Most of those Hunters had joined the Guild because they admired Cyrus and wanted to follow in his footsteps.
Yet even after becoming Hunters, the vast majority had never seen him in person.
The news that Cyrus had appeared on Sabaody immediately sent every Hunter still active across the archipelago into a frenzy.
Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, he was already gone.
Crocodile also heard about the commotion but paid it little attention.
He had expected something like this to happen sooner or later. He had simply forgotten to warn Cyrus beforehand.
Besides, he had more immediate matters to deal with.
"So the chairman personally sent you here? You've decided to go to Sky Island and take the exam?"
Crocodile looked at the boy and the bear standing before him, his voice low and measured.
"We wouldn't dare lie about something like that."
Law hugged his sword against his side and lowered the brim of his spotted hat, sounding somewhat helpless.
"If the chairman personally approached you, then you must possess some ability."
Crocodile studied them both before settling his gaze on the human.
The bear beside him looked far too timid to be the one Cyrus had taken an interest in.
"So, what exactly can you do?"
Law's entire body tensed at the question.
Crocodile noticed the reaction, and the corner of his mouth rose.
As expected, the young man was hiding something.
Cyrus rarely gave personal instructions like this.
Unless their meeting had been pure coincidence, there had to be something unusual about him.
"I don't believe that's something applicants are required to reveal."
Law answered cautiously.
"It isn't."
Crocodile nodded.
Since Cyrus had personally told him to send the pair to Sky Island, they would be going whether Law explained his ability or not.
"If you take the Hunter Exam and pass, you can become a full member of the Hunter Guild. You'll receive the Guild's protection and access to its resources, though you'll also be expected to complete assigned missions."
Law paused at those words and lowered his head in thought.
He assumed Crocodile was trying to recruit him, but revealing his ability carried significant risks.
"The Op-Op Fruit," he finally said quietly.
"The Devil Fruit worth five billion Berries?"
Crocodile had never seen it personally, but he had heard about the enormous disturbance caused by the Op-Op Fruit years ago.
"No wonder."
His expression remained calm as he nodded.
"I'll arrange for someone to send you to Sky Island. Until then, stay here."
A Guild member stepped forward and escorted Law and the white bear from the room.
"The legendary fruit said to grant immortality…"
Once they were gone, Crocodile murmured to himself.
Had Cyrus taken an interest in the Op-Op Fruit?
But Cyrus had already told him he could extract Devil Fruit powers directly from their users.
If he truly wanted the fruit, he could simply take it.
Either way, an ability like that was exceptionally valuable.
If Guild Hunters were injured, the Op-Op Fruit could be tremendously useful.
Even if Law failed the exam, Crocodile was already prepared to find a place for him within the Guild.
He had begun planning how to bend the rules before the exam had even started.
"Vice-Chairman, the Hunters want to meet the chairman."
Daz entered the room, looking somewhat helpless.
"Tell them the chairman has already gone to Sky Island. They'll have plenty of chances to see him there."
Crocodile waved him away.
Daz had just turned to leave when Crocodile stopped him.
"Wait."
Daz looked back.
"Have the Fish-Men contacted us?"
Crocodile had naturally heard that Cyrus spoke with a Fish-Man while he was outside.
He had known about Jinbe's earlier attempts to join the Hunter Guild.
However, Jinbe's identity was complicated, and Cyrus had previously killed Fish-Men in East Blue, so Crocodile had quietly suppressed the application.
It now seemed Cyrus did not care about that history.
That made everything much simpler.
Fish-Men held an enormous advantage beneath the sea. If they cooperated with the Guild, many operations would become considerably easier.
While Crocodile was asking about them, Jinbe had already received Hachi's call on Fish-Man Island.
"Hachi, are you certain he said that himself?"
Jinbe could not hide his shock.
When Cyrus split the Red Line with a single slash, debris had fallen and blocked Fish-Man Island's passage to the surface. Even now, only a narrow opening had been cleared.
That had not necessarily been a bad thing for Fish-Man Island.
Far fewer outsiders could reach the island, which meant the slave ships that once hunted Fish-Men and merfolk had almost completely disappeared.
It had been a long time since anyone had seen one.
