Finding a specific Devil Fruit on the high seas was incredibly difficult, and if Teach wanted to obtain this Devil Fruit, he needed to use the most promising method.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates were a formidable force, their reach couldn't compare to the Hunter Guild's current scope.
Whitebeard's influence was mostly concentrated in the New World, while the Hunter Guild had already made its presence known in the Four Blues and Paradise.
Next, the Hunter Guild might challenge other forces in the New World.
"Teach, what are you thinking about?"
Just as Teach was lost in thought, Thatch, with his peculiar hairstyle, sidled up to him and asked curiously.
"Uh..." Interrupted in his thoughts, Teach turned to see it was his friend Thatch and raised a hand to scratch his head.
"Zehahaha, nothing much. Just wondering if Pops will get involved in Totto Land's affairs," Teach said evasively.
"Who knows? Whether he gets involved or not doesn't matter, because whatever decision Pops makes, we'll follow," Thatch replied and burst into laughter.
Their conversation didn't attract anyone else's attention since everyone was waiting for Whitebeard's decision.
Whitebeard noticed the gazes of his sons, and after some thought, he waved his hand.
"Then let's get moving!"
As soon as Whitebeard spoke, cheers erupted on the ship, and everyone sprang into action as the captains of various divisions returned to their own ships to prepare for the operation.
But Whitebeard knew that intervening this time and clashing with Cyrus might result in significant casualties.
Although he hadn't encountered Cyrus personally, he had been keeping an eye on him before Cyrus entered the New World, and Cyrus was undoubtedly one of the strongest opponents he had ever see on these seas.
Perhaps even the strongest, period.
Facing such an opponent was something Whitebeard wanted to do while he still had the strength.
...
The Marines and the World Government had already begun their operations long ago, especially the World Government, which had sent agents to infiltrate Whole Cake Island, so they had a clear understanding of the current situation.
Whether Cyrus or Charlotte Linlin lost in their confrontation, it would be beneficial for the World Government, and of course, it would be best if Cyrus were defeated.
However, according to intelligence predictions from the World Government, Cyrus had a ninety-nine percent chance of winning, with the remaining possibility being that neither side would take action.
"It seems he intends to seize territory in the New World."
"Didn't we figure that out already? The situation in Dressrosa made it clear."
"We can't just stand by and watch."
"What else can we do? Send people to occupy those places after he passes through and leaves them vulnerable? What would be the point?"
The arguments of the Five Elders echoed in the Room of Authority.
They watched Cyrus's influence grow stronger yet were unable to restrain it, and as for Lord Imu, no orders had been issued to them for a long time.
Moreover, independent kingdoms and member nations in various regions were developing other ideas and making contact with the Hunter Guild.
There was also the Revolutionary Army's activities to consider, making the situation increasingly tricky.
If they forcibly ordered the Marines to sweep through the Hunter Guilds across the seas, they might disrupt the guild's development progress, but doing so could provoke Cyrus to retaliate fiercely.
At least for now, no one could stop Cyrus unless Lord Imu personally appeared.
This was the crux of the matter, and the reason they were hesitant and cautious.
"We could have someone attempt an operation on Whole Cake Island. If he goes to war with that madwoman of Totto Land, we could look for an opportunity to strike against him," Saint Nusjuro spoke up.
"It wouldn't accomplish much," the other four rejected the proposal.
If Cyrus could be dealt with so easily, they wouldn't be so troubled.
"That man's physique is special. Based on reports from the Marines, he possesses an extremely high defensive capability, and in previous encounters, he didn't suffer a single injury. You should understand—I'm not talking about minor injuries, but rather, he wasn't harmed in the slightest."
Saturn's words left the Room of Authority silent.
It was true, and when they received this information, they had wondered if Cyrus belonged to some exceptionally unique race, but even the Lunarian Tribe, known as the Tribe of Gods, didn't possess such terrifying abilities.
"It appears to be a case of individual mutation."
This was the conclusion they had drawn from their analysis.
The good news was that only Cyrus was such a person, but the bad news was that they were unable to restrain him.
"Can we deploy that thing?" Saint Mars looked toward Saint Saturn.
"Deploying that requires a direct order from Lord Imu. Moreover, Lord Imu used it once during the Dressrosa incident, but the attack was blocked by him." As Saturn spoke of this, his expression turned grave.
The fact that such an attack could be blocked by human power was unbelievable, and even if Logia-type abilities were powerful, to counteract such a terrifying force was unimaginable.
What kind of power did Cyrus harbor within him?
The more they learned, the more terrifying it seemed.
This wouldn't work, and that wouldn't work either, so the Room of Authority fell silent once again.
As the five individuals at the pinnacle of power in this world, aside from a few complaints, they could not devise an effective response.
...
As the focus of attention for various factions, Cyrus remained unhurried, and the Rose Hunter was not sailing at its maximum speed.
On the ship, Katakuri sat leaning against the outer wall of the cabin to watch the two women training on the deck.
Since Katakuri had boarded the ship, Cyrus and Issho spent most of their time either lying on deck chairs or standing by the ship's bow railing, and as for him, it seemed the others had forgotten he existed.
Although the lack of afternoon tea snacks left Katakuri feeling restless, he had no capital to act out now.
"Hey, Katakuri, have you figured it out yet?"
Just as Katakuri's thoughts were in disarray, Cyrus, who had been lying down, spoke.
"You should understand, right? On your own, you can't overthrow your mother, so this time, I'll take action, and you'll reap the benefits."
Hearing this, Katakuri shifted his gaze to Cyrus, his face still stern and silent.
Noticing Katakuri's reaction, Cyrus sat up, removed the sunglasses from his nose, and stared at Katakuri.
"You can probably guess some of my intentions, so when I arrive at Whole Cake Island, there are certain things I must do, but what happens after I've accomplished what needs to be done will depend on your decisions, or rather, the decisions of you and your siblings."
"You're not going to kill us?" Katakuri asked in a low voice.
"I'm not some villain, and I also need people to get things done. At least for now, I'm short-handed, so as for how you'll be treated in the future when I'm no longer lacking in manpower, that will depend on your performance."
Robin and Baby 5, who had been improving themselves, paused their movements, and Issho, who had also sat up, turned his attention to Katakuri.
They seemed curious about his response as well.