"However…"
Seeing the expressions on Kuina's and Zoro's faces, Cyrus changed his tone.
"I can have Crocodile assign you to another Hunter team. As everyone gains more experience fighting these creatures, the methods for dealing with them will become safer and more reliable."
"You'd allow that?"
Kuina blinked in surprise and immediately asked.
"Of course."
Cyrus nodded, apparently having no intention of arguing further.
He opened a doorway and gestured for Kuina and Zoro to enter.
The two exchanged a glance and were about to step through when Cyrus stopped them.
"Wait."
He raised one hand.
A sword leaning against the outer wall of the nearby cabin suddenly flew into the air.
Zoro caught it.
"Shodai Kitetsu. If you can tame it, it should make a fine weapon."
"You're seriously giving this to me?"
Zoro stared at the sword in delight.
Shodai Kitetsu was one of the most famous blades in the world, the kind of weapon any swordsman would dream of wielding.
"It's useless to me."
Cyrus waved his hand dismissively.
"Just tell Crocodile what you want. He'll arrange everything."
"Got it!"
The two nodded together and stepped through the doorway.
Once they disappeared, Cyrus closed the portal, a strange look passing over his face.
"Why did you let them leave?"
Hancock looked curious.
"They didn't seem completely certain about it."
For all her tendency to lose herself in romance, Hancock was far from stupid.
She could tell that neither Zoro nor Kuina had been entirely resolved, yet Cyrus had agreed almost immediately.
"It's almost time."
Cyrus looked up at the sky, then smiled at Hancock.
"Have Baby 5 return to normal. I need to send all of you somewhere first."
He turned his gaze in one direction.
Toward the Calm Belt.
Among the marks he could sense, the nearest seeds of Imu's power were still quite far from that location.
Even if she rushed there immediately, reaching it would take some time.
"What do you mean?"
Hancock froze.
Then understanding struck, and she grabbed Cyrus by the shoulder, her face lighting up with delight.
"We can go with you?"
"There should be enough time, but the passage hasn't fully formed yet."
Cyrus's expression became slightly strange.
The flame seed he had left inside the Hollow could make use of its senses.
Through it, Cyrus could already detect an energy signature similar to the creature's own beginning to emerge.
It was still extremely faint.
"I'll get them now!"
Hancock immediately released him and hurried away.
Not far off, Teach wore a deeply conflicted expression.
He had spent enough time aboard the ship to understand what Cyrus intended to do.
From the sound of things, however, the plan had changed.
Was he supposed to go too?
He was not prepared for that.
"Don't want to come? Have plans of your own?"
Teach's expression naturally did not escape Cyrus's notice.
Cyrus looked over, startling him into immediately shaking his head.
"Then stay."
Cyrus waved a hand.
"I never planned on bringing anyone else in the first place."
Cyrus genuinely had no particular arrangements for Teach.
The man was already strong, and even after Cyrus left, Teach probably would not reveal his ambitions immediately.
Besides, the sea as it existed now was no longer somewhere Teach could freely pursue whatever scheme he wanted, even without Cyrus present.
"All right!"
Teach thought carefully about whether Cyrus might be setting a verbal trap for him.
Then he dismissed the idea.
Cyrus was far too powerful to need that kind of trick.
If he wanted Teach dead, he would simply kill him.
So Teach nodded directly.
Before long, Hancock and Robin emerged from the cabin with Baby 5.
"Cyrus-sama!"
Baby 5's eyes lit up when she saw him.
Immediately afterward, she raised one arm.
It rapidly transformed through a series of futuristic weapons.
"You can copy all the weapons Vegapunk showed you?"
Cyrus studied the transformations and nodded approvingly.
"Yes, but they're really complicated. My head still feels dizzy."
When Baby 5 learned that Cyrus wanted her to try reproducing Vegapunk's weapons, she had agreed without hesitation.
Even though learning them gave her a headache severe enough to make her miserable.
Still, the results had been good.
"What a shame."
Cyrus sighed.
"I already destroyed Uranus. If it were still around, maybe you could've tried copying that too."
Baby 5's smile immediately became strained.
She already felt as though the weapons Vegapunk taught her were killing her brain.
Of course she knew Uranus was an Ancient Weapon and understood how terrifying its power was.
But even if she theoretically could imitate something like that, the amount she would need to learn first would probably kill her for real.
"You can take us with you now?"
Robin walked to Cyrus's side and asked quietly.
When Cyrus previously told her she could not come, Robin had naturally been disappointed.
But once he made the decision, she had not tried to force the issue or make things more difficult for him.
Now, unexpectedly, circumstances had changed.
"The plan changed."
Cyrus nodded.
"The flame seed I left inside that Hollow can already sense energy similar to its own."
"The passage still needs some time to fully form."
"So we can arrive before it opens?"
Robin understood instantly.
"Exactly."
Cyrus nodded.
"I'll send you there first. Once the timing is right, I'll drive Imu toward the same location."
"Good."
Robin nodded without hesitation.
If Cyrus was willing to do this, then he clearly believed the plan was viable.
"Let's go."
Cyrus turned toward Teach.
Teach immediately understood.
He activated the Float-Float Fruit, and the ship began turning in midair toward the enormous green doorway that had suddenly appeared to its left.
"Once the passage opens, I'll try using my spatial ability to stabilize it."
Cyrus continued.
"If it works, great. If it doesn't, we may need to remain in that world for a while."
"Understood."
Robin nodded.
If a passage could open once, it could open again.
Even if they were temporarily unable to return through this one, another opening would eventually provide a way back.
That removed most of the concern.
Teach listened carefully to the conversation and committed every word to memory.
Truthfully, he wanted Cyrus to leave this world.
Cyrus was simply too overwhelmingly powerful.
As long as he remained here, everyone else would always have someone standing over their heads.
But if Cyrus could leave and still return later, then Teach's ambitions would have to remain buried.
Whoosh!
The Rose Hunter flew forward and entered the enormous green portal.
The doorway closed behind it.
…
Crocodile stared at the two people standing before him and frowned slightly.
It was not that assigning them to another team would be difficult.
Something about the situation simply felt strange.
"The chairman agreed just like that?" He asked again to make certain.
Kuina and Zoro both nodded.
That only made Crocodile even more suspicious.