After Robin encountered the Straw Hat crew on Little Garden and informed them that the Log Pose would require an entire year to store the island's magnetic field—
she then offered a solution.
She possessed a Log Pose pointing to the next island.
Using that as leverage, Robin easily boarded the Straw Hats' ship.
Meanwhile—
Marine Headquarters — Marineford
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, a small meeting was underway.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the three Admirals Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu, the Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, and several Marine Vice Admirals were gathered in the room.
It could be said that—
aside from the Marine Hero Garp, nearly all of the Marine Headquarters' highest-ranking officers were present.
And the purpose of this meeting was clear:
the Magic Eye Pirates.
A pirate capable of defeating a Marine Admiral head-on had suddenly appeared on the seas.
Such a development was serious enough to potentially disrupt the balance of power across the world.
After reviewing the intelligence on the Magic Eye Pirates in detail—
Knock. Knock.
Sengoku tapped lightly on the table and looked at the group.
"What are your thoughts?"
Silence followed.
Kizaru and Akainu were the first to glance toward Aokiji, surprise clearly visible on their faces.
The first thought that crossed both their minds was simple.
Did Aokiji hold back?
Akainu frowned instinctively, displeasure evident on his stern face.
The Vice Admirals exchanged glances, equally shocked, before looking at Aokiji—who sat lazily in his chair, resting his chin on his hand as if daydreaming.
What kind of joke was this?
A pirate crew that had appeared out of nowhere had actually forced an Admiral to retreat?
Even though Sengoku himself had confirmed the report, they still found it hard to believe.
The bounty of 310 million berries also seemed somewhat low.
Of course—
if the situation was true, raising the bounty too drastically at once might not be appropriate either.
The Vice Admirals wore mixed expressions.
Although some of them had opinions, the matter involved an Admiral.
None of them spoke.
"According to the intelligence, this pirate called Yuuki seems quite young."
"And he appears to possess abilities of multiple elements—possibly some type of unusual Devil Fruit."
Kizaru broke the silence first with his signature mocking tone.
"My, how terrifying."
"Hmph."
Akainu snorted coldly.
"Regardless of the exact strength involved, a pirate with such high threat potential must be eliminated immediately."
Following Kizaru and Akainu's statements, the Vice Admirals began expressing their views as well.
Most of them shared Akainu's opinion.
A pirate with multiple elemental abilities—
and a subordinate who possessed powers capable of sealing Devil Fruit abilities and even controlling seawater.
No matter how one looked at it—
this pirate crew posed an extremely high threat.
Sengoku listened carefully.
He nodded almost imperceptibly.
He held a similar view.
The potential of this pirate crew was frightening.
If allowed to grow unchecked, they would become extremely troublesome.
In fact—
they were already troublesome.
According to Aokiji's report, two Admirals might be required to completely eliminate them.
That was precisely why this meeting had been called.
Suddenly, Sengoku noticed that Tsuru had not spoken a single word.
Instead, she was carefully studying the documents about the Magic Eye Pirates.
"I'll handle it."
Akainu suddenly stood up, heat radiating from his body.
"Where are they currently located?"
The room fell silent.
Sengoku looked slightly helpless and was about to respond—
but Tsuru raised her hand calmly.
"No need to rush."
"There's something strange about this pirate crew."
Her voice remained gentle as she walked to the large world map behind them.
She began marking the Magic Eye Pirates' sailing route across the map.
Akainu's expression stiffened slightly.
He exhaled a plume of hot breath and sat down again.
Within the Marines, Admirals held the highest rank aside from the Fleet Admiral.
But there were two exceptions.
One was Tsuru, the Great Staff Officer.
The other was Garp, the Marine Hero.
Both were Vice Admirals.
Yet their prestige in the Marines far surpassed that of ordinary Admirals.
There was technically a third exception—
but no one in the Marines liked mentioning that person.
Kizaru chuckled quietly.
Aokiji still lounged in his chair as if half asleep.
In truth—
he was thinking about something else.
Nico Robin.
When he previously reported on the Magic Eye Pirates, he had deliberately omitted information regarding Robin.
