In Hawkeye's view, anyone Cyrus treated this way could not possibly be simple.
"I'm Portgas D. Ace!"
Ace stared at Cyrus.
The moment Cyrus had called out that other surname earlier, Ace had become visibly agitated.
"Oh?"
Cyrus smiled when he heard that, but he did not dwell on the matter of his name.
Whether it was Gol or Portgas, it did not matter much.
Hawkeye, however, looked at Ace with some surprise before turning back toward Cyrus.
"What's going on?"
"Just think of him as someone who was born and never met his father. You know, some people are like that."
Hearing Hawkeye's question, Cyrus gave an answer without turning his head.
"If that's the case, then judging by his age…"
Hawkeye also began to understand.
Back when Pirate King Roger was executed, he had personally witnessed it in Loguetown.
Considering that timing and then looking at Ace's current age…
Most likely, before Ace had even been born, Pirate King Roger was already dead.
"You bastard…"
Blue veins suddenly bulged on Ace's forehead.
As though he had made some sort of decision, he clenched his fist and charged toward Cyrus.
"Heh. You dare throw a punch at me?"
Cyrus raised an eyebrow.
"Fire Fist!"
Cyrus casually raised his hand and punched.
A large mass of flame surged out and struck the incoming Ace directly.
Then a charred figure flew backward and slammed into Broggy's stomach before being caught in the giant's outstretched palm.
"You really have no honor as a strong man." Broggy glared.
"If I wanted to kill him, there wouldn't even be ash left now."
Cyrus lowered his hand and spoke calmly.
Broggy froze, then lowered his head again to look at the charred figure in his palm.
"Cough, cough!"
The blackened figure coughed a few times, spat out several mouthfuls of black smoke, then glared at Cyrus.
"I'll go participate in that Hunter Exam or whatever. And one day, I'll definitely defeat you!"
Ace's voice rang out, and one could clearly hear a heavy gloom within it.
When everyone other than Cyrus heard Ace's words, their expressions turned rather strange.
Defeat Cyrus?
Was this guy still half-asleep?
"Let's go."
Cyrus waved a hand, then beckoned to Kuina and the others.
Afterward, a door was pulled open in the air.
Kuina and Zoro curiously followed Cyrus through the door.
Hawkeye turned his head and looked at Ace in Broggy's palm.
"If you want to defeat Cyrus, you'll need to work much harder."
Hawkeye recognized Ace's talent.
During this time on the island, he had personally watched Ace grow stronger, and the speed of that growth was fast.
But defeating Cyrus?
Hawkeye shook his head slightly, then turned and stepped through the door.
"Brat, you're really lucky."
As pirates from a hundred years ago, Broggy and Dorry understood very clearly that the rule of this world was that the strong had the final say.
Provoking someone as powerful as Cyrus and still not being killed was already extremely lucky.
Ace lay in Blue Ogre's palm, staring blankly at the clouds in the sky.
He did not care much about the burns on his body, but Cyrus had directly called out that man's surname, and that bothered Ace a great deal.
It seemed many people knew the secret he carried.
"The Great Pirate Era is already over."
Seeing Ace remain silent, Dorry spoke in his deep, booming voice.
"The Great Pirate Era opened by Pirate King Roger ended after Cyrus appeared."
Although the two giants had not left the island, the Guild Hunters who came by often brought them news.
The rapidly developing Hunter Guild already had the power to change this world.
Although pirates were an existence that would continue to appear, they were no longer the main characters of the future era.
"Please teach me how to become stronger."
Ace directly rolled over and sat up, staring at the two giants.
"Gegyagyagya! No problem. But our strength is something only giants can truly master, so what we can help you with is limited."
Dorry let out a strange laugh, seeming rather happy.
'I must defeat Cyrus. If I do that, then I'll have surpassed that irresponsible guy too, right?'
Ace clenched his fists.
The young man's path had changed, but his goal had never changed!
...
On the ship by the shore of Little Garden, the sudden appearance of a door made the Pirate Hunters aboard turn pale.
Every one of them became extremely nervous.
Then Cyrus walked out from inside, followed by Zoro and Kuina, and finally Hawkeye.
