"I ran into the Marines on my way here," Hancock stated, placing a hand on her hip after hearing Rayleigh's warning.
"Did you fight?" Rayleigh asked, taken aback.
"Yes! Those bastards tried to blockade my ship!" Hancock declared, tilting her head back, looking proud of her actions.
Rayleigh was speechless for a moment.
It seems the news of her arrival has been leaked to Headquarters.
"What was Cyrus's reaction to her?" Shakky asked, looking past Hancock to address Rayleigh.
"Did you tell him she's a Warlord?"
"I warned him, but his attitude was strange. He didn't seem to care in the slightest." Rayleigh sighed, gesturing for Shakky to pour him a drink.
He took a heavy sip of wine and pondered for a moment.
"That's why I said something catastrophic might happen here. Getting involved with that boy right now would be unwise."
"It's related to the Celestial Dragons, isn't it?" Shakky asked, glancing at Hancock.
As expected, Hancock's arrogant expression fractured the second Shakky mentioned the World Nobles.
A deep, buried terror flashed in the Empress's eyes!
"What do we do next?" Shakky asked, noting Rayleigh's silence.
"We wait and see what he decides to do," Rayleigh said, rubbing his chin.
"Speaking of which... he's a Pirate Hunter, right?" Hancock asked, forcing her composure back into place.
"He carries the title, yes. But he is a different breed," Rayleigh said, turning to look at Hancock. "You should have felt it during your brief clash. Hancock, you are no match for him. Don't make an enemy of that man."
"Rayleigh! Are you lecturing me?!" Hancock retorted, her pride flaring as she put a hand on her hip.
"I'm giving you a reminder to stay alive."
Knowing her stubborn personality, Rayleigh wasn't surprised by her defensive reaction and shook his head.
By his estimation, even before mastering advanced Haki, the average Warlord was no longer a match for Cyrus.
After all, even the World's Strongest Swordsman had admitted defeat.
Although Hancock's Mero Mero no Mi was powerful, it relied on lust.
And Cyrus had looked at the most beautiful woman in the world like she was an annoying piece of furniture!
Her greatest weapon was useless against him.
"You need to leave the archipelago," Rayleigh ordered.
He had decided to stay and observe Cyrus's endgame, but it was imperative that Hancock evacuate before the Marines locked down the island.
This time, Hancock didn't shout him down.
She cast a complicated look at Rayleigh, then turned on her heel and marched out of the bar without a word.
Shakky and Rayleigh looked at each other, both shaking their heads.
....
"Was that the Shichibukai, Boa Hancock?" Robin asked as soon as they returned to their temporary residence in Area 13.
"It was," Cyrus nodded, the image of the Empress flashing in his mind.
Even for an emotionally detached transmigrator like him, being confronted by the pinnacle of human beauty had caused a fleeting moment of daze.
But the moment had passed, and he had ended the interaction before she could cause a scene.
"Things are getting lively on this island," Robin commented, pouring a cup of tea.
"Indeed they are," Cyrus nodded, falling into deep thought.
He had forced Rayleigh to teach him Conqueror's Haki Emission.
His primary objective for coming to the Sabaody Archipelago was complete.
On Crocodile's end, the administrative foundation for the Hunter Guild had also been established.
He should gather his crew and set sail for the New World.
If he left now, whatever proxy-war trap Doflamingo was setting up would collapse into nothingness.
But... running away because of a Warlord's scheme felt unsatisfying.
Making up his mind, Cyrus turned to look at Issho.
"Issho, I want you to go find Rayleigh tomorrow and have him coat the galleon. The three of you are setting sail for Fish-Man Island ahead of schedule."
"Are you intending to stay behind on Sabaody alone?" Hawkeye asked, looking at Cyrus in surprise.
"I am." Cyrus nodded. "I want to stay and see how this auction plays out."
"Can you handle the fallout by yourself?" Issho asked, his blind eyes turning toward Cyrus.
"If I can't handle it, the three of you staying behind wouldn't change the outcome anyway," Cyrus smiled.
"But since I'm ordering you to leave, I'm confident I can survive whatever happens."
"It seems you've made your decision," Issho nodded, leaning on his cane sword.
"Captain... I—" Robin hesitated, gripping her teacup.
She knew what he was doing.
She knew that with her current strength, she would be nothing but a liability in a war against Admirals.
She was a burden.
"I understand," Robin whispered, taking a deep breath.
In her heart, a desperate resolve ignited.
She had to get stronger.
She refused to be left behind for her own safety again!
"Don't look like that!" Cyrus laughed, reaching out to pat the top of her head. "Since I've decided to play this game, I'm 100% confident I can escape under any circumstances. Besides, this is all just tactical speculation! Maybe nothing will happen, and I'll catch up with you in a week."
"Whenever you say 'nothing will happen,' an island usually sinks," Robin muttered, pushing his hand away with a small smile.
"Just submerge the ship, pass through Fish-Man Island, and wait for me in the New World. I'll contact you via Den Den Mushi the second I surface," Cyrus promised. He then turned to look at Hawkeye.
"Are you sure you aren't going with them?"
"I've followed you for long enough," Hawkeye shook his head.
He had never joined Cyrus's crew, he had only tagged along because he had promised to provide sword instruction.
But after observing Cyrus for weeks, Mihawk had concluded that while Cyrus's raw power was terrifying, he wasn't dedicated to the pure path of the sword.
Mihawk had no intention of traveling with the group any longer.
He had witnessed the peak of Conqueror's Haki during the spars with Rayleigh.
Now, he needed to return to Kuraigana Island and train his own Haki to push his swordsmanship to the next level.
Understanding Mihawk's mindset, Cyrus didn't press the issue.
Recruiting the World's Strongest Swordsman into the Hunter Guild would take far more than a simple invitation.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 1.
Jinbei stood still, his eyes locked on the tall man who had materialized out of a beam of golden light.
"I'm only here to give you a friendly warning, Knight of the Sea," Admiral Kizaru drawled, pouting his lips.
"You're an intelligent man. You should know the consequences of causing trouble here today."
"This is the lawless zone of the archipelago. Are the Marines going to interfere with an underworld auction?" Jinbei asked with a growl.
Since Jinbei had made the conscious decision to come to Sabaody, he had weighed the consequences.
But with an organized Fish-man auction of this magnitude taking place, it was impossible for him to turn a blind eye.
If this syndicate succeeded, the mass kidnapping and enslavement of his people would become an industrialized norm.
"This specific auction is... complicated," Kizaru sighed, adjusting his yellow sunglasses. "I'm here to warn you, Jinbei. Turn around, get back on your ship, and leave the island right now. If you do, no one has to get hurt."
Kizaru already knew the answer.
The Fish-man wouldn't back down.
As he predicted, Jinbei planted his feet on the cobblestones, his massive fists clenching.
He had no intention of retreating!
Kizaru frowned, but he didn't make a move to attack the Warlord.
Instead, his body dissolved back into light, leaving the area.
Re-materializing on his flagship, Kizaru dialed Sengoku and reported Jinbei's refusal to comply.
Sengoku felt a massive headache coming on!
If a random Mermaid auction had been organized at any other time of the year, he wouldn't have cared if Jinbei showed up to break it up.
But the timing of this specific event was a nightmare.
The Celestial Dragons were drooling over the VIP invitations!