"Shanks?!"
Buggy looked up, staring at the man who now appeared far more mature than before—his face carrying stubble and a weathered air—and shouted,
"What the hell are you doing here?!"
Shanks dug a finger into his ear.
"Surprised? I just saved your life, you know. Not even a word of thanks?"
"Damn it, why would I thank you?!"
Buggy leapt up, his torso separating from his feet so he could rise to Shanks's height, glaring furiously.
Out on the seas—
A name alone was enough to make countless pirates tremble in fear: Red-Haired Shanks.
Yet faced with Buggy's undisguised hostility and provocation—
Shanks merely wore a helpless smile.
The strange sight left the rest of the Red-Haired Pirates clicking their tongues in amusement.
More than a few of them looked at Buggy with curiosity.
From their tone alone, it was obvious—
The relationship between Buggy and Shanks was anything but ordinary.
And yet—
This man called "Buggy the Clown" had never once been mentioned by their captain.
Just then—
A chill swept through the air.
The temperature of the entire area began to drop rapidly.
Buggy felt a cold shiver run down his back and instinctively turned around.
The moment he saw Aokiji—his entire body wreathed in freezing mist—
Buggy's split body snapped back together instantly, his face turning pale with fear.
When he first opened his eyes and saw Shanks, he had assumed Aokiji had already been defeated.
"Still not leaving?"
Benn Beckman bit down on his cigar, his expression indifferent as he looked at Aokiji.
"If you disturb our captain again, I won't hold back."
The moment those words fell—
The rest of the Red-Haired Pirates all sneered, their eyes locking onto Aokiji.
Buzz—!
The clash of their overwhelming presences caused the air itself to grow heavy.
Buggy shrank his neck, finally realizing just how terrifying the group behind Shanks truly was.
He cast a subtle glance at Shanks—
Who, from beginning to end, still wore that faint smile.
In Buggy's heart, a swirl of emotions rose—
Envy, frustration… something far more complicated.
A Yonko.
Just one step away from the title of Pirate King.
Even though Buggy had remained in the East Blue—the weakest sea—
He still knew enough about Shanks.
The gap between them…
Could only be described as heaven and earth.
Faced with the pressure bearing down on him from all sides—
Aokiji's gaze lingered on Buggy for a moment, a trace of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
Shanks's arrival had surprised him.
But Buggy—
This insignificant East Blue pirate—
Was even more unexpected.
Whoosh—
Yuuki's figure suddenly appeared between the two sides.
The abrupt change startled everyone in the Red-Haired Pirates.
Even with their Observation Haki—
Not a single one of them had sensed his movement.
It was as if he had appeared out of thin air.
"…A Devil Fruit ability?"
Benn Beckman thought to himself, casually tightening his grip on his rifle, the barrel tilting slightly.
"Oh? That's your captain, Buggy."
Shanks was briefly stunned as well, but upon recognizing Yuuki, he grinned broadly, placing a hand on Buggy's head.
"Hey! Get your hand off me!"
Buggy shouted angrily—though he didn't actually shake it off.
Shanks chuckled awkwardly, withdrawing his hand.
Then he looked at Yuuki with clear interest.
"You're Yuuki, right? Want to join my crew?"
"Hehehe, there he goes again."
"Classic captain—inviting people the moment he meets them."
"Hahaha! Being chosen by Captain Shanks is a huge honor, you know!"
Voices of laughter and teasing erupted from behind Shanks.
The crew relaxed their hostility, their gazes toward Yuuki filled with curiosity.
"One of the Four Emperors… Red-Haired Shanks. Quite the big shot."
Yuuki didn't answer the invitation.
Instead, he spoke calmly—
As if the appearance of the Red-Haired Pirates hadn't surprised him at all.
Then he turned his gaze toward Buggy.
"Let's go, Buggy. Time to set sail."
Buggy didn't hesitate for even a second.
He quickly ran toward Yuuki.
Throughout the entire process—
Shanks made no move to stop him.
"…Guess I got completely ignored."
Shanks fell silent for a moment, then scratched his head with a wry smile.
