Even though Cyrus had already considered this possibility, actually seeing it happen still felt unbelievable.
Especially this time, when Kaido's severed head slowly disappeared as the new one regenerated.
It reminded Cyrus of a certain technique.
Edo Tensei.
It was very similar to what was happening now.
Of course, this was definitely not the Edo Tensei from another world, only an ability with a similar principle.
Back in Dressrosa, when Cyrus attacked the members of God's Knights, he had actually had a chance to test this idea.
Unfortunately, the enemy had left such a huge opening in front of him that Cyrus had killed him the moment he struck.
"Kaido lost."
In the distance, Shanks watched Cyrus step on Kaido and casually cut his body apart with a few slashes.
To them, Kaido had been an extremely troublesome opponent. Before they found his weakness, there had been no way to defeat Kaido in that state.
But now, Cyrus had crushed and suppressed him as if it were nothing.
"Even in that state, Kaido still can't really fight back. Captain, we should start thinking about our own situation too."
The enemy of their enemy was not necessarily a friend.
Although both sides were hostile to Kaido, that did not mean they were on friendly terms.
And now that the troublesome Kaido had been defeated, an even more troublesome man had arrived.
"We don't have a chance to leave right now. But since he didn't attack us directly, there should still be other possibilities."
Shanks understood the situation too clearly. A powerhouse at Cyrus's level would have everything around him locked down by Haki.
Forget the fact that they were this close; even if they were farther away, they would not be able to escape Cyrus's senses.
After all, the World Economy News Paper had speculated before that Cyrus's Observation Haki range was unimaginably vast.
"Let's wait until this matter ends."
After sheathing his sword, Shanks sat down cross-legged where he was, his eyes fixed on Cyrus's direction as he waited for the final result.
But in the next moment, Shanks froze, a trace of confusion appearing in his eyes.
Because he saw Cyrus sheath his sword and step back, while the dismembered Kaido slowly stood up again.
What was he trying to do?
Shanks was curious, and the others were naturally no different.
Far above in the sky, a large flock of News Coos circled, none of them daring to come too close.
After all, every time Cyrus made a move, the affected range was enormous, and a huge number of News Coos would always be lost.
Even so, high-definition equipment was still recording everything below.
The others were confused, but Cyrus had his own plan.
Even though Kaido had now been demonized and possessed terrifying recovery power, Cyrus still had plenty of ways to kill him completely.
Whether he sliced him into tiny pieces or burned him to ash with flames, the result would be the same. The demonic mark on his body could not withstand that.
But Cyrus wanted to test the idea he had thought of earlier.
Those transformed into demons by Imu would also turn other people or creatures into demons when they attacked.
This contagious ability was part of what made that power so terrifying.
Now, Cyrus wanted to personally test that demonic power and see if he could follow it back to locate all of Imu's spare bodies.
If he could do that, he would no longer have to worry about anything.
"Come on. Hit me!"
Cyrus looked at Kaido as he stood up, then beckoned with his hand.
Kaido, who had just climbed to his feet, stared at Cyrus with blood-red eyes. But after hearing those words, even Kaido in this state froze for a moment.
"Hit me."
Cyrus beckoned again.
Whoosh!
A fist the size of a sandbag slammed heavily into Cyrus's face.
Cyrus's body slid backward, but only by an extremely short distance.
He raised a hand and rubbed his nose, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Kaido.
"Continue."
Cyrus's tone remained calm.
Kaido had already looked like an enraged guardian deity, and now he became even angrier.
That feeling of being looked down on made all the blood in his body seem to rush toward his newly grown head.
"Ahhh! You're dead!"
His fist, wrapped in two kinds of Haki, smashed into Cyrus's head again.
The tremendous force made Cyrus's head snap backward, but he simply shifted his stance and dispersed the impact.
The foot that moved back by half a step sent the force through his leg and into the ground, and a huge crack suddenly appeared beneath him.
"Continue."
Cyrus straightened his head and narrowed his eyes at Kaido.
He had overlooked one thing.
Even if he did not attack or defend at all, Kaido still could not break through his body.
