Sky Island?
Hearing the name, Rayleigh's mind instantly flashed back decades to the breathtaking memory of riding the Knock Up Stream with Roger.
'But I'm fully retired. I don't really want to leave the surface,' Rayleigh thought to himself.
He glanced over at Shakky, noting that she actually seemed somewhat tempted by the idea of an undisturbed retirement in the clouds.
"There's still time. You two can think about it," Cyrus offered generously.
Without disturbing the couple any further, Cyrus stood up to leave.
His three monstrous crewmates silently followed him toward the door.
"Are you really going to go to that auction?" Rayleigh asked, his voice dead serious.
"I can't tell what he's thinking," Shakky murmured, looking at Rayleigh.
It wasn't that the Celestial Dragons had never been attacked before—Fisher Tiger had scaled the Red Line, after all.
But no one in history had ever actively, casually plotted to assassinate one just to test their own strength.
Even the most psychotic Emperors of the Sea didn't do such things.
Cyrus's tone had been casual, but the look in his eyes promised absolute violence.
"I cannot see through a man like him," Rayleigh shook his head slowly. "He is a complete anomaly."
...
Hawkeye and Issho shared Rayleigh's exact sentiments.
Even Robin, who had traveled with Cyrus the longest, genuinely couldn't be sure if he was serious about triggering a Buster Call just for the thrill of it.
The street outside the bar had already been completely cleared by Baroque Works.
Aside from the deep scorch marks on the pavement and the lingering, metallic smell of burnt blood in the air, there was no trace of the pirate massacre.
The local residents had all locked their doors and shuttered their windows, terrified to show their faces.
After sending Crocodile off to manage the Guild's affairs, Cyrus led his crew back to their temporary hotel.
"I know exactly what you three want to ask," Cyrus said, waving a hand as he noticed them staring at him intently in the lobby.
"But let me make this clear: if I actually decide to execute a World Noble, all three of you will have to evacuate the island immediately."
He looked at them seriously. "If the full might of the World Government descends on Sabaody, you will become a burden to me in a drawn-out fight."
"Heh. I must say, this is the very first time in my life someone has called me a burden," Issho chuckled warmly, leaning on his cane sword.
"Killing a Celestial Dragon is the easy part. Surviving the fallout that comes after is the true challenge," Hawkeye reminded him coldly.
"Forget the assassination itself, simply striking one will instantly summon an Admiral to your exact location."
"You mean Kizaru?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow dismissively.
"Not just him," Hawkeye corrected. "Marine Headquarters is right next door to Sabaody. If you murder a god, it could attract a massive coalition of the Navy's absolute highest-tier combatants. You would be fighting an entire war alone."
"That is a very fair point," Cyrus nodded thoughtfully.
"It is best if you think this through with absolute clarity. Consider carefully if this path is truly worth the consequence," Hawkeye advised.
"Relax. Maybe I won't even run into the bubble-heads," Cyrus laughed, waving off the tension.
"If you truly decide to commit this act... this blind old man will not simply flee and leave you to face the consequences alone," Issho stated firmly.
He tapped his cane on the floor and walked toward his room.
"Actually... I would also very much like to test my blade against the peak of the Navy's strength," Hawkeye added smoothly, completely contradicting his own prior warnings.
"I will support you in whatever you choose to do, Captain," Robin smiled softly.
"I know you will," Cyrus smiled back, a hint of deep, dangerous curiosity flashing in his eyes.
What kind of monstrous power does the King of the World actually possess?
Cyrus was genuinely curious.
He knew exactly where his current combat power stood. He still had room for massive improvement.
But his curiosity regarding Imu and the Five Elders was a burning itch.
With his ultimate trump card—thirty minutes of god-like invincibility—perhaps he could afford to aggressively test the waters of the World Government's true strength ahead of schedule.
Ping.
With a thought, Cyrus summoned his system interface, his eyes locking onto his ultimate safety net.