That was merely an indirect result of Cyrus's actions.
Jinbe had submitted several requests to the Hunter Guild without receiving a response. He had never expected the situation to change so suddenly.
"Yes, Brother Jinbe. He told me himself. He said you should go directly to Crocodile and tell him Chairman Cyrus sent you."
Crocodile was now the vice-chairman of the Hunter Guild, one of the most powerful men on the sea.
Cyrus rarely involved himself in the Guild's daily affairs, leaving Crocodile to manage nearly everything.
"I understand." Jinbe answered solemnly.
"Brother Jinbe, what happened in East Blue…"
Hachi's voice trembled with fear as he raised the subject.
Jinbe immediately felt a headache coming on.
Arlong had truly left the Fish-Men with an enormous problem.
Still, what was done was done.
Someone as important as Cyrus probably would not care about it anymore.
After ending the call, Jinbe went directly to Ryugu Palace and reported everything to King Neptune.
"Can this truly happen?"
The enormous king could barely contain his excitement.
Although he ruled Fish-Man Island, finding someone as powerful as Cyrus to support them might finally allow the Fish-Men's long-held dream to become reality.
If Fish-Men and merfolk could one day travel freely across the surface, it would change everything.
"There should be no problem, but I'll need to go there personally before we know the details."
Jinbe nodded.
As captain of the Ryugu Kingdom's guards, he naturally needed the king's approval.
Fortunately, Neptune's thoughts were largely the same as his own.
Until now, they had never seen a genuine opportunity or reason to hope.
But with a single word from one of the strongest men in the world, the future of the entire Fish-Man race could change.
"In that case, should we still send people to Sky Island?"
Neptune finally calmed down and asked for Jinbe's opinion.
They had already considered that plan after Jinbe's earlier requests went unanswered.
Anyone paying attention could see that the Hunter Guild had become one of the most powerful organizations on the sea.
Whether through membership or cooperation, establishing ties with the Guild would bring enormous benefits to Fish-Man Island.
Now that Cyrus had personally spoken, however, did they still need to follow through with the original plan?
"We should."
Jinbe nodded without hesitation.
"We'll proceed as we discussed. I'll lead the group myself. If some of our people can pass the exam and become full Hunters, that would still be a good thing."
"Then I'll leave the entire matter to you, Jinbe. Do not disappoint me."
"Yes!"
Jinbe nodded firmly.
"However, Princess Shirahoshi should remain here for now. I'll assess the situation first, then return and escort her there if it's safe."
Neptune nodded.
Keeping Shirahoshi inside Ryugu Palace would have been the safest choice.
But Neptune had already begun to suspect his daughter's true identity. If his suspicions were correct, then Shirahoshi's circumstances were unlike those of any ordinary princess.
They needed to prepare in advance.
After all, many people would covet the power of Poseidon.
"You must protect Shirahoshi at all costs."
Neptune's voice became solemn.
"I will guarantee the princess's safety with my life."
Jinbe gave his word without hesitation.
"Then go. Return as quickly as you can."
"Yes!"
Jinbe turned and hurried out of Ryugu Palace.
After he left, Neptune went to the tower where Shirahoshi lived.
Her safety could now be guaranteed, but Shirahoshi had grown accustomed to staying there.
Her timid, tearful personality also left Neptune deeply worried.
"Who's there?"
A frightened, childish voice came from inside the tower.
After Neptune announced himself, a startled cry followed. Several maids strained to push open the enormous door, and Shirahoshi swam out.
Even as a child, she was already enormous.
"Come with me. There's something we need to discuss."
Before Shirahoshi could speak, Neptune took her small hand and led her back inside.
A short while later, terror covered Shirahoshi's young face.
She was afraid to leave Fish-Man Island. In truth, she hardly dared leave the palace or even the tower itself.
Seeing his daughter's evasive gaze, Neptune's great beard twitched before he sighed.
"That bad man hasn't appeared in a long time. He's given up. You can leave freely now, and Jinbe will be there to protect you."
"Do I have to go?"
Shirahoshi's voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible.
"Do you truly not want to?"
Neptune hesitated when he saw her reaction.
He had already made his decision, but if his daughter firmly refused, he could not bear to force her into a situation that terrified her.
