Led by Yuuki, Mohji and Cabaji followed him into the laboratory inside the ship's cabin.
The room was filled with strange, intricate instruments that neither of them recognized. Seeing all the unfamiliar equipment packed inside, the two men instinctively shrank back, their nerves tightening.
Yuuki smiled when he noticed their stiff posture.
"Since I promised to grant you power, I won't break my word."
"So—have you decided what kind of power you want?"
Mohji and Cabaji had already suspected something when Yuuki told them to follow him. Now that it was confirmed, excitement instantly lit up their faces.
After hesitating briefly, they quickly answered.
"Whatever power Captain grants us, we'll accept it!"
Their voices were filled with anticipation.
Neither of them dared to actually choose. In truth, they had no idea what powers Yuuki possessed or what he might grant them.
Yuuki understood their thoughts but didn't mind. He waved his hand casually.
"In that case…"
"Mohji, since you can communicate with animals, I'll grant you the power of Beast Magic."
"As for Cabaji…"
Yuuki's gaze fell on him. Seeing Cabaji's nervous yet hopeful expression, he considered briefly before speaking.
"You may not be a true swordsman, but since you use a blade, I'll grant you the power of Wind Magic."
With that—
Yuuki raised his left hand and beckoned toward a corner of the room.
A massive chunk of Seastone floated toward him.
Whoosh!
With a dull rush of air, the half-ton gray-black stone hovered before Yuuki.
Seastone was famously durable, but cutting it posed little difficulty for him.
"Slash Magic."
At his command, a jade-green blade of magic extended from his arm.
This was the magic of Jack the Ripper, captain of the Green Praying Mantises in the Clover Kingdom. His blades adapted to whatever they cut, theoretically allowing them to slice through anything.
Seastone's hardness alone was no obstacle.
Slash! Slash!
Two green flashes streaked through the air.
Before Mohji and Cabaji's stunned eyes, the enormous block of Seastone was effortlessly sliced into two fist-sized pieces.
"Flame Magic — Hellfire."
Yuuki spoke calmly.
Crimson flames erupted into existence.
This was Mereoleona Vermillion's magic, capable of temperatures exceeding 1000°C.
The two Seastone fragments fell into the blazing fire.
The moment the flames appeared, the temperature in the laboratory soared. Heat waves rolled through the room, forcing Mohji and Cabaji to retreat until their backs pressed against the wall.
Within seconds, sweat poured down their faces and their lips began to dry.
Yuuki had deliberately suppressed most of the heat—otherwise the cabin would have ignited instantly.
For comparison, even Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit could easily reach temperatures above 1000°C.
Under Yuuki's watchful gaze, the Seastone slowly melted.
Normally, when Yuuki granted magic to someone, he simply tore out a page from his grimoire and fused it into the recipient's grimoire.
But people in the One-Piece world had no magic power, let alone grimoires. And there was no guarantee their souls could withstand a direct infusion of magical essence.
Originally, Yuuki planned to wait until he encountered Big Mom and studied the abilities of the Soul-Soul Fruit before deciding how to distribute magic.
However, during his research into resurrection magic, Yuuki remembered something.
The Marines had once managed to attach Devil Fruit powers to weapons.
That gave him an idea.
If this world's people lacked magic power, why force magical essence directly into their souls?
Instead—
He could externalize it through magical tools.
After all, Yuuki had already spent a long time researching Runic Arrays.
Within the flames, the melted Seastone purified itself as impurities burned away.
Yuuki's gaze sharpened.
He raised his hand.
Silver Demon Script characters appeared within the fire, one after another, before sinking into the molten Seastone.
The two blobs of liquid stone began to shrink.
Gradually, they formed the shape of two crosses.
Under the influence of magic, the originally gray-black Seastone turned silver.
Unlike ordinary crosses, the center where the beams met formed a circular magic-eye emblem.
If one looked closely, tiny numerals were engraved within the pupils:
"9" and "10."
The flames vanished.
Two silver Magic Eye Crosses floated before Yuuki.
But the process was not finished.
His grimoire rose into the air.
Silver light radiated from it, illuminating the crosses.
With a faint tremor, two pages tore free from the grimoire and hovered beside the crosses.
"World Tree Magic — Advent of the Magic Tree!"
Yuuki's voice rang out sharply.
A ripple appeared in midair.
Two thick branches emerged and wrapped around the crosses.
The branches shrank and tightened until they formed a ring around each cross, giving them an ancient, almost sacred appearance.
Meanwhile, the two grimoire pages dissolved into silver light and merged into the branches.
