Clap! Clap! Clap!
Watching Uta hurry over with quick, excited steps, Yuuki raised his hands and applauded.
"For a first performance, that was an unexpectedly great success, Miss Uta."
"Thank you, Yuuki."
"This was the happiest day of my life."
Uta's breathing was still a little uneven.
She had been holding back her excitement the entire time, but now that she was finally in front of someone familiar, it all burst out.
Her cheeks were flushed a bright red.
Yuuki lowered his hands and shook his head lightly.
"That was your own hard work. It had nothing to do with me."
"And don't forget—I'm one of your fans too."
Uta looked a little embarrassed.
Her beautiful eyes instinctively darted around.
"Where's Gordon?"
After just finishing her first song in front of such a massive audience, Uta wanted nothing more than to share that joy with the two people she knew best—Yuuki and Gordon.
"He already left."
After waiting for her breathing to settle a little, Yuuki continued,
"Before he left, Gordon asked me to tell you something."
"Even if he couldn't stay to watch your first performance to the end, he knew you would succeed."
"Because you are the successor of Elegia, the Island of Music."
"Your voice will one day spread across the world and be heard by everyone."
At this point, Yuuki looked at Uta's reddening eyes.
"And on that point, I believe in you too."
He had originally thought that hearing about Gordon's sudden departure would affect Uta deeply.
And yet—
after hearing his words, aside from her eyes growing even redder, Uta remained unexpectedly calm and composed.
"I understand."
"No one can stop someone from heading out to sea, right?"
She forced a bright smile onto her face and nodded firmly, both hands clasped behind her back.
That night.
Uta sat on an enormous princess bed.
The soft mattress was covered in luxurious satin sheets embroidered with musical note patterns.
The room itself was spacious.
Most notably, a finely crafted grand piano stood in the center of the sitting area.
Uta's gaze swept across the murals on the walls before turning toward the window.
From where she sat, she could clearly see the ocean outside.
The sea breeze drifted in through the open window, causing the light gauze curtains to sway gently.
Thump—
Uta threw herself backward onto the soft bed, arms spread wide.
She grabbed a pillow from beside her and pressed it over her head.
Even though she was utterly exhausted, too many things had happened today.
Sleep simply refused to come.
"Hang in there, Uta!"
A muffled voice sounded from beneath the pillow.
Meanwhile—
at the top floor of the Golden Hotel.
Yuuki listened to Robin's report with a trace of surprise while flipping through a document in his hand.
"Tch."
"As expected of someone in the news business. Morgans really does have sharp instincts."
He let out an amused remark.
Morgans intended to add a lottery business to the newspaper.
Each issue would contain its own unique number.
Then, from among all those who purchased that edition, a set number of winners would be selected.
The lottery entertainment project aboard the Gran Tesoro had only been running for about half a month.
Many people likely still didn't understand this new form of entertainment.
Some probably hadn't even heard of it.
And yet—
the president of the World Economy News Paper, Big News Morgans, had already recognized the staggering profits it could bring.
That kind of business instinct was truly worthy of praise.
Once the lottery was added, Yuuki had no doubt that the newspaper's circulation would soar.
"An annual licensing fee of one hundred million Beli?"
"That really is clever."
Yuuki closed the file and handed it back to Robin, who stood respectfully nearby.
"Raise the licensing fee to five hundred million Beli per year."
"And it must be paid in advance."
Robin accepted the file, visibly startled.
Raising the price to five times what had been offered—
of course that was shocking.
But—
Robin was convinced Morgans would agree in the end.
The combination of lottery and newspaper sales was simply too important to the World Economy News Paper.
Just thinking about how they could do absolutely nothing and still collect five hundred million Beli a year—
Robin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Although the "lottery" had been created by Captain Yuuki, this world had no concept of patents.
Normally speaking, Morgans could have simply copied the idea without consulting Yuuki at all.
And yet he hadn't.
He was even willingly paying for it every year.
The reason was simple—
the power of the Magic Eye Pirates.
"Also…"
"Have Morgans help publicize the Ten Circle General Selection at the Sabaody Archipelago."
"To attract capable pirates, the winner may choose one of four rewards—"
"Join the Magic Eye Pirates,"
"Two billion Beli,"
"a Logia Devil Fruit,"
"Or one request."
Yuuki's lips curved into a faint smile as he spoke softly.
Robin stared at him, stunned.
"That should be attractive enough, wouldn't you say?"
Seeing the shock on Robin's face, Yuuki nodded in satisfaction.
