Just as Cyrus was leaving Shimotsuki Village, on the Grand Line, in the Fish-Man District of Fish-Man Island.
"Arlong, are you really not coming back?"
The blue-skinned whale shark fish-man, Jinbei, looked at the great white shark fish-man, Arlong, who was glaring at him, and spoke with a serious expression.
"You bastard, don't forget how Big Brother died! And you became a lapdog for the Marines!"
Jinbei's words seemed to have thoroughly enraged Arlong.
But he seemed to have forgotten why he, a pirate, was able to leave the great undersea prison.
After all, of all the pirates who went in there, none had ever gotten out, except for Shiki back in the day.
Hearing the words "lapdog for the Marines," Jinbei looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped. He then frowned and said no more.
Arlong snorted coldly and turned to leave.
"Big Brother!"
The mako shark mermaid, Shyarly, saw Arlong turning to leave and couldn't help but call out.
Arlong glanced back at his younger sister, Shyarly, his expression grim. He said nothing and showed no sign of stopping.
Long after Arlong had left, Shyarly finally tore her gaze away, looking crestfallen at Jinbei.
"He'll come around." Jinbei sighed helplessly.
Jinbei knew that Arlong was filled with hatred for humans and the Marines because of what happened to Big Brother Fisher back then.
But the difference in power between humans and Fish-Man Island was simply too great.
Moreover, in recent years, more and more pirates had been setting sail to capture and sell mermaids.
Shyarly nodded, reached into her cleavage, and pulled out a bright crystal ball.
Seeing this, Jinbei wasn't surprised.
Shyarly was a very powerful fortune-teller.
But a moment later, Shyarly's face turned pale.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing her expression, Jinbei's face tightened, and he immediately asked.
"I saw my brother's death. His head was delivered to the Marines," Shyarly said, her face pale.
Jinbei's eyes flew wide open.
He pushed off forcefully with his feet and shot off in the direction Arlong had just left.
But Shyarly, who had foreseen this outcome, didn't move.
The results of her fortune-telling were 100% accurate. Anything she foresaw was bound to happen.
Now, she no longer knew what to do.
Meanwhile, Jinbei rushed to the port for leaving Fish-Man Island.
"Big Brother Jinbei, Big Brother Arlong has already left."
Hearing Jinbei's urgent question, a fish-man at the port replied, but the answer made Jinbei's expression turn grim.
"Gather the crew. Prepare to set sail."
...
East Blue.
Cyrus had already switched to another merchant ship.
The ship from Shimotsuki Village didn't run long-distance trade routes; its voyage was only seven or eight days.
Cyrus had changed ships at a transit island, and his destination was the Navy's 16th Branch base.
Perhaps he could even go see an old friend in the Marines.
Cyrus sat on the deck, holding his sword and resting.
The ship's passengers and crew occasionally cast curious glances his way.
Koshiro's action had given Cyrus an idea for how to travel.
In this world overrun by pirates, it was extremely dangerous for merchant ships to set sail.
If they encountered pirates and the crew couldn't fight them off, losing cargo was a small matter.
The most terrifying possibility was that vicious pirates might kill everyone on board.
Thus, hiring guards had become a common practice.
"Lord Cyrus!"
A woman's voice called out. Cyrus turned to see a tall, middle-aged woman with rough skin.
She was the captain of this merchant ship.
"In two days, we will enter a region with frequent pirate activity. If we take a detour, it might take an extra month."
"No need!"
Hearing this, Cyrus naturally understood the captain's meaning and shook his head.
"Alright, then we'll be relying on your protection, my lord."
Cyrus's reply brought a smile to the captain's face.
Her muscles, more robust than a man's, twitched with her smile, a sight that made Cyrus's eyelid twitch.
Seeing that Cyrus had nothing more to say, the Female Captain didn't disturb him further and turned to leave.
However, as soon as she left, a crew member came over to ask about the situation.
"Captain, are we taking the detour?"
Taking the detour was actually the best option.
Although it took more time, it would bypass the area with a high concentration of pirates.
"No need. We're cutting straight through. With Lord Cyrus here, we don't have to worry about those pirates."
The Female Captain waved her hand, looking full of confidence.
"Can that man really handle it?" a crew member asked, looking unconvinced.
