Buggy's subtle attempt to hide his reaction did not go unnoticed.
Behind him, Marianne's eyes flickered with curiosity.
Unlike Mohji, whose thinking was simple and straightforward, Marianne was far more perceptive.
"Buggy is a little strange…"
She popped a rice cracker into her mouth and chewed expressionlessly as the thought crossed her mind.
She had been curious about him for quite some time.
The clownish man was older than the rest of them, yet his Devil Fruit ability didn't seem particularly powerful.
Mohji and Cabaji might not have realized it, but although Marianne had boarded the ship most recently, she had already noticed something.
The captain treated Buggy slightly differently from the others.
Unfortunately, after observing him for a while, Marianne still hadn't discovered anything noteworthy about him.
"These bubbles are really fascinating."
Carrying her painting board on her back, Marianne lightly poked one of the floating bubbles with the tip of her brush.
From a distance, she looked less like a pirate and more like a girl on a leisurely outing.
Ahead of the group, Yuuki and Conrad walked side by side.
The crew was heading toward Area 29.
Within the Sabaody Archipelago, Areas 1–29 were considered the lawless zone.
For ordinary people—and even many pirates—it was an extremely dangerous place.
Yuuki paid little attention to the conversation happening behind him.
Instead, his focus was entirely on the island itself.
The moment he stepped onto Sabaody, he immediately sensed the massive Yarukiman Mangrove trees scattered across the island.
He didn't even need to consciously use ki or magic to perceive them.
The trunks, roots, and branches of the mangroves seemed to form a network of senses extending from Yuuki himself.
If he wished—
he could perceive everything happening across the entire archipelago.
World Tree Magic.
Yuuki realized that through World Tree Magic, he could easily control all of the mangrove trees.
By doing so, he could effectively govern the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
In other words—
he could indirectly create a magic domain similar to the power of World Tree Magic.
"An unexpected discovery," Yuuki thought quietly as he continued walking down the street.
Shops of every kind lined both sides of the road.
Crowds moved about casually—people dressed in wildly different styles, many openly carrying weapons.
Despite being a lawless area, the place was far more prosperous than most ordinary towns.
As Yuuki and his crew appeared, the bustling street showed no outward reaction.
But from the shadows—
countless eyes were watching them.
Kidnapping the princess of Alabasta.
Defeating one of the Seven Warlords, Crocodile.
Declared by the World Economic Journal as the fastest-rising Supernova to surpass a hundred million bounty.
All these events had pushed the Magic Eye Pirates into the spotlight of the world.
The moment Yuuki's group landed on Sabaody, they had already attracted the attention of countless factions on the island.
Especially since—
their first destination after landing was the lawless zone.
Sensing those hidden gazes, Yuuki's lips curled into a faint smile.
Bang!
At that very moment, a gunshot rang out.
A bullet shot straight toward Yuuki's temple.
Yuuki didn't move.
Cabaji stepped forward instantly, placing himself in front of the captain.
With a swift swing of his arm, he released a blade of compressed air.
Clang!
The bullet collided with the air slash in midair.
"Whoever did that—get out here!"
Cabaji's expression turned cold as he scanned the rooftop from where the shot had come.
But the roof was already empty.
The sudden gunshot froze the lively street.
Yet no one screamed in panic.
Instead, people calmly scattered into nearby shops and alleyways.
Those closest to Yuuki's group fled first, clearly accustomed to such scenes.
Some who couldn't hide even peeked out to watch.
Their eyes weren't filled with fear.
Only excitement.
After all—
this was the lawless zone.
Here, battle and death were part of everyday life.
Mohji and Marianne quickly spread out, watching their surroundings cautiously.
"Tch… So, this is the Magic Eye Pirates with a total bounty of over five hundred million?"
A mocking voice echoed from the rooftop where the bullet had originated.
"They don't look like much."
Cabaji frowned and looked up again.
The roof still appeared empty.
Then suddenly—
the air twisted.
A slender middle-aged man wearing a jacket appeared on the rooftop, holding a pistol in each hand.
"Devil Fruit ability?" Marianne murmured.
"Look! It's him!"
"The bounty hunter known as the 'Disappearing Gunman'—Simone Mille!"
"I didn't expect him to make a move."
"And against the Magic Eye Pirates, no less!"
"Looks like things are about to get interesting."
Excited whispers spread through the crowd.
"A bounty hunter?"
Yuuki spoke calmly, sounding almost bored.
"One minute."
Mohji and Marianne moved as if preparing to act.
"Leave him to me!"
Cabaji's face darkened.
"He dared insult our pirate crew…"
He stomped forward.
"Die!"
Wind magic surged around his body.
At the same time, the power of the Float-Float Fruit activated.
In the next instant—
Cabaji vanished from the ground and appeared above the rooftop like a teleporting shadow.
So fast!
Simone Mille's eyes widened.
His body suddenly turned transparent and disappeared.
Only then did the crowd understand how he had been vanishing.
An invisibility ability?
Yuuki raised an eyebrow slightly.
The Clear-Clear Fruit?
But according to his memory, that fruit should still belong to Absalom, one of Gecko Moria's subordinates.
After observing for a moment, Yuuki quickly reached a conclusion.
A Zoan Devil Fruit.
Chameleon type.
The title "Disappearing Gunman" was clearly meant to make people assume he had a Paramecia invisibility ability.
A clever trick.
"Wind Blade!"
Cabaji swung his arm downward.
A massive blade of compressed wind materialized in the air and split the building below in half.
Boom!
Dust exploded everywhere.
Cabaji waved his hand, dispersing the smoke with a gust of wind.
But the gunman had disappeared again.
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots rang out from a hidden corner.
Cabaji quickly rose higher into the air to avoid them and retaliated with another attack.
Still—
he hit nothing.
Meanwhile, beneath the destroyed building—
Simone Mille crouched behind broken rubble, suppressing his breathing and heartbeat.
He glanced upward at Cabaji hovering in the air.
"Damn it… he can fly."
A flying opponent was troublesome for a gunman like him.
But—
"He doesn't have Observation Haki."
"If I find the right moment, one shot will be enough."
A cold smile crossed his face.
From the brief exchange earlier, he had already concluded that none of the Magic Eye Pirates seemed to possess Haki.
Otherwise, they would have detected him immediately.
"Cabaji, want a little help?"
Mohji sniffed the air and laughed.
"You don't have much time left."
Thanks to his Beast Magic, his senses had grown far sharper.
Even if he couldn't see the gunman, he could smell him.
"Hmph. I don't need it."
Cabaji responded immediately.
Then his expression sharpened.
He closed his eyes.
Streams of wind magic spread outward in all directions.
Found you.
Cabaji's eyes snapped open.
His figure shot downward like a black shadow.
Boom!
"AAAH!"
A scream echoed.
Simone Mille was kicked out of the rubble and slammed onto the ground, his camouflage fading.
"How…?"
Blood spilled from his mouth as he clutched his crushed chest.
"How did you find me?!"
He was certain Cabaji didn't possess Observation Haki.
"Trash like you thinks you can challenge the Magic Eye Pirates?"
Cabaji stepped forward and appeared beside him instantly.
"Wait—!"
"Damn it! Stop hiding and come out!"
Simone Mille shouted in panic.
But the watching crowd remained completely still.
No one stepped forward.
He immediately realized—
he had been abandoned.
His body began transforming into a hybrid beast form as he tried desperately to speak.
"I can—"
Slash.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
Cabaji showed no mercy.
His hand pierced straight through Simone Mille's heart.
The bounty hunter died instantly.