Cyrus tilted his head and looked at Robin, who had her chin resting on her arm while her fingers moved up and down, teasing the Den Den Mushi with a vegetable leaf.
He chuckled and shook his head.
"Something like that can't be avoided. I already said it before—the time still isn't right."
"You still think that way. It seems that, in your eyes, dealing with the World Government isn't exactly difficult."
After hearing Cyrus's answer, Robin spoke softly, her gaze shifting onto his face.
Cyrus did not mind being watched by her curious eyes.
"That's right. It only depends on what kind of price I have to pay. No, that's not quite right. It's not about what price I have to pay, but what price everyone else in this world would have to pay."
If it were not for the huge and unpredictable impact it might cause, directly attacking the World Government and fighting Imu again was not impossible.
It was just that, even now, Cyrus was not certain whether he could truly defeat Imu.
After all, someone who had ruled the world for so many years could not possibly be without trump cards.
Even the battle at Mary Geoise could not really be considered a proper head-on fight.
"You outside. You've been listening long enough."
Cyrus suddenly spoke.
Robin froze, then abruptly turned her head toward the door.
The door was pulled open from the outside, and a slender figure walked in.
Stussy, dressed in a swimsuit, entered with a perfectly composed expression.
She walked to the edge of the pool, stepped into the water, and calmly looked at Cyrus and Robin.
"She was here from the start?"
Robin looked Stussy over, then turned to ask Cyrus.
"She was already here when I was talking to Crocodile. You didn't notice?"
Cyrus asked in return.
"No. I'm not like you. I don't keep my Observation Haki active all the time."
Robin shook her head, then looked toward Stussy.
"So, what were you trying to do by eavesdropping?"
Robin felt that Stussy should understand her movements could not be hidden from Cyrus, yet she had still come anyway.
That meant this woman had some other purpose.
"I'm an artificial human."
Hearing Robin's question, Stussy raised one arm from the water and looked at her own smooth, pale skin.
The first sentence she spoke nearly shut Robin's brain down completely.
An artificial human?
"I'm a clone. The first successful creation of an artificial human project. You may not have heard of my original, but she was Miss Buckingham Stussy of the Rocks Pirates."
Stussy spoke with complete calm.
"Back then, Buckingham Stussy, Vegapunk, and several others conducted research into artificial humans together."
Stussy watched the surprise on Robin's face.
Then her gaze shifted to Cyrus, only to find that he did not seem shocked.
"So, you came to confess Vegapunk's capabilities to me?"
Cyrus looked Stussy over a few times.
Then the image of the elderly Miss Buckin surfaced in his mind, making the corner of his mouth twitch slightly before he asked the question.
If Stussy had taken the initiative to reveal this, she definitely had a goal.
"Vegapunk possesses all kinds of technology three hundred years ahead of the world," Stussy said after hearing Cyrus's words.
"Three hundred years ahead is only a general description, but Vegapunk's ability really is impressive."
Cyrus shook his head slightly at Stussy's wording.
Vegapunk was indeed capable.
The things he had mastered were clearly disconnected from the level of the rest of the world, and naturally possessed enormous value.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that, if used properly, he could raise the productive power of the entire world by decades, perhaps even a century.
Of course, that depended on whether he was used properly.
"Vegapunk is currently under the World Government's control and has always been under CP surveillance. There aren't many people who can rescue him and protect him afterward."
Stussy spoke again.
"What makes you so sure I wouldn't control him the same way the World Government does?"
The moment Cyrus said that, Stussy's expression stiffened.
Robin listened from the side as the two of them talked about Vegapunk, and a flash of understanding crossed her eyes.
Someone as sharp as her naturally understood what was going on.
Stussy was one of Vegapunk's people.
She had come as a persuader, hoping to use Cyrus's power to free Vegapunk from the World Government's control.
"The Celestial Dragons control an Ancient Weapon, and they need the thing Vegapunk is currently researching to activate it," Stussy said softly.
