In the South Blue, a small cruise ship drifted leisurely across the vast sea.

  Though the ship was small, it had all the forts of a luxury yacht. On the deck, Cudius y ba a sun lounger, a gss of freshly squeezed jui one hand and a book iher. His entire demeanor radiated ziness as he soaked up the sun.

  Not far from him, Crocodile and Enel sat at the edge of the deck, each holding a fishing rod, seemingly focused on catg something. Both of them were far more rexed than usual.

  Stussy and Nia were nearby, both dressed in bikinis, exuding elegand beauty. Nia was busy cutting fruit, while Stussy leaned casually against a on, holding a Den Den Mushi, presumably giving instrus to her subordinates on Happy Street.

  The whole atmosphere on the ship was incredibly id-bao one would guess they were supposedly on a mission to track der. It looked more like a vacation than anything else, and no one could argue otherwise.

  "Lift the rod, you idiot!" Crocodile barked, knog Enel on the head before raising his own fishing rod.

  A massive fish dangled from the end of Crocodile's line. Enel's eyes lit up with excitement. "I did it! Lunch is here!"

  "Hmph, if I hadn't helped you, that fish would've gotten away," Crocodile scoffed, grinning slightly.

  Enel gred at him. "I could've caught it on my own without your help!"

  The two started bickering, as they often did, and Cudius chuckled at the sight. He closed his book and looked up just in time to see Nia pce a pte of freshly cut fruit on the small table beside him.

  "Yhness," Niya asked softly, "are those two fools interrupting your reading? I make them quiet down if you'd like."

  Cudius waved his hand, still smiling. "No, no, let them be. It's all in good fun."

  He gazed out at the seemingly endless expanse of the o and sighed tentedly. "What a beautiful view. No matter how many times I see it, I never get tired of it. There really is something magical about the sea."

  Stussy, having finished her versation on the Den Den Mushi, walked over with a smile. "Maybe it's because your heart is as vast as the sea, Yhness?"

  Cudius chuckled. "Stussy, your fttery is gettier aer."

  He paused before adding, "But I have to admit, I like it! Hahaha!"

  As they ughed and chatted, Stussy's eyes narrowed slightly, fog on the horizon. "Yhness, it seems we have a visitor."

  Cudius, notig the distant silhouette of a small boat approag, grinned. "Well, well… I didn't expect to run into *him* here. It's been years."

  A small sampan was making its way toward their ship, carrying two figures, one ordinary in size, the other t and imposing.

  As the boat drew closer, a familiar voice called out. "An old friend's e to visit. Won't you let down the dder and invite us up, Yhness?"

  Cudius remained in his lounger, his smile widening. "You've gotten cheekier since you revealed your true identity."

  In a fsh, one of the figures appeared beside Cudius, it was Dragon, the man Cudius hadn't seen in years.

  "It's a bit surprising to hear someone like you talk about 'cheekiness,' Cudius," Dragon said with a smirk.

  A momehe ure nded heavily on the deck, his presence imposing Bartholomew Kuma. Cudius reized him immediately. Kuma, the future revolutionary and infiltrator of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, known to many as "Tyrant Kuma."

  Dragon, now fully rexed, smiled as he spoke. "I just came to South Blue for some business and got wind that you were hanging around here. I decided to swing by, and lucky me, here you are."

  Nia hurried over, pg another sun lounger beside Cudius. Dragon, without aation, plopped down into it.

  "I have to say, Cudius, you Celestial Dragons really know how to live. Meanwhile, I've been busting my ass trying to build something from scratch these past few years. It's rough out there."

  Dragon leaned back, looking at the clear blue sky. "What about you? What are you doing in South Blue? Are you on vacation? Because it sure looks like you're on vacation."

  Cudius couldn't help but ugh. "Whie of your eyes thinks I'm on vacation?"

  "Both," Dragon shot back with a grin.

  "You're seeing things," Cudius replied. "I'm actually on a very important mission."

  Dragon raised an eyebrow. "A mission? Is this that so-called 'amazing CP-X' I've been hearing about? e on, how did you mao catch Shiki? Did the Marines give you credit for something they did?"

  Cudius sat up and looked at him seriously. "Do you really think I'd take credit for something I didn't do? No, I caught Shiki with my own hands. As for CP-X, it's still pretty new, nothing impressive yet. Holy, it's like your revolutionary army at the moment, just a bunch of rookies trying to find their footing."

  Dragon ughed. "Hey, don't lump us in with that! Our revolutionary army is ing along nicely. By the way, do you know who this is?"

  Dragoured toward Bartholomew Kuma, who had been silently the iion from a distance.

  Cudius chuckled. "Do you take me for a fool? Of course, I know who he is. Bartholomew Kuma, former king of the Sorbet Kingdom. After offending the Wover, he was overthrown, and now he's known as 'Tyrant Kuma.'"

  Dragon was taken aback. "You really are well-informed, Cudius."

  "Who do you think I am? I'm the head of CP-X," Cudius said smugly.

  Kuma, who had remained silent until now, eyed Cudius with a hint of suspi. Cudius noticed the cautious look in his eyes, Kuma clearly wasn't thrilled to see a Celestial Dragon, and he seemed puzzled as to why Dragon would associate with someone like Cudius.

  "Dragon, aren't you going to introduce me to Mr. Kuma?" Cudius asked with a smirk.

  Dragon grinned back. "I was just talking to Kuma about a few things. He's retly joined our revolutionary army. I hadn't mentioned much about you yet, but now's as good a time as any. Better to clear up any misuandings."

  He turo Kuma and poi Cudius. "Kuma, this is someone you o know. Let me introduce you properly."

  Kuma's eyes narrowed, his voice low but steady. "I already know who he is—Donquixote Cudius, the man who's made waves across the seas these past two years. Leader of the mysterious CP-X."

  Dragon nodded. "Yes, that's true. But there's more to him than just the titles you've heard. Let me expin…"