If Kaido could not injure him, then the demonic power in Kaido's body naturally had no way to transfer onto him.
A fist swept sideways. The fist, larger than half of Cyrus's body, slammed into his chest.
"You don't even have any strength to hit people, yet you said you wanted to become Pirate King?"
Cyrus raised a hand and lightly patted at the nonexistent dust on his chest, frowning at Kaido.
"AAAAAAH!"
Those words drove Kaido completely mad.
His fists spun like windmills, the rapid punches leaving countless afterimages as they rained down toward Cyrus.
"Looks like this result doesn't hold up. In that case, you're no longer useful."
Cyrus raised his right hand and blocked every incoming fist one by one, still speaking casually as he did.
He punched forward and met Kaido's incoming fist head-on.
After withdrawing his hand, Cyrus pressed his palm against his sword hilt.
Since this did not work, there was no need to keep Kaido alive. Besides, the Devil Fruit ability on his body was quite good.
The Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit might bring Cyrus some unexpected surprises.
His right hand applied a little force, and just as the sword at his waist began to leave its sheath, his expression shifted.
"I'll give you one chance."
Cyrus looked at Kaido, who stood on full alert not far away, and spoke again.
"Take this chance, and you live. Miss it, and you die."
Since Kaido could not hurt him, Cyrus could not personally sense that demonic power.
But the current Kaido had already been transformed into a demon, and it was even possible that Imu had transformed him personally.
Other than Imu, Cyrus could not think of anyone else capable of turning Kaido into a demon.
Feeling the huge threat coming from Cyrus, Kaido stared fixedly at him.
Even with the evil thoughts in his heart occupying absolute dominance, he still did not dare act recklessly now.
"That demonic power. Sense it, then follow that power to find other similar powers."
Cyrus did not release the hand resting on his sword.
"Heh. No need for you to tell me, Cyrus. I'm already doing exactly that. On those islands I destroyed, there were people hiding with that power inside them."
Kaido suddenly grinned as he spoke.
"Oh? So it really can be done?"
Cyrus raised an eyebrow.
In that case, there was no need to kill Kaido for now. Since he was useful, Cyrus could leave the fruit on him temporarily.
"I can feel it. There are many people with seeds of this power scattered all across the sea. So, can I live now?"
"Looks like it's time to properly teach you how to speak to people normally."
Hearing Kaido's tone, Cyrus gave a soft snort.
"If you want me to do something, you shouldn't restrain me. Though this is something I want to do anyway."
Swish!
The moment Kaido finished speaking, a red blade light flashed in front of him.
Kaido, who had been talking to himself, abruptly stopped.
A thin line of blood appeared across his neck, and then his horned head rolled off his shoulders.
While Kaido was busy healing himself, Cyrus turned toward Shanks and the others.
People said Shanks possessed the strongest Conqueror's Haki on this sea, comparable to Pirate King Roger's from back then, perhaps even stronger.
But Cyrus did not care much about Shanks's current strength.
Not the current Shanks, and not even the stronger Shanks from several years later who would firmly hold his seat as one of the Four Emperors.
Cyrus still could not clearly measure exactly what level his own strength had reached, but through fighting others, he already understood that there was almost nothing in this world capable of restraining him.
If he were not still considering the continued existence of this world, Cyrus alone could already unleash a disaster capable of destroying it.
Still, there were a few people in this world he knew.
And a destroyed world would bring him no benefit anyway.
Now that he stood at a higher level and looked back at this world, Cyrus could see things more clearly.
He had no interest in becoming some King of the World. Right now, the Hunter Guild was working hard to search for islands connected to other worlds.
If they truly found one, perhaps he would set out on a new journey.
But before that, he might as well settle the problems in this world first.
Cyrus waved in Shanks's direction, then beckoned for him to come over.
After that, he turned back to look at Kaido, who was sitting on the ground.
"It seems after being transformed into a demon, you still have some reason left."
Cyrus spoke. He was actually quite curious about how Kaido had been turned into a demon.
"I'm not— I'm not insane. I just can't control my actions. It's an urge to destroy everything, and I can't suppress it."
