'Even this honest-looking guy has learned to be slick,' Cyrus thought as he gave the swordsman a strange look.
"Don't look at like that. If you have sothing to say, just say it," Issho said, waving his hand as if sensing Cyrus's gaze.
"How did it feel? Fighting Kaido?" Cyrus asked.
"He's very strong!" Issho's tone was filled with emotion when he heard the question.
"I originally thought my strength was impressive, but there are so many powerful people on the sea."
It hadn't been long since they set out, but aside from Cyrus, he'd encountered Hawkeye and Rayleigh, neither of whom he was confident he could defeat, and now he had faced Kaido.
As a skilled fighter, Issho could tell he had gotten lucky in this encounter, because if it weren't for the aerial combat, he estimated he would have been at a disadvantage before long.
"Well, the sea is vast so we'll encounter others as strong as Kaido, but don't worry, you'll have your chance to fight," Cyrus said with a grin.
"No, if possible, I'd prefer to take it easy." Issho shook his head and changed the subject. "Speaking of which, what's our next move? We're now in the waters of Totto Land, and an encounter with the Big Mom Pirates is unavoidable."
"I've been thinking about that too."
Hearing Issho's question, Cyrus picked up a glass of freshly squeezed juice beside him, took a sip, and continued.
"Both the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates are true pirate crews since they've done everything pirates are supposed to do, but wiping them all out isn't exactly easy."
For him, destroying Whole Cake Island was simple, and defeating Charlotte Linlin or even killing her wasn't difficult either, but whether to deal with the Charlotte family mbers as well was sothing Cyrus hadn't decided yet.
Almost all mbers of the Charlotte family possessed Paracia-type Devil Fruits, and on a sea where Devil Fruits were highly prized, they represented a significant force.
'Should I recruit them?'
As for the difficulty of recruitnt, Cyrus hadn't even considered it.
"That's not really an issue. The real question is whether I should recruit these guys."
"What are you thinking about?" Issho grew curious after noticing Cyrus fall silent.
"I'm considering whether to recruit those Charlotte family mbers into the Hunter Guild." Cyrus didn't hide his thoughts because Issho had joined his side, so he should consult him on such matters.
"Recruit the Charlotte family?" As expected, Issho turned to Cyrus with a surprised expression.
"Just thinking out loud. We're short-handed right now, and most capable people are either with the Marines or are pirates, so training new people from scratch would take ti," Cyrus spoke in a helpless tone.
"If you do that, you'll be confirming the infamous reputation the World Governnt has given you," Issho reminded him.
"The World Governnt is trying its best to portray you as a villain, so if you defeat Charlotte Linlin and then absorb her forces, it would indirectly support their narrative. After all, most people on the seas won't think too deeply about it since they'll just see you aligning with pirates."
"That doesn't really matter to ," Cyrus shook his head.
If we're talking about that, Crocodile, Hawkeye, and Hancock were all pirates too.
"If you don't care about that, then recruiting these people could be a good thing," Issho said in a serious tone upon hearing Cyrus's indifference.
"You think it's acceptable?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Under your control, these pirates' behavior should be manageable, and at least they wouldn't act as recklessly as before." Issho nodded. "Given what you're doing now to oppose the World Governnt, you can't handle everything alone no matter how powerful you are, and you still need people to handle other matters. These pirates are good candidates since you can use your strength to intimidate them, so you shouldn't have any reservations about dealing with these people."
"That's true!" Cyrus nodded. "Let's discuss it later then, and when Robin and Baby 5 return, we'll find a route straight to Whole Cake Island."
Cyrus didn't want to visit every island along the way because it would be better to find a direct route to Whole Cake Island, and since supplies needed to be delivered there anyway, there should be Log Poses pointing to it on these islands.
...
Whole Cake Island.
"Mom, Kaido and Cyrus's ship encountered each other near Pinecone Island and clashed, though it wasn't Cyrus who made the move," Perospero reported what they'd discovered earlier with his tongue lolling out.
"That Kaido... his luck isn't good." Charlotte Linlin's tone turned unpleasant upon hearing this, because fighting in her territory was a provocation against her.
"Cyrus is coming, right?" Charlotte Linlin looked down at her eldest son.
Feeling the intense pressure from his mother, Perospero nodded.
"Yes, Mom. So far we've only spotted Cyrus's Rose Hunter ship, and while we can't confirm if Cyrus is aboard yet, the battle has already ended," Perospero reported carefully.
Seeing his mother remain silent, he added, "Mom, how should we deal with Cyrus?"
Deep down, Perospero was apprehensive.
Although his mother was one of the Emperors of the New World who possessed imnse power, Cyrus had demonstrated even greater combat prowess, and the terrifying marks left by his attacks were enough to prove how formidable his thods were.
It was best to avoid conflict with soone like him, but even if conflict did arise, there had to be a good way to handle it.
"If he cos, I won't be afraid of him," Charlotte Linlin said, seemingly considering Perospero's words, but without reaching a satisfactory conclusion she resorted to making bold threats.
"Mom!" Katakuri walked in as soon as she finished speaking. "Kaido has been spotted, but he passed through Totto Land and seems to be heading back."
Upon hearing Katakuri's words, Charlotte Linlin's eyes widened.
"That bastard, did he just run off after provoking that guy?" Her shrill voice was thick with anger.
Perospero and Katakuri exchanged a glance as both felt helpless.
"Mom, Cyrus's ship has arrived, which ans Cyrus will show up, so how should we deal with him next?" Katakuri spoke up to interrupt her brewing rage when he saw Charlotte Linlin on the verge of losing her temper.
"Huh?" The furious Charlotte Linlin turned to look at Katakuri.
"Mamamamama!" She burst into laughter. "If his ship is spotted, send soone to invite him to my tea party!"
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