'Was this a threat?'
Katakuri stared intently at Cyrus's face, hoping to discern his thoughts from his expression, but he was disappointed since Cyrus still wore that casual look, as if his earlier words had been spoken offhandedly.
Perhaps they were, but Katakuri didn't dare to gamble on it.
"You seem to have convinced yourself that you can defeat Mother. Many people have thought the same before, but all of them have since disappeared." Katakuri took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.
Upon hearing Katakuri's words, Robin and the other two turned to face Cyrus in unison.
Cyrus didn't seem to mind Katakuri's words as his eyes appraised him. "Speaking of which, you were on Rocks' ship back in the day, weren't you? Were you also there during the God Valley War?"
The change of topic left Katakuri confused.
"I wasn't. Though I was following Mother at the time, I was very young then," Katakuri frowned as he spoke.
During the God Valley War, he was only two or three years old and hadn't gone along with his brother Perospero and the twin siblings.
"I see!" Cyrus nodded lightly before waving his hand. "You can carefully consider what I just said, and give me your answer when we reach Whole Cake Island."
"Alright!" Katakuri nodded upon hearing this.
He truly needed time to ponder Cyrus's words, because if Cyrus could defeat Mother, perhaps agreeing wouldn't be so bad.
If Cyrus genuinely wanted to recruit him and his siblings, that meant they still had value, so there was no immediate need to worry about their family's safety.
The only uncertainty was his Mother, and though he wished to change the Charlotte family's circumstances, Katakuri wasn't sure how he would feel if it meant Charlotte Linlin's death or disappearance.
He needed to sort out his thoughts.
"Speed up. We need to reach Whole Cake Island quickly, because those people are probably getting impatient by now," Cyrus turned to Robin and said.
"Mhm!" Robin nodded.
The Rose Hunter began to accelerate.
The speeding Rose Hunter passed numerous islands in Totto Land waters, each guarded by pirates from the Charlotte family, and after observing the ship passing through without stopping, these pirates reported the news to Whole Cake Island.
Everyone was watching and waiting.
...
Several days later, a large crowd had gathered at the eastern entrance to Whole Cake Island.
According to reports, the Rose Hunter would arrive at Whole Cake Island today.
Numerous Homie soldiers waited here, and though Charlotte Linlin wasn't present, several Charlotte family members with substantial bounties were already waiting, along with those invited to attend this tea party.
The most notable among them were naturally those few who controlled the underworld.
"Seems like there are other players involved," Morgans rubbed his beak with his wing while murmuring quietly.
"Indeed, and unexpected ones at that," Stussy brushed her golden hair beneath her hat and spoke softly.
"Oh? What do you know?" Morgans turned to Stussy in surprise since this woman was quite skilled at gathering intelligence and seemed to have good relations with Charlotte Linlin too.
"A few formerly famous figures who later disappeared from the scene," Stussy chuckled upon hearing this, seemingly intending to keep him in suspense.
Famous, then disappeared?
Morgans paused for a moment before understanding dawned in his eyes.
"Former great pirates?"
"Great pirates isn't sufficient to describe these people." Stussy shook her head. "Whole Cake Island is quite dangerous now, and I'm beginning to doubt whether he can handle it."
Stussy's words made Morgans pause.
'You want me to warn Cyrus?'
He understood Stussy's implication, and though she hadn't stated it explicitly, she clearly wanted him to give Cyrus a reminder about the current situation at Whole Cake Island.
"I didn't say anything," Stussy shook her head.
"It's useless. From my understanding of Cyrus, he'll come even if he knows," Morgans shook his head.
"Then he'll have to face several legends," Stussy smiled while looking at Morgans.
"Several legends? And they're pirates? Who exactly?" Morgans' eyes were filled with curiosity, because speaking of legendary pirates, there were actually quite many on the seas since every era produced several.
"The Pirate Admiral."
"Shiki? That guy is here?" Morgans' bird eyes widened.
There were differences even among legends.
Shiki was a former executive of the Rocks Pirates, and after the crew disbanded, Shiki was a legendary pirate who competed with Roger for the title of Pirate King back in the day.
After escaping from Impel Down, this guy had disappeared.
And now he reappeared?
"This is troublesome!" Morgans' voice was full of gravity, as Shiki's appearance had exceeded his expectations.
This guy was a powerhouse who could rival Big Mom without any disadvantage, and his ability...
Morgans looked up at the sky.
Nothing could be seen in the sky, but Morgans felt there were probably many islands floating above them.
"But it's not just him. There are others too—those who were confirmed to be imprisoned in Impel Down," Stussy said while looking at Morgans.
"Wait?" Morgans raised his wing as his voice rose several pitches.
The Shipping King and others in the distance turned to look over with puzzled expressions, and realizing he was being too excited, Morgans lowered his voice.
"You mean those legendary pirates imprisoned in Impel Down have escaped?"
"Exactly!" Stussy nodded.
"How is that possible? Besides Shiki, there hasn't been any news of pirates escaping from Impel Down for so many years... wait!"
As Morgans spoke, he understood the situation. "The World Government and Marines intentionally released them?"
"That should be the case," Stussy nodded gently.
"The seas will become even more chaotic," she murmured softly.
"Things are really going to get lively." Morgans' voice trembled.
No one knew exactly how many powerhouses were imprisoned in Impel Down, but the strong ones imprisoned there were all figures who could create huge waves in their respective eras.
Morgans could easily guess the intentions of the World Government or rather the Marines, but he never expected they would make such a decision.
If they only released a few of those legendary powerhouses from their respective eras, that would be one thing, but if the World Government released all the strong prisoners from Impel Down just to cause trouble for Cyrus...
What would the seas become?
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