Benn Beckman's eyes narrowed slightly—
A flicker of doubt crossing his gaze as he glanced at Shanks.
Watching Buggy run straight back—
Yuuki raised an eyebrow, a little surprised himself.
He hadn't expected his first meeting with one of the Four Emperors—
To be this… peaceful.
Since the other side showed no intention of probing or stopping him—
There was no need to clash with a Yonko crew at this stage.
Magic spread outward.
In an instant—
Yuuki and Buggy vanished without a trace before everyone's eyes.
At the same time—
Aokiji had already retreated during the exchange.
For a moment—
Only the Red-Haired Pirates remained in the area.
Yasopp looked eager.
"So, Captain—where to next?"
"Back to sea, of course."
Shanks ran a hand through his messy red hair and turned with a grin.
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
"Captain, you're kidding!"
"We just got to Sabaody!"
Voices of confusion erupted.
"The people we needed to see—we've seen."
"The thing we needed—we've got."
Shanks opened his palm.
Resting there—
Was a Magic Eye Cross.
Then he pointed upward toward the sky.
"And besides… someone troublesome is about to arrive."
This cross—
Was the one Buggy had secretly kept for himself.
Unbeknownst to him—
Shanks had already taken it.
The crew immediately understood—and burst into laughter.
They clearly knew exactly who Shanks meant by "troublesome."
Arms slung over each other's shoulders, laughing and chatting—
They began to leave.
"…Shanks?"
Benn Beckman suddenly spoke from beside him.
"What is it?"
Shanks turned, puzzled.
"Earlier… I feel like something happened."
Beckman's expression remained unreadable.
They had come here for the Magic Eye Cross—
For its ability to regenerate limbs.
But Beckman knew—
Compared to restoring his arm—
Shanks had been far more interested in that boy named Yuuki.
And yet—
Their encounter had been far too calm.
It didn't match Shanks's usual style.
"We already crossed paths."
Shanks smiled mysteriously, tapping his temple with a finger.
"He's quite the remarkable kid."
"Buggy found himself a pretty incredible captain."
"…I see."
Beckman paused, then returned to his usual composed expression.
"No wonder he's stirred up such chaos."
Sabaody Archipelago — Area 45
The battle of Marianne and the others continued.
At first—
Their sudden surge in power had given them the upper hand.
But as time passed—
The terrifying magic within Cabaji, Mohji, and Marianne began to fade.
As their consciousness returned—
Their situation once again became dire.
Yuuki, however, was satisfied.
In such a short time—
They had gained strength capable of contending with the top-tier powers of the sea.
Even if it didn't last long—
It proved that his experiment—
Using grimoire "pages" to create magical tools—
Was even more successful than expected.
As for the issue of their consciousness being affected—
That wasn't much of a concern.
From the beginning—
His goal had been to create short-term combat power comparable to Magic Knight Captains.
Whoosh—
Yuuki appeared at the port, holding Buggy.
His expression calm as he reached forward and grasped at empty air.
Spatial Magic!
Ripples spread outward from his hand.
The next moment—
Cabaji, Mohji, and Marianne—
Still locked in battle—
Were forcibly pulled through space and brought directly before him.
Snap!
He flicked his fingers.
Buzz—
Their bodies trembled.
The immense, chaotic magic surrounding them—
Vanished instantly.
"Pfft—!"
All three spat out blood at the same time.
Their eyes cleared—
And they collapsed to their knees, completely drained.
"Captain…"
Cabaji, Mohji, and Marianne looked up at Yuuki, weak but overjoyed.
"You're just exhausted."
"As for the Magic Eye Crosses—losing them doesn't matter. They were meant for them anyway."
Yuuki smiled faintly.
"So—how was it?"
"Did you see what true strength on the seas looks like?"
He paused, then continued:
"You did better than I expected."
"Well done."
The three of them immediately showed excited expressions.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sharp sounds of air being cut echoed out—
Two figures—
One from above, one from below—
Rushed rapidly toward their position.
(End of Chapter)
Next Bonus Chapter at 5600 powerstones.