In the New World.
"That guy really dared to do it, and he actually pulled it off." Garp's expression was unreadable.
Beside him, Aokiji frowned deeply.
"His strength is growing too fast. He's not like this when I fought him before, he was hiding a great deal of his power," the Admiral said, looking at Garp.
"Perhaps he has always been hiding his true strength, never showing it to you, me, or anyone else." Garp stroked his chin and nodded.
"That's the only explanation."
Following their line of logic, there really was no other way to make sense of it.
"Get ready. We'll probably have to head back," Garp said after a moment of thought, and Aokiji nodded in agreement.
With such a massive incident at Mary Geoise, the situation the Marines would face next was bound to become extremely difficult.
They couldn't stay here indefinitely to monitor the territorial war between Red Hair and Big Mom.
...
However, what the Marines didn't know was that this Emperor clash was also coming to an abrupt end.
The shocking news prompted Shanks and Charlotte Linlin to temporarily cease hostilities.
"Cyrus?" Charlotte Linlin's eyes were fixed on Katakuri, who stood before her.
"This guy attacked Mary Geoise, killed a Celestial Dragon, and cut a gap in the Red Line?" Big Mom asked again, wanting confirmation.
The other members of the Charlotte family remained silent, all looking toward Katakuri, who was implicitly acting as the second-in-command of the crew.
"Yes, Mama. It all just happened, and from the looks of it, this person has already entered the New World," Katakuri replied with a nod.
Due to the ongoing war, he hadn't seen the broadcast with his own eyes, so everything he knew came from incoming reports.
But even as a secondhand account, this news made him understand that massive waves were about to stir the New World—no, the entire sea.
"So, Mama, we should call a truce and prepare for the changes that may occur in the New World."
Katakuri's suggestion made Charlotte Linlin's expression turn sour, but when she wasn't in the throes of her eating disorder, the Emperor was not stupid, especially when her own territory and interests were on the line.
"Keep an eye on news about that person. Also, wait and see what that Red Hair brat will do."
Having clashed with Shanks several times over the course of this long war, Big Mom understood that taking him down would not be easy.
Since that was the case, she had no real desire to continue, as that Red Hair brat's Conqueror's Haki was a bit too formidable to deal with while a new threat was entering the board.
...
On the Red Hair Pirates' side, it was clear Shanks had no intention of continuing either.
The war had dragged on long enough, and for crews of this caliber, continuing would only lead to massive casualties unless one of the leaders was completely defeated.
Moreover, something world-shaking had just occurred.
"We've talked about him before." Red Hair looked at the newspaper in his hand, an older issue that had previously reported on Cyrus.
Looking at the young man's somewhat youthful face, Shanks sighed with emotion, and a sliver of doubt even arose in his heart.
Betting his arm and the future on the East Blue was the right move, but did he bet on the wrong person?
"Captain, what's next?" Beckman asked, seeing his captain lost in thought.
"Contact Big Mom and call a truce. We need to face the impact of the great changes coming to the world," Shanks said after a moment.
"And what about us?"
"We'll pass through Totto Land's waters. By the way, have someone keep an eye on this person, and gather information on this Hunter Guild," Shanks ordered, deliberately highlighting the organization.
"Understood," Beckman nodded.
In his view, it was time for this war to end as well, as the world's attention should now be focused entirely on the Sabaody Archipelago and Mary Geoise.
'He really is a reckless fellow!' Shanks sighed, wondering what kind of dramatic changes the world would undergo next.
...
"Gurararara! What a reckless kid." Whitebeard laughed heartily, picking up a massive bowl of sake beside him to drain it in one gulp, looking quite pleased.
"You're happy about this, Pops? This person is a clearly dangerous character," Marco pointed out, looking at his cheerful captain with a puzzled expression.
"That's right, Pops. With this person entering the New World, the power structure of the sea is bound to change drastically," Flower Sword Vista added with a grave expression.
The rest of the crew watched Whitebeard quietly.
"What does it matter? Can you stop powerful people from appearing on the seas?" Whitebeard paused for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
"Just do your own thing. I'm here, aren't I?" the Emperor said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
"Yeah, Pops is the strongest in the world!"
"Pops is invincible!"
The crew on the ship immediately started cheering.
Hiding in the background, Blackbeard Teach looked at his crewmates while digesting what he had just heard and seen, his eyes filled with absolute shock.
'This script should have been mine,' Teach thought bitterly.
No, even if he did succeed in his grand plans in the future, he would never do something so completely irrational.
What on earth was this person trying to achieve?
...
As the surface world was thrown into turmoil, Fish-Man Island, located directly beneath Mary Geoise, was also heavily shaken.
The violent tremors dealt a huge blow to the underwater kingdom.
Robin looked up worriedly, though she could only see the massive bubble barrier that separated the island from the crushing seawater above.
"Cyrus will be alright, won't he?" Robin asked, her tone anxious.
"Relax. Since he said so, he must be confident. Maybe by the time we leave Fish-Man Island, he'll already be waiting for us," Issho offered, understanding her concern and giving a few words of comfort.
After all, situations like this had happened several times before.
Still, when the tremors hit Fish-Man Island earlier, it felt as if the entire kingdom was about to be destroyed.
"Perhaps we can ask Jinbei. Didn't you say he's back? And he brought back a large number of Fish-Men," Robin suggested, turning to look at the seated blind swordsman.
"The tremors hadn't started when he returned. Even if he really did rescue those Fish-Men and Merfolk from the Sabaody Archipelago, they probably wouldn't know much about this."
Robin nodded at his logic.
"Then let's prepare to leave Fish-Man Island as soon as possible," she decided.
"This is bad! Fish-Man Island is blocked!"
Just as she made her decision, a loud shout came from outside.
The voice grew closer before fading into the distance, indicating that the panicked person had quickly run past their temporary residence.
Robin and Issho were both stunned.
They stood up together and hurried outside, and before long, they understood exactly what had happened.
Countless transparent, mottled, or shiny black stones had fallen from the sea's surface, completely sealing the passages on both sides of Fish-Man Island.
There was simply too much debris blocking the routes, and the underwater citizens had no idea how it appeared or why it was there.
Panic had already gripped Fish-Man Island.
"That seems to be...?" Robin thought for a moment, then looked hesitantly at Issho.
"Mm, it should be," the swordsman nodded. "It was probably Cyrus's doing."
After all, Cyrus had created a similar canyon back in Alabasta.