A surge of dark red magic power—filled with despair and violent fury—began to churn within Mohji's body.
"What pitiful, barren lifeforms…"
"Humans!!"
His crimson eyes burned with madness as he roared.
"I'll burn you to ashes."
Akainu's expression turned ice-cold as he saw the Marine soldiers Mohji had slaughtered so casually. A terrifying heat erupted from his body.
With a single step—
He was already in front of Mohji.
"Die!"
Boom!
His magma-coated fist, radiating blistering heat, smashed straight into Mohji's chest like an erupting volcano.
The force exploded outward—
Yet instead of sending Mohji flying like before, it only pushed him back about a meter.
The scorching magma failed to inflict any real damage. It merely thinned the dark red magic layer covering his body for a moment—
Before it quickly regenerated.
What… is going on with this guy?
A flicker of surprise crossed Akainu's face.
That punch had been delivered with full force—
And yet it only pushed the opponent back?
This was nothing like before.
This wasn't just a simple increase in strength.
Looking at the twisted, frenzied expression on Mohji's face, it was clear—
The man before him was no longer the same person.
But the surprise lasted only a moment.
Akainu's gaze turned cold once more.
Doesn't matter what you are.
You just need to die.
With a sharp bang—
Mohji vanished into a dark red blur and appeared behind Akainu in an instant.
His magic-coated hand pierced forward like a blade—
Driving straight through Akainu's back.
"Pathetic human… I'll slaughter you—hm?"
Mohji's voice twisted with madness—before suddenly faltering.
Because the man he had pierced—
Turned his head calmly, completely unaffected.
Akainu's chest had already transformed into molten magma, the dark red magic on Mohji's arm sizzling violently as it made contact.
"Don't get carried away, pirate. Trash is still trash."
Akainu swung his arm again.
This time—
His magma punch carried even greater force than before.
Boom!
The reason was simple.
Whether before or now—
One thing had not changed.
Mohji did not possess Haki.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted between them.
The ground around the two collapsed and sank, forming a massive crater.
The clash between raging magic power and volcanic magma was like a natural disaster—
Shockwaves rippled outward, tearing apart the harbor.
And not just them—
In the sky above, Golden Lion Shiki and Cabaji's battle had also intensified.
The Marines in the port wore expressions of pure terror as they scrambled to retreat under the frantic orders of a colonel.
High above the island—
Rayleigh's eyes gleamed with seriousness as he watched the projection.
Marianne and the others had suddenly grown stronger—
As if they had become entirely different people.
Even he couldn't help but feel unsettled.
This abnormal state…
Clearly had something to do with the eye that had appeared on their foreheads.
To raise their strength to such a degree in an instant—
Yuuki's danger level in Rayleigh's mind rose yet again.
After a brief moment of thought—
Rayleigh took out the Magic Eye Cross Yuuki had given him earlier and examined it carefully.
"This Magic Eye Cross… isn't the same as the ones your crew has, is it?"
He looked at Yuuki.
"You noticed?" Yuuki smiled faintly. "They're indeed different."
The sudden surge of power Marianne and the others gained—
Came from the "magic power source" within the Magic Eye Crosses, combined with the Magic Eye Ritual.
Of course—
Power gained out of nowhere always comes with a price.
The Magic Eye Ritual—
Also known as the Forbidden Eye Ritual—
Originated from the elf reincarnation magic in the world of Black Clover, and even involved the Word Devil.
By nature, it was flawed.
Although Yuuki had improved it—and without the interference of the Word Devil, it no longer affected the soul—
It would not cause situations like Fana or Vetto losing themselves to negative emotions—
But still—
Because it forcibly drew out the power contained within the original magic source—
If the user's own mastery of magic was insufficient—
They would inevitably be influenced—
Even dominated—
By the will of the original owner.
In the world of Black Clover, all magic came from the grimoire user—
Their innate talent, their will and desires, their effort and study.
The replicated magic sources Yuuki created contained all of the original user's spells.
Yuuki himself was unaffected—
Because those magic sources were ultimately derived from his own magic.
But others?
Especially those with shallow mastery?
They couldn't resist it.
That was why—
Cabaji, Mohji, and Marianne now seemed like entirely different people.
Rayleigh was no fool.
He was one of the sharpest minds on the sea.
Yuuki wielding multiple abilities could be explained away as a special Devil Fruit.
But three of his crew members—
All possessing dual abilities?
That could not be explained by Devil Fruits.
Not three times in a row.
And from Yuuki's words—
Combined with the complex abilities displayed before him—
Even if it sounded absurd—
Rayleigh had already begun to realize the truth.
"…This is really magic?"
His eyes sharpened, a dangerous aura rising from him like a waking beast.
Though phrased as a question—
There was already certainty in his tone.
From the very beginning, Rayleigh had assumed Yuuki's power came from some kind of Devil Fruit.
"Magic" had just been a cover.
In fact—
No one had truly believed it was magic.
They all assumed he possessed some kind of Mythical Zoan ability.
But now—
Rayleigh had seen enough.
This was not the power of a single Devil Fruit.
Unless Yuuki had eaten multiple fruits—
Which violated the fundamental law of the sea—
Then there was only one answer left.
A power distinct from Haki, swordsmanship, and Devil Fruits—
Magic.
Watching Marianne and the others—
Using abilities beyond Devil Fruits—
Only confirmed it further.
Rayleigh didn't know what kind of impact this power would have on the world.
But he could already sense it—
The great pirate era that Roger had set into motion—
Might be about to encounter an unforeseen variable.
Suddenly—
Memories surfaced.
The final island.
Laugh Tale.
That man's laughter—
Full of astonishment and joy—
Echoed in his ears once more.
"Joy Boy…"
"I really wish I had lived in your era!"
Rayleigh's gaze grew sharper.
Roger's Observation Haki had reached the level of hearing the "Voice of All Things."
Rayleigh didn't know what Roger had heard—
But he knew it led to a decision that shocked the world.
Joy Boy.
The Void Century.
Rayleigh didn't care about those things.
But he believed in Roger.
If Roger believed—
Then so would he.
And so—
Until that "hope" arrived—
He would not allow anyone to interfere with that man's dying wish.
Buzz—
A visible, dark purple aura surged from Rayleigh's body.
The air around him distorted.
Even the bubble surrounding him trembled violently—
As if it might burst at any moment.
(End of Chapter)
Next Bonus Chapter at 5600 powerstones.