Where did this fearless brat come from?
His main business in the Four Seas was based in the North Blue.
As for the other three seas, he had already begun to prepare his move into them after successfully taking Dressrosa.
And it had only been this long before some guy showed up to provoke him?
Did he really think his, Doflamingo's, blade wasn't sharp?
"Doffy?"
Trebol, with his long, dripping nose, saw his young master's expression and knew that Doflamingo was about to explode with anger.
This was equivalent to being openly challenged to his face, something Doflamingo's personality naturally couldn't tolerate.
It would be one thing if it were a truly powerful expert.
But in the East Blue, what kind of expert could possibly stand against that group of small-fry pirates?
"Send someone. I want to hear that person's screams as soon as possible!" Doflamingo ordered, his expression grim.
"Alright, Doffy. I'll arrange for someone to go to the East Blue. But Garp has recently returned to the East Blue, so it's not a good time to cause a big disturbance."
As a Marine Hero, Garp's every move attracted a great deal of attention.
By now, at least those with connections to the East Blue's powers already knew of Garp's return.
"That old geezer is back? What for?"
Doflamingo was taken aback and turned to look at Trebol.
"It seems he's looking for someone. We haven't found out the specifics yet," Trebol said after a moment's hesitation.
"It's just some brat. He can't cause much of a stir."
Doflamingo didn't want to wait.
Was he now at a point where even some nameless brat dared to provoke him?
"Behehehehe, I say, Doffy, why get angry over some brat? We have greater things to do. But since you've said so, Doffy, I'll go arrange for someone right now. Soon, you'll see that brat's head."
After speaking, the slimy Trebol turned and left.
Doflamingo watched him go, then picked up the glass of red wine in front of him and looked out the window.
Outside was the rebuilding Dressrosa, with a large number of Toy Soldiers walking on the streets.
...
The sounds of fighting continued.
Most pirates were brutal, and now, the pirates' infighting was putting that brutality on full display.
Cyrus watched the slaughter on the trading island, which had been triggered by his single sentence, with a calm expression.
In the original story, what happened after a pirate attack was rarely depicted.
After all, most of the time, the perspective followed Monkey D. Luffy.
Setting aside everything else, just looking at the bounty posters Cyrus held, although the bounties on the pirates weren't high, they were responsible for at least dozens of lives, with the worst having hundreds.
When attacking an island, some might just plunder valuables and kill those who resisted.
But some took pleasure in taking the lives of others.
"The Young Master will not let you go."
Watching Cyrus put away the Den Den Mushi, the Donquixote Family ability user still tried to act tough.
"Mm, I know!"
Cyrus glanced at him upon hearing this and nodded.
"You..."
Cyrus's attitude left the man at a loss for words.
After all, their influence here in the East Blue was too small. It was impossible for the executives to personally oversee things here.
The fact that they had sent an ability user like him was already a sign of how much importance they placed on it.
So, no matter what threats he made now, they seemed like the useless barking of a defeated dog.
Cyrus's attitude, in particular, reinforced this feeling.
"So, tell me, will Doflamingo send people to come and kill me?" Cyrus asked, looking at the man's wide-eyed expression.
"Of course! The Young Master will definitely send an executive. You're a dead man."
"Is that so? Then are you a pirate too?"
Cyrus nodded lightly.
"I'm a great pirate from the North Blue! Before I met the Young Master, my bounty was 23 million!"
Cyrus's question seemed to strike a nerve with the ability user.
He threw his head back and said with a proud look.
"Yohohohoho, an unexpected gain?" Cyrus's eyes lit up, and he was amused.
Now that Doflamingo was a Shichibukai, his bounty had been canceled, and the bounties of his subordinates who previously had them were also canceled by the Marines.
However, the guy in front of him was probably just a grunt in Doflamingo's crew.
"So your bounty is still active?" Cyrus asked curiously.
"Of course! My name is very famous in the North Blue."
"That's good."
Cyrus nodded repeatedly.
These pirates treated their Marine bounties as something to show off.
Even when fighting an opponent, they would proudly declare that they were a great pirate with a bounty of so-and-so amount, as if it would give them an advantage in morale.
Or perhaps, that was the most intimidating thing these pirates could think of?
With that thought, Cyrus stopped paying attention to the guy.
Twenty-three million, plus the pirates he saw earlier and those hidden in the town... he might be able to collect tens of millions in bounties this time, maybe seventy or eighty million, or even over a hundred million.
This sea was truly paved with gold.
Those great pirates in the New World had bounties in the hundreds of millions, or even billions.
Catching those guys wouldn't be as easy as this.
Find a gathering spot for pirates, then catch them all in one go.
He seemed to understand now why the first island after entering the Grand Line was a gathering place for Pirate Hunters.
It was practically like golden beans walking right up to you.
"That's right. After those guys get stronger, they don't seem to fight against the weak."
Cyrus stroked his chin, trying to understand the thought process of the people in this world, attempting to imitate and join in their way of thinking.
It wasn't that hard to understand.
The slaughter on the trading island was nearing its end. During this time, Cyrus had left several times.
Those were the guys who had tried to escape using the hidden boat on the other side; they were now buried at sea.
The remaining survivors had obediently returned.
They had even thoughtfully brought over the pirates from the town who had bounties.
As for the dead ones, their heads were brought over.
"All aboard!"
Cyrus stood beside the largest pirate ship, watching the pirates board one by one.
Just like with Doru, after boarding, Cyrus immediately ordered them to set sail for the 16th Marine Branch.
Even with only Cyrus present, these pirates were obedient and didn't dare to make a move.
They each used their skills to steer the pirate ship, turning it around and then departing.
Cyrus sat on the bow, looking at the large number of pirates squatting on the deck with their heads in their hands.
"Tell me, for these pirates without bounties, will the Marines still pay?"
Beside Cyrus was the ability user, who was now missing an arm.
This was the result of him trying to escape earlier when Cyrus had left to deal with the other fleeing pirates, getting hit by one of Cyrus's Flying Slashes.
Hearing Cyrus's question, the man glanced at him in terror.
"Yes, usually their bounties are calculated based on their captain's bounty."
"You seem to know a lot."
Cyrus was surprised.
"Well, back in the North Blue, we would occasionally be ordered to deliver pirates to Marine bases to collect bounties."
This guy was now saying whatever he was asked.
But he was actually relieved inside.
Since they were being taken to a Marine base, at least he wouldn't have to die.
And he was a subordinate of a Shichibukai. Even if he was taken into custody, he would be released by the Marines.
This had been proven in the past.