Cyrus's return made Garp let out a breath of relief, but when he saw the four figures on the deck of the Rose Hunter, his expression became incomparably grave.
Whitebeard and the other three had no restraints on them whatsoever.
And judging by their physical condition and aura, none of the four were weak.
'That guy… is he really that confident?'
Garp muttered inwardly.
No matter how powerful Cyrus was, if those four caused trouble, they could not be suppressed in a short time.
And that was from the perspective of Cyrus, someone who could defeat all four of them head-on.
To everyone else, those four great pirates were no different from terrifying natural disasters roaming the sea.
'This guy isn't really here with some other purpose, is he?'
Garp glanced at Cyrus, who had already returned to the ship and ordered it to continue forward.
Although Garp was not known for wisdom, he had lived for decades and had seen all kinds of people.
But even he could not fully grasp Cyrus's way of doing things.
Thinking of this, Garp turned around and returned with Moonwalk.
On the ship, Cyrus rested a hand on his sword hilt and watched Garp return.
No matter what, he could not come here for nothing. First, he had to get the bounty money.
That was the most important thing.
After all, maintaining the operation of such a massive Guild really did consume a great deal.
Of course, if Cyrus were willing to act like a pirate, things would be much simpler.
Unfortunately, he had already declared himself a Pirate Hunter.
Since he had said it, then naturally he was a Pirate Hunter.
"It seems things are just as you expected. The Marines' top combat forces have gathered."
Robin stood slightly behind Cyrus and looked toward Impel Down, which was becoming clearer in the distance, as she spoke.
"Mm. That was to be expected. After all, the Marines are worried I might do something. This place is holding countless pirates, and most of them aren't weak."
Cyrus nodded, then looked toward Issho.
"Same as usual this time. I'll have to trouble you."
"This old man knows what to do, but my strength has also improved somewhat during this period."
Hearing that, Issho faced Cyrus and spoke unhurriedly.
"Oh? Then shall we spar after we return?"
Cyrus raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"Ahem."
Issho immediately coughed.
"You know this old man did not mean that." Issho quickly explained.
Fighting Cyrus was not worth the cost.
Although fighting a powerful opponent could bring some improvement, facing Cyrus was clearly far more damaging.
More importantly, if the battle ended too quickly, there might not even be much to gain from it.
"Hey, Cyrus brat!"
Just as Cyrus was speaking with Issho, Big Mom, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
"What? Can't hold back anymore?"
Cyrus turned his head toward Big Mom, and the smile on his face faded.
"Mamamama, don't misunderstand. I just think this is the perfect time to cause a truly huge incident. With the four of us plus the two of you, we could really overturn Impel Down."
A dangerous light flashed in Big Mom's eyes.
Whitebeard and Golden Lion exchanged a glance, then looked toward Cyrus together with Silver Axe.
"If I'm going to cause trouble, I still need to get my bounty money first."
Cyrus looked over the four of them, then shook his head.
"Before that, you'd better not act recklessly. Once I get my bounty money, I don't care what you do. After all, by then, you'll already have been locked inside Impel Down."
"So you really do have some other plan for locking us up in Impel Down?"
Whitebeard's expression changed slightly when he heard that, and he asked the question.
Cyrus shook his head and did not answer.
If these four really threw Impel Down into chaos, or even destroyed the entire prison, it would also be a good thing for the Hunter Guild.
After all, in this world, the best and fastest way to become stronger was through Devil Fruits.
There was no other route that compared.
If some small fry accidentally ate a Devil Fruit, they could immediately become an elite.
If the Devil Fruit ability was powerful, then in a short time, they could transform into a rather formidable fighter.
And this was extremely important for the Hunter Guild.
Especially for the upcoming Hunter Exam.
The Devil Fruits collected earlier were still a little too monotonous as prizes.
But as one part of the exam, rewards were very important, and there could not be too few of them.
After all, Cyrus regarded this Hunter Exam as a leap forward in the Hunter Guild's development.
If the results this time were good, the balance of offense and defense on the sea would shift.
The ship slowly moved forward.
There were chunks of hard ice floating on the sea, but as the Rose Hunter approached, the ice melted directly.
Invisible flames were burning across a vast area around them.
