As Garp's words fell, the entire office went quiet, and everyone stared intently at him.
Even Garp found it a bit much to be stared at like that.
He raised a hand and scratched his short gray hair. "I was just saying."
Seeing Garp like this, the others exchanged glances.
That possibility... it should be impossible.
The World Government had existed for a very long time, and countless geniuses and powerhouses had appeared over the centuries, but the World Government always remained.
'Could someone really break it?'
Everyone present had their own thoughts on the matter.
"It seems we need to pay attention to Cyrus's Hunter Guild," Sengoku said after a moment of silence, his expression more solemn than ever before.
"That Hunter Exam, and the recent news in the papers," Vice Admiral Tsuru added.
Seeing everyone's eyes turn to her, Tsuru thought for a moment and continued. "The Hunter Guild is preparing to hold an exam in half a year to select those qualified to become hunters. With Cyrus's current fame, one can imagine what will happen then. It might even be comparable to what happened in Loguetown back then."
Roger? The man who started the Great Age of Pirates?
The hearts of the others sank.
"But we still don't have a clear picture of the Hunter Guild's specific situation," Kizaru said with a slight frown.
In such a serious setting, he wasn't even trimming his nails.
"Why don't we just eliminate it?" Akainu asked, looking at Sengoku.
After he said this, everyone else looked at him as if he were an idiot, causing the magma user's expression to stiffen.
He just said it subconsciously and only after speaking did he realize the flaw in his logic.
"The Hunter Guild is secondary. The key is Cyrus himself," Tsuru explained, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the others.
"From what we know now, the Warlord Crocodile is overseeing this matter, and it's just getting started. There's no point in moving against the guild. Cyrus can start a new Hunter Guild anytime, anywhere. But if we move against his organization, then Cyrus might do the same to us."
"Destroying Naval Bases across the seas would not be a troublesome matter for Cyrus."
That was indeed the truth, and for this very reason, even the World Government, which had suffered a major blow from Cyrus, had not targeted the fledgling Hunter Guild.
This was the deterrent power Cyrus now possessed.
"This guy..." Garp muttered, stroking the stubble on his chin.
From his previous few encounters with Cyrus, his impression of the young man had actually been quite good.
"That's enough!"
Seeing the silent crowd, Sengoku spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
"The situation may change at any moment, and the Marines must be prepared. This sea cannot fall into chaos."
Sengoku began to assign specific tasks.
In the Four Seas and Paradise, the Marines' actions had to become more frequent to stabilize the regions.
As for the New World, they would stick to the original plan.
...
While the Marines were carrying out their operations to stabilize the situation, the fleets sent by Boa Hancock and Crocodile passed through the Red Line, and meanwhile, Cyrus's ship was heading straight for Dressrosa.
Brrrring, brrrring!
On the ship, as Robin was dodging Cyrus's attacks under the influence of increased gravity, a Den Den Mushi rang from Cyrus's pocket.
"Crocodile?"
"Yes, President. There's something I feel I must report," Crocodile's voice came from the snail's mouth.
Issho deactivated his ability, and Robin wiped away her sweat before moving closer to Cyrus.
"Speak!"
"The Revolutionary Army has come. They want to send people to join the Hunter Guild and become hunters."
As soon as Crocodile said this, Cyrus was immediately reminded of his encounter with Dragon and his group in Frost Moon Village.
"Their purpose?" Cyrus asked in a calm tone.
"According to them, they hope to cooperate with you," Crocodile's voice rang out. "However, I've investigated the Revolutionary Army's actions before. Although the World Government intentionally blocks the news, the Revolutionary Army has been active in the Four Seas and the Grand Line, secretly overthrowing some countries."
"Hmm, speaking of which, you were also planning to overthrow the government of Alabasta, right?" Cyrus pointed out casually.
His words made Crocodile on the other end fall completely silent.
"I had only conceived this idea in my mind and hadn't told anyone. How did you know, President?" Crocodile's voice finally came through after a while.
"Well, you can just assume my Observation Haki can see through people's thoughts."
"That is truly a powerful Observation Haki."
It was unclear whether Crocodile believed him or not, but the Warlord didn't dwell on the matter.
"What should the guild do?"
"You can decide for yourself."
"I decide? This is a major matter. Besides, President, we have no need to cooperate with the Revolutionary Army." Crocodile had clearly weighed the pros and cons, feeling that cooperating with the revolutionaries had more disadvantages than advantages.
"Then don't cooperate. Didn't I say you can decide it? Besides, I have a lot on my plate, so don't bother me with such trivial matters."
Cyrus hung up the Den Den Mushi after speaking.
On the other end of the line, Crocodile watched the snail in his hand close its eyes and was momentarily speechless.
'What the hell? Is this your Hunter Guild or my Hunter Guild? If I have to do everything, what's the point of having you as the president? What's that? The president is incredibly strong and can kill me with a single slash? Never mind then!' Crocodile took a few deep breaths and put down the Den Den Mushi.
Though speechless, he still carefully considered the overall impact of contacting and cooperating with the Revolutionary Army.
The Hunter Guild's situation was currently very delicate, meaning any reckless move could easily disrupt this balance.
So he had to be cautious.
Cyrus was incredibly strong, and his deterrent power was sufficient to hold off the world's major powers.
But the Hunter Guild itself had no deterrent power right now, meaning its strength was hollow.
The current organization was like a man with a huge head but a scrawny, weak body.
"I'll assess the situation first," Crocodile decided.
The Revolutionary Army had caused a massive stir and possessed many strong members, and since the Hunter Guild had just been established, acquiring so many capable people in a short time would naturally speed up its development.
As for the hidden dangers... he'd leave them for the president to deal with in the future.
After all, Cyrus was the president, and he was just a lowly worker.
...
Cyrus naturally had no idea that Crocodile was planning to pass the buck right back to him.
The Rose Hunter's stern ejected a powerful trail of flame, propelling the ship forward at high speed.
The weather in the New World was indeed famously fickle, but the updated version of Cyrus could now easily break through the most extreme weather phenomena.
Swoosh!
A crimson slash split the gloomy clouds in the sky.
Far ahead of the ship, hailstones larger than their vessel had been falling from the sky, but they immediately stopped their descent as the dark sky quickly cleared up.
Robin breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Watching countless hailstones larger than their ship fall into the churning sea was still a somewhat thrilling sight.
"This is the New World. Besides the large number of powerful individuals here, the harsh weather on the sea is enough to send most pirates who enter the New World straight to their graves. This might be one of the reasons why the Marines and the World Government let pirates enter the New World to begin with," Cyrus observed, sheathing his sword and shaking out his clothes.
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