Huh?
"Hunter King?" Crocodile was stunned, instinctively uttering the words.
Then, he saw the unfriendly look Cyrus cast his way.
"Alright, we've said all that needs to be said. I won't stay any longer. You should start preparing as soon as possible!"
As he spoke, Cyrus waved for Robin to follow.
Issho also stood up, his blank white eyes fixed on Crocodile, making him uneasy before turning to follow Cyrus.
"I'm going to test whether I can withstand the 'Hakkoku' of the Giant Tribe head-on!"
Cyrus didn't stop walking, waving dismissively over his shoulder at Crocodile before the three of them left the Rain Banquet.
Crocodile stood in place, watching the three depart.
It wasn't until Daz and the other underlings cautiously entered that he snapped back to reality.
"Cut our way through and become the strongest?"
Crocodile unconsciously ignored certain qualifiers in Cyrus's words.
Cyrus's words reminded him of the time before he had encountered Whitebeard.
"Has Mr.3 returned yet?"
Crocodile looked at Daz as he asked.
"We've informed them, but those two giants started fighting again. They don't dare move recklessly now—if they get caught in the crossfire, there could be casualties. But boss, are we really giving up on the bounty for these two giants?"
Daz knew well that Crocodile had been eyeing the bounty on these two giants for a long time.
"It's meaningless now. Prepare to abandon everything here and head for Sabaody Archipelago."
Crocodile closed his eyes in deep thought for a long moment before suddenly opening them and speaking.
"Huh?"
Not only Daz, but the others also looked bewildered.
Abandon everything here?
They had worked hard in Alabasta for a long time, and some plans were already in place.
If set in motion, they might have been able to control the kingdom of Alabasta within a few years.
"He's right. I have indeed changed, but now I want to see how far he can go!"
Crocodile waved his hand and strode toward the exit, pausing after a few steps.
"Oh, and find someone to sell the Rain Base. It should fetch a good price."
...
Port city Nanohana.
Cyrus landed from the sky holding Robin, the flames dissipating.
The two waited a moment before Issho floated over.
"It seems you're adapting quickly."
Cyrus remarked as he watched Issho approach.
"The Float-Float Fruit ability you mentioned—I can achieve something similar with my Press-Press Fruit ability, though not on the large scale you described, and I can't maintain the effect on objects indefinitely."
Upon hearing Cyrus's words, Issho explained after landing.
"That's already quite impressive. In his day, Shiki could keep numerous islands floating high in the sky using his ability, even using them as weapons in battle."
However, because the ability was too BUG-level, Oda banned it.
The Float-Float Fruit might not provide overwhelming advantages in direct combat, but when it comes to large-scale destruction, no one can withstand it.
Yet, in terms of ability manifestation, it's been severely restricted.
As he said, if dozens or even hundreds of islands were pulled high into the sky and dropped one by one, not to mention Marine Headquarters, even Mary Geoise could be destroyed in an instant.
Of course, it would also depend on what abilities that hidden monster possessed.
In any case, neither the Five Elders nor the God's Knights would be able to withstand such a situation.
"Dropping islands on people?" Robin stared at Cyrus, her eyes wide with disbelief.
She tried to imagine the scene and found it beyond comprehension.
"Can Devil Fruit Abilities really achieve such a level?" Robin turned to ask Issho.
"Perhaps, but it would require developing the Devil Fruit Ability to an extremely advanced level."
Upon hearing the question, Issho thought for a moment and nodded.
He himself hadn't attempted such an attack yet—he only pulled meteors from the sky but couldn't sustain his ability to that extent continuously.
However, he could imagine himself doing so without limits.
In such a scenario, people might destroy one or two, or even three to five meteors, but what about ten or twenty? Or thirty to fifty?
It would be nearly impossible to withstand such an assault.
"Perhaps it requires Fruit Awakening."
Cyrus thought about Shiki's display of ability—the sheer exaggeration of it might truly have reached the level of Fruit Awakening.
"Awakening?" Robin seemed intrigued by the term.
"When a Devil Fruit Ability is developed to a certain extent, you gain a deeper understanding of your power and can master more advanced applications. Once the ability awakens, your strength will undoubtedly surge dramatically."
Cyrus led the two toward the port and, hearing Robin's confusion, turned back to explain.
"Can mine awaken too?"
Robin was clearly concerned.
She could keenly feel the gap between herself and Cyrus.
Closing that gap seemed incredibly difficult, but now, with Cyrus mentioning awakening, she grew even more attentive.
"Any Devil Fruit can awaken; it's just a matter of difficulty." Cyrus pondered and replied.
Both Zoan and Paramecia types had shown signs of Fruit Awakening, though the Logia Type hadn't been explicitly mentioned.
But when Akainu and Aokiji fought for the position of fleet admiral, they permanently altered an island's environment.
Perhaps that represented the awakening of the Logia Type.
"You're already very powerful now. If you awaken your fruit, you'll surely become even stronger."
Robin gazed at Cyrus's back, her tone tinged with admiration.
"Truthfully, I don't have any leads on it yet, but we have plenty of time."
Issho listened to the exchange between Robin and Cyrus.
He could sense that Robin and Cyrus weren't in a superior-subordinate relationship.
Judging by their attitude, they seemed more like friends or even family.
At this point, Issho hadn't fully accepted Cyrus's words.
However, one point Cyrus raised had sparked his interest in following him.
'If you want to change something, you must take the initiative to do something.'
...
On their way to the dock, the three of them had a hearty meal.
Compared to Cyrus's appetite, Issho's was noticeably more moderate.
While eating, they overheard other diners discussing the sudden appearance of a massive canyon in the desert.
"It appeared out of nowhere, and when it did, the temperature rose significantly. They say the canyon is filled with crystals and gemstones."
The speaker was clearly relaying hearsay, having not witnessed it firsthand.
"What exactly happened?"
"I don't know, but I heard someone say that a meteor fell from the sky back then, and perhaps it was created by the meteor impact."
"But isn't that a canyon? Even if it was a meteor, it should have created a large crater instead."
Someone clearly held a different opinion.
By the time the three of them finished their meal and left, the matter was being discussed by more and more people.
"This commotion was rather significant."
As they continued toward the dock, Cyrus spoke up.
"You mean this clash will become known to more people? But not many know it was you who fought, right?" Robin pondered.