The young man's excitement vanished the moment he heard Cyrus's request.
His body stiffened, surprise giving way to outright shock.
He had awakened Nen because he had already begun training before arriving in this world.
His family had spent a fortune hiring a Hunter to guide him and help open his aura nodes.
If awakening Nen had not made him overconfident enough to hunt dangerous creatures alone, he never would have ended up stranded here.
Until now, he had assumed this world's Hunter Guild was nothing more than an incredible coincidence.
After all, no one here had ever heard of Nen.
Yet Cyrus had just used a term known only to Nen users.
Nearly everyone in this world who could understand human speech had heard the name Cyrus.
He stood at the very summit of the sea, a monster of strength beyond ordinary comprehension.
And now that man was asking him to open his aura nodes.
Could Cyrus have come from the same world as him?
The young man stared at him for several seconds before bowing respectfully.
"Chairman Cyrus, I'm not capable of opening your aura nodes. Besides, with your strength, if you were capable of learning Nen, you probably would've awakened it long ago."
He still remembered what the Hunter who helped him had explained.
There were several ways to awaken Nen.
The safest and most common was to train diligently until the aura nodes opened naturally, which carried little risk to the body.
The young man could not begin to measure Cyrus's true strength, but he had seen reports of what Cyrus could do.
Honestly, Cyrus had displayed power far beyond any Nen user he had ever encountered before arriving here.
Someone that strong must have undergone unimaginable training.
If his body could awaken Nen through ordinary effort, it should have happened already.
"Try it anyway."
Cyrus beckoned him closer.
The gesture left the young man flustered.
His face reddened, and he lowered his head before admitting weakly, "I'm sorry. My control over Nen is terrible. I really can't do it."
"Oh?"
Cyrus nodded when he saw his embarrassment.
"Which category are you?"
"Enhancement."
The young man saw no reason to hide that.
By now, however, it was obvious Cyrus understood Nen far better than he expected.
"Are you an Enhancer too, Chairman?"
The question slipped out as soon as it occurred to him.
"More or less, though I'm not from the same world as you."
"I see."
The young man nodded in understanding—then immediately realized that explanation made even less sense.
If Cyrus had not come from his world, why did he know so much about Nen?
Crocodile and Robin reached the same conclusion, but neither interrupted them.
"Do you remember where you appeared when you entered this world?" Cyrus asked.
"I do. In fact, I've lived on a nearby island ever since. Unfortunately, the island I came through has never appeared again."
Disappointment entered the young man's voice.
Whether or not he missed his family, life in this world was completely different from everything he had known.
Pirates were everywhere.
Although Nen gave him enough strength to protect himself from ordinary threats, he would still be helpless against the truly powerful pirates he read about in the newspapers.
He had been fortunate not to encounter any of them so far.
"Did you send anyone to watch the area?"
Cyrus looked toward Crocodile.
"Yes, Chairman. I stationed people there as soon as I received the report, but nothing unusual has happened."
Crocodile had already handled it without needing further instructions.
"I understand."
Cyrus turned back toward the young man.
"What's your name?"
"Archie."
He answered immediately.
"If we find a stable way back to your world, I'll have someone inform you."
"Thank you!"
Archie's face lit up.
Deep down, however, a trace of unease remained.
Cyrus knew a great deal about his world and was actively searching for a way to reach it.
What if he had dangerous intentions?
The thought only lasted a moment before Archie crushed it.
Even if Cyrus did intend something, Archie was far too weak to influence the situation.
If the sky truly fell, there were taller people in his world who could deal with it.
Cyrus told Crocodile to arrange accommodation for Archie, then sank into thought after they left.
A cool, soft hand settled on his head and began gently massaging his scalp.
"You're thinking about Archie's world?"
Robin's voice was warm and gentle.
Cyrus closed his eyes and leaned his head back against something soft.
"Mm."
"Is that world special?"
Robin was genuinely curious.
As a historian, she had never lacked an appetite for the unknown.
"Very special. Some of the powers there are… strange."
