"You have no right to speak!"
Seeing Shakky about to say something, Hancock immediately waved her hand.
Hearing that, Shakky gave Rayleigh a look, then stepped back again.
Because of Shakky's identity as a former empress of Amazon Lily, Hancock found her extremely irritating, even though she herself now seemed to be walking down the same old path.
"Hancock, Cyrus is in the New World right now. He must have many things to deal with."
"Then isn't that perfect? I can help Cyrus-sama."
Hancock placed one hand on her waist and lifted her chin as she spoke.
"But you can help Cyrus from Amazon Lily too. After all, Amazon Lily still needs to cooperate with the Hunter Guild."
Hearing that, Rayleigh changed the subject.
Sure enough, once this was mentioned, Hancock frowned in thought, a troubled look appearing on her face.
Clearly, Rayleigh's words had made it difficult for her to decide.
Amazon Lily had its own methods for training Haki, and it had already begun cooperating with the Hunter Guild.
Some of its warriors had been sent to Hunter Guild branches across Paradise to serve as Haki instructors.
Of course, this matter had only just begun, so the number of people sent out was not very large.
"You should also be able to see how much importance Cyrus places on the Hunter Guild. So doing this well would be a great help to him." Rayleigh spoke again.
Whether that was truly right or not could be considered later. For now, he would say it first.
Rayleigh could imagine that something would probably happen in the New World next.
The World Government would definitely not just sit back and watch Cyrus keep making such huge moves there.
If Hancock got involved, even with her strength, there was no guarantee she would be safe.
In that case, it would be better for her to stay on Amazon Lily and watch how things developed.
Marine ships had arrived nearby, but they were mostly there to monitor the island.
As long as Hancock remained here, those Marines would not dare do anything too outrageous.
That was the deterrence of a Warlord of the Sea.
"Fine."
Hancock's expression shifted back and forth. After thinking for quite a while, she finally nodded with difficulty, though she was clearly still unhappy.
"That's for the best. Besides, the Hunter Exam Cyrus mentioned isn't that far away. He seems to place great importance on it, so he will definitely appear then. You can go at that time."
Rayleigh smiled as he spoke.
The moment Hancock heard that, her gloomy expression immediately cleared, and her whole person seemed to brighten.
"Good. I will definitely go when the time comes."
After persuading Hancock, Rayleigh left with Shakky first.
Only after they had walked some distance away did Shakky sigh softly.
"Cyrus doesn't seem to have any interest in Hancock. This is all Hancock's own imagination! That isn't a good sign."
"Hancock has grown up."
Rayleigh paused when he heard that and turned to look at Shakky.
"A girl her age having feelings like that is only natural. Cyrus is actually a very good man. It's just that right now, Cyrus is in conflict with the World Government."
As Rayleigh spoke, his expression turned serious.
"You should be able to see it too. This is only the calm before the storm. Cyrus and the World Government are continuing their struggle in the shadows, and no one knows when it will truly erupt.
Perhaps Cyrus is waiting for the Hunter Guild to rise, while the World Government is currently trying to find a way to deal with him."
At this point, Rayleigh shook his head slightly.
"Even Roger back then couldn't have done something like this."
"Cyrus really is remarkable. Perhaps he truly may overthrow the World Government and establish a new order."
Hearing Rayleigh's words, Shakky also became much more serious.
"That will be very difficult. The World Government has controlled the entire world for hundreds of years. I refuse to believe they have no hidden cards."
Rayleigh shook his head.
Judging by the current situation, Cyrus's impact on the World Government was indeed enormous, and the World Government was also very wary of his strength.
But the conflict between the two sides had not yet reached its true boiling point.
It was very possible that both sides still had trump cards they had not revealed.
Therefore, a great conflict that would shake the entire world would definitely erupt between the two sides in the future.
Only then would the direction of the future world be decided.
As for people like them, at most, they could only move along with this massive change.
They did not have the ability to step outside this turbulence.
"We should observe for a while longer. That exam should be a dividing line. Perhaps after that event, everything will become much clearer."
