Marine 16th Branch Base, East Blue.
The new base commander, Captain Nezumi, had been in a good mood recently.
He had unexpectedly discovered Cyrus, and after reporting it, he hadn't expected the subsequent events to add so much to his list of merits.
The stronger Cyrus proved to be, the greater the credit for him, the initial discoverer.
But now, he was experiencing both pain and pleasure.
Unlike those ambitious Marines who were single-mindedly focused on advancement, he didn't have such grand ambitions, nor did he want to leave the East Blue branch for Marine Headquarters.
After all, being a base commander in the East Blue, where the Pirates were weak, was very safe for him.
If he were promoted and sent to Marine Headquarters, he would definitely have to go out to sea and fight Pirates.
Even if his rank would rise quickly that way, he could also die just as quickly.
It was best to remain a base commander in the East Blue.
He could go out on patrol occasionally, and if he found anything, he'd take a warship out to capture a Pirate with a bounty of a few million.
This kind of life was simply too easy.
'But I really didn't expect it!' Captain Nezumi thought to himself, suddenly muttering aloud.
He was thinking about the news he had read in the paper.
A Marine Headquarters Admiral was an absolutely huge figure to him, yet this Cyrus had actually fought with such big shots—two of them, at that.
The mere thought of it felt incredible.
The whole thing felt a bit surreal.
"Base Commander!"
Just as Nezumi's mind was churning, a loud shout from the doorway of his office made him jump.
He looked up and saw it was a Marine soldier from the base.
Nezumi was about to get angry, but then he froze.
'Damn, why does this scene feel so familiar?'
"Wait!" Captain Nezumi raised a hand to stop the soldier at the door from speaking.
"It couldn't be that the Pirate Hunter Cyrus is here again, could it?" Captain Nezumi said in a strange tone, but after saying it, he felt a bit speechless, thinking he was being too sensitive.
The last news he saw was of Cyrus causing trouble in the North Blue, having already destroyed many islands.
"Uh, your insight is brilliant, Base Commander. It is indeed the Pirate Hunter Cyrus who has come," the Marine soldier replied, his eyes full of admiration upon hearing that Captain Nezumi could guess this even from inside his office.
Captain Nezumi's body stiffened.
'What the hell, he's really here?'
"Base Commander?" The reporting soldier saw Captain Nezumi's face turn pale and then flush, and called out cautiously.
"Ahem, where is he?" Captain Nezumi coughed lightly to compose himself, though he felt somewhat apprehensive.
Although the previous times he had met Cyrus, he had been bringing in Pirates to collect bounties, the things Cyrus had done on this trip out to sea were truly terrifying, and he felt a little uncertain.
"In the tavern. He asked for you to go see him. Should we send someone to fetch him?" the Marine soldier quickly replied to the question, then offered a suggestion.
"No, absolutely not!" Captain Nezumi waved his hands hastily, then, seeming to realize his tone was odd, coughed twice.
"Ahem, well, I was just getting a bit bored. I'll just go for a walk."
With that, Captain Nezumi stood up, straightened his clothes, stuffed a Den Den Mushi into his pocket, and led his men out of the Naval Base.
...
In the tavern in the town outside the base, the tavern owner, Croc, watched Cyrus cautiously.
As a tavern owner, he was naturally sensitive to news and deliberately collected a lot of information.
Coincidentally, he had seen the news about Cyrus and had even used it as a bragging right in the tavern several times.
After all, Cyrus had been here several times.
For Croc, having had contact with someone like Cyrus was definitely a valuable topic of conversation.
But he never expected that Cyrus, who had been gone for a long time, would suddenly reappear in his tavern.
The tavern had now fallen silent.
Those guys who usually liked to talk loudly were now like parrots with their necks squeezed, not saying a word, cautiously watching the two people sitting at the counter.
Of course, all eyes were on Cyrus.
"It's not suitable for me to meet with the Navy!" Robin, sitting next to Cyrus, said in a low voice.
Even by Cyrus's side, her identity was not suitable for exposure.
Even if Cyrus could handle any potential trouble, it was better if such trouble didn't arise.
Behind the counter, Croc kept his head down, wiping a glass as if he hadn't heard Robin's voice at all.
"It's fine. Although Nezumi at this base is greedy, he's a smart man. Besides, I don't care about this kind of trouble now," Cyrus said, turning to Robin and giving her a reassuring look.
"What about a bounty?" Robin retorted.
"If the Navy wants to issue one, then let them," Cyrus replied in a relaxed tone.
Robin said no more.
A squad of Marines arrived outside the tavern, and Nezumi, wearing his "Justice" cape, walked in alone.
The previously silent patrons in the tavern got up and left quickly as soon as the Marines arrived, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Croc was on the verge of tears.
Those bastards, they actually used this opportunity to drink for free!
Of course, he didn't let any of this show on his face.
"Mr. Cyrus!" Captain Nezumi stood at attention and saluted, looking the very picture of righteousness.
It was just that his face were too ugly, even when he forced a righteous and awe-inspiring expression, it couldn't suppress his sleazy aura.
"Captain Nezumi, have any Pirates been harassing the nearby archipelago recently?" Cyrus turned his head to look at Captain Nezumi and asked with a smile.
Captain Nezumi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately shook his head.
"No, absolutely not!"
He remembered what Cyrus had said when he returned with Garp last time, telling him to make sure no Pirates ran rampant in the archipelago.
Captain Nezumi had kept that in mind.
Of course, he had no choice but to remember.
He guessed that Cyrus probably had acquaintances in the nearby archipelago.
If they were attacked by Pirates and something happened, he would have a hard time explaining himself.
Most importantly, Cyrus had a habit of popping up out of nowhere.
Who knew when he would be back?
If he came back and saw that his acquaintances had been attacked by Pirates and blamed him for it, he would be in big trouble.
"Not only the nearby archipelago, but if any Pirates enter the 16th Branch's territory, I will take a warship out to eliminate them," Captain Nezumi said with a righteous air.
"Not bad!" Cyrus nodded slightly in praise.
Hearing the praise, Captain Nezumi actually felt as if he were being commended by a superior and became somewhat excited.
"I'm just passing through this time. Since we've met a few times, I thought I'd come and see you," Cyrus said with a smile.
"You're too kind. The 16th Branch will always welcome you," Captain Nezumi immediately said upon hearing this, his heart relaxing considerably.
"Of course, besides that, I actually have a small favor to ask of you," Cyrus spoke again, looking at the relaxed Captain Nezumi.
"I'm preparing to go to the Grand Line, but I don't have any travel funds, so I'd like to borrow a little from you. Don't worry, it won't be too much. Ten million Belly will be enough."