Under the watchful eyes of the Marine high command, Luffy shouted his now-familiar declaration across the projected screen.
"I'M THE MAN WHO'LL BECOME PIRATE KING!"
Garp's delighted expression froze.
He had known for years that Luffy wanted to become the Pirate King.
Ever since meeting that bastard Red-Haired Shanks, his grandson had become completely obsessed with the idea.
He talked about it constantly, insisting that becoming Pirate King was a promise he had made to Shanks.
"Ahem. He's only a child. He thinks it sounds fun and doesn't really understand what he's saying."
Garp gave an awkward laugh.
"You all think so too, right?"
Even someone as shameless as Garp felt uncomfortable under so many pointed stares.
"It seems you haven't spent much time educating your grandson, Garp."
Tsuru smiled teasingly.
In truth, neither she nor the others cared much about Luffy's declaration.
He was only a child.
No one took it seriously.
Garp naturally disagreed with Tsuru's accusation.
Every time he returned to Foosha Village, he made sure Luffy received a proper taste of his Fist of Love.
Unfortunately, the brat was even more stubborn than Dragon.
"Pirate King?" Kuzan opened his drowsy eyes. "There won't be another Pirate King now or in the future."
"Ahem."
Garp looked around just as the broadcast switched away from Luffy and Ace after their victory.
He turned toward Tsuru.
"Tsuru, did you come here for something?"
He gestured subtly toward Sengoku's location.
"There is something, but Sengoku hasn't made his final decision yet."
The moment Tsuru finished speaking, startled cries erupted from the surrounding Marines.
Both of them looked up.
On the newly switched screen, Dragon—the perpetually sweating man with the shoeprint-shaped tattoo across his face—stood calmly before a crowd of challengers.
"Dragon!"
Many Marines immediately recognized him.
Back when Dragon served in the Marines, he had been friendly with quite a few officers, especially Kuzan.
More importantly, he was Vice Admiral Garp's son!
"Neither of them ever gives me a moment's peace."
Garp no longer felt like talking.
He pulled down his dog-shaped cap, covered his eyes, and fell silent.
The other Marines exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the screen.
…
Sky Island.
Dragon calmly studied the large group gathered before him, though inwardly he felt somewhat helpless.
Had all these people decided he was the weakest guardian?
"If we defeat you, we can become high-ranking members of the Hunter Guild, right?"
A strange-looking man with a long tongue resting against his sword asked in a sinister voice.
The people around him stirred.
Three other groups also looked toward Dragon with anticipation.
"If you go around this area and continue toward the final tower, you still have a chance to pass the exam and join the Hunter Guild."
Dragon's voice remained even.
"Becoming an ordinary Hunter isn't my goal."
The long-tongued man drew his blade across his body and swung.
A green flying slash tore toward Dragon.
The moment he attacked, everyone else moved as well.
Several people at the front transformed into various beasts, clearly Zoan users.
Multiple sword slashes followed behind them, revealing several capable swordsmen among the crowd.
Then the rest charged together.
Dragon barely raised his eyelids.
As the ability users and flying slashes reached him, he swept his left hand outward beneath his cloak.
Whoosh!
A violent gale erupted.
The entire group vanished.
Even the spectators waiting outside the circular trial arena were thrown backward by the wind blasting through its entrance.
A moment later, bodies began raining from the sky.
They crashed onto the ground one after another.
'Gulp.'
The remaining spectators stared at the unconscious challengers scattered around them and immediately lost their nerve.
Dragon rarely fought publicly, and many people had barely heard of him beyond his title as leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Now they understood.
He was terrifyingly powerful!
No wonder the Hunter Guild had assigned him an entire challenge zone.
"Looks like this route won't work."
The challengers had arrived quickly and retreated even faster, abandoning any thought of facing Dragon.
Inside the circular arena, Dragon sensed them leaving and shook his head.
"They weren't particularly determined, were they?"
No one else stood near him.
Yet after he spoke, Cyrus's voice answered from nowhere.
"No. But stubborn fools usually don't live very long. Not everyone has a son as absurdly lucky as yours."
