As the merchant vessel approached Patrilia Island, it quickly caught the attention of the World Government's agents.
In fact, the moment Kyros and the others entered the surrounding waters and slowed their speed, the CP9 agents had already noticed their ship. After all, this island was so remote and its trade so underdeveloped that passing vessels were extremely rare. Now, during a "sensitive time," the CP9 were even more on edge, maintaining heightened vigilance over every incoming ship.
As the ship docked at the harbor, a group of seven or eight officials dressed in identical black suits and wearing sunglasses had already assembled, awaiting their arrival. Even a passing glance wouldn't leave an impression of their faces, textbook CP9.
On deck, Kyros's expression shifted slightly as he saw them waiting below. He had assumed CP9 would be preoccupied with tracking Roger's whereabouts and wouldn't have the bandwidth to interrogate every incoming "merchant." Yet here they were, waiting like hawks.
He couldn't just turn the ship around and leave either, that would undoubtedly raise red flags, branding them as enemies. Fighting or fleeing would be the worst outcome possible.
"What now?" Mihawk muttered, narrowing his eyes. "If we're questioned, there's no way to hide our identity."
"Should we take them out?"
"If it's just me and Issho, we can make sure none of them make a sound."
Though Mihawk far outclassed Kyros in combat, he still deferred to Kyros due to Yoriichi's orders: if anything happened, follow Kyros's lead. Yoriichi trusted Kyros not only because of their bond, but because Kyros was the most rational of the trio.
Some might say Issho seemed even more level-headed, but come on, a man in his fifties who would casually summon meteors over the Celestial Dragons' residence? How rational could he have been in his youth?
And Mihawk? Even as the future world's greatest swordsman, he once hunted a man across the Grand Line to the East Blue just because someone mocked him for using his sword to row a boat.
Compared to these two maniacs, Kyros, who had survived decades under Doflamingo's rule in Dressrosa, was the real strategic mind.
Kyros gave Mihawk a helpless glance.
Sure, killing them would be easy. But then what? Just waltz into town and escort Roger's wife away?
If CP9 agents were found dead on this island, the World Government would likely initiate a purge, wiping out everyone without hesitation.
Kyros held no fondness for the World Government. He'd heard enough from former classmates and veterans back at the Naval Academy to understand what Yoriichi had endured and the blood on CP0 and CP9's hands.
"Of course we can't do that," Kyros said. "Just go ashore normally."
"There's no need to hide who we are. If we try and get caught, that'll make things worse."
"If they question us… just say it's military classified. No comment."
Mihawk gave him a doubtful look. That kind of answer would work? Issho, however, simply nodded with a soft chuckle, accepting Kyros's judgment.
Soon, a long plank was lowered from the ship to the dock. Kyros led the group down.
The CP9 agents immediately tensed. The moment they laid eyes on the trio, their instincts screamed danger.
Kyros was clad in a tight gray shirt, the bulging muscles beneath it clearly outlined, his sword strapped to his back, and his entire presence radiated raw power.
Mihawk, in contrast, wore a floral open shirt and a golden cross necklace. Though leaner than Kyros, the black blade strapped to his back, the famed Yoru, told any observer that this man was far from ordinary.
Then there was Issho, blind, yet towering, bearing horrific facial scars and walking with quiet menace, his cane gently tapping the ground as he moved.
"They're not just anybody," the CP9 leader thought. "People like this shouldn't exist in a backwater like the South Blue."
Still, the leader stepped forward politely, bowed slightly, and introduced himself.
"Gentlemen, I'm an investigator with CP9, directly under the World Government. I have a few questions."
He didn't give his name, staying vague. The tone was polite, but the wariness in his voice couldn't be missed.
Kyros stepped forward and extended a hand. "Hello. I'm Kyros."
The agent ignored the handshake. "What's your affiliation?"
"Marines."
The agent blinked. He scrutinized Kyros for a moment before finally accepting the handshake, then asked again.
"Which branch? And what's your business on this island?"
"We're not from the South Blue. You've got my name and my face," Kyros said, smiling coolly. "If you want anything else, sorry, classified. No comment."
He raised his chin slightly as he spoke, adopting an intentionally arrogant posture. Standing at nearly two meters, he naturally loomed over the 180 cm agent, who immediately felt like he was being looked down on, literally and figuratively.
