"Sengoku, weren't you looking forward to this before?"
Garp of course understood Sengoku's meaning.
But Doflamingo's status was special, and the things he had done were also special.
For example, the matter of him killing Sengoku's adopted son, Corazon.
Although Sengoku seemed to have never mentioned it again due to his status, Garp, who knew him well, understood that Sengoku had definitely not forgotten.
"Not fighting in the North Blue is a good thing for Cyrus. Although Cyrus has caused a big stir now, the World Government will at most pay attention, and the matter will ultimately fall on the Navy's shoulders. But if he goes to war with Doflamingo, the situation will be different," Sengoku said, looking at Garp with a serious expression.
"Speaking of which, if you had brought him back the first time you met him, none of this would have happened."
Sengoku was clearly still holding a grudge about this.
Especially after hearing Kizaru's report.
If Kizaru's description was accurate, Cyrus's current strength was probably greater than that of an elite Vice Admiral at Headquarters.
In another two years, he might be another Admiral candidate.
That is, his strength was almost sufficient, but there was no vacant position.
"Sengoku, I understand what you mean!"
This time, Garp didn't seem to continue making excuses for himself, and his expression also became serious.
"It's best if this young man doesn't join the Navy. Otherwise, something irreversible might happen."
"The Celestial Dragons?" Sengoku fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then asked.
Garp nodded slightly.
"What a pain!" Sengoku sighed heavily, then looked at Garp.
"If that's the case, joining the Navy could indeed cause problems. However, we still need to give him a reminder."
"Naturally. After all, if someone with Cyrus's strength becomes a Pirate, it will be a huge problem," Garp said, then burst into laughter.
"You bastard, your salary for this month is completely docked!" Sengoku waved his hand dismissively.
"Whatever, it's not like I need money anyway!" Garp said, getting up and walking to Sengoku's desk.
He skillfully opened a drawer, grabbed two large bags of rice crackers, and sauntered out.
Sengoku watched with a dark face as Garp left his office.
"But Garp is right," Sengoku sighed.
However, there were many powerful individuals in this world who were neither Navy nor Pirate.
It would be fine if Cyrus just didn't cause such a huge commotion.
The North Blue was one thing; he was mostly targeting Doflamingo's armories.
If he caused such a big stir in other places, it would definitely be impossible to hide. The news would probably spread across the seas in a day or two.
But even so, the events in the North Blue this time probably couldn't be kept under wraps.
That bird from the World Economic Journal wouldn't let go of such news.
Sengoku was worried.
...
Meanwhile, Aokiji's eyes widened when he heard from the returning Garp about Cyrus.
"Sounds like his strength has improved again," Aokiji said, stroking his chin.
His tone was a little uncertain; clearly, the news he heard from Garp seemed incredible to him.
After all, it hadn't been that long.
"Hmm? Didn't you say you were at a disadvantage when you fought him? This time, when he fought Borsalino, according to that guy's account, he didn't seem to mention the kind of combat power you described," Garp said, looking at his top disciple's expression and asking curiously.
"That might be related to his sudden surge in strength. His strength increased abruptly; it should be some kind of special technique," Aokiji guessed.
As a Marine Headquarters Admiral, he had naturally experienced countless battles.
The situation with Cyrus was very special, but after thinking about it more, he roughly understood what was going on.
After all, many people on this sea had hidden techniques that could suddenly erupt when fighting an enemy.
It was just that their eruptions weren't as significant as Cyrus's.
It was as if Cyrus had become a different person.
"So when you say he's gotten stronger again, you mean he didn't use this hidden technique?" Garp nodded, indicating he understood.
"Garp-san, speaking of which, will he really not get a bounty for doing this?"
"He won't. The Navy won't issue one. In the end, it didn't affect civilians, nor was it robbery. It's a private grudge between him and Doflamingo."
"But he really is a willful guy," Aokiji lamented.
...
The "willful guy" in Aokiji's mouth was currently controlling Flames and charging forward madly.
Kizaru's appearance let Cyrus know that the Navy would probably intervene, so he had to finish things first.
Using her ability to firmly secure herself to the ship, Robin felt the strong wind brought by the ship's extreme speed.
Her long hair was blown back, turning into a slicked-back style.
She could clearly feel that Cyrus had picked up the pace.
She could naturally guess the reason.
She also guessed that their time in the North Blue probably wouldn't be much longer.
Not long after, on an island completely destroyed by flames and slashes, Cyrus returned with Robin.
From the sky, a newspaper fell.
The News Bird delivering the paper seemed to sense Cyrus's gaze and flapped its wings frantically, flying off into the distance.
Smack!
Cyrus raised his hand and snatched the falling newspaper.
"It's you!" Robin leaned over and said after seeing the contents of the paper.
There were photos of the destroyed island and the demolished armory.
"Young Powerhouse Who Defeated Chinjao Arrives in North Blue, Has Currently Destroyed 24 Islands"
"This isn't good news," Robin said.
At this rate, even if he wasn't a Pirate, he would be treated as one.
Robin knew Cyrus's intentions and felt that this outcome might not be what he wanted.
But Cyrus raised a hand to his chin, his expression very serious, his eyes sharp.
"These bastards. Do I not have a name?" Cyrus's voice was tinged with annoyance.
Robin was stunned!
'So that's what he's angry about?'
"There's good and bad to the news. Since there's a bad side, there's naturally a good one. After all, with fame, if we really want to establish the Hunter Association on the Grand Line later, we'll need some appeal to make those who set out to sea yearn for it. Why are there so many Pirates now? Besides the fact that most people in this world are not well-off, it's mostly because of the One Piece that the Pirate King Roger spoke of back then."
Robin was surprised. "So you plan to use this opportunity to spread your name?"
But wouldn't that be counterproductive?
If the Navy issued a bounty, it would basically solidify his status as a Pirate.
"That doesn't matter either. After all, a bounty is just a bounty. As long as I'm strong enough, I'll be the one calling the shots."
It wasn't an easy task to build a massive organization from scratch.
Perhaps he really would have to become an emperor of the New World, becoming one of the Four Emperors before Shanks, to have a chance at success.
After all, the Hunter Association he wanted to establish was not the Revolutionary Army.
The Navy and the World Government might pay attention, but they probably wouldn't target it from the start.
If he was powerful enough by then, the Navy and the World Government would have to think twice before making any moves.