Crocus truly had a deep impression of Cyrus.
Although the two of them had not interacted for very long when they met before, even back then, Crocus had felt that Cyrus would bring no small disturbance to this sea.
But no matter how much he had imagined, he had never expected the waves Cyrus caused to become this enormous.
Although Crocus had stayed at Twin Cape without moving elsewhere, he had always paid attention to news from the Grand Line, so he was naturally well aware of the current situation.
The Hunter Guild was developing at an extremely rapid pace.
In order to compete with the Hunter Guild for dominance, the Marines had clearly become far more active than before.
These two massive forces were quietly clashing with one another.
Crocus looked at the two young people before him with a complicated expression.
Or rather, the two children.
After reading through the newspaper in her hand, Kuina lifted her head and noticed Crocus's expression.
Her heart stirred slightly.
When she left Shimotsuki Village, her father had told both of them not to casually mention their connection to Cyrus.
At the very least, they should not bring it up before they had enough strength.
But the two of them still occasionally forgot that warning.
"Let's go."
Kuina patted Zoro on the shoulder and turned around.
"Oh."
Zoro nodded. He waved the newspaper in his hand toward Crocus.
Seeing that, Crocus smiled and shook his head, then Zoro followed Kuina back with the newspaper.
Crocus watched as the two of them returned to their ship, then saw both vessels sail away.
What would happen to the sea in the future?
That thought appeared in Crocus's mind, but soon he smiled bitterly and shook his head.
It had nothing to do with him anymore.
After all, he was only an old pirate who had been retired for more than ten years.
Once he returned inside Laboon's body, the enormous Island Whale sank into the sea and disappeared from sight.
...
On the departing ship, Kuina took the newspaper back again and carefully read through the report.
Every time Cyrus did something on his journey, it was basically a major event.
This entire issue of the newspaper was dedicated to reporting what had happened on Whole Cake Island.
"Should we go straight to him?"
Zoro watched Kuina staring blankly at the newspaper and asked.
"No."
Kuina froze for a moment, then immediately shook her head.
Although she also wanted to head for the New World as soon as possible, Kuina knew very well that with their current strength, even if they found Cyrus, they probably would not be able to help him.
"Let's go to Alabasta. Cyrus will definitely show himself during the Hunter Exam."
As Kuina spoke, she handed the newspaper to Zoro, then stood up and returned to the cabin.
Zoro held the paper and scratched his head.
"Zoro-san, where are we heading next?"
Seeing Kuina leave, the other pirate hunters aboard the ship gathered around.
"To Alabasta!"
Zoro answered immediately.
"Zoro-san is right! Alabasta has the great canyon the chairman cut out!"
The group of pirate hunters immediately became excited.
A large part of the reason these people had become pirate hunters was because of Cyrus's terrifying strength and reputation.
A top-tier powerhouse was born with powerful appeal. People could not help wanting to follow in his footsteps.
Only, they could not possibly imagine the situation their chairman was currently in.
…
New World, Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom's defeat should originally have caused a massive shock throughout Totto Land.
But because Cyrus, the one who had defeated Big Mom, was still in the waters of Totto Land, that shock simply dispersed before it could grow.
Even though Cyrus did not directly interfere with Totto Land's affairs, the overall situation remained relatively calm.
Of course, Katakuri deserved credit for that as well.
It seemed he had long imagined how to deal with Totto Land's affairs if Big Mom were ever defeated.
As for Cyrus—
Under normal circumstances, after tossing the matters of Totto Land to someone else, he would have left directly.
But this time, the news that Whitebeard was coming, along with Robin's earlier reminder that he needed to give things time, made Cyrus continue staying on Candy Island.
One reason was to wait for Whitebeard's arrival and see what the World's Strongest Man wanted to do.
The other was to relax for a while.
The New World was vast, but there were not many places Cyrus truly needed to watch closely.
In a sense, the three pirate emperors of the New World and the rising Red-Hair already represented the majority of the pirate forces in the New World.
Because of that, this trip through the New World would not take too much time.
