Mihawk felt like he could generally predict what his old rival would do.
But this man standing in front of him? Mihawk couldn't see through him at all.
"Alright, let's head back and get some rest. We've got a big fight tomorrow."
Cyrus raised a hand and casually beckoned to Robin.
After a second of hesitation, Robin smiled, walked over, and linked her arm through his, and the two of them strolled off down the street together.
Hawkeye and Issho remained standing there, totally stone-faced.
A good long while after Cyrus and Robin had disappeared around the corner, Issho finally broke the silence.
"Remind me again... why did I agree to join his crew in the first place?" the blind swordsman muttered, rubbing his chin.
"If my memory serves me correctly, it's because you lost a bet to him," Hawkeye replied out of the blue.
"Ah... that's right!" The blunt reminder made Issho pause, and he nodded with a look of utter, profound resignation.
"However... his rule of 'do what you want, but do no harm' aligns perfectly with my own sense of justice."
Issho turned around, using his cane sword to tap the ground in front of him.
"Are you heading to the casino?" Hawkeye asked.
"No. Even though I won't be the one swinging a sword tomorrow, I need to meditate and calm my mind if I am going to witness a clash of this magnitude."
Hawkeye nodded in silent agreement.
He honestly couldn't even imagine what the destructive fallout of tomorrow's battle between Cyrus and the Dark King was going to look like.
But a duel of this highest caliber was not something a swordsman got to witness every day.
He needed to be perfectly rested.
Perhaps, by watching two monsters try to kill each other, he might just find the inspiration for his own next breakthrough in strength.