Cyrus narrowed his eyes at Shanks.
He honestly couldn't tell whether that question had been deliberate or whether Shanks had simply blurted it out.
"It's just a warning."
Cyrus didn't bother explaining further. He stood, and a portal opened in front of him.
"If you don't speed things up, the next wave might really throw the entire world back into chaos."
Shanks's expression immediately turned serious.
He could tell Cyrus wasn't joking.
For someone like Cyrus to say that, whatever was coming next had to be severe.
"You're the chairman of the Hunter Guild?"
Before Shanks could respond, Prince Loki suddenly leaned over and spoke.
Cyrus gave him a brief glance, didn't answer, and simply stepped through the portal.
Loki's breathing grew heavier.
He had been completely ignored.
"Shanks."
Benn Beckman stepped forward with a cigarette between his lips. He looked toward the spot where Cyrus had vanished, his expression unusually grave.
"That sounded like a warning."
"It was."
Shanks nodded.
"A warning and a reminder."
"He's telling us that something major is about to happen. He's also warning us not to make any big moves once he leaves."
"Leaves?" Beckman repeated the word, confused.
"The rumor that Cyrus came from another world."
Shanks reminded him.
"You think he's leaving this world?"
Beckman froze, then his eyes widened.
If Cyrus suddenly disappeared, Beckman couldn't begin to imagine the effect it would have on the world.
"It's only a guess, but I doubt I'm wrong."
Shanks shook his head.
"His behavior lately has been strange."
From everything Shanks had seen, Cyrus possessed more than enough strength and abilities to deal with the person hiding in Mary Geoise.
Yet after the initial chaos, the situation across the sea had quickly stabilized—or at least settled into a tense balance.
Clearly, far more was happening behind the scenes than Shanks knew.
He didn't like that feeling.
Not knowing what came next made him uneasy.
Still, the final result might be exactly what he had hoped for all along.
And it might arrive much sooner than he ever expected.
"Then we'll move faster."
Shanks waved one hand before glancing toward Loki.
"Don't take it personally. I doubt he considers me important either."
Loki's expression stiffened.
That didn't sound particularly comforting.
…
"Fist of Love!"
A broad, muscular figure leapt high above the island.
Far offshore, the Marines aboard the warships stared in shock as a dazzling column of force slammed into the land below.
Boom!
A violent tremor and blinding light swallowed the entire island.
The force of the blow hurled Garp even higher into the sky. He kicked against the air several times, crossed the distance back to the fleet, and landed heavily on the deck.
"Haa…"
Garp breathed hard as he stared at the island, its terrain almost completely reshaped by his attack.
"Move in."
He caught his breath and began giving orders.
"Clear out whatever's left."
"Vice Admiral Garp, you need to rest."
Bogard looked at him with concern.
"We don't have time for that."
Garp raised a hand to stop him.
"If we waste time, every island we reach afterward could end up like this one."
"If we arrive even a little earlier, maybe we can save more people."
Bogard knew Garp was right.
But even Garp couldn't maintain this level of exertion forever.
Garp knew that too.
If he were still young, perhaps it wouldn't matter.
But age was age.
He could still call upon much of the strength he possessed in his prime, but he could no longer maintain it for long stretches.
It had been years since he had felt this kind of exhaustion.
Once the disturbance on the island settled, the warships began approaching.
The Marines aboard were already prepared.
The moment the first ships reached shore, squads rushed down in formation and began eliminating the surviving monsters.
"Haa…"
Garp watched for a while, then turned to find somewhere to sit and recover.
He froze.
Someone had appeared aboard the ship without making a sound.
No one had noticed.
Not even Garp.
Cyrus was standing there as though he had always been part of the crew.
"You really are getting old."
Cyrus smiled when Garp finally noticed him.
Then he grabbed a bag of rice crackers from a nearby table and tore it open.
Garp took a deep breath, walked to the other side of the table, and sat down.
His eyes remained fixed on Cyrus.
"Why did you suddenly come here?"
He sounded serious.
"Just checking how things are going."
Cyrus casually ate a rice cracker.
"I met Whitebeard and the others not long ago too."
"That's all?"
Garp didn't believe him for a second.
Cyrus had to have another reason.
"That's all. There isn't much else I need to do right now."
"You sure look relaxed."
Garp's mouth twitched.
He pointed toward the devastated island ahead.
"I've cleared more than a dozen islands like this on the way here. Entire populations turned into monsters."
"Don't you have anything to say about that?"
"Say what?"
Cyrus raised an eyebrow and met Garp's gaze.
"You're the one who started all of this. Don't tell me you think it has nothing to do with you."
Garp smacked his lips.
"This isn't my ability."
Cyrus's expression remained calm.
"Or do you think it would've been better if I had done nothing and let this world continue exactly as it was?"
Garp had no immediate answer.
He remained silent for a long moment before finally sighing and shaking his head.
"Too many people have died."
"More will die soon."
Garp's eyes widened immediately.
He caught the implication at once.
"The most dangerous moment may still be ahead."
Cyrus continued.
"I won't bother visiting Sengoku. You can warn him for me."
"The best-case scenario is that everything goes smoothly."
"But in the worst case, even more people across the world will suddenly transform into those demons."
"You're finally going after that person?"
Garp understood immediately and stared at Cyrus in surprise.
"More or less."
Cyrus waved a hand.
"The time has come, although the way I'm dealing with her is a little unusual."
Garp went blank for a moment as countless possibilities raced through his mind.
"My previous promise still stands."
Cyrus set the rice cracker bag down and rose.
"The Marines have handled themselves well this time. You've made your position clear."
He stretched lazily.
"It's about time this whole mess ended."
"You…"
Garp stared at Cyrus's back and couldn't help speaking.
"When I met you in East Blue, you were just some young brat."
"Who would've imagined that only a few years later, you'd cause something this enormous and become someone who can casually decide the direction of the entire world?"
Cyrus turned around with a grin.
"Regretting it?"
"If you'd been a little more forceful back then, when I still couldn't beat you…"
He chuckled.
"Maybe I really would've ended up joining the Marines."