Even if everything he had planned was completed, he would still need to wait for the Hunter Exam to begin.
If the Hunter Guild were viewed as a single organization, then the people who passed the Hunter Exam would become the backbone of that organization.
"Chairman, the Marines have indeed been very active recently. They seem to be working hard to weaken the Guild's influence across the sea. I followed your instructions, Chairman. Aside from Marines who actively attack first, I've told our people to ignore them in all other situations."
Beside a cool pool, Cyrus was half-reclining at the water's edge.
From the Den Den Mushi placed nearby came Crocodile's voice.
"Mm. Crocodile, you know I trust you a lot. If I didn't trust your abilities, I wouldn't have specially gone to Alabasta to find you."
Cyrus spoke with his eyes half-closed, sounding as though he could barely summon any energy.
"Chairman, perhaps you should say that to someone else?"
Clearly, Cyrus's words left Crocodile rather speechless. It was obvious from his voice alone.
"I was just testing it. Robin clearly said that if I said something like that to a subordinate, it would make them more loyal and make them work harder."
Cyrus clicked his tongue.
After his voice fell, the Den Den Mushi went silent.
Nearby, Robin, who was wearing a swimsuit and preparing a cold drink for Cyrus, naturally heard his words. She lifted her head helplessly and glanced at him.
"Other people may need that, but in your case, Chairman, I don't think it's necessary."
After a long silence, Crocodile seemed to finally sort out his thoughts and continued speaking.
"I think so too. As for the Marines, what does the Revolutionary Army say?"
"Chairman, the Revolutionary Army has actually been moving all along. They have placed their focus on the Four Seas and Paradise, and they have been secretly supporting revolutions in certain countries."
"So that part hasn't changed at all."
Cyrus had thought that after the Revolutionary Army began cooperating with the Hunter Guild, their way of operating might change somewhat.
In the end, it was still the same.
"Chairman, this is actually a good thing. At the very least, they really are weakening the World Government's control over the sea. However, the World Government's movements have been rather frequent recently. It seems they may intend to move against the Revolutionary Army.
"Also, I received information that quite a few Celestial Dragons seem to have joined the Marines. Apparently, because of the World Government's military draft, they need a large number of Marine officers."
"That isn't strange."
As Cyrus spoke, he watched Robin walk over with a tray of cold drinks.
After setting the drinks down, she entered the water and sat beside him.
"Not all Celestial Dragons are idiots. If they were, they wouldn't have been able to control this sea for so long."
In truth, Cyrus suspected that the reason the Celestial Dragons were called Celestial Dragons was because they were resources being raised by Imu.
It might have something to do with Imu's ability.
"Any news from Vegapunk's side? Has the Revolutionary Army sent anyone to make contact?"
Crocodile did not respond to Cyrus's evaluation of the Celestial Dragons, and Cyrus did not care.
He simply asked casually.
"There hasn't been much opportunity. The Marines and the World Government are watching Vegapunk very closely."
Crocodile directly gave his answer.
"Mm. I expected that."
Cyrus nodded.
The aerial weapon under Imu's control was, in Imu's eyes, a powerful method that could be used against him.
Vegapunk had deep knowledge in all kinds of technology, but in the eyes of the World Government—or rather, the Celestial Dragons—the Mother Flame was clearly the most important thing.
The reason their supervision of Vegapunk became looser later might also have been because the Mother Flame had already been created.
Either way, Cyrus's appearance had made the World Government and Imu value everything Vegapunk possessed even more.
That much was easy to imagine.
"That's fine. If anything sudden happens and you can't handle it, contact me then. As for everything else, you can deal with it yourself. I have high hopes for you."
Cyrus spoke to the Den Den Mushi.
"Understood."
After Crocodile answered, the Den Den Mushi call ended.
Robin somehow produced a green vegetable leaf and held it near the Den Den Mushi's mouth, then turned back to look at Cyrus.
"It seems the World Government is gathering strength and doing everything it can to find a way to deal with you. Aren't you worried at all?"