No one had expected it.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—
Bartholomew Kuma, the "Tyrant."
To suddenly appear here.
For a moment, the entire deck fell into a suffocating silence.
Kuma paid no attention to the people aboard the Magic Eye Pirates' ship. His expressionless gaze remained fixed on the four bound agents of Baroque Works.
"What is Crocodile's objective?"
His cold voice rang out as he repeated his earlier question.
Baroque Works—an underground organization known primarily for recruiting bounty hunters—turning out to have been created by Crocodile was unexpected even for Kuma.
And that made him curious.
What exactly was Crocodile trying to accomplish?
Under Kuma's emotionless stare, Mr. 3, Miss Goldenweek, Mr. 5, and Miss Valentine shivered involuntarily.
They had just learned that their boss was Crocodile, a Warlord of the Sea.
And now another Warlord—one with an even more fearsome reputation—stood before them.
The shock of these revelations left their minds almost numb.
Against Yuuki's crew, they could at least pretend to remain calm.
But before Kuma?
They immediately spilled everything they knew.
Their explanations were messy and disorganized, but Kuma still managed to extract several key pieces of information.
He turned his head slightly.
His towering figure looked down at the blue-haired princess standing beside Yuuki—Vivi—whose body was tense and trembling.
Crocodile intends to overthrow the kingdom?
Kuma dismissed the idea almost immediately.
He had interacted with Crocodile before.
For someone as ambitious as him, simply taking control of a kingdom would be meaningless.
Such schemes were merely distractions.
To understand the truth, it seemed he would have to visit Alabasta himself.
Before his consciousness completely disappeared…
This was one of the few remaining things he could still do for the Revolutionary Army.
"Princess Vivi."
Kuma lowered his gaze.
"Come with me back to Alabasta. Your journey ends here."
The words struck like thunder.
Vivi's body trembled.
In her eyes, Crocodile and Kuma were both Warlords—monsters of the same kind.
If Kuma also appeared in Alabasta…
Then the kingdom was truly finished.
She knew Yuuki was strong.
But Kuma was a figure whose reputation exceeded even Crocodile's.
A crushing sense of helplessness flooded her chest.
"You monsters!"
Vivi suddenly shouted, her fists clenched as tears welled in her eyes.
Buggy nearly fell over in fright at the sudden outburst.
Mohji, Cabaji, and Igaram were drenched in cold sweat under the pressure radiating from Kuma.
Igaram's face was pale with anxiety, yet his hopeful gaze remained fixed on Yuuki.
If anyone on this ship could stop Kuma—
It was him.
A hand gently rested on Vivi's shoulder.
"Honestly," Yuuki said with a faint smile, stepping forward.
"We're being underestimated."
"Showing up uninvited is hardly polite."
He positioned himself between Vivi and Kuma, looking up at the nearly seven-meter-tall giant.
"With that height, the proportions of your body actually look even stranger."
He clicked his tongue thoughtfully.
"I thought the first Warlord I'd meet would be Crocodile."
"Didn't expect to run into someone even more famous—the Tyrant."
His relaxed tone eased the tension on deck slightly.
Mr. 3 and the others stared at him in disbelief.
Who would dare speak like this in front of Bartholomew Kuma?
The rest of Yuuki's crew held their breath, afraid to disturb the invisible confrontation forming between the two.
Kuma studied Yuuki silently.
After a moment, he spoke.
"If you were to go on a journey… where would you like to go?"
"A journey?"
Yuuki stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I'd have to think about that."
Whoosh.
In an instant, Kuma appeared beside him.
Ignoring Yuuki entirely, Kuma reached for Vivi.
He had already examined the pirate flag on the ship.
It belonged to a crew he had never heard of.
Most likely a rookie group that had only recently entered the Grand Line.
He had seen countless pirates like them—reckless newcomers ignorant of the dangers of this sea.
"Hey."
Yuuki's voice cut in sharply.
"Where do you think you're putting that hand?"
His leg snapped out like a whip.
BANG!
The kick struck Kuma's knee.
The tremendous force forced Kuma's leg to bend as his massive body stumbled forward.
But in the very next moment—
Kuma twisted his waist with astonishing agility and kicked back.
BOOM!
Their legs collided midair.
The resulting shockwave blasted outward, sending Vivi and Buggy tumbling across the deck.
"Impressive strength," Kuma said calmly.
Yet inwardly, he was surprised.
He had misjudged the young man.
Yuuki's presence had felt faint—almost natural—making him appear weaker than he truly was.
"Thanks for the compliment," Yuuki replied with a grin.
"But strength isn't my only specialty."
Flames suddenly ignited around his leg.
Scarlet fire wrapped around it.
Kuma's expression tightened.
Armament Haki.
"Flame Magic — Scorching Arm."
The explosive force erupted.
The blazing impact overwhelmed the power in Kuma's kick.