Cyrus paused while searching for the right word.
"Nen is extremely versatile. Many Nen abilities are every bit as useful as Devil Fruits, and some can accomplish things no known Devil Fruit can reproduce."
Even after including the fruits currently stored by the Hunter Guild and those recorded in encyclopedias, the total number of known Devil Fruits remained below four hundred.
Nen abilities, on the other hand, were almost unique to each person.
Enhancers were relatively straightforward. The other categories were where things became truly unusual.
There were also monsters like the child from that family of assassins and creatures from the Dark Continent.
Given the chance, Cyrus genuinely wanted to learn Nen himself.
Unfortunately, Archie's control was clearly mediocre. He truly lacked the skill to help Cyrus awaken it.
'What a shame.'
Cyrus kept his eyes half-closed, unable to hide his disappointment.
Still, the discovery made the matter even more important.
He also needed a route to another world if he wanted to deal with Imu permanently.
Once the Hunter Exam was finished, he would have to devote more attention to finding one.
"If you really find a way there, what will happen to us?"
Robin lowered her head and asked softly.
She and Hancock had once regarded each other with quiet hostility, but after joining forces against Cyrus, their relationship had improved considerably.
Sharing a common front truly was an effective way to resolve conflict.
"If the route is stable, we'll go adventuring together."
Cyrus glanced back at Robin's thigh as he answered.
"I will certainly be able to help Lord Cyrus."
Hancock's face reddened. She clasped both hands against her cheeks and began squirming happily.
"You can just call me Cyrus."
"Yes, Lord Cyrus."
Hancock nodded obediently.
"Are other worlds dangerous?"
Robin released his head, turned around, and settled onto Cyrus's lap. Wrapping both arms around his neck, she brought her lips close to his cheek as she asked.
"Some are. Some aren't."
Cyrus shook his head.
"There may be countless worlds beyond this one. No one knows what kinds of powers exist in all of them."
Several comedic worlds came to mind.
The rules governing those places were completely absurd.
Compared with them, worlds like One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, or Hunter x Hunter might actually be safer simply because they followed some degree of logic.
Then there were the truly high-powered worlds.
The thought made Cyrus's expression turn helpless.
He searched through his memories, recalling the shows he had watched before coming here.
He vaguely remembered watching something related to Dragon Ball as well.
Cyrus raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.
His current strength might place him at the top of this world, but in the Dragon Ball universe…
"I still need to become stronger."
The words escaped him suddenly.
"Stronger? You're already ridiculously powerful."
Robin barely resisted rolling her eyes.
Based on every historical record she had studied, nothing resembling Cyrus's current power had ever appeared in this world.
"It's still not enough."
Cyrus shook his head.
When he opened his eyes, they were filled with resolve.
He could not afford to relax.
If he wanted to explore countless worlds, he needed enough strength to survive whatever waited in them.
Otherwise, he would simply be walking willingly into his own death.
…
Morgans's report about Wano once again shook the world.
Compared with the disasters Cyrus had caused before, however, it no longer seemed quite as extraordinary.
Or rather, once people learned Cyrus was responsible, many simply accepted it as something he would naturally be capable of doing.
To most ordinary people, Cyrus remained a legendary figure far beyond their reach.
For the Hunter Guild's publicity campaign, though, the report was invaluable.
Attracting worldwide attention required a powerful spectacle.
Using the destruction of Wano as mere promotion almost felt like wasting something far greater.
As the opening of the Hunter Exam approached, nearly every serious applicant had already reached Sky Island.
The various routes Crocodile arranged proved tremendously useful.
The island's native inhabitants had become an overwhelming minority.
People of every shape, race, and background now crowded Sky Island. Even with Guild Hunters maintaining order, fights broke out every day.
The Hunter Guild had also released the rules of the exam.
The objective was simple.
Candidates only needed to reach the tower at the deepest part of the grounds and climb to the top.
Any method was permitted.
Naturally, the trial grounds were filled with dangers.
Several special challenge zones had also been established.