The corner of Dragon's mouth twitched.
"The grandson of Marine Hero Garp and the son of Revolutionary Army leader Dragon—almost anyone on the sea would show him some consideration because of those two names."
Cyrus continued without mercy.
"Oh, and Shanks has taken an interest in him too."
Dragon refused to respond and simply waited for the next challengers.
The injured people blown out of the arena were soon collected by Hunter Guild personnel and carried away.
Sensing Dragon's silence, Cyrus chuckled but did not continue teasing him.
Cyrus himself sat inside another circular arena resembling a colosseum.
His Observation Haki covered the entire examination ground, allowing him to follow countless battles happening simultaneously.
Some people fought to eliminate competition.
Others fought over Devil Fruits.
Many had old grudges to settle.
"This will probably end sooner than I expected." Cyrus murmured to himself.
At first, he had considered creating a series of carefully designed stages.
But with so many participants, he eventually abandoned the idea.
Properly testing every candidate would have required far more space than one Sky Island could provide.
Even ten would not have been enough.
They could have divided the candidates into groups and extended the exam over a much longer period, but that would have created far too much unnecessary work.
That was why they settled on the current, simple format and allowed everyone to enter at once.
Of course, the Hunter Guild was still paying special attention to certain candidates.
The pirates and former pirates mixed among the crowd did not necessarily receive the same courtesy.
"Chairman."
While Cyrus was using Observation Haki to follow several people, Crocodile's voice reached him.
"You're personally reporting something this minor? You don't get many chances to rest." Cyrus answered with a laugh.
"Surely you're joking, Chairman. This is hardly a time to rest. And I'm not contacting you about another dead ability user. Someone wishes to speak with you."
"Someone wants to speak with me?"
Cyrus paused.
Crocodile would not interrupt him for an ordinary person, especially during the exam.
"Who?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"Oh?"
Cyrus raised an eyebrow, his voice lifting slightly.
"Has he finally made up his mind?"
He sounded genuinely surprised.
"Made up his mind?" Crocodile asked instinctively. "Chairman, do you have some kind of arrangement with the Marines?"
"Something like that. Come here."
"Yes."
Crocodile did not waste any time.
Holding a Den Den Mushi, he transformed into sand and swept through the examination grounds like a sandstorm.
...
"Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Bepo spat sand from his mouth and rubbed his eyes furiously.
"Why is there a sandstorm here?"
"A Devil Fruit user."
Law appeared unaffected and explained when he noticed Bepo's confusion.
"Isn't that dangerous? There are so many terrifying people here. Should we go back?" Bepo asked timidly.
"Don't worry. That was Crocodile, vice-chairman of the Hunter Guild."
No one else possessed a sand ability like that.
Crocodile had always been somewhat famous, but few people had known much about him during his time in Alabasta.
After becoming vice-chairman and managing nearly all of the Hunter Guild's expansion in Cyrus's place, his reputation had soared.
Details about his powers—and his past defeat after challenging Whitebeard—had become widely known.
Regardless of the result, merely reaching Whitebeard and daring to challenge him said plenty about Crocodile's strength.
"Come on. Keep away from Doflamingo and his people."
Law remained extremely cautious, avoiding every group he encountered.
Passing the exam was not truly his objective.
From Law's perspective, the Hunter Guild probably had no intention of allowing him to leave anyway.
Taking the exam was merely a formality.
More importantly, he had decided to meet Cyrus again.
Perhaps he could offer the power of the Op-Op Fruit in exchange for something.
…
The sandstorm looked enormous to those nearby, but within the vast examination grounds, it was barely noticeable.
Cyrus watched the sand gather into Crocodile's body and accepted the Den Den Mushi from him.
The snail had looked half-asleep in Crocodile's hand, but the moment Cyrus took it, it came alive.
"Help me kill someone."
Sengoku stated his request without any preamble.
"Oh? And who does my dear father-in-law want dead?"
"Father-in-law?"
Sengoku froze, completely unable to understand why Cyrus had called him that.