"All right. Jinbe won't be back for some time. If you still don't want to leave when he returns, I'll send one of your brothers instead."
Neptune's heart softened.
"I…"
Shirahoshi might have been timid, but she was intelligent enough to understand what her father was thinking.
That only made her more conflicted.
Yet the thought of leaving the tower still frightened her.
"That's enough for now. I'll visit again later. You could try swimming around Ryugu Palace in the meantime."
After Neptune left, Shirahoshi curled her arms around her tail, uncertainty filling her face.
Whether she should leave or stay had suddenly become a very difficult question.
…
Sky Island.
Boom!
Zoro was sent flying backward, his grip on his swords nearly torn loose by the impact.
He slid across the ground for a considerable distance before finally steadying himself, glaring at the strange group ahead.
"She's strong!"
Zoro gritted his teeth.
The white-haired girl's kanabo carried tremendous force, and her control of Haki was extremely polished.
Before transforming, she had been manageable.
Now that she was in her hybrid form, he could barely withstand a single strike.
There truly were countless gifted people in this world.
He would have to train even harder.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Kuina stepped forward as two tails and a pair of feline ears appeared behind her.
A wisp of blue flame formed in her palm, then spread along her blade as she drew it.
The sight bore more than a passing resemblance to Cyrus's techniques.
Across from them, Yamato rested her kanabo on one shoulder and stared at Zoro and Kuina. Then she scratched her head with her free hand.
"We only took a little food. Why do you keep chasing us?"
Behind her, Ulti and the others nodded enthusiastically in their transformed states.
Exactly.
Why were these people making such a fuss?
"You're supposed to pay for food!"
Kuina could barely believe what she was hearing.
She glanced toward the side, where a dark-clothed man with wings stood facing Mihawk.
"We don't have any money," Yamato answered honestly.
Kuina's expression stiffened.
"Right. We don't have any money."
The others behind Yamato nodded again as though they had just realized the root of the problem.
Kuina almost raised a hand to pull at her own hair.
"They're making fools of you," Zoro said. "If you don't have money, don't eat the food."
"Then we'd starve!"
Yamato immediately argued.
"Obviously!" Kuina and Zoro shouted together.
"Fine. We'll capture you first and figure out how to make you pay afterward."
Kuina stopped wasting words and shot forward.
Her speed was so great that only a faint afterimage remained.
Clang!
Her blade swept horizontally and struck Yamato's kanabo, which was coated in Armament Haki.
The weapons separated after the brief collision, but Kuina's blade had already changed direction and appeared beside Yamato's wrist, poised to knock the kanabo from her hand.
Yamato's heart tightened, and she instinctively reached for the approaching sword.
Whoosh!
A sudden weight landed on her shoulders.
Kuina stood with both feet planted there, one hand pressing against Yamato's head while the other held a blade across her throat.
King noticed the danger from a distance and started to move.
The moment he did, he felt a razor-sharp gaze lock onto him.
There was no mistaking the warning.
If he took another step, the black blade in Mihawk's hands would fall on him.
At his peak, King would not have feared fighting Hawkeye.
But Cyrus had shattered the bones in his chest with a single kick.
His powerful constitution and the exceptional recovery granted by his Ancient Zoan had healed him somewhat, but he had no confidence in defeating the world's greatest swordsman in his current condition.
"This hardly warrants such a reaction."
King hesitated before speaking.
Even he found the situation absurd.
How had one of the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars ended up in a confrontation like this over stolen food?
After learning they had been sent to Sky Island, King had specifically ordered Yamato and the others to remain quiet.
Unfortunately, they had been starving for days. Once they reached a place where food was easily available, none of them had been able to resist.
"You should be grateful no one was killed."
Mihawk's arms hung naturally at his sides, his hawk-like eyes fixed on King.
"Otherwise, I would not have been the one sent to deal with you."
He turned his gaze toward Kuina.
Blue flames now circled rapidly around Yamato. Kuina's earlier attempt to subdue her had clearly failed.
"She isn't Yamato's equal," King said.
"Her strength is impressive, but Yamato has already mastered Conqueror's coating. She simply hasn't used it yet."