If the power of a Devil Fruit were completely attached to the flesh, then Brook—who was nothing but a skeleton—should not have been able to exist at all.
Was the Revive-Revive Fruit simply that special?
Yuuki shook his head lightly.
Even if the Yomi Yomi no Mi allowed someone to return from death once, and was therefore extraordinary, it was still a Devil Fruit. Its essence should not be fundamentally different from the others.
Moreover, aside from Brook's case, Yuuki recalled something else—
The World Government possessed technology that allowed inanimate objects—guns, cannons, even swords—to "eat" Devil Fruits.
Those exceptions alone proved that Devil Fruit powers did not merely attach to living, flesh-and-blood bodies.
"More interesting than I expected."
A faint smile appeared on Yuuki's lips.
He picked up the test tube containing Buggy's blood and walked to one of the large glass tanks filled with green liquid. Inserting the tube into the magic apparatus below—
Clink.
Buggy's blood flowed into the preserving solution.
The liquid inside the tank maintained biological activity.
Yuuki watched intently. His finger traced a subtle arc in the air.
The calm green fluid suddenly stirred violently.
It sharpened into thin, blade-like streams—
And sliced the clump of blood into several separate portions.
Then he stopped.
The liquid gradually settled.
And as it did—
The separated portions of blood began drifting toward each other.
Recombining.
Fusing.
Becoming whole again.
Yuuki's eyes gleamed.
"As I thought… the Devil Fruit's power isn't merely attached or parasitic."
"The user's body itself is modified."
"This is no longer just a simple 'ability.'"
He murmured softly.
If that were the case, Brook's situation became easier to interpret.
It reminded Yuuki of one of his Netherworld spells—
Corpse Spirit Magic: Soul Abductor.
The Yomi Yomi no Mi retrieved Brook's soul after death and completed his "resurrection." On the surface, that seemed similar to Soul Abductor.
But in truth—
There was a fundamental difference.
Back in the world of Black Clover, Yuuki had experimented on Conrad.
Even after killing Conrad and forcibly recalling his soul, resurrection had failed.
That was different from cases where souls were forcibly extracted for sacrifice.
That was why Yuuki never considered Soul Abductor to be true resurrection magic.
He had previously assumed that once a body died, it lost some unknown energy—preventing revival even if the soul returned.
But Brook's case clarified what was missing.
Life force.
Yes.
Life force.
In the Black Clover world, the concept of life force had been vague.
But in this world, it had even been developed into a distinct ability—"Life Return."
Yuuki's eyes brightened.
If his deduction was correct, then there was room to further evolve his soul magic.
Which meant—
The Yomi Yomi no Mi did more than recall Brook's soul.
It forcibly preserved a portion of his life force, preventing total dissipation.
That explained why Brook could heal broken bones simply by drinking milk.
Why he retained his voluminous afro.
His life force had not vanished—it had been sealed within his bones.
No—
It was more than that.
Even with life force preserved and the soul restored, Brook was still a skeleton.
Yet he could think.
Eat.
Move.
Live.
That exceeded simple soul recall.
"This implies that Devil Fruits do not merely grant abilities."
"They contain rule-based properties."
Yuuki stared at the blood sample thoughtfully.
As for the technology allowing inanimate objects to wield Devil Fruit powers—
If viewed differently—
"It's not so different from crafting a magical tool."
An amused smile flickered across his face.
In fact, the way Devil Fruits granted power to users was strangely similar to how he bestowed mana sources upon others.
And then—
There were Caesar's artificial Zoan Fruits, created through lineage factors.
And Vegapunk's "Green Blood," synthesized from Paramecia users' blood to grant replicated abilities.
So many intriguing possibilities.
Boom—!
A sudden explosion echoed from outside.
The ship was under attack.
Yuuki extended his mana and sensing ability briefly—
Understood the situation—
And left the laboratory.
On the sea, cannon fire rained down from a pirate ship larger than the Magic Eye vessel.
"You bastards! You dare attack us?!"
Buggy shouted while frantically steering to avoid incoming shells.
Mohji, Cabaji, Vivi, and the others rushed onto the deck.
"It's the Chain-Hand Pirates," Vivi said, peering through a spyglass. "Their captain is worth 75 million Berries."
Her tone held surprise—but no fear.
After witnessing Yuuki's strength, such threats no longer terrified her.
"Seventy-five million? Sounds impressive."
Mohji, mounted on Richie, grinned eagerly.
Cabaji folded his arms silently. He could sense Mohji had grown even stronger recently.
Then—
A calm voice sounded behind them.
"Oh?"
Yuuki stepped out onto the deck.
"Is their captain a Devil Fruit user?"
Everyone parted immediately to clear a path.
"A-According to Baroque Works' intelligence… Captain Walter of the Chain-Hand Pirates is not a Devil Fruit user."
Vivi answered nervously.
"I see."
Yuuki looked mildly disappointed.
"Conrad."
Swish.
The black-cloaked figure appeared instantly before him, startling Vivi and the others.
"Dispose of them."
Yuuki's voice was indifferent.
A sub-100-million bounty.
No Devil Fruit ability.
Such a crew did not even interest him.
Conrad could simply sink them.
Just as Conrad prepared to act—
Thud.
Cabaji suddenly dropped to his knees.
"Captain Yuuki!"
"Please grant me power like Mohji's!"
"I will become your blade!"
The sudden declaration stunned everyone.
Even Buggy froze at the helm.
"Tch… that guy was always proud back in my crew," he muttered, lips twitching.
Truthfully—
He envied Mohji too.
The power Yuuki granted rivaled a Devil Fruit—
Without the weakness to seawater.
Yuuki smiled faintly.
He had long noticed Cabaji's envious glances.
This request did not surprise him.
And the timing—
Was clever.
He and Conrad had displayed overwhelming power.
A 75-million pirate meant nothing.
Cabaji was not only appealing to Yuuki—
He was subtly telling Conrad:
Leave troublesome work to me.
Unfortunately—
Conrad, controlled by Corpse Spirit Magic, could not appreciate such gestures.
Yuuki chuckled softly.
Cabaji trembled.
"If you understand that I can grant such power," Yuuki said slowly, his gaze sweeping across everyone present, "then you must also understand that I can grant it to anyone."
Silence fell.
Cabaji's face turned pale.
Even Mohji, who had been basking in his newfound strength, went white, cold sweat forming on his brow.
If Yuuki could grant power—
He could replace them.
And on a pirate ship—
A replaceable crew member held no value.
Cabaji's back was soaked in sweat.
Mohji stood stiffly, barely daring to breathe.
They needed value.
Proof of worth.
Yet as they searched their minds—
They realized something chilling.
On this ship—
Their primary role was menial labor.
And anyone could do that.
Their hearts sank.
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