Cyrus had once been rather interested in Vegapunk, the greatest scientist in the world.
That had been before meeting him.
Afterward, his impression had changed considerably.
The man was simply an insufferable old bastard with no sense of boundaries.
"Ahem. Dr. Vegapunk has always been like that," Dragon said when he noticed Cyrus's expression.
"Aside from his research, very little interests him."
He instinctively defended the scientist.
By now, Dragon understood exactly how valuable a top-class scientist could be.
That was especially true for someone as versatile as Vegapunk.
Whether it involved warfare or improving civilian life, the old man could produce remarkable technology in an incredibly short time.
"Keep an eye on him. Caesar is on Sky Island too. Who knows what those two might create if they get together?"
Cyrus waved a hand and turned to leave.
"What about the applicants who fail?"
Seeing him go, Dragon hurriedly raised the real reason he had come to speak with him.
"If you have the ability to recruit them, go ahead and try."
Dragon had set his sights on the Hunter Exam's unsuccessful candidates.
Some would fail because they lacked strength, while others might simply have poor luck.
Either way, anyone capable of reaching Sky Island and entering this exam was already far stronger than the average person.
In Dragon's eyes, they were all potential elites.
They were certainly more capable than ordinary Marine soldiers.
If the Revolutionary Army could recruit enough of them, it could build an exceptionally powerful fighting force.
Naturally, Dragon needed to inform Cyrus beforehand.
Cyrus did not care.
There were countless applicants, and even by his standards, many met the requirements Robin and Crocodile had established for formal Hunters.
As for the others, they could at least become peripheral members, much like most of the independent Hunters currently active across the sea.
After Cyrus left, Dragon breathed a quiet sigh of relief and turned toward the crowd ahead.
Far behind the mass of people, two figures—one large and one small—were crouched on the roof of a building.
Each held an enormous skewer of grilled meat and was tearing into it ravenously.
Beside them stood a bold-looking woman in a red vest and short skirt, watching their savage eating habits.
A cigarette hung from her lips, while her eyes remained fixed on Luffy from behind her sunglasses.
Wind swept across the rooftop, but her open jacket somehow remained pressed firmly against her body.
"Belo Betty."
The woman introduced herself.
Both boys looked up from their food.
"Thanks! I haven't eaten meat in days!"
Luffy's cheeks had swollen several times their normal size from all the food stuffed inside his mouth.
He already liked this unfamiliar woman simply because she had bought them meat.
"No need to thank me. I know your family."
"Huh?"
Luffy stared blankly.
Ace looked equally confused.
'Could she be one of the old man's daughters from somewhere?'
The strange possibility crossed Ace's mind.
"There are a lot of dangerous people participating," Betty continued. "Are you two certain you want to enter?"
"Of course! If I don't pass, I can't go home or set sail. How am I supposed to become Pirate King?"
Luffy answered immediately.
"Pirate King?"
Betty smiled without taking him seriously.
Ever since Roger's death, countless young men had gone to sea with the same dream.
"Then be careful."
She turned to leave.
"You know my dad, don't you?"
Luffy spoke through another mouthful of meat.
"Guess."
Betty smiled over her shoulder, then leapt from the roof and disappeared.
"Luffy, is that guy really your father?"
Once she was gone, Ace looked toward the distant front of the crowd.
People filled the entire area as far as the eye could see.
The Hunter Guild's announcement that Monkey D. Dragon would be one of the trial guardians had caused quite a stir.
The Revolutionary Army had created no shortage of upheaval across the world.
Ace had also learned from Luffy that Dragon was apparently his father.
Then this woman who knew their family had suddenly appeared and treated them to food.
"Huh?"
Luffy turned toward him in confusion.
"Dragon."
"Oh. Yeah."
This time Luffy understood and nodded.
"All right. Should we try finding him once we get inside?"
Ace sounded eager.
"Yeah!"
Luffy agreed without hesitation.
...
After leaving the rooftop, Belo Betty found Dragon.
