Of course, if there was one thing the sea never lacked, it was pirates with no sense of their own limits.
Until death was staring them in the face, plenty of pirates would still act as if nothing in the world could touch them.
But when death truly arrived, very few of them could face it calmly.
"Done."
Lucci did not waste time.
The route to Sky Island was no longer some closely guarded secret, and it was not as difficult to reach as it used to be.
Even so, Lucci still left himself some room to maneuver. What he wrote down was the method of reaching Sky Island through the Knock Up Stream.
Whether Byrnndi World could actually survive riding that current all the way up was no longer his problem.
The moment he finished, Lucci stepped into the air with Moonwalk and left.
Smoker, on the other hand, was left standing there.
Not that anyone on the ship was paying attention to him anymore.
Byrnndi World picked up the paper Lucci had left behind, his eyes shining with the kind of "wisdom" that made everyone around him uneasy.
After scanning it quickly, his face lit up with wild delight.
Smoker turned into smoke and flew away as well, and still no one bothered to stop him.
He knew exactly what he had to do now: pull everyone back immediately.
His warships were still cruising across the sea nearby, and World was not someone they could deal with.
At least, Smoker himself could not deal with him right now.
Escaping alone would be simple enough, but getting the warships under his command away was another matter.
If Byrnndi World came back to his senses and started attacking the warships the way he had earlier, Smoker would not be able to stop every shot.
At that point, the casualties would not be limited to one or two people.
"You're really going?"
Byojack leaned on his cane, then climbed onto World's shoulder and sat there, panting as he looked at the paper in World's hand.
"The Knock Up Stream, huh? So that's how it works."
World looked as if he had suddenly understood everything.
"World, you need to understand something. If you go there, you may end up facing that monster directly. Are you really prepared for that?"
Nightin, standing nearby, asked with a serious expression.
"Quit nagging! Since when have I ever taken back a decision I've made?"
World waved her off impatiently.
"You said you were going to pick a fight with Cyrus before, and then you changed your mind right after that."
Nightin clicked her tongue, her face full of disdain.
World's expression turned a little awkward.
"That's because of you people! Half of you are old, and the rest are missing. I need to strengthen the crew before I do anything!"
The two of them immediately started arguing.
"Actually, going there isn't impossible."
Byojack, seated on World's shoulder, suddenly spoke, a thoughtful gleam passing through his cloudy old eyes.
The moment he opened his mouth, World and Nightin both stopped.
"If you want those Devil Fruits, there is a way."
"Then hurry up and say it."
World looked at Byojack on his shoulder, his tone turning unfriendly when the old man started dragging things out.
"Those are prizes the Hunter Guild prepared for their exam. Even if you go there now, you may not be able to find them. The Hunter Exam is still three or four months away, so the prizes may not have been delivered to Sky Island yet."
Byojack gave his guess.
"If they're not on Sky Island, then they're still with the Hunter Guild."
"Probably. But World, even if the fruits are still with the Hunter Guild, they're most likely at their headquarters on Sabaody Archipelago. If we try to rush there now, we may already be too late."
Byojack tried to phrase it as tactfully as possible.
"Then what are we supposed to do?"
Byrnndi World's face darkened. He was clearly in a terrible mood.
A chance to obtain that many Devil Fruits at once was far too rare.
"Then we enter the Hunter Exam."
A sharp light flashed in Byojack's murky eyes.
"Since they're prizes, whoever passes the exam can naturally receive them. When the time comes, the fruits will be right there. All you need to do is wait for the exam, take part, and pass it. Once the Devil Fruit is in your hands, whether you want to steal the others afterward will be up to you."
"Mm!"
Byrnndi World nodded as if he deeply agreed.
"I thought of that too."
Hearing that, Nightin and Byojack both rolled their eyes almost by reflex.
"Then it's settled. We'll wait for this exam."
World clapped his hands, looking as if he had made a grand decision.
"That works too. With your strength, passing the exam should be easy. Then, when you receive your prize, you can look for a chance to take the other Devil Fruits as well. After that, we gather people and rebuild the crew.
"By then, even if we face the Hunter Guild head-on, we may not necessarily lose."
Byojack painted the picture for him, and World swallowed it down with impressive speed.
"Good! We set out now. Back to the Grand Line! We'll go to Sky Island and wait for the exam to begin."
World made his decision immediately.
Watching his huge figure return to the cabin, Byojack climbed down from his shoulder and exchanged a look with Nightin.
"Are you sure it's okay to trick him like that?"
Nightin looked utterly speechless.
"I didn't trick him."
Byojack leaned on the cane attached to his IV drip while rubbing his aching old back.
"Everything I said was true. And if an opportunity really appears during the exam, it's not impossible for us to make a move. Of course, all of that depends on whether Cyrus shows up there."
When Byojack said Cyrus's name, his voice became deeply grave.
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