After briefly testing the power of Armament Haki, Yuuki glanced at the two towering figures standing before him.
A satisfied look appeared in his eyes.
If one looked closely, they would notice something hanging around the necks of Dorry the Blue Ogre and Brogy the Red Ogre.
Each giant wore a Magic Eye Cross.
Dorry's cross contained the power of Mineral Magic, while Brogy's held Earth Magic.
Although the two giants had not truly been revived, Corpse Spirit Magic allowed them to retain the battle instincts they possessed in life. Combined with the magic Yuuki granted them, Dorry and Brogy had actually become stronger than when they were alive.
Yuuki's figure flickered.
Ripples appeared in space around him.
A moment later, he vanished from the dream world and reappeared in the laboratory inside the ship's cabin.
"It seems there are no issues with Dorry and Brogy."
"In that case… Conrad's procedure can proceed as well."
Yuuki waved his arm.
A silver spatial gate appeared.
From the portal stepped Conrad, dressed in black robes, his body still radiating the faint aura of death.
To people like Buggy or Mohji, Conrad appeared indistinguishable from a living person.
But to those with Observation Haki or other sensory abilities—
He was unmistakably a corpse.
Yuuki opened his eyes slightly.
His silver grimoire floated before him, glowing with gentle magic power.
"World Tree Magic — Seed of Mistilteinn."
Buzz.
A green magic circle appeared above Conrad's head.
Magic gathered rapidly at its center before forming a tiny emerald seed.
Normally, this spell planted the seed inside an enemy's body, draining their magic while restraining them.
But Yuuki suddenly clapped his hands together.
Clap!
A surge of living energy erupted from his body.
An invisible stream of Ki shot from between his palms and entered the seed hovering above Conrad.
The seed immediately began to swell.
It seemed as if life was beginning to grow within it—but some force restrained its growth. Instead of sprouting, the seed expanded until it was about the size of a marble.
Then—
Thump.
Thump.
The seed began beating like a heart.
"Enter," Yuuki commanded.
The seed shot downward and slipped into Conrad's body, embedding itself in the position of his heart.
Within seconds—
The pale, lifeless complexion on Conrad's face began to change.
A faint flush of living color returned.
In Yuuki's perception, the deathly aura surrounding Conrad vanished entirely, replaced by something closer to vitality.
Yuuki studied him carefully.
"No problems at all."
He nodded with satisfaction.
In a certain sense, Conrad—like Dorry and Brogy—had already been revived.
Compared to before, when he had merely been a controlled corpse, Conrad could now be considered alive in the conventional sense.
But there was still a difference.
He possessed no soul, no consciousness.
In other words—
A living body without awareness.
A very special kind of vegetative state.
Not long ago, Buggy and the others had accidentally obtained something called Vivre Cards.
That discovery had greatly advanced Yuuki's research into resurrection magic.
The fact that Vivre Cards could store a portion of a person's life force revealed the key to resurrection.
Originally, Yuuki had planned to master Life Return first so he wouldn't need Vivre Cards anymore.
But after unexpectedly mastering the control of living energy, he didn't even need that.
Using Seed of Mistilteinn as a substitute for the life force contained in Vivre Cards allowed a corpse to regain vitality.
The remaining step would be simple.
Using Key Magic, Yuuki could insert Conrad's soul back into his body.
That would fully resurrect him.
Of course—
Yuuki had no intention of reviving an enemy.
For now, resurrection magic was essentially complete.
Until he acquired Big Mom's Soul-Soul Fruit, his soul magic had limited applications anyway. There was no need to push the research further.
Yuuki stretched lazily and left the laboratory with Conrad.
The captured Mr.3, Mr.5, Miss Valentine, and Miss Goldenweek had been thrown into cages at the bottom of the ship.
Yuuki had been focused on researching Ki and resurrection magic, so Devil Fruit experiments could wait until he captured Crocodile.
Their abilities had already been sealed using Key Magic, so there was no risk of resistance.
When Yuuki stepped onto the deck, the warm sunlight and the salty sea breeze greeted him.
"Looks like we're almost at Alabasta."
He glanced up at the increasingly scorching sun.
Bang!
A heavy impact sounded nearby.
Mohji and Cabaji were sparring.
Mohji's muscles bulged under the influence of Beast Magic, while Cabaji's body was wrapped in swirling wind. Both men panted as they stared at each other.
The moment they noticed Yuuki approaching, they quickly dispersed their magic.
"Captain Yuuki!"
"Vice Captain Conrad!"
They bowed respectfully.
"You've improved."
Yuuki glanced at the fluctuations of magic power around them.
"It seems you've been training well."
"Hehe."
Mohji grinned excitedly at the praise.
"This is all thanks to the power you gave us, Captain!"
