Tap—
The tall, lean man in a dark blue shirt rolled his bicycle up onto the shore and let it rest against the rocks. He lifted his gaze toward the harbor and scanned the area lazily.
"No ship? Am I early?"
"They should've arrived by now…"
He tugged down the green eye mask resting on his forehead. Though his expression remained languid, a faint trace of puzzlement flickered in his eyes.
"…It's awfully quiet."
Muttering to himself, he stepped toward the town.
As he approached, the faint scent of blood drifted out on the sea breeze.
In an instant, the laziness in his eyes sharpened.
Entering the island's only settlement—Whiskey Peak—he found the streets littered with corpses, each still clutching weapons.
After a brief silence, he scratched his head and sighed.
"Ah… looks like I'm late."
The man was none other than one of the three Marine Admirals—Kuzan, known by his codename Aokiji.
The Marine branch at Loguetown in the East Blue had been attacked. As its commanding officer, Smoker had reported the incident—along with detailed information about Yuuki and Konrad gathered from the Baratie.
A branch being attacked was serious, but not extraordinary.
However—
The report of a Devil Fruit user capable of manipulating seawater immediately drew the attention of Marine Headquarters. It even reached Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
A Devil Fruit that could directly control the sea posed a catastrophic threat to any ship.
Headquarters ultimately concluded that true "sea control" was impossible. It was likely something similar to Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit, or the Float-Float Fruit—abilities that indirectly affected seawater.
Even so, such power at sea was devastating.
Smoker's request to personally pursue Yuuki's crew was denied.
Instead, Headquarters acted cautiously.
No bounty was issued yet.
And Kuzan—who happened to be on leave near the Grand Line—was dispatched instead.
After all, ice would naturally counter water.
That was why one of the Navy's greatest powers now stood amid the bodies at Whiskey Peak.
Kuzan crouched and examined a corpse.
Then another.
And another.
Each had a single wound.
All in the heart.
All pierced cleanly.
"Instant kills… every one."
His gaze swept over more than a hundred bodies.
With Observation Haki, he could tell—
They had died at the exact same moment.
Plenty of powerful figures in the New World could defeat a hundred enemies.
But striking a hundred hearts simultaneously—
From different positions, different angles—
With blade-like precision?
Even in the New World, that was rare.
"Was it the boy?" Kuzan murmured. "Swordsmanship… or a Devil Fruit?"
Based on Smoker's report, the seawater manipulator had seemed like the subordinate.
Which made the mysterious young captain even more troublesome.
"I thought this would be routine…"
His expression relaxed again as he strolled toward a tavern.
If memory served, the next stop from Whiskey Peak was Little Garden. The Log Pose there required a full year to recalibrate.
No need to rush.
Might as well get something to eat.
Still—
One thing bothered him.
They had left quickly.
Too quickly.
They must have acquired an Eternal Pose.
Which meant they had a specific destination.
Meanwhile, At Sea
Dark clouds gathered briefly—
Then dispersed.
In moments, the sky returned to brilliant blue.
Sunlight shimmered across the waves.
The Grand Line's erratic weather still fascinated Yuuki, even after repeated encounters.
He had studied it briefly.
Then lost interest.
He wasn't a navigator.
His time was better spent refining Runic Magic Arrays.
The Magic Eye Pirates' ship cut through the sea.
Yuuki stood at the bow, glancing sideways at Buggy, who was dutifully steering.
Since entering this so-called "Pirate Graveyard," they had encountered volatile weather—
But never true catastrophe.
Not once had they faced the kind of storm that destroyed ships.
Was that—
Luck?
Yuuki's lips curved faintly.
He had studied Buggy for some time now.
But "luck" remained elusive.
Perhaps only the rumored Luck-Luck Fruit held answers.
Another curiosity:
They had attacked Loguetown's Marine base.
Yet no bounty had appeared.
Strange.
Though ultimately irrelevant.
Bounty or not meant nothing to him.
Behind him, a slender blue-haired figure approached hesitantly.
"Princess Vivi, is there something you need?"
Yuuki spoke without turning.
The approaching figure paused.
"…Was what you said earlier true?"
Nefertari Vivi bit her lower lip.
She and Igaram had not been imprisoned. They were free to move about the ship.
And despite everything—
Yuuki did not feel like the pirates she knew.
Igaram watched nervously from beneath the mast.
He knew Alabasta's true crisis wasn't the rebels.
It was Baroque Works in the shadows.
Even if they exposed the truth—
Could they truly defeat one of the Seven Warlords?
Behind him, a man in green approached stealthily.
Mr. 9.
"You're really a princess?" he whispered excitedly.
"Yes," Igaram replied coldly.
Mr. 9 grinned. "Relax. Miss Wednesday's my partner. I'm on your side."
Before further words could be exchanged—
"You two slacking off?"
Mohji's voice barked behind them.
They stiffened instantly and resumed scrubbing the deck.
"Captain Yuuki letting you stay aboard is mercy enough."
Richie growled threateningly.
Cabaji trailed behind, eyes flashing with envy.
I need that power too…
At the Bow
Yuuki turned toward Vivi with a gentle smile.
"You needn't be so tense, Princess."
"The root of Alabasta's rebellion is Crocodile. Remove him—and the chaos collapses."
Vivi lowered her gaze.
She knew that.
But Crocodile was one of the Seven Warlords.
Without evidence, even the World Government would not act.
"Please… call me Vivi."
She bowed slightly.
"But I don't have sufficient proof."
Proof?
Yuuki blinked.
Then laughed softly.
He suddenly realized—
She was even more naïve than in the story he remembered.
Before he could respond—
BOOM!
The sea exploded.
A colossal octopus—its upper body towering over twenty meters—erupted from the depths.
Waves surged violently.
The ship lurched.
Vivi stumbled and fell.
The monster's shadow swallowed the deck.
Its tentacles were thicker than the ship itself.
"Sea King!!" Buggy screamed.
Everyone except Yuuki and Konrad was thrown off balance.
Tentacles rose to drag the ship under.
"What do we do?!" Vivi clung to the deck, pale.
Then she noticed—
Yuuki stood unmoving.
As though the chaos meant nothing.
He turned calmly toward the monstrous Sea King.
Raised one hand.
Silver mana gathered at his fingertip.
He traced through the air.
Glowing runic array characters formed in sequence—
Connecting.
Completing.
A silver magic circle the size of a basketball materialized before him.
Yuuki pressed his palm against it.
And activated the spell.
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