Well, once you remove the Cerakote, there won't be a finish to protect. I'm sure you meant to write protect the "metal", and yes, you will need to do something or it will start to rust almost immediately just from handling it with bare hands.
If you have no intention of reblueing or new Cerakote, you can simply keep it oiled, or better yet, a thin film of a product like RIG. Polished steel is easier to maintain than bead-blasted, but if kept oiled it should be fine.
If you intend to use Cerakote again, or indeed any finish product, ALL that oil/grease will need to come off. If you proceed directly to a new finish from the bead blast cabinet you should be fine with no lubrication.
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