"As for the New World, judging from the current situation, Cyrus should be able to bring it under his control. However, he probably won't be able to control it completely. Whitebeard's defeat should throw the New World into chaos for a while."
Shakky lit a cigarette and narrowed her eyes as she spoke.
"In any case, it has nothing to do with us. We can just watch. Matters in the New World shouldn't reach this place."
Rayleigh waved a hand and left Amazon Lily together with Shakky.
Shakky could not live on Amazon Lily.
Being allowed to come ashore occasionally was already Hancock's concession.
…
The news of Whitebeard's defeat spread rapidly across the sea.
As a great pirate even more famous than Big Mom, Whitebeard's defeat made the entire world far livelier.
Those pirates in Paradise who had been hunted down one after another by the Guild and the Marines also began making decisions.
One by one, they prepared to head for the New World.
In their eyes, the New World without Big Mom and Whitebeard was an open blue sea!
...
East Blue, Baratie.
The waiters and chefs inside the restaurant watched the people seated around a round table in one corner with great caution.
There were both men and women among them. None of them were very old.
The oldest looked to be only in their twenties. Their clothing styles also varied widely.
The only thing they had in common was the emblem on their chests.
A flaming rose and a sword.
That was the mark of the Hunter Guild. These people were Hunters of the Hunter Guild.
As for the people in Baratie, aside from Sanji, every single one of them had once been a pirate.
The people in the restaurant had heard quite a bit from their customers about what kind of organization the Hunter Guild was now.
"Seafood fried rice. Please enjoy."
Curly-browed Sanji brought over the last two plates of fried rice and was just about to turn away.
"Wait a moment."
At the round table, the young man who looked like the leader suddenly spoke.
In an instant, the waiters and chefs of Baratie all grew tense, their bodies tightening.
"No need to be nervous."
Seemingly noticing their expressions and body language, the young man who had spoken smiled, his expression relaxed.
"We know your identities. However, the chairman has already passed down instructions. Some pirates who have not entered the Grand Line and have not committed serious crimes still have a chance to turn over a new leaf."
"Are you talking about your Chairman Cyrus?"
Red-Leg Zeff walked out, his expression solemn.
"Naturally, Chairman Cyrus."
The moment Cyrus was mentioned, the Hunters at the table all showed looks of reverence.
"That is a truly great man. He just defeated Big Mom and Whitebeard in the New World."
Red-Leg Zeff's voice was filled with emotion.
Back then, he had only entered the Grand Line and had already suffered a major blow, forcing him to return to East Blue.
A great pirate like Whitebeard was someone he could only look up to.
Yet now, what he was hearing was news that Whitebeard had been defeated by Cyrus.
"Of course. Chairman Cyrus is from our East Blue! Maybe he even came here to eat once back then."
One of the Hunters spoke.
When Cyrus's origin in East Blue was mentioned, whether it was the Hunters or the others in Baratie, they all subconsciously nodded.
"Right."
The young Hunter who had spoken first seemed to remember something and spoke again.
"The Hunter Guild wants to cooperate with Baratie."
"Cooperate?"
Sanji glanced at Zeff, who had walked over to stand beside him, very curious about what the Hunter Guild wanted from them.
"Baratie is very famous. All kinds of people come here, so your information must be very good."
"You want us to collect information about pirates and tell the Hunter Guild?"
Sanji instinctively spoke.
"Yes."
The young Hunter who had spoken immediately nodded.
"This matter…" Zeff frowned.
Facing a giant organization like the Hunter Guild, agreeing to cooperate was the best choice.
But this request was somewhat excessive.
Although Baratie was no longer a pirate crew, doing something like selling out its customers went against the principles behind the restaurant's founding.
Seeing Zeff hesitate, the young Hunter thought for a moment, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes.
"All right. Let's set pirate matters aside for now. During this period, some Hunters inside the Hunter Guild have been disguising themselves as pirates and pillaging, or rather, before these people joined the Hunter Guild, they may already have been pirates."
"If you have any information in that area, you can notify the Guild. The Guild will provide appropriate compensation."
Zeff froze.
Something like that was happening too?