Gulp…
Buggy hid inside a narrow alley just outside the harbor, only half his head peeking out as he cautiously glanced toward the port.
He swallowed nervously.
His luck had been decent so far. Along the way, he hadn't run into any particularly strong opponents. Taking advantage of the attraction caused by the Magic Eye Crosses, he had actually been the first among them to reach Area 45.
However—
The moment he saw the harbor, packed with Marines surrounding their ship, he didn't dare approach.
Instead, he hid.
"What should I do…?"
Buggy quickly pulled his head back into the alley, cold sweat covering his face as anxiety gripped him.
Cabaji, Mohji, Marianne—all defeated.
Captain Yuuki and Vice-Captain Conrad—missing.
The situation…
Why did it feel like the crew was on the verge of being completely wiped out?
"This place is way too dangerous… maybe I should just leave for now?"
Buggy took out the last remaining Magic Eye Cross from his chest, his gaze flickering uncertainly.
Then—
Slowly, cautiously—
He began retreating toward the outskirts.
At the harbor—
The air burned.
Heat radiated endlessly, raising the temperature of the entire area.
Akainu's gaze grew colder and colder as he looked at Golden Lion Shiki and Doflamingo. The tension was so thick it felt like battle could erupt at any moment.
Facing Akainu's killing intent—
Shiki merely raised an eyebrow, his eyes sharp and fearless.
As for Doflamingo—
Behind those curved red sunglasses, there was unmistakable caution.
That mad dog…
If it were either of the other Admirals, Doflamingo wouldn't worry about them making a move.
But Akainu?
That was different.
This man would not hold back—at all.
High above Sabaody—
The four magic projections had already been reduced to two.
Buggy's little maneuver naturally didn't escape Yuuki or Rayleigh, who had been watching everything unfold.
Rayleigh glanced at Buggy's projection, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
Then he calmly shifted his gaze away, pretending not to recognize him at all.
If he were the captain—
Buggy would never be entrusted with anything important again.
Hiding like this was useless.
The entire Sabaody Archipelago had already been sealed off by Marine warships.
There was no escaping through conventional means.
Every pirate on the island—
Would eventually be hunted down and eliminated.
It was only a matter of time.
A trace of nostalgia flickered in Rayleigh's eyes.
If it were Shanks in this situation…
His first thought would never be to hide.
He would gather every pirate on the island and smash through the weakest point in the Marine blockade.
But Buggy…
Some things never changed.
"Still not going to help them?"
Rayleigh took a swig from his bottle, speaking lazily.
"Your crew's already been captured."
In the projection—
Marianne and the others were surrounded by Marines, guns trained on them.
At any moment, a single order would be enough to turn them into corpses.
Under normal circumstances, bullets posed no threat to them—
But in their current state, they couldn't withstand such an attack.
Rayleigh could clearly see it—
The Marines were using Yuuki's crew as bait to draw him out.
And he was certain Yuuki understood that as well.
So… what will you do?
Rayleigh watched Yuuki's calm expression closely.
Through their earlier discussion on Haki, he had come to realize just how dangerous this man truly was.
Perhaps—
This moment would reveal Yuuki's true intentions.
Suddenly—
"Do you know why this crew is called the 'Magic Eye' Pirates?"
Yuuki stretched lazily and spoke, his tone casual as he asked the question.
Rayleigh blinked, caught slightly off guard.
Most pirate crews took their names from the captain—
Either their abilities or some symbolic trait.
"…Why?" Rayleigh asked directly.
Yuuki smiled faintly—but didn't answer.
Instead, he turned his attention back to the projection.
At the port—
Severely injured.
Their Magic Eye Crosses stolen.
Ignored completely by Akainu and Doflamingo.
Anger. Frustration. Humiliation.
All of it began to boil within Cabaji, Mohji, and Marianne.
On this sea—
They had always been losers.
And yet, they had been recognized by Captain Yuuki.
They had gained Devil Fruit powers.
They had learned mysterious magic.
Because of that—
They refused to disappoint him.
And now—
They had lost the very Magic Eye Crosses they had been entrusted to protect.
Marianne's arm trembled as she raised it, wiping the blood from her lips.
Her once-tied ponytail had come undone, dark red hair falling across her face.
"Give it back…"
"Give the Magic Eye Cross back…"
She muttered over and over.
The words echoed—
Reaching Cabaji and Mohji, who lay unconscious and barely alive.
Suddenly—
Both men's eyes snapped open.
They staggered to their feet from the crater, swaying unsteadily.
Not far away—
Akainu paused.
He had been about to strike Shiki and Doflamingo—
But something caught his attention.
He turned sharply toward Marianne and the others.
Shiki and Doflamingo did the same.
Their bodies were clearly on the brink of collapse—
As if a strong gust of wind could knock them over.
And yet—
Shiki's pupils shrank.
From these three insignificant figures—
He felt a faint sense of danger.
