A powerful surge of Haki spread through the air.
Under Rayleigh's intense gaze, Yuuki appeared completely unaffected, his attention still fixed on the projection.
In truth—
Neither Marianne's side nor Buggy's situation was what concerned him most.
Yuuki's perception had been expanded across the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
And now—
His eyes shifted slightly.
The target he had been waiting for had finally appeared.
"Looks like my luck isn't too bad either," Yuuki murmured inwardly, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Originally, his plan had been to remain on Sabaody for two or three days.
If the target failed to show up within that time, there would be no reason to stay.
Yet now—
In less than a single day—
They had appeared.
"I told you from the very beginning," Yuuki said at last, turning to Rayleigh with a calm expression, "what I use is magic. You simply chose not to believe it."
He paused briefly.
"And thank you for your guidance on Haki."
"As a token of appreciation… consider this a reminder."
"Enjoy what remains of the final 'Great Pirate Era.'"
The moment those words fell—
Rayleigh's pupils contracted sharply.
The bubble surrounding him—keeping him suspended in midair—suddenly plummeted downward without warning!
Whoosh—!
The transparent sphere tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound.
Despite its thin appearance, it showed no signs of bursting.
"Yuuki, you brat—is this how you thank an old man?!"
Rayleigh growled, Armament Haki coating his arm as he thrust it forward.
Bang!
The bubble exploded.
Propelled by the force of the blast, Rayleigh's body accelerated even faster toward the ground.
But without the bubble's restraint—
He quickly regained control.
With his Haki-clad arm acting like a blade, he drove it into the massive trunk of a Yarukiman Mangrove, using it to slow his descent.
In the end—
He landed safely from nearly a thousand meters in the air.
"…That was dangerous."
Rayleigh wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked back up, the lenses of his round glasses glinting coldly.
"End the Great Pirate Era…?"
"Something even the World Government and Marines haven't managed…"
"And you think you can?"
He muttered to himself.
"What a terrifying ambition."
Even he didn't realize it—
His tone carried a seriousness he had never shown before.
High above—
After casually tossing Rayleigh down, Yuuki no longer paid him any attention.
In the stage that was about to unfold—
Rayleigh still had his uses.
After all—
Luffy was still far too weak.
On this vast sea, there were perhaps a handful of people worthy of Yuuki taking seriously.
But the only one who truly interested him—
Was the future, awakened Luffy.
This wasn't arrogance.
It was a difference in systems.
The power structure of the One Piece world—
Devil Fruits, Haki, physical combat, swordsmanship—
And Yuuki?
He wielded magic.
Raising his head—
Yuuki looked toward a specific direction on Sabaody.
With a thought—
His figure vanished instantly.
Area 31.
On the main street—
What had once been a bustling commercial district was now reduced to only two figures… and the echoes of agonized screams.
The Violent Bear Pirates—
A crew with a combined bounty nearing 300 million Beli.
Their captain, Torres, was a Zoan-type Bear-Bear Fruit (Black Bear form) user and a fervent admirer of Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords.
Imitating Kuma's title of "Tyrant," they rampaged wherever they went, destroying everything through brute force—
A notorious and powerful pirate crew.
And now—
Captain Torres, transformed into a massive black bear, stared ahead in terror.
Standing before him—
Was a strange, small figure barely reaching his waist—
With a disproportionately large head.
All around them—
His crew screamed in agony.
Their bodies had been forced deep into the ground—
Only their heads exposed.
The immense pressure from below caused their faces to swell red—
As if their bodies might be crushed at any moment.
"Who… who are you?!"
Torres roared, both furious and afraid.
"Hehehehe…"
"You can call me Mr. Tanaka," the strange man said with a mocking grin.
"Someone of your level has probably never heard my name."
"But that's fine."
"Just hand over the Magic Eye Cross."
"A treasure like that… isn't something you can handle."
"Go to hell!!"
Torres roared like a beast, charging forward with his massive body.
Facing the overwhelming momentum—
Mr. Tanaka showed no concern at all.
His body sank instantly—
Merging into the ground.
Boom! Boom!
Torres slammed his massive paws into the earth, tearing up the area where Tanaka had vanished.
But no matter how deep he dug—
There was no sign of him.
"Damn it! Get out here! Fight me head-on if you've got the guts!"
Suddenly—
A faint purple glow appeared behind him.
Mr. Tanaka emerged from the ground.
"If ten meters underground isn't enough to stop you…"
"How about one hundred meters?"
"Hehehehe…"
With a sinister laugh, he pressed his hand against Torres's back—
And in the next instant—
Both of them sank into the ground.
"Bastard—!"
Torres's furious roar cut off abruptly.
Thump… thump…
The ground trembled irregularly—
Before falling completely silent.
Moments later—
Mr. Tanaka resurfaced, holding a Magic Eye Cross.
"Three collected already."
"That should be enough to report back."
He pocketed the cross, glancing cautiously toward the distant sounds of battle.
The current Sabaody Archipelago—
Was far too dangerous.
If not for Lord Gild's orders—
He wouldn't have come here at all.
"…Should've collected the tribute later," Tanaka muttered.
Mr. Tanaka — user of the Swim-Swim Fruit.
One of the three top executives under the Golden Emperor, Gild Tesoro—
A man regarded as a monster in the New World.
He was responsible for the security of the world's greatest entertainment city—
As well as collecting tribute from subordinate forces.
This time—
He had originally come to receive silver ingots and captured bounty targets from the Silver Pirate Crew.
But—
Before even reaching the first half of the Grand Line—
He received a direct order from Tesoro.
Forcing him to change course and head to Sabaody.
"This collection mission will have to be suspended."
"I'll deliver the Magic Eye Crosses first."
His eyes flickered.
Even though there were still tributes to collect on Sabaody—
He no longer cared.
The situation here would only grow more dangerous.
The fleet surrounding the island—
Could very well be a precursor to a Buster Call.
Not to mention—
Three Admirals were already present.
"I should leave immediately."
Just as he prepared to depart—
"Going somewhere?"
A calm, smiling voice spoke from behind him.
Tanaka froze.
His cunning expression shifted as he turned and stepped back.
Standing there—
Was a young man in white robes.
The moment Tanaka saw his face clearly—
His pupils shrank violently.
Without hesitation—
He activated his Devil Fruit ability and dove straight into the ground.
You've got to be kidding…
That man—
Was the one responsible for the worldwide broadcast.
At this point, there were few people on the seas who didn't recognize him.
And yet—
He still hadn't been captured by the Marines?
Tesoro's orders had included more than just collecting Magic Eye Crosses.
There was another target—
The "Mage" Yuuki.
But—
Tanaka knew his limits.
A man who could broadcast to the entire world—
And evade capture even with Admirals present—
Was far beyond anything he could handle.
(End of Chapter)
Next Bonus Chapter at 5600 powerstones.