Anyone who cleared one of them would pass immediately without needing to reach the tower and would be offered a place among the Hunter Guild's middle or upper ranks.
The announcement excited countless applicants who believed themselves strong.
Becoming a high-ranking member of the Hunter Guild in a single leap would instantly make them famous across the sea.
They would become the kind of person whose decisions could shake entire nations.
Many had come specifically for that opportunity.
Of course, everyone understood that such a reward would come with an absurd level of difficulty.
The opponents guarding those special stages were proof enough.
Edward Newgate, former captain of the Whitebeard Pirates—the man known as Whitebeard.
Charlotte Linlin, former captain of the Big Mom Pirates and queen of Totto Land.
Golden Lion Shiki, the legendary pirate admiral who had once competed against the Pirate King.
Dracule Mihawk, former Warlord of the Sea and the world's greatest swordsman.
Issho, Cyrus's powerful companion, a blind swordsman capable of summoning meteors.
And finally, the strongest man in the world—the chairman of the Hunter Guild, Cyrus, who had split the Red Line with a single slash.
Anyone who saw the list found themselves swallowing nervously.
Candidates were not expected to defeat those monsters, only to earn their approval.
Even so, the thought of facing any of them made people's scalps tingle.
Then, just before the exam began, two more guardians were added.
"You've got to be kidding. Dark King Rayleigh, the right hand of the Pirate King?"
"And Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army?"
The additions left many applicants completely stunned.
"Maybe we shouldn't participate after all."
Some immediately began reconsidering.
Merely reading those names was enough to crush their courage.
"What are you afraid of? Those challenges aren't meant for people like us. We can still take the ordinary route."
Others remained more realistic.
They understood perfectly well that they had no business fighting legendary figures like those.
Most people only wanted to pass the Hunter Exam, become official Hunters, and claim one of the Guild's prizes.
The number of rewards was limited.
The Guild had already announced that anyone who finished too late might pass but receive nothing.
Powerful Devil Fruits were also hidden throughout the examination grounds.
Merchants had already purchased large storefronts on Sky Island and begun offering enormous sums for any Devil Fruits candidates recovered.
The Hunter Guild made no attempt to stop them.
Their prices made countless people's eyes turn red with greed, especially the pirates hiding their identities.
Why did most pirates risk their lives at sea?
For many, the goal was simply to steal enough wealth to retire in luxury.
Now these merchants were offering fortunes beyond imagination.
An especially powerful Devil Fruit could sell for more than one billion Berries.
Measured against pirate bounties, that was equivalent to killing one of the strongest pirates below the level of an Emperor.
There were only a handful of pirates in the world with bounties above one billion, and every one of them was terrifying.
Compared with hunting someone like that, this exam seemed almost easy.
"Boys, it's time to get rich!"
Some crews stopped pretending entirely and shouted their intentions openly.
Plenty of people enthusiastically agreed.
"You're really going to allow that?"
Some distance away, Dragon stood beside Cyrus.
"If they can take the fruits, they've earned them. They're only Devil Fruits."
Cyrus waved dismissively.
"I didn't expect you to join the fun."
He turned toward Dragon.
"Luffy is participating. I wanted to see it for myself."
Dragon returned Cyrus's gaze with a calm but unwavering stare.
"I heard you had CP agents take Luffy away from East Blue. It was too soon."
Had Dragon believed he could defeat Cyrus, he might already have attacked him.
"I simply thought the descendant of Vice Admiral Garp and Monkey D. Dragon should possess something extraordinary."
Cyrus smiled.
"What future would he have staying in a tiny place like Foosha Village? Travelling early and seeing more of the world can only help him."
"That had better be your only reason."
Dragon looked away, then remembered something else.
"About Vegapunk…"
"He took some of my hair for research. You know I don't get injured."
Cyrus's expression darkened at the subject.
That old man had absolutely no sense of boundaries.
He had even asked Robin to obtain Cyrus's sperm.
When Cyrus found out, he had nearly drawn En and cut the old scientist down on the spot!