Based on the situation at the time, she should have joined their crew.
Yet according to current intelligence—
Robin was not with them.
That both relieved Aokiji slightly and puzzled him.
Meanwhile—
Tsuru had finished marking the route.
Everyone's eyes turned toward the map.
She glanced briefly at Aokiji before speaking calmly.
"The Magic Eye Pirates first appeared in the East Blue."
"They were first issued a bounty after attacking the Marine base in Loguetown."
She marked Loguetown with a question mark.
"They then entered the Grand Line and chose Whiskey Peak from among the seven routes."
"If the intelligence is correct, that is where they kidnapped Princess Vivi of Alabasta."
"From there, the logical destination would have been Alabasta, since Vivi possessed an Eternal Pose."
"But strangely, they traveled instead to the second island—Little Garden."
"Most of you should already know about Little Garden, so I won't elaborate."
"So far, their route appears normal."
"Afterward, they went to Alabasta and defeated the Warlord Crocodile."
Another question mark appeared on the map.
"At first glance, their route seems reasonable."
"But their behavior contradicts it."
"The Magic Eye Pirates remained in Alabasta for less than half a day before leaving."
"And according to our intelligence, they are heading straight toward the Sabaody Archipelago without stopping anywhere along the way."
She marked Sabaody with a third question mark.
Sengoku stared at the three question marks.
As expected of Tsuru.
He had felt something strange earlier but couldn't pinpoint it.
Now the problem was obvious.
"Their sailing speed is incredible."
"In roughly two weeks, they've already crossed most of the first half of the Grand Line."
A Vice Admiral spoke in surprise.
"They're practically rushing straight toward the New World."
"Could it be that Yuuki and Conrad are originally from the New World?"
Another Vice Admiral voiced the possibility.
The room fell into thoughtful silence.
It wasn't impossible.
"These details are secondary," Sengoku said, clearing his throat.
"The key question is their purpose."
"Exactly."
Tsuru nodded.
"The Magic Eye Pirates' bounty increases came from two incidents:"
"The attack on Loguetown."
"And the defeat of Crocodile."
"But neither incident resulted in significant casualties."
Her words stunned the room.
Only then did the others realize—
the Magic Eye Pirates had not committed the kind of atrocities typical of most pirate crews.
"An interesting rookie," Kizaru said with a faint smile.
Akainu remained cold.
To him—
all pirates deserved to be destroyed.
"Their speed suggests a strong sense of purpose," Tsuru continued calmly.
"I'm curious about their true objective."
"If they enter the New World, their strength will certainly cause disturbances."
"There's no need for the Marines to act immediately."
Sengoku and Tsuru exchanged a brief glance.
Both understood each other instantly.
The New World was currently stable under the rule of the Four Emperors.
A pirate crew like the Magic Eye Pirates entering that environment—
might create unexpected consequences.
After all—
weak pirates could never disrupt the New World's balance.
Sabaody Archipelago
Located at the boundary between the first half and second half of the Grand Line, directly before the Red Line.
The entire archipelago was formed from 79 giant mangrove trees known as Yarukiman Mangroves.
Each tree supported towns and facilities upon its massive roots.
Even for Yuuki—
who had lived in two different worlds—
the place still felt like something out of a dream.
Yes.
Yuuki and his crew had already arrived at Sabaody.
A journey that normally required over a month of sailing had taken them less than three days, thanks to magic.
Mohji, Cabaji, and Marianne stared around in amazement.
Especially the bubbles rising from the ground and floating through the air.
"What's so surprising about that?"
Buggy snorted proudly.
"The roots of these mangrove trees release a special resin."
"When it touches the air, it forms bubbles."
"Most of the buildings here are made from those bubbles."
His red nose twitched as he spoke with a nostalgic tone.
"Buggy-bro, you've been here before?"
Mohji asked while poking a floating bubble.
"You even know how this place works."
"Ahem."
Buggy coughed awkwardly.
"No… I just heard about it."
After saying that, he cautiously glanced at Yuuki walking ahead.
Seeing that Yuuki wasn't paying attention—
Buggy quietly let out a breath of relief.