"Give the Magic Eye Cross back!!!"
The roar exploded across the harbor.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the trio, blasting away the surrounding Marines.
Their depleted magic—
Was suddenly overflowing again within seconds.
And then—
A silver orb of magic, no larger than a ping-pong ball, appeared at the center of each of their foreheads—
Burning like a flame.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A violent tremor surged from Akainu, Shiki, and Doflamingo.
Doflamingo's expression shifted as he glanced toward his pocket—
A Magic Eye Cross burst out, glowing silver, breaking free from his grasp.
"Interesting!"
He grabbed at it—
But only managed to hold it for a brief moment.
The energy surging from it forced his hand open.
The cross shot through the air like a streak of silver light—
Stopping in front of Marianne.
At the same time—
The crosses taken by Akainu and Shiki also broke free—
Returning to Cabaji and Mohji.
These three crosses—
Were different.
They were the ones originally worn by the trio—
Not the thirty-plus standard crosses Yuuki had later created.
And now—
Their earlier suspicions were confirmed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As the crosses returned—
A terrifying surge of magic erupted from all three.
The silver flames at their foreheads trembled—
And the crosses merged into them like keys.
In that instant—
An eye appeared on each of their foreheads.
A true Magic Eye.
A pillar of magic shot into the sky.
Rayleigh's hand froze around his bottle.
Now—
He finally understood.
Why they were called the Magic Eye Pirates.
Yuuki watched the scene with a faint smile.
"Let the world witness…"
"True magic."
The Magic Eyes—
Were derived from the Forbidden Eye Ritual.
And the crosses Yuuki had given them—
Contained a page from his grimoire.
In other words—
Each held an independent magic power source.
And the original owners of those sources—
Were all captain-level mages.
Compared to them—
Cabaji and the others were nothing.
At this moment—
They weren't using their own power.
They were borrowing it—
Through the Magic Eye Ritual.
"Hehehe… a Devil Fruit that controls strings… what an interesting ability."
Marianne stepped forward, swaying slightly.
For the first time, her usually blank face showed excitement—pure, unrestrained joy.
Even her eyes—
Had lost all fear.
Only anticipation remained.
Magic surged.
With a thought—
Her brush released sky-blue paint onto the ground.
It formed a flowing stream, lifting her up—
Carrying her forward like she was skating.
"Hehehe! Let me see your strings again!"
She laughed wildly, pointing her brush at Doflamingo.
Crackle—!
A thick bolt of blue lightning burst forth—
Reaching him in an instant.
"Hmph."
"Five-Color Strings!"
Doflamingo slashed forward with clawed fingers—
Razor-sharp threads sliced through the lightning.
But—
His eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
His hand felt… numb.
How?
He had fought Marianne before.
She had posed no threat.
But that attack just now—
Was on an entirely different level.
It was like—
She had become someone else.
Marianne vanished.
Doflamingo instantly sensed her behind him.
He spun and kicked—
BOOM!
The force tore through the air with a piercing screech.
"Wah! So fast!"
Marianne laughed, easily dodging with a light hop.
"Whatever you are—die."
Doflamingo's voice turned cold.
"Overheat—no… Super String Whip!"
Dozens of near-invisible threads shot forward—
Twisting together into a single, hair-thin strand before launching at incredible speed.
A sonic boom erupted as it fired.
Bang!
A wall suddenly appeared in front of Marianne—
But it was instantly sliced in half.
The deadly attack continued forward—
Yet Marianne showed no fear.
Instead, she laughed.
"How fun… how fun… now go back!"
Painting Magic — God's Jest!
A monochrome, white-haired old man appeared in midair—
Accented with pale blue paint.
He raised his hands—
And waved them.
In Doflamingo's shocked gaze—
His attack reversed direction—
Turning back toward him.
He was forced to cancel it immediately.
"My turn now!"
"Hahaha!"
Marianne's laughter rang out as magic surged again.
The shattered wall transformed—
Into countless cone-shaped spikes.
They glowed red—
Ignited with flames—
Then crackled with lightning.
Three elements combined—
And in an instant—
They exploded forward like missiles.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Doflamingo was swallowed by a storm of explosions.
And not just him—
Akainu and Shiki were also facing transformed opponents.
"Great Eruption!"
Akainu's magma arm shot forward—
Blasting Mohji away.
"If you won't stay down—then burn to ashes."
But—
From the smoke—
Mohji walked out.
Completely unharmed.
His body was covered in dark red magic—
Sinister and violent.
Crack…
He twisted his neck—
Then swung his arm.
A dark red slash shot out—
Cutting Marines in half.
Screams filled the harbor.
"Yes…"
"Yes, that's it…"
"That kind of screaming—"
"I want to hear your absolute despair, you humans!!"
Mohji grinned wildly—
His voice filled with manic delight.
(End of Chapter)
Next Bonus Chapter at 5600 powerstones.