"Former Fleet Admiral Kong."
Although he did not understand the strange nickname, he understood the question and gave Cyrus the name directly.
Beside Cyrus, Crocodile sucked in a sharp breath.
The current Fleet Admiral was asking the leader of a rival organization to kill the former Fleet Admiral.
Had Sengoku gone insane, or had the entire world?
"Who?"
Cyrus blinked.
He was genuinely surprised.
Wasn't Kong currently serving as commander-in-chief of the World Government?
Wait.
Cyrus narrowed his eyes and briefly glanced at Crocodile.
"Is the World Government trying to take control of the Marines, or are they after Pluton?"
"Both."
Sengoku answered without hesitation.
That simple response immediately allowed Crocodile to understand the situation.
The World Government no longer intended to let Sengoku control the Marines.
Was Sengoku finally preparing to turn against them openly?
Now this was interesting.
Just how thoroughly had Cyrus managed to win over the entire Marine organization?
"If you agree, the Marines will do everything possible to remain neutral in the future and stay out of the conflict between you and the World Government."
"Heh."
Cyrus laughed.
"Can you completely control the Marines?"
Sengoku did not answer.
"Still, it's not impossible."
Cyrus rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.
"What do you want?"
Sengoku immediately understood that he was willing to negotiate.
"I'll kill him, but the Marines must send several people to join the Hunter Guild."
"Who?"
Sengoku's heart jumped.
"Let's see… Gion, Hina, and Doll."
Cyrus listed the names after a moment's thought.
"You…"
Sengoku froze, then his expression turned strange.
All three were famous beauties within the Marines.
What exactly was Cyrus planning?
"Don't overthink it. Helping you for nothing isn't usually my style."
Cyrus smiled.
"I've done it before, but we can hardly call ourselves allies yet, can we?"
"I'm afraid I cannot agree to that."
After a brief hesitation, Sengoku refused.
"Then forget—"
Cyrus shook his head.
If Sengoku refused, so be it.
The fact that he had contacted Cyrus at all proved that his split from the World Government was only a matter of time.
Whether Cyrus acted now or not would not change the ultimate result.
The only difference was whether the Marines fractured in the process.
Sengoku might simply find someone else to stop Kong.
"I'll personally join the Hunter Guild."
Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
Crocodile's eyes widened so far they looked ready to fall from their sockets.
"Hm?"
Even Cyrus's expression froze.
He had underestimated the man.
"You've decided? You understand what will happen if you do that?"
"Ahem. What about Garp instead?"
Sengoku coughed and suddenly changed his offer.
"Hah. You tell me. What benefit would recruiting that stubborn old man bring us?"
"So you won't accept him?"
"I would, but I doubt you could make him agree."
Cyrus shook his head.
"Then…"
Sengoku hesitated, his mind racing as he searched for something that might tempt Cyrus.
He had no idea what Cyrus intended by requesting three female Marines, but something about it felt wrong.
Besides, Sengoku had no right to decide for them without even asking.
He stared at the Den Den Mushi.
The snail wore Cyrus's faintly amused expression, making Sengoku frown.
When he offered himself, he had spoken instinctively.
Perhaps because he subconsciously believed the only person whose future he had the right to bargain with was his own.
"Stop thinking."
Cyrus eventually grew impatient.
"Once you know Kong's exact location, tell me. I'll handle it."
"The Marines will owe me a favour. Remember—not you personally. The Marines."
He ended the call immediately afterward.
Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief, only to sigh again a moment later.
How troublesome.
…
On Sky Island, Crocodile hesitated after watching Cyrus hang up.
"Ask whatever you want."
Cyrus waved when he noticed his expression.
"The Marines…?"
"When I went to deal with Wano, I met Sengoku."
Cyrus answered casually.
"The Hunter Guild isn't suited to maintaining global order in the future. The Marines are still the best organization for that role—provided they're no longer controlled by the World Government."
"So I asked them to remain neutral during the war that may soon begin."
"You made an arrangement that important without telling anyone?"
Crocodile stared at him, utterly speechless.
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