"Luffy needs someone to train him."
The moment they met, she gave him her honest opinion.
"He clearly hasn't received much proper instruction."
Dragon's eyelid twitched.
He had originally left Luffy in Garp's care.
But Garp was both a Vice Admiral and the Hero of the Marines. He was constantly travelling to hunt pirates and rarely had time to raise a child.
Eventually, Luffy had been handed over to the mountain bandit Dadan.
Dragon had returned several times and knew that, despite her frightening appearance, Dadan was genuinely a good person.
But expecting her to provide serious training was asking far too much.
"We'll discuss it after the exam."
Dragon thought for a moment, then nodded.
Luffy truly did need guidance!
…
A massive crowd had gathered before the numerous gates leading into the trial grounds.
The rules announced by the Hunter Guild made it clear that those who finished earlier would have a better chance of claiming the best rewards.
Naturally, no one wanted to start behind everyone else.
"Is that Doflamingo?"
A startled shout drew countless gazes.
Doflamingo approached with the officers of the Donquixote Family, walking with his usual arrogant swagger.
"How does he have the nerve to come here?"
What happened in Dressrosa was no longer a secret.
Morgans would publish almost anything, and he had shown no restraint when reporting that incident.
Everyone knew Doflamingo and his family had fought Cyrus in Dressrosa before vanishing.
Many assumed he had died.
Others believed he escaped.
A few well-informed people had even heard that Doflamingo later attacked Mary Geoise.
Still, seeing him openly appear here surprised almost everyone.
Hadn't Cyrus already beaten him?
Why would he dare step onto Hunter Guild territory?
Doflamingo heard the surrounding whispers and felt his irritation rising, but this was not a place where he could attack people casually.
"Kishisihishi! Looks like everyone's here."
An unpleasant laugh sounded nearby.
The towering figure of Gecko Moria was impossible to miss.
Wearing overalls and carrying a huge blade over one shoulder, he grinned widely enough to show every sharp tooth in his mouth.
Several powerful and bizarre-looking figures stood beside him, apparently forming a group.
Doflamingo glanced over and grinned so widely the corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears.
"I heard Hawkeye cut you down."
That one sentence immediately shattered Moria's composure.
"That's enough."
A figure nearly as tall as Moria spoke.
He held a book against his chest and wore a hat with bear ears.
"This is not the time to fight among ourselves, unless none of you intend to pass."
"Never expected you to show up."
A trace of caution entered Doflamingo's eyes.
"I only came with a few friends."
Bartholomew Kuma answered in a deep voice.
"You actually have friends?"
Doflamingo exaggerated his surprise and shrugged with a deliberately irritating expression.
While they spoke, Law stood some distance away, staring intensely at Doflamingo.
Only after a long time did he finally look away and slowly exhale.
'That bastard is here.'
Law wondered whether he could use the exam as an opportunity to kill him.
But Doflamingo's strength…
If Law failed to finish him and exposed his own identity instead, he would only be throwing his life away.
He pulled his hat lower until it nearly concealed his eyes.
"Come on. We're using another entrance."
Law turned and left.
The white bear hurried after him on short legs.
"Doflamingo!"
A stern voice rang out, heavy with restrained emotion.
Dozens of figures immediately leapt into the air and surrounded the Donquixote Family from every direction.
The nearby crowd retreated at once.
Moria and his supposed allies made no attempt to move closer.
"You people."
Doflamingo looked utterly unconcerned by the hostility surrounding him.
"You still dare show your face? You really do have a death wish, Doflamingo."
Two tall, thin figures wearing masks approached.
The atmosphere became dangerously tense, as though fighting might erupt at any moment.
"Should we help?"
Farther back, three people stood together with worried expressions.
"No. We can't fight here."
Rob Lucci carefully surveyed their surroundings before answering Kalifa in a low voice.
This was Hunter Guild territory.
And Cyrus himself was somewhere on the island.