"Is it the thing from Dressrosa?"
The moment Stussy mentioned an Ancient Weapon, Robin's eyes suddenly lit up, and she asked directly.
"Perhaps. But I don't know what Ancient Weapon the Celestial Dragons possess."
Stussy shook her head.
"Someone will handle Vegapunk's matter. As for his safety, at least before the Mother Flame is completed, he is absolutely safe. Like you said, Vegapunk himself is also extremely valuable."
Cyrus waved his hand.
Stussy was visibly disappointed.
If Cyrus acted personally, that would clearly be best.
But Cyrus's current answer made it obvious that he did not intend to handle this matter himself.
"One more thing. Those people in the underworld want to cooperate with the Hunter Guild. They entrusted me to ask for your opinion."
Stussy took a deep breath, set Vegapunk's matter aside for the time being, and brought up something else.
"Tell them to cooperate with Crocodile."
Cyrus shook his head and did not ask further.
Those people were essentially investing.
The individuals who controlled various underworld businesses definitely had deep connections with the World Government.
Now that they had come to him, they were surely trying to bet on both sides.
No matter what happened in the future, they would not lose out completely.
But looking at it another way, at least in their eyes, the Hunter Guild had already reached a level where it could stand against the World Government.
That was good news.
To oppose the World Government and the Marines, what he needed was not only power, but reputation as well.
"I understand."
Stussy nodded.
Her gaze moved over Cyrus and Robin, and then she stood up.
Water droplets slid from her body and swimsuit as she left the pool and walked away.
"That woman…"
Robin pressed her lips together and looked at Cyrus.
"You were staring at her chest just now."
"I wasn't. Don't make things up."
Cyrus froze for a moment and denied it on instinct.
"I saw it."
Seeing him stubbornly deny it, Robin rolled her eyes.
"I was only wondering whether her artificial body is the same as an ordinary person's."
After coming back to himself, Cyrus gave an explanation.
"And what was the result?"
Robin moved closer to Cyrus, leaning against him.
The Den Den Mushi beside the pool withdrew completely into its shell.
"Don't. Someone is watching us."
Feeling Robin lean against him, Cyrus lifted his arm slightly.
"Hm?"
Robin paused, looking somewhat puzzled.
She activated her Observation Haki. Other than Stussy, who had already left, there was no one nearby.
Besides, who could possibly avoid Cyrus's Observation Haki and watch them?
"I'm still a child."
Cyrus sighed.
"That's true."
Hearing him say that, Robin looked at Cyrus's face, where the childishness had already faded away, and nodded in realization.
"But your ability always makes people forget that."
Even in the world of one piece, Cyrus's age was absurdly young.
And that was only from the perspective of humans.
There were many races in this world for whom someone in their dozens would still be considered a child.
"All right, let's not think about those annoying things."
Cyrus raised his arm and pulled Robin into a casual embrace.
"Once everything is resolved, we'll find a place with good scenery and properly rest for a while."
"A while?"
Robin leaned obediently against Cyrus, looking unusually docile, but when she heard his words, she raised her head curiously.
"Mm. I'm planning to have people search for a few things. If what I'm thinking is true, then there will be even more adventures waiting after this. A much broader world."
"A much broader world?"
Robin's eyes widened, and she instinctively looked upward.
"Not the world in the sky. Something else."
Noticing Robin's reaction, Cyrus naturally guessed what she was thinking and smiled as he spoke.
As for what exactly he meant, Cyrus did not explain.
After all, this was still only an idea of his. Whether it was real or not, even Cyrus could not be certain.
Only after he truly found it would he be able to judge.
If there was no other way, then this matter was worth waiting for Straw Hat Luffy to set out to sea.
After all, he was not the protagonist of this world.
Thinking that, Cyrus curled his lips slightly.
But he was also the protagonist of this world.
The protagonist of another story.
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