If Cyrus did not activate these flames, even someone with powerful Observation Haki would find it difficult to detect them.
His development of the Flame-Flame Fruit had already entered a new stage.
…
Before Impel Down.
After Garp returned, he looked at Sengoku and shook his head slightly.
The brief exchange between Cyrus and Garp earlier could be sensed by everyone here.
Sengoku had originally been somewhat worried, but after seeing Garp's gesture, he, as Garp's comrade-in-arms of many years, immediately understood his meaning and relaxed slightly.
'Looks like the situation isn't too terrible.'
Sengoku thought inwardly.
But the moment he thought of someone interfering from behind the scenes this time, a trace of coldness flashed through his eyes.
Facing such a massive threat as the Hunter Guild, there were still people playing tricks in the dark.
Even if the person behind this had a special identity, Sengoku did not intend to let this matter go.
Once the current matter was finished, it seemed he would have to investigate properly. Some people's hands had stretched too far.
"They're here." Akainu spoke in a serious voice, giving a reminder.
In truth, there was no need for him to say it. Everyone had already seen the approaching ship.
Compared with the enormous Impel Down, that ship did not look large. It even seemed somewhat small.
But no one present dared show the slightest carelessness.
Sengoku stared gravely at the ship as it drew closer and closer. Vice Admiral Tsuru's eyes were also filled with curiosity, while the others wore expressions similar to theirs.
Only Kizaru instinctively raised a hand and touched his ribs.
'Damn it.'
'The ribs Cyrus had kicked broken were starting to ache faintly again.'
The ship grew closer and closer. Even without using Observation Haki, they could clearly see the situation on the ship.
Cyrus stood at the bow, one hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist, drawing everyone's attention.
The instigator behind the rapid changes in the sea's situation during this period.
The destroyer of Mary Geoise.
The chairman of the Hunter Guild.
Sun God.
Flame Demon.
Fire God Cyrus.
Even though every person here was experienced and held a high position within the Marines, they could not help murmuring in shock now.
Naturally, what they spoke were Cyrus's various titles.
And those different titles also represented the different impressions these Marine higher-ups had of Cyrus.
Those who called him Flame Demon naturally held no goodwill toward him.
As for those who called him Sun God or Fire God, perhaps their hostility was not as strong.
Just as everyone was thinking different things, Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted from the ship.
Although Cyrus wanted to receive the bounty money first, that did not mean he could not say hello.
Garp and Sengoku's expressions changed.
They both stepped forward at once, and their Conqueror's Haki erupted together.
Boom!
Black lightning burst between the three of them.
Even those with great strength were heavily affected by this clash of Conqueror's Haki.
Truly terrifying!
Just as the Conqueror's Haki clash grew increasingly intense, a sudden gurgling sound rang out.
The Haki abruptly vanished.
Magellan's body stiffened, and he awkwardly raised a hand to rub his stomach.
"Sorry. I couldn't hold it in."
Although it was somewhat ridiculous, the atmosphere unexpectedly eased a little.
"My time is limited."
As Cyrus spoke, he raised his hand and beckoned.
The four people on the deck stood up at the same time.
Golden Lion floated directly into the air. Whitebeard and Big Mom appeared on Cyrus's left and right.
As for Silver Axe, his figure, which was considered tall among ordinary people, was completely blocked from view.
'Gulp.'
Quite a few people swallowed instinctively.
Whitebeard.
Big Mom.
And Golden Lion floating in the air.
Every single one of those names was enough to shake the sea.
"The bounty money is to be delivered to the Hunter Guild in Sabaody Archipelago today." Cyrus spoke in a calm voice.
"Fine. It has already been prepared."
Sengoku nodded and answered, his eyes fixed on Cyrus.
In a true sense, this was his first time seeing Cyrus.
From the moment he first heard Mouse's report from East Blue and learned Cyrus's name, Sengoku would never have imagined that this man could become someone capable of shaping the sea's entire situation.
"That's good."
Cyrus nodded in satisfaction and was the first to leap down from the ship.
Whitebeard and the other three followed him down.
Garp raised a hand and scratched his head.
With Cyrus walking in front and those four great monsters following behind him, why did this scene feel strangely familiar?