Boom!
The air split with a sharp roar.
As Rayleigh suddenly burst forward, Mohji, Cabaji, and Marianne immediately moved to defend.
But in the instant, they made contact—
a series of muffled impacts rang out.
The three of them were blasted away by Rayleigh's overwhelming force!
"The seas aren't as simple as you think."
"Don't underestimate an old man like me just because I've retired!"
Rayleigh appeared before Yuuki in a flash.
His foot slammed into the ground in front of him, sending a tremor through the earth.
Drawing back his right arm, he unleashed a powerful punch straight into Yuuki's chest.
BOOM—!!
A thunderous explosion echoed through the street.
A violent shockwave erupted outward from the two of them, destroying nearby buildings in an instant.
Those who hadn't managed to escape in time were thrown off their feet by the impact.
Crack—!
The ground sank, then split apart, fractures spreading rapidly in all directions.
Rayleigh stared at Yuuki.
Yuuki hadn't even attempted to dodge.
He had taken the punch head-on—
and didn't move an inch.
For the first time, surprise flickered across Rayleigh's usually calm expression.
He had anticipated many possibilities.
But not this.
The boy had simply stood there and endured the attack—
without a scratch.
This kid…
"The strength isn't bad," Yuuki said calmly.
"But without using Haki, this level of physical attack won't harm my body."
He glanced at Rayleigh's fist pressed against his chest.
"If anything… you're the one underestimating me, Rayleigh."
As he spoke, Yuuki raised his hand.
He grasped at empty air.
Wind Creation Magic — Spirit of the Western Wind!
A green wind-element sword condensed in his hand.
With a flick of his wrist, he slashed downward.
Devil Fruit?
Similar to that crew member's ability?
Rayleigh's pupils shrank slightly as the thought crossed his mind.
His feet pushed off instantly, retreating backward.
But—
he suddenly realized something.
The green blade seemed to exert an invisible pull, dragging his body toward it.
Wind…?
Interesting.
Rayleigh's muscles tensed.
Armament Haki coated his arm as he reached forward.
Clang—!
His Haki-covered hand caught the descending wind blade.
The moment they collided, a sharp, piercing resonance erupted.
Crack! Crack!
His hardened palm and the green blade clashed violently, sending out terrifying shockwaves.
Black, lightning-like energy flickered between them, bursting continuously.
Boom!
The aftermath of their collision completely destroyed the street.
The clash lasted only a moment—
less than a single breath.
Bang!
Rayleigh stomped down and used the recoil to propel himself backward.
In an instant, he appeared beside the stunned boy, grabbed him, and vanished into the smoke and chaos.
"He runs fast," Yuuki said with a faint chuckle, dispersing the wind blade in his hand.
He made no move to pursue.
Sabaody Archipelago wasn't large.
If he wanted to—
he could locate Rayleigh at any time through the mangrove trees.
Things are about to get lively.
As for Rayleigh—
he might still play an interesting role in what was to come.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures rushed back.
Mohji, Cabaji, and Marianne emerged from the rubble.
"Captain!"
Seeing that Rayleigh had already disappeared—and that Yuuki was completely unharmed—their voices carried a hint of shame.
Ever since gaining magic and Devil Fruit powers, they had grown confident in their strength.
Yet just now—
they hadn't even been able to properly engage before being blown away.
The gap in power made them realize—
how terrifying true monsters of the sea were.
"If you're going to be discouraged by something like this," Yuuki said calmly,
"Then you're not qualified to be part of the Magic Eye Pirates."
"Let's go."
"You'll have plenty of time to prove yourselves."
He turned and walked forward with Conrad and Buggy, heading deeper into the lawless zone.
Marianne took a deep breath and followed.
Though she hadn't been with the crew long, she now understood—
Baroque Works, which she once took pride in, was nothing in front of people like this.
Mohji and Cabaji clenched their fists.
Their faces were silent, but their eyes burned with determination.
Every time they thought they had grown stronger—
someone stronger would appear and crush them effortlessly.
It's not enough.
We need to become stronger… to keep up with the captain.
That thought echoed in their minds.
Only after Yuuki's group left the area completely did the surrounding crowd cautiously emerge.
As for those pirates and bounty hunters who had originally intended to challenge the Magic Eye Pirates—
they had long since fled.
The news spread rapidly across Sabaody.
The appearance of "Dark King" Rayleigh—
and his clash with the rising supernova "Magician" Yuuki—
were explosive pieces of information.
A kilometer away, in a narrow alley—
Rayleigh leaned against a wall.
He looked down at his palm.
It was covered in fine cuts, blood slowly seeping out.
"Ha… the younger generation really is impressive."
He exhaled softly.
"So that rumor might actually be true."
A sharp glint flashed behind his glasses.
As one of the three great powers balancing the seas, the Seven Warlords had always drawn attention.
The events in Alabasta had not gone unnoticed.
Most people focused only on the fact that the Magic Eye Pirates had defeated Crocodile.
But very few paid attention to something else—
the large amounts of ice that had appeared at the port.
A power capable of creating ice—
combined with that situation—
wasn't hard to guess.
The World Economic Journal had been vague.
But that vagueness itself hinted at something.
Combined with the Magic Eye Pirates' immediate departure after defeating Crocodile—
many had already begun to suspect the truth.
That brief clash just now—
while Rayleigh hadn't fully gauged Yuuki's strength—
confirmed part of his suspicion.
The Magic Eye Pirates truly had the ability to escape from an Admiral.
"…And Buggy…"
Rayleigh shook his head slightly.
"That brat actually gave up being a captain?"
He felt a bit puzzled.
"Whatever."
"Let's just hope they don't cause too much trouble."
After all—
the Sabaody Archipelago was home to the Celestial Dragons.
Meanwhile—
At a shop specializing in Den Den Mushi—
Yuuki stepped out, holding a snail about twice the size of a normal one, its shell equipped with a camera-like device.
It was a Video Den Den Mushi.
It could record, project images, and even broadcast live.
Of course—
it couldn't compare to the massive one used by Marine Headquarters to broadcast worldwide.
This one had a much weaker signal.
Such high-level equipment was essentially contraband.
Even in the lawless zone, it was nearly impossible to obtain.
But—
that wasn't a problem for Yuuki.
This smaller version was more than enough.
"The preparations are complete."
Yuuki smiled at Buggy and the others.
"Time to get to work."
The group looked at him, confused.
Yuuki didn't explain.
After confirming the direction of Area 1, he led them forward.
"Captain… what exactly are we going to do?"
Buggy asked nervously, forcing an awkward smile.
To be honest—
he hadn't expected to run into Rayleigh here.
What shocked him even more—
was that he himself hadn't recognized Rayleigh immediately,
yet Yuuki had.
All along, Buggy had sensed that Yuuki treated him differently from Mohji and Cabaji.
But he never understood why.
Now—
he finally realized.
Yuuki probably already knew—
that he had once been a member of the Roger Pirates.
And that thought alone made him uneasy.
After all—
what could someone like Yuuki possibly want?
The only answers Buggy could think of were—
Laugh Tale.
Or—
the One Piece left behind by Roger.
"…Damn it, Shanks!"
If it weren't for that guy—
he would've reached the final island with Roger long ago!