Kaido was much calmer now.
Of course, that might also have been because Cyrus, someone who could decapitate him at any time, was standing right beside him.
Either way, the current Kaido could at least communicate a little.
However, Cyrus could still see the blood vessels filling his eyes, as well as his red pupils.
Clearly, the destructive impulse Kaido had mentioned still existed.
"You met that woman?"
Cyrus changed the topic.
"Who?"
Kaido looked confused.
"The woman who turned you into this. Didn't you just say you could follow the power in your body to find similar powers? Are you lying to me?"
Cyrus narrowed his eyes and looked at Kaido.
Kaido raised a hand and knocked on his own head, frowning tightly.
"I didn't have much contact with that person. I was just drunk. When I woke up, I saw that person, and then this urge surged up inside me. And then, I destroyed Wano."
Kaido kept knocking on his own head as he spoke, producing dull, heavy thuds again and again.
"Oh? Regret it?"
Cyrus watched Kaido knock his own head as he tried to remember more and asked with a smile.
"No. There's no such word as regret in my dictionary. It's just a pity about my subordinates."
Under that unbearable impulse, he had attacked his own base directly.
"Your subordinates were infected by the power on your body. They're now spreading outward from Wano." Cyrus spoke.
This information came from Morgans. That birdman's news was very well-informed.
Hearing this, Kaido fell silent, leaving only the rhythmic sound of him knocking on his head.
Footsteps sounded.
Cyrus turned and looked at Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates as they approached.
Even with a group of people staring at him, Cyrus did not care. He had already grown used to such attention.
"I don't care what your previous purpose was or what you wanted to do. From now on, abandon all of it. This world will no longer give birth to another Pirate King, and there will be no more pirate emperors either."
"Red-Haired Shanks, you now have one choice, and only one."
Cyrus's tone was calm.
His words did not make Shanks or his crew change expression.
"Only one choice, huh? Join under you, or rather, join the Hunter Guild? I was a pirate before."
Shanks glanced at Kaido, who was knocking his own head, then spoke to Cyrus.
"Mm. So from now on, you're not pirates anymore."
Cyrus thought for a moment before answering.
"That really is one hell of a choice. If I refuse, will you kill us?" Shanks asked calmly.
"That is the simplest solution. After all, I probably won't have time to deal with messy problems like this afterward. To me, eliminating the people who cause problems is the easiest method.
"But I'm not some evil person, so you still have a choice. Live or die."
"Red-Haired Shanks, now it's time for you to decide."
Cyrus's conversation with Shanks drew the attention of Kaido, who was still knocking his own head.
While hitting his head to preserve the small amount of clarity he still had, Kaido looked at Shanks as well.
He also wanted to see what choice Red-Haired Shanks would make.
After all, even before this, Kaido had already heard many things about Red-Hair.
Before being transformed into a demon, Kaido had been paying close attention to Red-Haired Shanks.
Only, Cyrus had risen out of nowhere and drawn everyone's attention onto himself.
"All right. I have no other choice."
As captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks turned and looked at the companions behind him.
Everyone stared back at him calmly, saying nothing and making no movements.
They were all waiting for Red-Hair to make his decision.
Even if that decision was terrible, they would accept it.
Cyrus naturally took all of this in.
A scene suddenly appeared in his mind.
It was something he had seen as an observer before crossing over, when Big Mom had shouted those words.
Even in the world of pirates, people still valued honor and loyalty.
To be honest, even after living in this world for several years, Cyrus still could not truly empathize with those words.
Even with the people around him, whether it was Robin, Kuina, Zoro, or the others, Cyrus still could not fully draw close to them from the depths of his heart.
There was nothing he could do about that.
He was a transmigrator, after all.
By nature, he was used to placing himself in the position of an observer, making it difficult for him to truly empathize with the people and events of this world.
And now, Cyrus slightly understood this so-called honor and loyalty of the pirate world.
Frankly speaking, he had no interest in such honor.
But he would not destroy it either.
"So, have you decided?" Cyrus asked calmly.