Hearing this, the Female Captain's mind immediately flashed back to when Cyrus had found her and offered to serve as a guard.
At the time, she had the same doubt.
Then, she saw the lord draw his sword and unleash a slash.
As a merchant ship captain who frequently went to sea, she naturally knew a lot of things.
And "master swordsman" was one of them.
But she had only ever heard of them, never seen one.
Cyrus was the first true master swordsman she had ever met.
If this great figure hadn't offered his services, she could never have afforded to hire him.
However, without Cyrus's permission, she didn't dare to just blurt it out. Besides, even if she did, this bunch of ignorant fools probably wouldn't know what a master swordsman represented.
"We're cutting through. Don't worry, we'll definitely pass through safely this time."
After all, he was a powerhouse who could even hold his own in the Grand Line.
Perhaps, that was the extent of her understanding.
In the days that followed, Cyrus finally understood what it meant for pirates to be numerous.
The last time he traveled from the 16th Marine Base to Shimotsuki Village, he hadn't encountered a single pirate in three whole months.
This time, however, he would run into two or three pirate crews a day. But to call these people pirates was a stretch; they were merely vicious thugs who had not been at sea for long.
Their so-called pirate ships were just small boats that could hold a dozen or so people.
Against these, Cyrus would simply destroy their ships with a single slash of Sword energy from a distance.
These pirates probably didn't even have bounties on their heads.
Of course, it wasn't as if there were no large pirate crews.
Cyrus watched a pirate ship approach in the distance, hearing the pirates' shouts and cheers from afar.
The passengers on the merchant ship had long since returned to their cabins, while the crew members clutched their weapons, warily watching the approaching pirate ship.
Of course, many of them frequently glanced toward Cyrus.
Cyrus was their pillar of strength.
"Sir."
The Female Captain stood just behind and to the side of Cyrus, calling out to him.
"Let them get closer. I want to ask them something."
"Understood!"
Hearing Cyrus's words, the Female Captain finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Cyrus's refusal to draw his sword had been making her heart pound with anxiety.
As the pirate ship drew near, the cheers of the pirates, who were brandishing their blades, grew even louder.
A merchant ship this large promised a hefty haul, and perhaps plenty of women as well.
At this thought, the pirates could hardly contain their excitement.
Upon reaching the merchant ship, the pirates prepared to jump aboard and fight.
However, what greeted them were several crescent-moon-shaped slashes of Sword energy.
Swish! Swish!
Boom!
The two massive masts holding the ship's sails snapped and broke. The pirates below who couldn't get out of the way were crushed.
The shift in the center of gravity caused the entire vessel to tilt, beginning to capsize to one side.
Another slash of Sword energy, and the wooden pirate ship split open.
"Pull a few of them up after they fall into the water," Cyrus said. Just as he was about to turn away, his expression suddenly shifted.
A figure leaped from the tilting pirate ship, pouncing toward the merchant vessel.
"Bastard!"
The face of the pouncing pirate was contorted with rage.
"There's a skilled one."
Cyrus was momentarily surprised.
His body flickered, and he appeared where the man was about to land.
The man had just landed, and before he could even speak, he saw a sword sheath smashing into his face with terrifying force.
The intense pain and impact made him dizzy, and half the teeth in his mouth were gone.
He was out cold.
Looking at the knocked-out pirate, Cyrus beckoned with his hand.
"Tie him up. Bring him to me when he wakes."
As his words fell, a group of crewmen swarmed forward, binding the unconscious pirate tightly with thick ropes.
"Sir Cyrus, what about those pirates?" the Female Captain asked, pointing out over the side of the ship.
The pirate ship had completely capsized.
Water poured into the massive gash Cyrus had carved, and many pirates who had fallen into the sea were swimming toward the merchant ship.
"You can deal with them as you see fit."
Cyrus waved his hand dismissively and returned directly to his room.
Outside, the excited shouts of the merchant ship's crew rang out continuously, mingled with the screams of pirates.
What a hellish world.
Cyrus shook his head slightly.
Even ordinary people had no qualms about killing, especially these crewmen.
What Cyrus was curious about, however, was why so many pirates were gathering in the East Blue.
Wasn't the East Blue supposed to be the safest of the four seas?
Even if there were pirates, they wouldn't dare to gather in such numbers, would they?