Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Dozens of Marine warships began repositioning in unison.
On every deck, rows of cannons shifted and locked into place—each one aimed at the lone pirate ship racing toward the base of the Red Line.
The grinding of metal turrets, combined with the synchronized movement of the fleet, created a thunderous, oppressive roar—like distant rolling thunder bearing down on them.
On the deck of the Magic Eye Pirate Ship—
Mohji, Cabaji, and Marianne leaned weakly against the railing, staring at the dense swarm of warships pursuing them across the waves.
And yet—
There was not a trace of panic on their faces.
"Heh… I never would've imagined it in my life—fighting a legendary Marine Admiral… and actually escaping alive."
Despite his pale face, Mohji's voice was filled with unconcealed excitement.
"We're probably famous across the seas now, huh…"
Cabaji muttered, leaning against the rail, equally stirred.
Marianne shot the two of them a glance before lowering her gaze back to her canvas, brush moving steadily.
"You two really need to stop getting carried away."
"If not for the magic the captain gave us—and the fact he saved our lives—we'd already be dead."
"Don't act like you're anything special."
She spoke flatly as she continued painting.
On the canvas—
Yuuki's silhouette had already begun to take shape.
Cabaji and Mohji chuckled awkwardly.
Clearly, they were long used to Marianne's sharp tongue.
"Captain! The Red Line is right ahead!"
"If we don't do something soon, we're going to crash straight into it!"
Buggy shouted, gripping the helm tightly.
Under normal circumstances—
Buggy would have been screaming in panic by now.
But not today.
After everything that had happened on Sabaody—
Something had changed.
A sense of belonging.
A sense of trust.
Even someone like Buggy—
Who was usually the first to panic—
Now showed no fear.
Even as they charged headlong toward the towering Red Line—
They trusted Yuuki completely.
"The Red Line…"
"It really is massive."
Standing at the bow, Yuuki looked up at the colossal landmass piercing into the clouds.
Then—
A smile appeared on his face.
"Hold on tight, everyone!"
"Our destination—"
"The New World!!"
"THE NEW WORLD!!!"
Buggy, Cabaji, Mohji, and Marianne shouted in unison, eyes blazing with excitement.
Wind Creation Magic — Ark of the Heavenly Wind!
BOOM!!
The ship trembled violently.
A powerful surge of magic burst from Yuuki—
Wrapping the entire vessel.
Then—
With a thunderous roar—
The Magic Eye Pirate Ship lifted off the sea.
And soared upward—
Straight toward the summit of the Red Line.
There were only two known ways to reach the New World—
Either descend to Fish-Man Island…
Or pass through Mary Geoise with permission.
But now—
A third path had appeared.
The sky.
Until now—
Only one man could do such a thing.
Golden Lion Shiki.
That was precisely why he had been so confident earlier.
Across the Marine fleet—
Soldiers and officers alike stared upward in stunned silence.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
They simply watched—
As the pirate ship flew.
Inside the command room of the flagship—
Kizaru stood by the window, staring blankly at the ascending ship.
A complicated expression crossed his face.
Slowly—
He lowered the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
The operation had failed.
The Magic Eye Pirates had escaped.
The capture of the "Magician" Yuuki—
Had ended in complete failure.
…Wait.
Kizaru suddenly froze.
His expression changed drastically.
He quickly grabbed the Den Den Mushi again.
At the summit of the Red Line—
Lay the Holy Land—
Mary Geoise.
When the Five Elders received news of the failure—
They were already furious.
But when they heard that the Magic Eye Pirates might be heading toward the Holy Land—
Their anger turned into shock and rage.
Mary Geoise—
Was home to the Celestial Dragons.
This wasn't just symbolic ground—
It could not be threatened under any circumstances.
And above all—
They would never allow another incident like Fisher Tiger's.
Within moments—
Former Fleet Admiral Kong, CP0, and countless defensive forces mobilized.
The entire Holy Land braced for impact.
However—
Half an hour later—
Everyone stood frozen.
Watching.
As the Magic Eye Pirate Ship—
Flew directly over their heads.
This was Mary Geoise.
The Holy Land.
And yet—
A group of pirates had just flown across the sky above it.
To the Five Elders—
To the Celestial Dragons—
This was even more humiliating than an attack.
That Night
The headquarters of the World Economic News Paper was in complete chaos.
President Morgans hadn't slept all night.
Eyes bloodshot—
He roared excitedly inside his office.
At dawn the next day—
The news spread across the world like a storm.
"BIG NEWS! SUPER BIG NEWS!!"
"A Monster Among Supernovas — The Magic Eye Pirates!"
"A Mysterious Cross That Can Regrow Limbs and Revive the Dead!"
"A Worldwide Broadcast! A Resurrected Celestial Dragon!"
"Are the Magic Eye Pirates Heralding a New Era—or Exposing Marine Incompetence?"
"All Pirates on Sabaody Crushed and Captured!"
"Red-Haired Shanks and Kaido Appear!"
"The Legendary Flying Pirate Fleet Returns!"
"…"
Headline after headline flooded the seas.
The Magic Eye Pirates—
Already infamous due to the global broadcast—
Now stood at the center of the world once again.
The World Government immediately intervened.
Within a single day—
The tone of the newspapers shifted.
Criticism of the Marines vanished completely.
But—
Interest in the Magic Eye Pirates?
That did not fade.
Even with censorship—
The truth had already spread.
After all—
The world had seen the broadcast.
Day Three
A new headline appeared:
"Crossing the Red Line."
Two images were printed:
One—
The Magic Eye Pirates surrounded by Marine warships, trapped against the Red Line.
The other—
Their ship soaring into the sky.
There was no direct criticism.
No mention of the World Government.
And yet—
The message was clear.
This was Morgans' retaliation.
That very afternoon—
New bounties were issued worldwide:
"Magician" Yuuki — 1,000,000,000 Berries"Black Robe" Conrad — 200,000,000 Berries"Clown" Buggy — 180,000,000 Berries"Painter" Marianne — 110,000,000 Berries"Beast Tamer" Mohji — 110,000,000 Berries"Acrobat" Cabaji — 110,000,000 Berries
Aside from Yuuki's explosive jump to 1 billion—
The others saw only moderate increases.
Clearly—
The Marines were trying to control the impact.
Soon after—
The World Government tightened its grip.
All media outlets received warnings.
The hype began to cool.
At least—
For ordinary civilians.
But among major powers—
Interest only intensified.
And then—
The Magic Eye Pirates vanished.
No sightings.
No traces.
Nothing.
Until—
New information surfaced.
Somewhere in the New World—
The Magic Eye Pirates had clashed with the Flying Pirate Fleet.
Floating islands had fallen from the sky—
Triggering massive tsunamis.
Entire islands were reportedly submerged.
The full outcome remained unclear—
But intelligence strongly suggested:
The Flying Pirate Fleet had suffered heavy losses.
And just like that—
Yuuki's threat level—
Rose once again.
(End of Chapter)
Next Bonus Chapter at 5600 powerstones.