Garp, who had just answered the Den Den Mushi, landed two punches, sending Ace and Luffy tumbling to the ground, before he finally looked at the Den Den Mushi.
"Vice Admiral Garp, he's back!"
The Den Den Mushi's mouth opened and closed, transmitting Bogart's voice.
"Hahahaha, that kid is back at the 16th Branch? Keep him there for me, I'm on my way back."
After speaking, Garp stood up and looked at the two boys rolling on the ground, their heads covered in lumps.
"If I ever hear you two say you're going to sea to become pirates again, what awaits you is my Fist of Love."
Garp shook his fist, glaring at Ace and Luffy.
Hearing this, the two little rascals, who were clutching their heads, subconsciously got up and backed away.
After speaking, Garp turned and walked away.
"Old man, I'm definitely going to become the Pirate King!"
Watching Garp's back, Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs, only to have his mouth covered by Ace.
Garp heard him but didn't turn back.
After all, he had business to attend to now.
Smack!
Luffy got a slap on the back of his head. The burly female mountain bandit, Dadan, stared menacingly at Luffy with a cigarette dangling from her mouth.
The two turned to see it was Dadan, let out a cry of surprise, and turned to run.
"You two little bastards, stop right there!"
Dadan hadn't expected the two brats to run the moment they saw her, so she grabbed a club and chased after them.
"One old bastard, two little bastards, all of them are bastards!"
...
16th Branch Town.
The escort of the pirates was over.
The people here clearly hadn't come down from their excitement yet.
My goodness, they had never seen such a scene. Were all the pirates in the East Blue captured?
After the excitement, these people were naturally in no mood to go about their business.
They gathered in groups to chat about the day's events.
The tavern also filled up in a short time.
Croc kept swallowing, glancing from time to time at the two large sacks beside Cyrus.
"Having too much money is also a problem, right?"
Cyrus finished his juice, put down the glass, and looked at the two sacks of Belly with some distress.
Croc couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Could he have that kind of problem?
"How about you hold on to it for me?"
Cyrus picked up the sack beside him and tossed it to Croc.
"When I'm ready to leave, I'll come get it from you."
Clutching the heavy sack, Croc hadn't even processed it when Cyrus had already stood up and left.
"Old man, what did that young fella give you?"
The events at the counter had naturally attracted the attention of many people, and someone asked.
"N-nothing!"
Croc swallowed and quickly put the sack under the counter.
But his heart was pounding wildly.
He had never seen so much money in his life.
If he packed it up and left, he could live the life of a rich man until he died anywhere he chose.
But the thought of Cyrus capturing so many pirates in such a short time by himself made Croc dismiss the idea that had just sprouted in his mind.
...
The Docks.
When Cyrus returned, the Marines were cleaning the pirate ship he had brought back.
"It seems the ship wasn't factored into the price!"
Cyrus squinted at what would be considered a large pirate ship for pirates.
It should be worth a few million Belly, right?
"This is your ship!"
Bogart saw Cyrus as he approached. Hearing Cyrus's words as he walked over, he spoke up.
"Vice Admiral Garp is on his way back from Foosha Village."
After speaking, Bogart watched Cyrus's expression.
Cyrus's expression didn't change.
"Give it up. You can't force me to become a Marine, can you?"
Cyrus smiled and turned back to look at Bogart.
"I wouldn't know about that. After all, Vice Admiral Garp is the one who makes the decisions. But there are many hidden benefits to becoming a Marine. If you want to hunt pirates, the Marines have more information and intelligence."
Bogart had no doubt about Cyrus's abilities.
Although Cyrus looked quite sturdy, his face looked young.
To have such abilities at this age reminded him of another person who had followed Garp before.
Another monster in the Marines.
The current Marine Admiral, Aokiji.
Even Aokiji was still in the training camp at Cyrus's age.
[Top-Tier Master Swordsman]
The blue characters hovered above Bogart's head.
Cyrus glanced at them a few times before looking away.
"The purpose of hunting pirates is for money, not as a hobby."
Cyrus waved his hand, then walked over to the sailors cleaning the pirate ship and spoke to them in a low voice.
Bogart watched Cyrus's back, knowing he was probably about to set sail.
But Vice Admiral Garp was on his way back.
And wasn't this man tired?
Wasn't he going to rest for a few days?
Just in time for Vice Admiral Garp's return.
Thinking of this, Bogart hesitated, considering how to keep Cyrus here.
But he probably didn't have a boat now.
One person couldn't possibly operate such a large pirate ship.
Just as this thought occurred to him, he saw the joyful expressions on the faces of the few Marine soldiers who were talking with Cyrus.
Bogart's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.
Then, he saw the few Marine soldiers leave and, a moment later, pilot a small boat over.
He saw Cyrus turn back, wave at him, and then board the small boat alone and leave just like that.
...
On the calm surface of the sea.
Cyrus sat at the stern of the small boat, his arm transformed into fire, spewing a long tail of flame. The small boat shot forward as if it had a thruster attached.
This was an idea Cyrus had had before.
The inspiration came from the way Monkey D. Luffy flew when fighting Doflamingo in his Fourth Gear.
He used airwaves for propulsion, while Cyrus used rocket propulsion.
However, this method consumed a lot of stamina.
Of course, with his current stamina, he could still sustain this level of consumption.
He could just treat it as training for his Flame-Flame Fruit ability.
Moreover, he was also getting used to this method, which he could use later to achieve rapid movement.
Clearly, this method was faster than Cyrus rowing with an oar or a longsword.
He set off in the afternoon, and before the sun had set, he arrived at Cocoyasi Village.
Not long after, Bellemere stared blankly at Cyrus standing before her.
"You're going?"
Cyrus nodded.
"Same as before?"
Cyrus nodded again.
"Alright!"
Bellemere didn't refuse this time.
She looked at the Belly Cyrus had put down, then went to call Genzo to help move the oranges.
Cyrus planned to operate in the nearby waters next.
After all, that was his purpose for coming here.
Since he had news of Arlong, the guy would probably arrive soon.
...
At the same time, at Reverse Mountain.
A huge pirate ship flying the Sun Pirates flag sailed over Reverse Mountain and crashed down onto the surface of the East Blue along the reverse current.
The Marines on patrol nearby immediately spotted the pirate ship and surrounded it, but upon seeing the flag on it, their expressions changed drastically.
That flag?
The commander of the warship fleet's face changed dramatically as he recognized the pirate flag.
One of the Royal Shichibukai with the legal right to plunder, Jinbei, Knight of the Sea.
Why would a guy like that come to the East Blue?