An Unexpected Solution
Another month has passed in the blink of an eye.
Cifer sits deep within the New World —the "Hive" Hachinosu.
Even though Blackbeard's invasion of Impel Down caused panic on the seas for a short time, the area he ruled was still considered a forbidden zone for pirates.
There was no other reason than that Enel and his crew would occasionally wander around the area and use overwhelming force to suppress any pirates who dared to enter the waters.
For this reason, more and more islands and countries, centered around Hachinosu, sent people hoping to gain the protection of the Cifer.
And those countries were basically like the first country they encountered when they came to the New World.
They couldn't afford the Heavenly Gold, and they were also afraid of being powerless to resist when pirates invaded.
Cifer's demands are simple: as long as the other party withdraws from the World Government Member States, they will be accepted without exception.
From then on, Cifer truly became the Sea Emperor of the New World, possessing vast sea areas and protecting numerous islands.
In some areas where the country was rich but the people were poor, Xiong would notify the Revolutionary Army to handle the situation, since that was their forte.
Beside the beehive, on the shore of an unnamed small island.
"Jinbe, what brings you here?"
Cifer was lying shirtless on a beach chair, with Lucci in his beast form attacking Enel behind him, the sounds of fighting filling the air.
Jinbe's sudden emergence from the sea surprised Cifer.
"Hahaha~ I was bored on Fish-Man Island, so I thought I'd come and visit the New World."
"Besides, I heard that Cifer-kun has become the Sea Emperor. It shouldn't be a problem for him to ask for a good drink!"
Jinbe let out a hearty laugh.
Cifer's strength was something he welcomed; the stronger the opponent, the safer Princess Shirahoshi and Fish-Man Island would be.
After all, Fish-Man Island is probably the first and only place where two Sea Emperors are protecting it at the same time.
It was no secret that Cifer had spent some time on Fish-Man Island and even frequently visited the Ryugu Palace.
Pirates who want to enter the New World through Fish-Man Island are now all very timid and even act like gentlemen when they get there.
"We do have some good wine, but you didn't swim all the way from Fish-Man Island, did you?"
Cifer pulled out a box from a pile of things behind him. It was full of special wines sent by the king of a certain country in order to gain his protection.
He casually pulled out a bottle, tossed it to Jinbe, and then opened one for himself and drank it down, completely disregarding the fact that it was wine.
"Although I am bored, I am not so idle as to be."
Jinbe smiled and accepted it.
He hitched a ride on some merchant ships heading to the New World; they were going to trade in the waters where Cifer was located.
Then he arrived at Hachinosu and found that the person was not there. After some inquiries, he learned that the other person was on a nearby island, so he swam over from there.
"How is Shirahoshi doing lately?"
Cifer spoke casually, but suddenly felt a headache coming on regarding her situation.
Vegapunk has already had Kuma secretly contact him through various connections, asking him to try and develop something that can control body size.
Several months have passed, but the great scientist who supposedly possesses 500 years of knowledge beyond that of ordinary people still hasn't reported any good news.
There are only two and a half months left until the promise with Shirahoshi.
Cifer even considered having a larger and more spacious giant ship built if all else failed.
In any case, his subordinates include some of the world's top shipwrights.
"Princess Shirahoshi seems to be in a good mood lately; the fruit you gave her seems to have brought her a lot of joy."
She also said that she would give him a big surprise next time they met!
Jinbe couldn't help but grin as he recalled Shirahoshi's lively and adorable appearance.
"Oh? Then what are we waiting for? Let's go take a look!"
Cifer recalled Shirahoshi's long legs and guessed that the surprise she mentioned was the Awakening of some Poseidon power, or even an ability she herself had given.
"Eh~ So rushed?!"
Jinbe was a little stunned. He had only just stopped moving since he left Fish-Man Island!
"Since we're just killing time anyway, do you want to come along?"
Cifer downed what appeared to be the umpteenth bottle of wine in his hand in one gulp, then draped his coat over his shoulders with a flourish.
"No, I'll wait for you here! We'll drink together when you come back!"
Having finally arrived in the New World, he wanted to take a good breath of the air from the mainland.
Cifer turned around, then shattered space and disappeared in front of Jinbe.
"That's truly an enviable ability!"
Jinbe down on a beach chair in Cifer and pulled out a pair of sunglasses from somewhere.
"Brother Cifer, what brings you here?"
Neptune was startled when he saw Cifer suddenly appear in the Ryugu Palace.
"I've come to see Shirahoshi."
As for why not go directly to her palace?
After all, she was a young girl, and it wasn't appropriate to just enter her room. As for what Neptune was doing in the main hall, Cifer didn't care.
"Alright, alright, I'll have someone inform her right away."
Neptune scratched his head and gave the order.
Only a few minutes later, the three Prince arrived at the palace with a group of Fish-Man guards.
"Hey, hey~ No way..."
Cifer could sense Shirahoshi's presence, but her figure was blocked by the Prince and surrounded by guards.
"Lord Cifer ~ Are you surprised? Unexpected, aren't you~"
From behind Hoshi, Shirahoshi peeked out, her gaze level with Cifer's.
"Eh~ Shirahoshi, what's this...?"
Neptune's eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets, and his chin was drooping to the floor.
"This is really... such a pleasant surprise! How did you do that?"
Cifer couldn't resist and strode up to Shirahoshi.
The two were almost the same height.
"That Lucci once mentioned a technology called Life Return, which I couldn't figure out at all."
"But after Lord Cifer made me eat that, it feels like there's something extra in my body..."
Shirahoshi stretched out her fair hand toward Cifer, her fingertips emitting a pure white light.
After this power appeared, she felt that her mind had become much clearer, and with the help of this power, she could even compress her body at will.
Therefore, she chose a height similar to that of Lord Cifer.
"Spiritual Pressure..."
Cifer never expected that Shirahoshi, who had only possessed his power for about two and a half months, would be able to master it so well.
Is she really a genius?
However, Lucci, who always seems to have a stern face, does do some unexpected things.
"Lord Cifer, may I be praised?"
Shirahoshi wrapped her arms around his, leaned her head against Cifer's face, and blushed.
"Of course, Shirahoshi is the smartest and most talented genius in the world!"
Cifer patted her head, showering her with praise.
He knew very well that even the most talented girl could not become familiar with and master these powers in such a short time without diligent study and training.
After all, Cifer was surrounded by geniuses.