Luffy's cry of pain traveled through the Den Den Mushi to Sengoku at Marine Headquarters.
Hearing this sound, Sengoku already knew what Garp was doing.
He was actually at home with his grandson!
"Get back here as soon as possible. On your way, look for that person. I don't believe you don't know his whereabouts."
Sengoku said into the Den Den Mushi before hanging up in frustration.
This guy was really too unreliable.
"You're still not used to it?"
Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff of Marine Headquarters, Tsuru, whose hair had already turned gray, looked at Sengoku with a chuckle.
Sengoku glanced at Vice Admiral Tsuru and shook his head with a helpless, bitter smile.
"Forget it. I obviously know this guy's personality, but I just can't help it."
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded, then changed the subject. "According to the information we've received, that young Pirate Hunter is very likely a Logia Type user with a fire-related ability, most likely the Flame-Flame Fruit."
As she said this, the smile on Tsuru's face faded, and she became somewhat serious.
Sengoku nodded.
"That's right. Being able to ignore sword slashes makes it very likely. But no matter what, as long as he's a Devil Fruit user, he's worth trying to recruit. We need to prevent him from spending too much time at sea and becoming a pirate. That would be a real problem."
One's loss is another's gain!
This was Sengoku's reasoning.
A young man who was a suspected Logia user would definitely become a headache for the Marines if he became a pirate.
But if he became a Marine, then the Marines would gain a powerful combatant.
"Forget it, let's see what results Garp brings back." Sengoku shook his head, then looked at Tsuru.
"We need to speed up the selection of the Shichibukai."
Hearing Sengoku mention the Shichibukai, Tsuru looked at his expression.
"Doflamingo is also one of the candidates. It was proposed by the World Government. There should have been some communication between them."
Tsuru knew that Sengoku had always held a grudge over the fact that Corazon was killed by his own brother, Doflamingo. If the latter really became a Shichibukai, it would be impossible to make a move against him anymore.
Sengoku fell silent upon hearing this.
"Speed up the selection. After Akainu and the other two become Admirals, we need to curb the pirates' route into the New World. The Shichibukai serve this purpose as well. At the very least, Paradise and the Four Seas must be under the Marines' control."
Ever since Roger's death, the number of pirates had exploded, and curbing them was not easy.
The simplest method was, of course, to expand the military, but the World Government would not agree to that, as expanding the military would require a massive increase in expenditure.
"Yes, I will keep an eye on this. Also, Crocodile and Boa Hancock have explicitly refused to come to Marine Headquarters."
Sengoku was not surprised by what Tsuru said.
Even if they were Shichibukai, they were still pirates at the end of the day.
How could they possibly come to Marine Headquarters so easily?
"Go and prepare!"
Sengoku waved his hand, his gaze falling on the large pile of documents on the desk in front of him.
He picked one up and casually handed it to the mouth of the somewhat old goat by the desk.
The old goat did not stand on ceremony, opening its mouth to bite the document and chewing it slowly.
Tsuru nodded and got up to leave Sengoku's office.
"Ma'am!"
Outside, a young-looking female Marine stood at attention and called out.
"Mm, let's head back!"
Tsuru waved her hand and left with the female Marine.
...
The change of the Marine Fleet Admiral and the addition of three new Admirals naturally caused huge waves across the sea.
But for the Four Seas, the waves this news caused were not that big.
Most people didn't care at all.
For example, in Shimotsuki Village.
No one even discussed the matter.
Cyrus's training was progressing steadily.
[Body Digitization: Your body's vital points have disappeared. When attacked, damage is converted into HP deduction; panel attributes will change based on your own strength; you will not die before your HP reaches zero]
[Current Body Age: 14]
[Constitution: 29 (Undergoing rapid transformation due to certain influences)]
[Current HP: 100% (Recovering; eating can speed up recovery)]
[Inherent Talent (Unyielding): When HP reaches zero, you enter a brief enhanced state; all your body attributes are increased tenfold; your HP will no longer be deducted; all your negative statuses are cleared; Current Duration: 10 minutes; Cooldown: 1 day]
[Abilities]
[Flame-Flame Fruit (Proficient): A powerful Logia Type Devil Fruit ability that grants the ability to transform into and control fire; continuously strengthens the body; fruit drawbacks have been cleared (weakness and parasitic soul); Current Fruit Development (17%)]
[Swordsmanship (Proficient): You have proficiently mastered the basic moves and training methods of Swordsmanship; you have a vague understanding of the path you want to take in the future]
[Observation Haki (Beginner): You have a preliminary perception of the energy of all things in the world]
[Armament Haki (Beginner): You can slightly control the energy within your body for offense and defense]
...
...
His constitution had increased by a full 8 points compared to a few days ago, which was more than it had grown in the entire previous month.
Perhaps it was related to awakening Armament Haki and continuously maintaining it.
His understanding of his Devil Fruit ability had also improved slightly.
Without using his Devil Fruit ability, just relying on his two types of Haki and his own physique and Swordsmanship, he already had the power to put up a fight.
If he used his fruit, at least in the East Blue, as long as he didn't run into people like Garp, there probably wasn't anyone who could completely defeat him.
Cyrus thought, but then shook his head, driving the thought from his mind.
'No, no, I can't think like that. I must be humble.'
As he thought, he casually blocked an incoming bamboo sword.
After blocking the two bamboo swords from Zoro, the bamboo sword in Cyrus's hand spun around, parrying the wooden sword Kuina brought down from above.
The force of the rebound made Kuina retreat several steps.
"An opening!" Zoro shouted indistinctly, lowering his body and sweeping the bamboo swords in his hands horizontally, attacking Cyrus's legs.
Thwack!
Without even looking back, Cyrus swung his sword behind him.
Struck on the head by the bamboo sword, Zoro felt dizzy, and couldn't even hold onto the bamboo sword in his mouth, falling face-first to the ground.
"This isn't working!"
After being hit hard, Zoro immediately got up. Although he was dizzy from the blow, he still spoke.
"What isn't working?"
Cyrus turned his head, his eyes seemingly able to see through the black cloth over his face.
"You keep your Observation and Armament Haki active all the time. We can't beat you at all."
Zoro hated this feeling of powerlessness.
"Let me ask you, when you face opponents on the sea in the future, are you going to ask them to give up their strengths to fight you? Do you think they'll agree?"
Cyrus's direct reply left Zoro speechless.
That's right, enemies wouldn't play by the rules.
"Again!"
Kuina's voice rang out. With a flick of his wrist, Cyrus sent the bamboo sword in his hand swinging, knocking Kuina away.
"I get it now!" Zoro shouted at the top of his lungs, looking at the blindfolded Cyrus.
"What are you yelling about?" Cyrus said, annoyed, as he cleaned out his ear. "If you're going to fight, you fight to win. In fact, when you're in a battle, you don't need to announce to your opponent that you're about to attack."
Cyrus's words made Zoro feel awkward.
Just as he was at a loss for words, Cyrus abruptly turned his head toward the docks and ripped the black cloth from his face.
"They're here after all."