What had just happened at sea was naturally seen by Smoker and the others.
Conrad's ability to manipulate the ocean forced Smoker to halt his original plan of capturing all the pirates in one sweep.
On this sea, what it meant to control seawater—Smoker understood better than anyone. Especially as a Devil Fruit user himself, once struck by seawater, resistance became impossible.
"How can there be a Devil Fruit that controls seawater?"
Smoker stared at the Buggy Pirates' ship as it moved farther away, his expression dark.
It was common knowledge that Devil Fruit abilities were restrained by the sea.
No matter how they had done it, such an ability was extremely dangerous. If they ever opposed the Marines—especially at sea—no one would be able to catch them.
"Colonel Smoker?" Tashigi called again when he remained silent.
"Stop pursuit. Change course. Head to the Baratie."
Smoker came back to himself and gave the order.
Their identities were unknown. Their abilities were unknown.
They had eliminated the Krieg Pirates and a large number of other pirates—but had then seized Buggy's ship for reasons unclear.
He needed information from the Baratie.
On Buggy's ship, Yuuki had already noticed the Marine warship lingering in the distance. Since they had no intention of attacking, he did not bother with them.
The sea shimmered under bright sunlight.
The ocean breeze lifted his mood slightly. Looking at the endless horizon reminded him of the underwater temple in the Clover Kingdom.
At this moment, Buggy, eager to show loyalty, had already torn down his red-nosed pirate flag.
Standing beside Yuuki with a bent posture and an ingratiating smile, he cautiously asked what kind of flag should be raised.
"Use this one," Yuuki replied calmly.
He had no real interest in becoming a pirate, but since he was in this world, he would follow its customs.
Buzz—
Thread Magic activated.
White threads wove together in midair. In moments, a pirate flag bearing the symbol of three magic eyes appeared in Buggy's hands.
Though Thread Magic had evolved into Fate Magic, the threads themselves were not particularly powerful. However, they were useful for support purposes. Vanessa often used them to repair Asta's Black Bulls cloak.
Buggy blinked at the flag that had formed from nothing.
"What kind of Devil Fruit is this supposed to be?" he muttered inwardly, but quickly hurried to the mast and raised it.
Soon, a pirate ship flying a flag marked with three magic eyes sailed across the sea.
It was the symbol of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
Buggy climbed down, wiping sweat from his forehead. Such work was not something he used to do.
"Mohji… Cabaji…" he muttered irritably.
The two of them were obedient now, completely forgetting he had once been their captain.
"Captain Buggy," a cautious voice called from behind.
Buggy jumped and quickly glanced toward Yuuki. Seeing he wasn't being watched, he hurried behind a barrel.
Mohji was crouched there nervously.
Buggy punched him.
"What are you sneaking around for?"
"Are we really going to follow him?" Mohji whispered.
Buggy hesitated briefly before nodding.
"Idiot. Our ship's already been taken. Where can we run? Besides, with his strength, maybe we'll find bigger treasure."
He wiped sweat from his forehead but forced a confident tone.
His Chop-Chop ability was currently unusable. He had even tested touching seawater—it still drained his strength as usual.
He had no idea how Yuuki had sealed his Devil Fruit ability.
But he knew one thing—
For now, he had no choice but to stay obedient.
"When we get the power back, we can run," he thought.
Mohji nodded vaguely.
"Where's Cabaji?" Buggy asked.
Mohji pointed outside.
Cabaji was standing beside Yuuki, holding a drink with a flattering expression.
"Traitor!" Buggy gritted his teeth.
On deck, Cabaji bowed slightly.
"Captain Yuuki, we'll pass through Loguetown on the way to the Grand Line. Should we stop?"
"Loguetown?" Yuuki repeated.
He recalled that Smoker, stationed there, was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.
He needed a Logia sample to compare with Paramecia types.
As for offending the Marines—
There were only a handful of people in this world worth his concern.
He had come here to refine his power.
"Since we're passing by, we'll stop," Yuuki said with a faint smile.
Then he glanced at the empty deck.
Game Magic.
Invisible mana enveloped the ship.
A large, lush tree grew from the deck. Beneath its shade, a reclining chair appeared.
"Do not disturb me until we reach Loguetown."
Yuuki sat down and took out the dictionary of magic language from his spatial storage, studying it carefully.
Cabaji stared in shock.
Creating objects from nothing exceeded his imagination. It was nothing like Buggy's simple ability to split his body.
Their new captain was not only mysterious, but far stronger than he had imagined.
"Yes, Captain Yuuki!"
His eyes burned with excitement.
Loguetown.
Known as the Town of Beginnings and Endings, and a necessary stop before entering the Grand Line.
All pirate crews purchased supplies here before departure. Naturally, a strong Marine branch was stationed in the town.
Yuuki's group arrived without attracting attention.
The Eye of the Midnight Sun flag was new—no one in East Blue recognized it.
"Conrad, take the three of them to the Marine base and bring Smoker here," Yuuki said calmly as they walked along the bustling streets.
"Smoker? The White Hunter?" Mohji exclaimed.
Pirates usually avoided Marines—yet they were going to attack one?
Buggy and Cabaji also looked stunned.
Conrad nodded without speaking and grabbed Buggy by the collar before leaving.
Mohji and Cabaji followed reluctantly.
"Since we're here, I might as well see Loguetown's famous sights," Yuuki said lightly and disappeared into the crowd.
Under Corpse Spirit Magic, Conrad was weaker than in life, but handling Smoker would not be a problem.
The only trouble was Smoker's Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
In this world, there were two ways to harm a Logia user: Haki or Seastone.
Conrad had neither.
So—
Key Magic.
Yuuki's experiment on Buggy had shown that Key Magic could "close" a Devil Fruit ability temporarily.
Temporarily.
In the Clover Kingdom, Key Magic remained active until manually released.
But this world had no mana in the air. Magic here consumed his own supply.
Once the mana in Buggy faded, his Devil Fruit ability would return—unless Yuuki replenished it.
A minor issue.
However—
Yuuki suspected that strong Haki users might forcibly break through Key Magic's restraint.
Without having mastered Haki himself, and without encountering a true Haki expert yet, he could not be certain.
For now—
Smoker would be a suitable test subject.
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