Chapter 263: Tentative Target - Dark-Dark Fruit

"You've been back for a while?" Robin asked with a pout as her delighted expression faded.

"I've been back for a bit, but seeing how you handled things, I didn't think I needed to step in." Cyrus looked at Robin's pouting face and shrugged.

"President!" Baby 5 cheered.

She didn't overthink it and was thrilled, so the only unhappy one was the Slingshot Man who was restrained on the ground by Robin's ability.

Upon seeing Cyrus, the arrogant man's expression froze, because even though he had Big Mom's backing, the man before him was the Flame Demon Cyrus, who split the Red Line with a single sword strike!

"So, was attacking my companions authorized by Big Mom?" Cyrus walked past Robin to look down at the Slingshot Man on the ground.

"Y-yes!" Though he wanted to act tough, seeing Cyrus's calm demeanor made his words come out short.

'So it really was.' Cyrus was surprised when he heard the man's response.

Charlotte Linlin wasn't foolish when she wasn't in a frenzy, yet she actively provoked him.

Cyrus pondered but couldn't quite figure out her thought process.

Then again, many people in this world had abnormal thought processes from his perspective, but it seemed to align with the choices most people in this world would make.

"What should we do? Should we go to war?" Robin asked as she moved closer to Cyrus.

She knew conflict between Cyrus and Big Mom was inevitable, because unless Big Mom surrendered, a fight was bound to happen.

"You seem eager?" Cyrus turned to look at Robin.

"Didn't you say she has a Poneglyph?" Robin replied.

"Oh, that!" Cyrus remembered, as he had mentioned to Robin the locations of the other Poneglyphs he knew about, and one of them was on Whole Cake Island after being collected by Charlotte Linlin.

However, seeking out Poneglyphs wasn't something Cyrus cared about, and no matter what the history was, it had little to do with him.

Moreover, it was inevitable that only one side would survive between him and the World Government, so understanding the Poneglyphs might not help him.

But if Robin wanted to see them, then they would go since they would have to make a trip there eventually.

"Go bring down a crate of fruit," Cyrus turned and said to Baby 5.

Upon hearing this, the maid ran toward the ship docked at the shore, and by the time Issho landed, she had returned carrying a crate filled with fruit.

"Is the president hungry?" Baby 5 said as she handed an apple to Cyrus.

Cyrus raised his hand to take it before a flame ignited on his finger, and the other three watched his action.

"Don't kill me!" the Slingshot Man on the ground screamed when he saw the flame in Cyrus's hand.

"Don't be nervous, it's fine!" Cyrus said as he let the flame fall from his fingertip.

Boom!

As the flame landed on him, Robin retracted her ability so her arms dissolved into scattered petals.

Cyrus looked down at the crate of fruit Baby 5 had brought and shook his head.

"Nothing!"

"Were you trying to see if the Devil Fruit would regenerate here?" Robin asked while observing Cyrus's actions.

"Yes, after a Devil Fruit user dies, the Devil Fruit regenerates at random," Cyrus said as he took a bite of the apple in his hand.

"It seems it doesn't choose the nearest fruit to regenerate."

As he spoke, Cyrus lifted his gaze toward the town on the island.

The earlier battle between Robin and these pirates had been noticed by the townspeople.

"That's to be expected. If it always regenerated in the nearest fruit, Devil Fruits wouldn't be scattered all over the world," Issho chimed in.

If that rule were true, someone would have exploited it to collect Devil Fruits, because over hundreds of years, there would have been more than enough time to accomplish such a thing.

But Cyrus thought of the Yami Yami no Mi, since that fruit hadn't yet appeared on Whitebeard's ship.

The ability Blackbeard would later use to steal Devil Fruits was likely granted by the Yami Yami no Mi.

Issho's words reminded him that if he obtained the Yami Yami no Mi, he could collect Devil Fruits in large quantities.

That's what the future Blackbeard did, though Blackbeard targeted only the most powerful Devil Fruits.

'Hmm, i need to get that fruit.' Cyrus nodded and committed this to memory.

"Shall we head into the town?" Robin asked after noticing the direction of Cyrus's gaze.

"You go, see what we need, and buy some supplies. Although the people on this island are under the rule of Totto Land, they're just civilians." Cyrus shook his head as he turned and walked back toward the ship at the shore.

Baby 5 followed behind Cyrus while carrying the fruit crate, and watching Cyrus turn back made Robin look at Issho.

"He didn't capture him, as Kaido of the Beasts left soon after Cyrus returned."

"Cyrus didn't stop him?" Robin asked in surprise.

"Well, I'm not sure either since Cyrus didn't fight Kaido for very long," Issho said with a shake of his head.

He didn't believe Cyrus's claim that he couldn't defeat Kaido, because with Cyrus's level of prowess, he would recover quickly even if he expended a lot of energy.

But Issho wouldn't question Cyrus's choices.

A short while later, Robin and Baby 5 headed into the town together while Cyrus lay down on a deck chair and closed his eyes as if he were asleep.

"Although most people on the island are civilians, someone is bound to report Robin and Baby 5's presence to Big Mom under Totto Land's control." Issho sat on one side and held his sword while slurping noodles, speaking as he ate.

"I know." Cyrus didn't even open his eyes.

"So? Take them all out? If you can, you go ahead and do it." Cyrus's words left Issho speechless.

Issho buried his head in his noodles and made no more sound.

When Cyrus didn't hear a response, he sat up and opened his eyes to look at Issho beside him.

"Our arrival must have been known to Big Mom long ago, so what we need to consider now is how to proceed."

"Why not just go straight to Whole Cake Island?" Issho lifted his head upon hearing this, and his blank white eyes stared at Cyrus.

'You're rolling your eyes at me again!' Cyrus thought as he raised his hand and scratched his head.

"That's doable, but Kaido's appearance this time might be related to Big Mom, and if that's the case, I'll have to face both of them!" Cyrus looked troubled.

"As long as you use the power you've been hiding, dealing with them shouldn't be difficult."

"So, you're dumping everything on me?" Cyrus's lips twitched as he spoke, making him look exasperated.

"I've fought Kaido, and I can tell that if we were on land, I might not be his match. So, it's all up to you from now on."

'Damn Issho, even you've learned to be slick now!'

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