Even if every World Government agent currently hiding on Sky Island attacked together, they would accomplish nothing.
They would probably all die.
Kalifa immediately understood and nodded seriously.
"What should we do, then?" Kaku asked anxiously. "If we stand by and they learn about it later, that won't end well either."
"They won't fight here. If anything happens, it'll be inside the trial grounds."
Lucci saw the situation clearly.
Just as he predicted, once the Hunters responsible for maintaining order appeared, both sides quieted down.
They did not even exchange further threats.
Their attention remained fixed on one another, however.
Seeing that no one had attacked, the Hunters did not intervene further. They simply remained nearby and watched.
"There are so many people here!"
Behind that group of Hunters, an orange-haired girl looked around excitedly.
"Nami, our job is to maintain order outside the grounds. We only enter when ordered to recover injured people and bodies."
A tall woman wearing a Hunter badge stood beside her and offered a reminder.
"Understood, Boss."
Nami nodded quickly.
"We aren't strong enough to take the exam ourselves."
The woman sounded helpless when she saw Nami's enthusiasm.
"But aren't you the user of the Smooth-Smooth Fruit?" Nami asked curiously. "Even you couldn't pass?"
The tall woman reached behind herself and pulled out an enormous iron club.
"If I were still a pirate, my bounty probably wouldn't even reach ten million Berries."
There were already dozens—perhaps more—former pirates here whose bounties had exceeded one hundred million.
Sky Island was currently filled with monsters!
"But you really know Chairman Cyrus?" Alvida asked with interest.
"Of course!"
Nami nodded immediately.
Claiming that connection was the only reason she had managed to board Alvida's ship in the first place.
Her gaze drifted toward Alvida's flawless skin, and she swallowed with envy.
Before eating the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, Alvida had been an ugly and vicious pirate.
If Nami had not frightened her by mentioning Cyrus, she never would have convinced Alvida to abandon piracy and become a Hunter.
Still, that Devil Fruit was incredible.
There probably was not a woman alive who would refuse it.
"You think I could…"
Alvida began.
"Boss, please don't."
Nami immediately understood what she meant.
"Chairman Cyrus already has Miss Robin and Pirate Empress Boa Hancock beside him. Hancock is known as the most beautiful woman in the world."
Veins appeared on Alvida's forehead.
Before eating the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, she had known perfectly well what she looked like and had been extremely sensitive about it.
Anyone who dared call her ugly usually left with broken bones.
After becoming a genuine beauty, much of that obsession had faded.
Still, the title of the world's most beautiful woman remained widely accepted to belong to Boa Hancock, the former Warlord.
And when Hancock had appeared beside Cyrus with Robin earlier…
Even Alvida had stared.
Nami covered her face helplessly.
"When we saw Chairman Cyrus from a distance earlier, why didn't you greet him?"
Alvida suddenly turned toward her.
"I didn't have time."
Nami would never admit that she had been too afraid.
She forced the answer out with a straight face.
"That makes sense. Someone that important shouldn't be disturbed casually."
Alvida nodded in agreement.
Boom!
As they spoke, a pillar of fire suddenly shot into the sky.
It exploded high above the island, blossoming into an enormous display of flames.
The Hunters responsible for maintaining order immediately moved.
They pushed open the numerous gates and stepped aside.
The waiting crowd fell silent for one brief moment.
Then everyone surged forward.
A thunderous roar shook the ground as thousands rushed into the trial grounds.
Some began fighting the instant they crossed the entrance.
Most, however, sprinted at full speed to break away from the main group.
"Kishishishi!"
Moria raised one hand and released a swarm of bats, knocking down dozens of people around him.
Then he turned toward the Ghost Princess floating nearby.
"You're really coming with us?"
"I'm an examiner. I'm here to make sure none of you cheat."
Perona planted both hands on her hips as she hovered in the air.
"Then keep your distance."
Moria turned toward the left side of the battlefield.
Not far away, hundreds of white strings suddenly erupted into the air.