'That sounds like something you'd say.'
Hearing her declaration, Cyrus wasn't surprised at all. Except toward specific people, this was just Hancock's imperious nature.
"Since you've considered it carefully—Robin!" Cyrus called out.
Even setting aside Hancock herself, the systemic Haki assistance Amazon Lily brought would be highly valuable to Cyrus—he naturally wouldn't refuse.
As Cyrus's voice fell, footsteps sounded outside. Robin peeked in, her eyes scanning over Hancock before settling on Cyrus.
"Finished training?" Seeing Robin's somewhat sneaky appearance, Cyrus raised an eyebrow as he asked.
"Ah, yes!" Robin felt a bit guilty upon hearing this, then nodded quickly.
But then she remembered how Cyrus's Observation Haki could easily cover the entire island, and her expression immediately turned awkward.
"She'll be joining the crew. Take her to get familiar with things and explain the ship's rules," Cyrus pointed at Hancock as he gave the order.
'Rules? What rules?' Robin looked momentarily confused.
Cyrus's ship didn't really have any formal rules—it had just been the two of them plus Issho before.
But Robin didn't refuse, instead beckoning warmly to Hancock.
Hancock didn't refuse either, currently just happy that Cyrus hadn't rejected her offer.
Watching the two women leave, Cyrus put away his smile and stood up, his expression turning serious.
Then his body transformed into a streak of fire that shot skyward, arriving in an instant at the Royal Plateau of Dressrosa.
The aftermath of Cyrus's previous clash here had caused significant damage to the palace buildings.
At the highest point, a cloaked figure stood alone, looking down at the occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the city below, with thunder occasionally rumbling in the distance.
"A Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. I never expected you to have such powerful companions around you," the cloaked figure spoke with his back to Cyrus, clearly having detected his arrival.
"There are many things you wouldn't expect!" Cyrus naturally recognized the person before him—they had met once in Frost Moon Village in the East Blue, and this person had helped him grasp the basics of Armament Haki.
"Looking for me?" Cyrus stepped forward, coming to stand beside the cloaked figure, looking down at the sprawling city below.
The wind at this height blew back the hood of the cloaked figure, revealing a stoic face with peculiar red tribal markings.
The Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon.
"Yes, I came to find you!" Dragon turned to look at Cyrus, his eyes filled with amazement. "When I saw you in Shimotsuki Village, I thought you had monstrous talent, but I never expected you to grow stronger this quickly."
Dragon was entirely sincere in these words.
Everyone who knew Cyrus felt this exact same sense of astonishment, though Dragon felt it more keenly.
After all, it was with his help that Cyrus had mastered Armament Haki, though even then he understood that it was only a matter of time before the young man grasped it.
But back then, Cyrus had just mastered the Two Colors of Haki, and in less than two years, he had already become one of the sea's most powerful, world-breaking figures.
This rate of growth—even cheating wouldn't be this fast.
"Actually, I didn't expect it either." Hearing Dragon mention this, Cyrus chuckled lightly and shook his head.
"When I went to Shimotsuki Village, Koshiro asked me about my goals. At that time, I just wanted to live freely in this world." Thinking back to his thoughts shortly after arriving in this world, Cyrus's smile widened.
"But after leaving the village, I kept encountering various situations and meeting different people, and my perspective gradually changed."
"That's certainly true!"
Hearing Cyrus say this, Dragon nodded in agreement.
He thought back to his own thoughts when he first joined the Marines, then his growing dissatisfaction with the Celestial Dragons and the World Government's actions, and finally his absolute disappointment with the military's complacency.
Dragon let out a long sigh. "What you did at Mary Geoise has had a tremendous impact."
Dragon took several deep breaths to calm himself, then turned to Cyrus with a serious expression.
"It was a fortunate coincidence, really. Initially, I just wanted to take out a few Celestial Dragons, but I got carried away in the heat of battle and couldn't hold back," Cyrus replied, his expression calm.
Observing Cyrus's casual demeanor, Dragon felt deeply moved. He made storming the Holy Land sound so completely effortless.
"What? Did my actions interfere with your plans?" Cyrus glanced sideways.
"Naturally, they had an impact—but a positive one," Dragon shook his head. "The Revolutionary Army has already drawn the attention of the World Government. I'd sensed the World Government and the Marines paying increasing attention to us lately. If you hadn't struck Mary Geoise, they might have moved against the Revolutionary Army during this period."
"So, I helped you? Where's my thanks, then?" Cyrus was taken aback, surprised by Dragon's reasoning.
"Gratitude is certainly due. For instance, I can help establish numerous Hunter Guild branches across the Four Seas and Paradise. Until your people are in place, I can assign skilled personnel to keep these branches operational," Dragon offered, as if he had already considered it and answered directly.
"Crocodile mentioned this to me before," Cyrus remarked.
"Yes, after the Mary Geoise incident, I sent people to make contact with Crocodile and discussed cooperation. Before that, not many dared to collaborate with us."
The Revolutionary Army's assistance in establishing Hunter Guild branches was a mutual benefit.
In the future, if the Hunter Guild aided the Revolutionary Army, it would be of great advantage to their cause.
At the very least, the Hunter Guild would inevitably attract significant attention from the World Government, preventing the authorities from focusing entirely on crushing the revolutionaries.
"Honestly, destroying the World Government isn't a difficult task for me now," Cyrus noted after a moment of silence, listening to Dragon.
"I know!" Dragon nodded immediately at Cyrus's bold claim. "But you haven't done it."
"Exactly. If I did, the world would truly descend into chaos. As things stand, the Hunter Guild isn't capable of managing the aftermath in such a scenario."
"Cyrus, do you plan to become the King of the World in the future?" Dragon turned to face Cyrus, his expression serious.
"King of the World?" Cyrus tilted his head, glancing at Dragon's grave expression, and laughed.
"My original ideals haven't changed. In fact, whether this world becomes orderly or chaotic, whether its people live well or poorly—none of that has much to do with me. You could say I'm just too bored now and looking for something to do."
"That's not the answer I wanted to hear," Dragon was taken aback, frowning slightly.
He would have preferred Cyrus admitting he wanted to become the King of the World over this flippant response, as this answer implied that Cyrus didn't particularly care what happened to the world next.
"But don't worry. Since I'm going to do it, I naturally intend to do it well. After all, I'm bored!"