Cabaji stood straight, his gaze almost fanatical.
Yuuki gave them a few pointers.
"Beast Magic isn't only about strengthening your body. You can imitate the movements of animals. With better control, you may even project attacks outward."
"As for you—wrapping Wind Magic around yourself to increase speed and agility is only the most basic use. Wind is inherently unpredictable."
"Use your imagination to shape it."
With that said, Yuuki moved to a lounge chair beneath a tree he had created earlier with magic.
He opened a thick dictionary of Runic Arrays and began reading again.
The more he studied it, the more he realized that Runic arrays had far broader applications than he initially imagined.
Though, of course—
They were still far less convenient than magic itself.
Nearby, Conrad leaned silently against the tree trunk.
Not long after—
Vivi approached.
At Mr.9's constant watch, she had prepared freshly baked desserts.
Dressed in a cool blue skirt, she walked toward Yuuki carrying a tray.
"Lord Yuuki, please try these."
She looked at him expectantly.
"Leave them there."
Yuuki didn't even lift his eyes from the book.
As he spoke, a thin branch sprouted from the deck and quickly formed a small table beside the lounge chair.
Vivi's eyes flickered.
She placed the desserts down, unable to hide her disappointment.
"Um… if desserts sit too long, they don't taste as good."
She brushed a strand of blue hair from her forehead nervously.
There was no response.
She turned and walked away.
But after a few steps, she glanced back.
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
Yuuki had picked up one of the desserts.
He ate it casually while continuing to read his book.
Seeing this, Vivi's disappointment vanished instantly.
Her steps became noticeably lighter.
Two days passed quickly.
As the ship approached Alabasta, the sea became busier.
Ships appeared everywhere.
But none dared approach.
Whether merchant ships or pirate crews, the moment they saw the Magic Eye Pirates' flag, they steered away immediately.
"Looks like we've become famous, Cabaji!"
Mohji said excitedly as he watched another ship flee.
"Hmph. Boring."
"I wanted to test the new magic techniques I learned."
Cabaji sounded disappointed, though a trace of pride lingered in his eyes.
At that moment—
Buggy ran over, holding a newspaper and several bounty posters.
"Captain! The latest newspaper and bounties!"
"The paper calls you the fastest-rising Supernova!"
"Supernova?"
Yuuki looked slightly surprised and took the newspaper.
After reading a bit, he understood.
"Supernova" was simply a term used by the World Economy News and gossip-loving observers to refer to pirates whose bounties exceeded 100 million berries in a short period of time.
Since Yuuki's first bounty was already 100 million, the title wasn't inaccurate.
At first, even Yuuki had been puzzled.
After attacking the Marine base in Loguetown, the Marines hadn't issued a bounty immediately.
Yet after entering the Grand Line—without doing much—he suddenly received a 100 million bounty.
The explanation turned out to involve Vivi.
Recently, Mohji and Cabaji had destroyed several pirate ships.
Unfortunately, some merchant vessels had been caught in the aftermath.
Vivi had released a few spare boats to help survivors escape.
During that process—
Her identity had been discovered.
Cabaji had reported the incident to Yuuki earlier.
Yuuki simply hadn't cared.
"Supernova?"
Yuuki gave a faint, dismissive laugh.
"What a meaningless title."
Then his eyes landed on one of the posters in the stack.
A familiar smiling face beneath a straw hat.
"Oh?"
"So, he's set sail already."
Straw Hat Luffy — Bounty: 30,000,000 berries
It seemed Luffy had defeated Arlong.
Since bounty posters took time to circulate, Luffy's crew had likely already reached Loguetown—or perhaps even entered the Grand Line by now.
"The sea is about to get lively."
Yuuki chuckled and tossed the newspapers back to Buggy.
"Lively?"
Buggy blinked in confusion as he caught them.
Then he quickly asked,
"Captain, where should we dock?"
They were close to Alabasta now.
But they were pirates.
Choosing the wrong port could cause trouble.
After all, their opponent this time was Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Even Buggy felt a little nervous.
Yuuki stood and looked toward the distant outline of Alabasta.
He called Vivi over.
Igaram and the ever-forgettable Mr.9 followed behind her.
"What's the nearest port?" Yuuki asked directly.
Before Vivi could answer—
Igaram stepped forward respectfully.
"One of Alabasta's ports."
"Nanohana."
"Nanohana?"
Buggy's face twitched.
"What a weird name."
Vivi immediately shot him an angry glare.
Yuuki ignored them.
"You'll guide us, Buggy."
"Increase speed."
Buggy nodded quickly and headed toward the helm with Igaram.
The Magic Eye Pirates' ship turned toward the desert kingdom—
—and the port of Nanohana.
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