It wasn't that Cyrus could no longer use those techniques.
He simply had no real need for them anymore.
Back when he had first begun developing the Flame-Flame Fruit, imagination had been extremely important.
Having a clear image of what he wanted to create made it much easier to develop the fruit's abilities in that direction.
And in practice, that approach had worked very well.
Later, as Cyrus's mastery of the Flame-Flame Fruit grew increasingly effortless, those techniques he had once painstakingly developed became little more than different ways of applying the same power.
Still, there was no denying how much they had helped him in the beginning.
Since Robin had brought it up, Cyrus saw no reason to hide anything.
"That's right. I already told you what my original world was like, and roughly what the situation is with this one."
Robin nodded in understanding.
If everything Cyrus had told her was true, then it made sense that he knew so much—not only about the world they were in now, but also about the one she had come from.
Then something occurred to her.
"Wait."
Robin's eyes suddenly brightened.
"If things really work the way you described, then any good story would need exciting events. And usually there would be a protagonist, along with some great enemy they eventually have to face."
She looked directly at Cyrus.
"So who was the protagonist of our world?"
The question immediately caught Hancock's and Baby 5's attention as well.
They had both been listening to the conversation from nearby, and now they moved closer.
"Well…"
Cyrus smiled and studied Robin's face for a moment.
"You're absolutely right."
He paused deliberately.
"And you've met him. In the version of the world where I never appeared, you were actually one of his crewmates—the archaeologist aboard his ship."
"I was part of the protagonist's crew?"
Robin blinked.
"Then the protagonist was a pirate?"
"Think about the people you've met."
Cyrus didn't give her the answer immediately.
"You're a historian. You've read plenty of stories and studied plenty of history. Haven't you ever met someone who seemed like the kind of person a story would naturally revolve around?"
Robin fell silent and thought seriously about it.
After a while, she shook her head.
"That's difficult."
Once Cyrus framed it that way, far too many people she had encountered seemed to possess at least some of those qualities.
If she had to choose someone, though…
Cyrus himself fit the description better than anyone.
And unlike most people, he had actually accomplished the kind of things one would expect from the central figure of an enormous story.
"Lord Cyrus, what about me?"
Hancock slid closer until nearly her entire body was pressed against him, her cheeks slightly flushed as she looked up expectantly.
"You?"
Cyrus wrapped an arm around her slender waist and deliberately dragged out the answer.
"Well, you…"
Hancock waited intently.
"Obviously fell in love with the protagonist—me."
Cyrus grinned.
Robin laughed softly and shook her head.
Still, there was some truth to what he said.
After Cyrus appeared, the entire course of their world had changed.
And just as he had told her before…
Robin raised one hand and rested it over her chest.
Her heartbeat was strong and unmistakable beneath her palm.
She was alive.
That much was real.
There was no point tormenting herself over anything beyond that.
"Then what about this world?" Robin asked.
If she wasn't going to dwell on their old world, she could at least satisfy her curiosity about the one they were currently standing in.
"You've already met him."
Cyrus tilted his chin toward the distance.
"I have?"
Robin thought for only a moment before realizing who he meant.
"That Shinigami?"
Cyrus had clearly taken an unusual interest in Aizen.
Anyone who could draw that much attention from Cyrus was obviously no ordinary person.
"So that Shinigami isn't the protagonist."
Robin's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"He's the protagonist's greatest enemy? Someone like Imu?"
"Smart."
Cyrus smiled.
"But you're only half right. A good story usually needs to last for a while, after all."
"Oh, I understand."
Robin nodded almost immediately.
"The final antagonist of one major part of the story?"
"Exactly."
Cyrus pointed toward the direction his Observation Haki had detected the Shinigami.
"He's over there right now. After what happens this time, I'd guess he'll eventually find some excuse to approach me again."
Robin glanced in the same direction.
"And he could have plenty of reasons for doing that."
"More than a few."
"So if you want to study the power system of this world, you plan to start with him?"
"Yeah."
Cyrus nodded without hesitation.
"He's a very convenient candidate."
There was little reason to hide that from Robin.
"Lord Cyrus, you're already incredibly strong."
Hancock rested her cheek against his shoulder, her eyes never leaving his face.
"I've accomplished a fair amount."
Cyrus smiled faintly.
"But if reaching this world was possible, there may be other worlds beyond it. And sooner or later, there could be people far stronger than anything we've seen."
If Cyrus had no interest in that possibility, he could simply wait for the passage home to reopen, return to the One Piece world, and spend the rest of his life as the strongest person alive.
That held very little appeal for him.
He had always dreamed of seeing worlds beyond his own.
Now that he had actually found a way to do it, naturally he wanted to keep going.
"Whatever Lord Cyrus chooses to do, I'll follow you."
Baby 5, who had been quietly listening from the side, suddenly spoke.
"So will I."
Hancock immediately added her answer.
"You don't have to make it sound so serious."
Cyrus laughed.
"Think of it as travelling from one world to another. It's a good thing. Not many people ever get an opportunity like this."
Then he remembered all the stories he had read before transmigrating—stories about people endlessly travelling through countless fictional worlds—and shook his head helplessly.
'Maybe I'm one of those people too.'
But just as he had told Robin, they were all genuinely alive.
That was enough.
There was no need to worry about the rest for now.
"Want to go take a look?"
Cyrus pointed toward the direction where his Observation Haki had detected the incoming Shinigami.
"Will there be a fight?" Robin asked, though from her tone she had already guessed the answer.
Shinigami and Hollows clearly weren't on friendly terms.
Their relationship seemed somewhat like Marines and pirates, or perhaps Hunters and the prey they pursued.
When two sides with that kind of relationship encountered each other, avoiding conflict altogether was unlikely.
"Definitely."
Cyrus nodded.
"The only question is how serious it gets."
"Then let's go see."
Robin's curiosity had won out.
If even Cyrus considered the powers of this world worth studying, then there had to be something special about them.
And as a scholar driven by curiosity, Robin naturally wanted to see those abilities for herself.
"Then let's go."
Cyrus stood and released Hancock's waist.
He spread his arms, pulling Robin and Baby 5 against him, then launched himself into the air.
With several enormous leaps, the three disappeared into the distance.
Hancock stared after them.
Her mouth twitched.
Then she jumped into the air and hurried after them.
…
The Menos that had gathered throughout the enormous forest were no longer wandering randomly.
They had begun moving with a clear pattern, steadily converging in a single direction.
"Those creatures don't seem completely mindless."
Robin noticed the organized movement while being carried in Cyrus's arms.
"It's mostly suppression through rank."
Cyrus glanced down at the Hollows below.
"Higher-level Hollows can control the movements of weaker ones, especially Menos that barely possess any intelligence. They'll instinctively follow orders."
He paused.
"But asking them to carry out anything complicated is another matter entirely."
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