Nothing was better suited to storing magical essence than World Tree Magic.
And Seastone—said to embody the essence of the sea—provided an incredibly durable medium for engraving magical formulas.
Together, they created a perfect cycle.
Yuuki nodded in satisfaction.
"Magic Tool — Magic Eye Cross. Complete."
He turned toward Mohji and Cabaji, who were still huddled in the corner.
In a single step, Yuuki appeared before them.
Before they could react, he raised a finger and touched each of their foreheads.
"Forbidden Magic — Magic Eye Seal."
Buzz.
A surge of magic erupted.
Dark red magic circles appeared above their heads, and power flowed from Yuuki's fingertips into their foreheads.
Then—
A silver eye appeared in the center of each man's brow.
This was derived from the Forbidden Eye Technique Yuuki had taken from Patolli of the elves.
However, Yuuki had modified it.
The mark was not a full forbidden eye—it simply allowed Mohji and Cabaji to draw power from the Magic Eye Crosses.
Without this connection, they wouldn't be able to use the magic tools at all.
It also prevented anyone else from using them if the crosses were stolen.
Moments later, Yuuki withdrew his fingers.
The silver eyes closed, leaving faint vertical marks on their foreheads.
"From today onward," Yuuki said calmly,
"you two are members of the Ten Circle Generals."
"Take time to familiarize yourselves with your new power."
He tossed the Magic Eye Crosses to them.
Mohji and Cabaji were still dazed.
But the moment they touched the crosses, both felt a subtle connection form. An indescribable force flowed into their bodies.
Their eyes shone with fervor.
"Yes, Captain Yuuki!"
"Yes, Captain Yuuki!"
They bowed deeply, their voices trembling with excitement.
Two Days Later
The waters near Little Garden
Admiral Kuzan stood with one foot on the frozen sea and the other resting on the pedal of his bicycle.
His expression twitched slightly as he looked toward Little Garden several hundred meters away.
The island had been devastated—nearly flattened.
He already knew.
He had arrived too late again.
Even without approaching, his Observation Haki told him the island was empty.
"That's quite a bit of destruction…"
Kuzan muttered.
"It must've been one hell of a fight."
His concern wasn't the Magic Eye Pirates' strength.
It was the fact that he still hadn't captured them.
Just as he thought of that—
Buru buru.
A Den Den Mushi vibrated in his pocket.
Kuzan sighed and answered.
Immediately, a furious roar blasted through the receiver.
"What are you doing?!"
"Why hasn't the matter with the Magic Eye Pirates been resolved yet? How long do you plan to keep slacking off?!"
Just from the Den Den Mushi's expression, Kuzan could picture Fleet Admiral Sengoku glaring angrily.
Kuzan scratched his head lazily.
He had planned to offer an explanation—but since he had indeed been slacking off, he simply stayed silent.
Marine Headquarters — Fleet Admiral's Office
After scolding him, Sengoku's tone turned serious.
"According to intelligence, the Magic Eye Pirates are heading toward Alabasta."
"Along the way, they've destroyed three merchant ships and five pirate crews."
"All five pirate crews had bounties exceeding 50 million berries."
"And most importantly…"
Sengoku's face darkened.
"They've kidnapped Princess Vivi of Alabasta."
He continued grimly.
"When we first learned that their crew included someone capable of manipulating seawater, I knew they'd become a problem."
"If such a power falls into the hands of stronger pirates, it could create serious trouble."
That was why Sengoku had delayed issuing a bounty.
Instead, he sent Kuzan—who was nearby—to eliminate them quietly.
But now the Magic Eye Pirates had caused too much commotion.
The bounty could no longer be delayed.
Kuzan glanced again at the devastated Little Garden.
He wasn't surprised they had wiped out five pirate crews worth over 50 million.
Based on everything he had seen, they clearly had that level of strength.
However—
The news about Vivi made him pause.
He knew the Magic Eye Pirates' route through the Grand Line.
They hadn't visited many places.
If they were heading straight for Alabasta after leaving Little Garden…
Then Vivi must have already been aboard their ship before arriving here.
Why would a princess end up in a place like this?
The thought puzzled him.
But the next piece of information made his eyes turn cold.
"One more thing," Sengoku said.
"Devil Child Nico Robin has also been sighted in Alabasta."
Then the line went dead.
Kuzan quietly slipped the Den Den Mushi back into his pocket.
Sengoku hadn't given any direct orders.
But Kuzan already knew exactly what he was expected to do.
"What a pain…"
He exhaled a cloud of cold breath.
Then both he and his bicycle vanished across the frozen sea.
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