This was Mereoleona's magic.
BOOM!
Kuma was blasted away, crashing through trees and disappearing into the depths of Little Garden's forest with a thunderous roar.
Yuuki dusted off his hands.
"Finally found someone worth stretching against."
He turned to Cabaji.
"Bring me the latest bounty posters."
Cabaji blinked, then hurriedly pulled out a stack of newspapers and wanted posters.
Yuuki flipped through them, selected one—
And vanished.
On the deck, everyone stood frozen.
"…My eyes aren't playing tricks on me, right?"
Miss Goldenweek swallowed nervously.
"Was that… Kuma who just got blasted away?"
Deep within the island's forest—
BOOM!
Debris exploded outward as Kuma rose from the wreckage.
The spotted white fabric of his pants around his right leg had burned away.
A dark scorch mark marred his calf.
"Fire abilities… a Devil Fruit user."
Kuma examined the wound calmly.
Even with Armament Haki, he hadn't completely blocked that attack.
Suddenly—
He lifted his head.
Yuuki sat casually on a thick tree branch nearby, smiling down at him.
Only then did Kuma realize something.
His earlier judgment had been completely wrong.
Yuuki hadn't felt powerful because his presence blended naturally with the environment itself.
"The two giants on this island," Kuma said quietly.
"I can no longer sense them."
"Oh. Dorry and Brogy?"
Yuuki shrugged.
"They're dead."
Kuma understood immediately.
So that massive disturbance earlier—
The one that had drawn him here—
Must have been their attack.
"I see."
Without another word, Kuma turned and began walking away.
He had no intention of continuing the fight.
Yuuki raised an eyebrow.
"Leaving already? Doesn't sound very fitting for someone called the Tyrant."
Through his perception of ki, Yuuki could sense something strange.
Kuma's living energy was incredibly weak.
Even ordinary people possessed more active life energy.
Vegapunk's modifications had clearly reached their final stages.
Soon, Kuma would lose his consciousness completely.
A transformation equivalent to death.
"This battle serves no purpose," Kuma replied without turning.
He had no time to waste.
Originally, he had intended to take Princess Vivi away to prevent this rookie crew from clashing directly with Crocodile.
But after their brief exchange, he realized this young captain was far stronger than he had assumed.
There was no need for his intervention.
Yuuki casually waved the bounty poster in his hand.
"'Glutton' Jewelry Bonney."
"Bounty: 140 million berries."
"Apparently she's only been at sea for a year and already reached over a hundred million."
"The papers are calling her a 'Supernova.' Quite the rising star."
He chuckled.
"Though calling a girl a glutton seems like a rather questionable sense of humor."
Before he could finish—
BOOM!
Kuma vanished.
He reappeared directly above Yuuki, his gloves already removed.
His palm—shaped like a bear's paw—pressed downward.
"Ursus Shock!"
A massive paw-shaped shockwave exploded downward.
"Wind Magic — Tower of Tempest!"
Yuuki waved his hand upward.
A raging tornado formed instantly, colliding with Kuma's shockwave.
BOOM!
The violent clash flattened the already devastated forest.
Only the tree Yuuki stood on remained intact.
In the next instant—
Kuma appeared behind him.
His hand reached for Yuuki's head.
Yuuki didn't even turn.
Because the moment Kuma appeared—
A massive white hawk made of wind manifested behind him.
Wind Creation Magic — Swift White Hawk!
The hawk's talons seized Kuma's arms and dragged him backward.
"So fast…"
Even Kuma showed a hint of surprise.
He tried to break free—but the grip was immensely strong.
And more importantly—
He hadn't sensed the hawk's appearance at all.
And earlier he used fire…
Now wind…
What kind of Devil Fruit is this?
Yuuki finally turned.
Kuma's arms were restrained, leaving his chest wide open.
"Flame Creation Magic — Roar of the Great Flame Lion."
Scarlet fire erupted around Yuuki.
A massive lion of flame formed in the air.
Light gathered in its jaws.
"ROAR!"
A blazing pillar of fire erupted forward.
BOOM!!!
The explosion shook the entire island.
Wind and fire magic combined, amplifying the devastation.
The forest within dozens of kilometers was reduced to ash.
A massive crater formed before Yuuki.
He glanced at the scorched pit.
Then slowly turned around.
Kuma stood behind him—his clothing heavily burned and torn.
His right shoulder sparked with visible electricity.
Wires were faintly visible beneath the skin.
"As expected of the Tyrant," Yuuki said with admiration.
"You dodged at the last moment."
He smiled.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"Yuuki — a mage."
"So… how about we sit down and talk?"
Bartholomew Kuma was a complicated man.
Though his sudden appearance was unexpected—
Yuuki didn't mind making contact.
But given Kuma's current state…
Only strength could earn the right to speak with him.
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