[Innate Talent: Unyielding]
Trigger: When hit by a fatal attack, enter a brief enhanced state.
Effect: All physical attributes are multiplied by 10x. Health will not decrease. All negative status effects are instantly cleared.
Current Duration: 30 Minutes.
Cooldown: 18 Hours.
A duration of thirty minutes of true immortality was enough time to accomplish a terrifying amount of violence.
With his raw, base physique multiplied by ten, he could theoretically shatter islands with his bare hands.
Even if the situation turned bad, he could just dive into the ocean and physically swim to Fish-Man Island in minutes to escape.
He had no intention of actively seeking death.
He wasn't stupid, one must plan before acting. If assassinating a Celestial Dragon brought him no tangible benefit or forced him into hiding, then it wasn't worth the hassle.
But if it brought him an exhilarating battle, forced his Haki to bloom, or satisfied his burning curiosity about the World Government's hidden power... then it was worth doing.
The only issue is... the entity hidden in the Chamber of Flowers might not care enough to step off the Empty Throne personally just for one dead Noble, Cyrus mused.
...
The next morning, Morgans's newspapers aggressively blanketed the globe.
The singular topic on everyone's lips was the highly publicized, unprecedentedly large slave auction rapidly approaching on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Usually, a single Fish-man or Mermaid was the grand finale of a black-market auction.
But this time, a massive, dedicated syndicate had organized an exclusive event selling only Fish-men and Mermaids.
These were astronomically high-value slaves.
A young, beautiful Mermaid could easily fetch a starting bid higher than a rare Devil Fruit.
The nobles of the world were salivating.
Alongside the disturbing news of the auction, updates on the daily, earth-shattering clashes between Cyrus and Rayleigh continued to dominate the front page.
However, a new, highly confusing detail had been added to the articles.
The world noticed Cyrus's sudden, official new title: President of the Hunter Guild.
No one had the slightest idea what the "Hunter Guild" was.
The underworld buzzed with wild speculation, but without any concrete details, the public's attention remained firmly fixed on the violent spectacle of the Pirate Hunter dueling the Dark King.
...
Baltigo, The Grand Line
Whoosh!
"Hah!"
Sabo threw a vicious punch, his hand shaped into a rigid dragon's claw.
The sheer force of his strike generated a sharp whistle as it tore through the wind of the training grounds.
Standing nearby, Monkey D. Dragon lowered the morning newspaper, a deeply thoughtful glint in his storm-grey eyes.
"Commander!"
Belo Betty, the Commander of the East Army, strutted over, her signature red jacket wide open as she glanced at the paper in Dragon's hand.
"Since you actually met him in person... are you really not going to make another attempt to recruit him into the Revolutionary Army?" Betty asked, blowing a cloud of cigarette smoke.
Dragon slowly shook his head. "It would be entirely futile. I spoke with him in the East Blue, and I got a very clear read on his personality. He refused my offer decisively. He is a man who bows to no one's ideology but his own."
Dragon looked back down at the headline.
"Speaking of which... when exactly did this 'Hunter Guild' appear?" Dragon asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.
The name alone clearly broadcasted the organization's intent.
If Cyrus was the President, was this a private military force he was personally establishing?
A unified, global syndicate of Pirate Hunters?
Dragon's mind raced, heavily considering the distinct possibility of future, mutually beneficial cooperation.
"Our intelligence network had zero prior intercepts regarding it. Since Morgans just officially dropped his title, Cyrus must be establishing it right now on Sabaody," Betty noted, crossing her arms thoughtfully.
"That makes the most sense. Have our intelligence officers in the Paradise half of the Grand Line keep a very close eye on the Guild's development," Dragon ordered smoothly.
After speaking, Dragon folded the newspaper, stepped onto the training mat and raised a hand to correct Sabo's striking posture.
The boy was young, but his talent and raw intelligence were terrifyingly sharp.
The revolution needed him strong!
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