Watching Cyrus's smiling face, Dragon pondered his words and found the Guild Master increasingly inscrutable.
But it was only natural that he couldn't see through him.
Cyrus had no lofty ideals or obligations he felt compelled to fulfill for this world.
Along his journey, he simply dealt with problems as they arose, including the establishment of the Hunter Guild, which had only originally piqued his interest after Robin brought it up.
He aimed to do his best, but if something was beyond his current capabilities, Cyrus wouldn't force himself.
Dragon believed that someone with strength like Cyrus must possess unwavering determination and a clear goal driving him to grow stronger.
Only such a person would have the necessary motivation to keep improving.
But Cyrus didn't need that.
After all, getting stronger was as simple as watching the numbers change on his status panel.
"If you're leaving, help me bring something back to Crocodile," Cyrus said, noticing Dragon's thoughtful expression.
"Huh?" Dragon was taken aback, giving Cyrus a puzzled look.
"This place was previously under Doflamingo's control, and he collected some Devil Fruits. Help me deliver them to Crocodile—we'll need them later."
Dragon was completely speechless.
Him, Monkey D. Dragon, the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army, being asked to work as a deliveryman?
"Fine!" Dragon nodded in resignation.
But moments later, Dragon stared dumbfounded at the large box in front of him, filled to the brim with what looked like a pile of fruit.
He shot Cyrus another confused glance.
This was what he called 'some'? Even as the leader of the Revolutionary Army, he had never seen so many Devil Fruits gathered in one single place!
"Don't be surprised. Doflamingo acquired them for a trade, and more than half are Artificial Devil Fruits. They exhibit some baseline traits of real Devil Fruits but seem to have significant flaws."
These SMILEs were undoubtedly inferior to the genuine articles.
However, for most people, Devil Fruits were mere legends—they might not have even seen an ability user in person, let alone the fruits themselves.
While these Artificial Devil Fruits had some scrap value, aside from Kaido, they weren't particularly prized by serious fighters.
All because Kaido insisted on creating the Beasts Pirates.
The Emperor wanted all his subordinates to be Zoan-type ability users.
Cute Kaido didn't want to be a kindergarten principal—he wanted to run a zoo!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have collaborated with Doflamingo for this trash.
'But thinking about it...' Cyrus stroked his chin.
"Keep these Artificial Devil Fruits for your army's research. Deliver the real rest to Crocodile," Cyrus said after a moment's thought, pushing the specific box containing the SMILEs aside.
Watching Cyrus's actions and then looking at the remaining box holding over a dozen genuine Devil Fruits, Dragon nodded.
"Alright, I'll make sure they're delivered securely."
"Safe travels then. I should head deeper into the New World and make a name for myself next," Cyrus waved dismissively.
"Wait a moment!" Seeing Cyrus shoo him away, Dragon felt exasperated but then remembered another purpose for his visit.
"I plan to act early and publicly announce the Revolutionary Army's global push. I'd like to borrow your name for it," Dragon said, taking a deep breath.
Since they were actively cooperating, it was best to maximize the political benefits.
Moreover, this wouldn't cost Cyrus anything—he was already on the World Government's radar and deeply despised by them.
"About that... no!" Cyrus refused outright.
Dragon's expression stiffened, his eyes fixed intently on the Guild Master.
"It's not that I don't want the Revolutionary Army to use my name, but there's an old monster among the Celestial Dragons. You should have heard—she controls a weapon capable of launching powerful attacks from the sky, strongly suspected to be the Ancient Weapon Uranus. It appears it cannot be used regularly, but occasional usage is possible. Back in Dressrosa, she deployed that thing to attack me, though I managed to neutralize its power."
Cyrus paused, letting the information sink in.
"Now, if you openly display your banner, you must have planned for numerous countries to raise flags against the World Government. But are you certain you can withstand the consequences?"
This classified information made Dragon's expression shift dramatically.
His countenance changed several times before he finally nodded gravely.
"Alright, I understand."
"The time isn't right yet. Such massive global shifts cannot be accomplished quickly anyway. If you extend the timeline, originally complex matters will become somewhat simpler. Here's a hint—Vegapunk is crucial."
"Are you suggesting Dr. Vegapunk is connected to this Ancient Weapon?" Dragon asked with clear confusion.
Of course he knew Vegapunk—he had interacted with the scientist during his time in the Marines.
He also knew that some technologies Vegapunk mastered were centuries ahead of this world.
However, someone this critical was under extremely tight surveillance by the World Government.
When Borsalino was still a Vice Admiral, he spent much of his time assigned to protect Vegapunk, and even after becoming an Admiral, he hadn't completely relinquished this duty.
"There is a connection. That suspected Uranus weapon has major defects, likely related to energy sources or other fueling factors. If these issues were resolved, it might be capable of consecutive orbital attacks, which would undoubtedly pose a significant threat. To you, of course."
"I understand," Dragon nodded solemnly.
After speaking, Dragon picked up the sealed case with one arm, glanced at Cyrus, then turned and left into the wind.
Cyrus watched Dragon depart, shaking his head slightly.
In truth, it wasn't just a major threat to the Revolutionary Army—it posed an equally great danger to the Hunter Guild.
After all, he couldn't physically block all attacks from that thing if it fired globally, so the key still lay with Vegapunk.
'Though I wonder—when exactly was that so-called Mother Flame successfully created?'
...
At the Sabaody Archipelago.
Crocodile looked seriously at the gorgeously dressed, stunning woman before him in his office.
"Stussy, Queen of the Pleasure District. You dare come here so openly? You've got quite the nerve."
Although the World Government hadn't taken direct military action against the Hunter Guild yet, there were undoubtedly many intelligence eyes watching them.
For this high-profile woman to come so directly—was she truly unafraid of the World Government's retaliation?
"If I worried about such trivial things, I wouldn't be sitting here."
Tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear, Stussy examined Crocodile with her eyes as she spoke smilingly, appearing genuinely relaxed.
"So?"
"I simply have high expectations for the Hunter Guild's future development and want to invest early. You know, the underground world has abundant resources, and you must be quite short on operational funds, right?" Stussy seemed thoroughly confident in her pitch.
"Apologies, while the Guild Master has granted me full authority over guild administrative affairs, and I personally agree with your proposal, the Guild Master might not necessarily consent."
"After all, Doflamingo, another major figure in the underground world, was recently driven out by our Guild Master," Crocodile pointed out.
"Don't worry, I have no additional conditions. In fact, I can even directly join the Hunter Guild myself. Are you really not considering it?"
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