"Boss Kuina, Boss Zoro!"
When the guarded Pirate Hunters saw Kuina and Zoro, they were confused, but they still called out to them.
"Boss?"
Cyrus turned his head with a half-smile.
"Ahem. I didn't make them call me that. They just kept saying it themselves."
Kuina's face flushed slightly, and she spoke with some embarrassment.
"I'm stronger than them. What's wrong with them calling me boss?"
Zoro, on the other hand, planted his hands on his hips with a smug look.
"Suit yourselves. But I have a sword on my ship that should suit you. I didn't bring it with me this time, so when we get to Sky Island later, I'll give it to you."
Cyrus smiled as he spoke.
"Hm?"
Zoro's eyes lit up.
Zoro, whose goal was to become the world's strongest swordsman, naturally loved famous blades.
If Cyrus said something like that, then the sword was definitely not ordinary!
"What about mine?"
Kuina immediately raised her hand.
"You don't get one! Kuina, you have to find the weapon that suits you by yourself."
Cyrus smiled.
Kuina's face immediately fell.
"Chairman!"
At this moment, among the group of Hunters who still had no idea what was going on, someone's eyes suddenly bulged as he raised a hand, pointed at Cyrus, and shouted.
In an instant, everyone froze.
They stared straight at Cyrus, their faces excited and full of disbelief.
One by one, they trembled so hard they looked as though they were shaking apart.
"Mm. I only came by along the way. I'll leave in a bit. You've all done well."
After being recognized, Cyrus turned and waved his hand with a warm expression.
"So Boss Zoro and Boss Kuina really do know the chairman."
The group of Pirate Hunters was still in shock.
...
"Am I really that famous now?"
After Cyrus brought the three of them to the ship's reception room, he asked in return.
"If you don't count as a big figure, then there are no big figures on this sea."
Hawkeye stated the fact with a serious expression.
"You've changed a lot. You actually know how to flatter people now."
After sitting down, Cyrus looked at Hawkeye in surprise.
Zoro and Kuina obediently sat to the side, watching the two big shots talk.
"I'm only stating a fact."
Hawkeye did not care about Cyrus's tone.
"However, you didn't come this time just to see those two, did you?"
As for why he asked that, Hawkeye felt that someone like Cyrus must have a deeper purpose behind his actions.
Moreover, he felt that Cyrus hid himself very deeply.
At the very least, during the period when he had traveled with Cyrus before, Hawkeye had never seen that Cyrus could actually reach this point.
This was an ambitious and powerful man, someone with a far-reaching goal and the ability to achieve it.
"My initial purpose really was that, but I've changed my mind now. Are you truly planning to participate in the Hunter Exam?"
Cyrus was naturally surprised that Hawkeye wanted to take part in the exam.
After all, Cyrus had invited Hawkeye before, but the man had refused.
However, the reason Hawkeye had given did make sense.
This guy really was the kind of person who would do anything to find a good opponent.
Cyrus had poured an enormous amount of energy into this Hunter Exam.
Well, more accurately, Cyrus had made Crocodile pour an enormous amount of energy into it.
He also believed that this exam would definitely attract quite a few strong people.
Among them, there would surely be no shortage of swordsmen with talent and strength.
"It is a very rare place. This sea is too vast. Some powerful swordsmen may have never gained any reputation at all." Hawkeye spoke, and Issho, who was on Cyrus's ship, came to mind.
That man had previously had no fame whatsoever, yet his strength was terrifying.
Although Hawkeye had not fought him before, he did not have confidence that he could defeat Issho.
Perhaps there were still many people like Issho on this sea.
Those people might not care about the Marines or pirates and might simply remain in their hometowns.
This Hunter Guild exam might attract a portion of such people.
Even if there were only one or two, that would be enough.
"That works. Do as you like." Cyrus nodded.
"Also, you two…"
Cyrus turned toward Kuina.
The girl immediately sat up straight.
"You two have two choices now. One, I send you to Sky Island now. That is where the Hunter Exam will be held. There, you can train in peace and improve your strength."
"As for the other option, I ask Hawkeye to continue guiding you for the remaining time while you travel across the sea."