The words also grated.
"Oi!" the agent snapped. "Marines? What military secrets could you possibly have?"
"We're CP9, World Government's elite. We're in charge of this island now. Everything goes through us."
"I don't care why you're here. Leave. Don't interfere with our work."
"I'll say it one more time. Get lost, or I'll have you arrested."
He had started off polite, but now he barked like a superior officer dressing down a subordinate. He didn't even bother asking Kyros's rank. Unless the man was an admiral, he didn't care.
And even then, if they rubbed him the wrong way? He still wouldn't show respect.
That was the confidence CP9 operated with. They were close to the Celestial Dragons, closer than the Marines ever would be.
Kyros didn't react. Instead, he smiled politely.
"Don't be angry, sir. I wasn't trying to offend. Just stating facts."
He leaned in and whispered, "My commanding officer is Vice Admiral Yoriichi Tsugikuni of the New World Dawn Division."
The agent's pupils shrank in an instant.
"Yoriichi, " he almost gasped aloud before Kyros quickly clapped a hand over his mouth and made a shushing gesture.
Inside CP9, the name Yoriichi was legendary, not because he killed Golden Lion Shiki, or captured Roger, or executed Douglas Bullet.
No. It was because Yoriichi once slaughtered CP0 and CP9 agents, and not only went unpunished, but climbed the ranks to vice admiral.
Secrets to the public, yes, but not to those in power.
The agent swallowed hard. After a moment, he composed himself.
"I'll confirm your identity later. If you have business here, go ahead."
"But let me be clear," he added, expression returning to cold professionalism. "Before you leave this island, your ship will be thoroughly inspected. You won't be allowed to depart unless your personnel and inventory match your arrival manifest."
"We don't care what you do while you're here. But we'll be watching."
Kyros narrowed his eyes. "Why? You don't trust us?"
The agent smiled faintly. "Of course I do. That's why the proper procedures can't be skipped."
"You're free to do as you wish on the island. But when you leave, we'll be watching your cargo."
This investigator had his own orders: track every trace of Roger's time in the South Blue. It was known Roger had once lived on this island.
So far, they'd found nothing.
But now, Yoriichi's men had arrived.
Kyros had been sent personally by the man who captured Roger and killed Bullet.
To say their visit had nothing to do with Roger was a joke.
He didn't know their exact intentions, but who cared?
Let them find something, then swoop in and seize it.
After all, CP9 didn't owe the Marines anything. Yoriichi wasn't even here. What could he do?
Kyros smiled. "No problem."
He led Issho and Mihawk past the CP9 group and into town.
As they disappeared into the distance, the agent's polite smile vanished. His face turned cold and calculating.
Meanwhile, Kyros's own smile faded as soon as they were out of sight.
"They'll probably tail us," Mihawk muttered. "What now?"
Kyros scoffed. "Let's see them try."
He glanced at Issho with a knowing look.
The three found an inn and checked in. That afternoon, they wandered the town, casually noting the layout and key buildings before returning to their room.
Their movements were, of course, observed.
At midnight, a new shift of CP9 agents took over the surveillance.
Suddenly, the sky above lit up red as a blazing fireball streaked across the clouds.
One CP9 agent looked up, stunned, as a meteor hurtled toward his position.
"A meteor?!"
He dove away in panic just as two black shadows burst from the inn and vanished into the night.
Kyros and Mihawk, cloaked in black, dashed silently through the town. Soon, they reached the public records office, now under CP9 control.
Kyros frowned. The building was swarming with agents.
Roger had told Yoriichi that Portgas D. Rouge lived in a red-roofed house on the southern end of town. But this town's southern district? All red roofs.
No house numbers. No precise address.
They couldn't knock door to door. CP9 would shut the whole area down within hours.
They needed to check the registry, but CP9 now controlled it.
If Yoriichi were here, he'd probably be cursing Roger's vague directions.
No wonder in the original timeline, Garp didn't find Rouge until she had already carried Ace for nearly twenty months.
Searching openly wasn't an option.
With nothing gained tonight, Kyros and Mihawk had no choice but to retreat and regroup.
They would have to find another way.
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