Robin hurriedly suppressed her expression.
"Yes, Captain."
The last time the Magic Eye Pirates had appeared at Sabaody, they had caused a massive uproar.
This time, the disturbance might be slightly smaller—
but it would undoubtedly still attract enormous attention.
Join the Magic Eye Pirates.
Two billion Beli.
A Logia Devil Fruit.
One request.
At first glance, the two billion Beli might seem most tempting to ordinary pirates.
But in truth—
it was the least valuable of the four options.
The Magic Eye Pirates were now one of the strongest pirate crews on the sea.
In terms of reputation, they were second only to the Four Emperors.
With the Gran Tesoro, the world's greatest entertainment city, under their control—
their wealth was beyond imagination.
Simply joining the crew was already worth far more than two billion Beli.
And as for a Logia Devil Fruit—
that was not something money could even measure.
A single Logia fruit could easily create a top-tier powerhouse.
As for one request—
its value was even harder to define.
After all, one could simply request five billion, or even ten billion Beli.
If that loophole could really be exploited…
Robin silently made a note of it.
"You have something you want to say?"
Yuuki looked toward Robin.
He had already noticed she seemed to be holding something back.
"Captain."
"A short while ago, I ran into Usopp."
Robin's expression turned serious as she explained her suspicion that someone was planning to cause destruction aboard the Gran Tesoro.
After hearing her out—
Yuuki showed no surprise whatsoever.
Instead, he waved a hand dismissively.
"Ordinary people wouldn't dare stir up trouble on this ship."
"Since they do dare…"
"I'd quite like to know who they are."
"And it would also be a good opportunity to clean out some of the people on this ship who are harboring unnecessary thoughts."
His tone was calm.
Then he turned to Robin.
"Take care of it tonight."
"Tomorrow, come with me to pay a visit to someone."
"I imagine it will be… an unexpected gain for you."
A visit?
Robin's heart jolted.
For Yuuki to use the word visit, this person's status must either be extraordinarily special—
or they must possess terrifying strength.
Could it be one of the Four Emperors?
"Understood, Captain."
She immediately bowed respectfully.
The next morning.
Inside a private restaurant located around the middle floors of the Golden Hotel.
A nearly five-meter-long dining table was laden with an extravagant spread of food.
Large transparent glass windows covered the balcony side, giving everyone a clear view of the sea outside.
The morning sun had only just risen, turning the horizon golden.
The salty sea breeze drifted in through the open windows.
It was remarkably comfortable.
Robin stood by the window, arms folded beneath her chest, half leaning against the wall as she looked toward the restaurant doors.
"Am I the first one here?"
She didn't have to wait long.
Two sets of footsteps soon sounded.
The doors opened.
Cabaji, dressed in an elegant white coat and gold-rimmed glasses like a refined nobleman, entered alongside Mohji, whose muscular frame was clad in nothing more than a tank top and suit trousers.
"I thought we'd be the first ones here."
"I didn't expect it to be you, Devil Child Robin."
Cabaji's eyes gleamed with interest.
He had long been curious why this newly joined woman bore the title Devil Child.
Robin met his gaze calmly.
"It's merely a title the Marines gave me."
"There's no special meaning behind it."
"Besides, I'm not really a combatant."
"In terms of strength, I'm much weaker than all of you."
She smiled lightly as she spoke.
"Is that so?"
Cabaji's sharp gaze flicked toward the Magic Eye Cross hanging around her neck.
He gave a noncommittal snort.
He already knew Robin's cross was different from ordinary ones.
It was one imbued with magic power—
just like theirs.
The numbered symbol at its center made that obvious.
At present, both his and Mohji's rankings had already changed.
Cabaji's current guess was:
Robin — Rank 10
Marianne — Rank 9
Cabaji — Rank 8
Mohji — Rank 7
Not a combatant?
Heh.
The captain would never grant a numbered Magic Eye Cross to someone who wasn't expected to fight.
For example—
Buggy's was just an ordinary one.
Cabaji withdrew his gaze and casually took a seat.
As for Mohji, he had no interest in their exchange and had already sat down.
"I don't remember the captain ever having breakfast with us."
"What's with today?"
Mohji asked curiously.
Robin was just about to explain—
when a voice answered from outside.
"Because we have another new crewmate joining."
Marianne entered the room alongside Buggy.
"Looking lively as ever, Marianne."
"And Buggy Boss."
Cabaji greeted them with a grin.
"Wow, this is quite the feast."
"I'm starving! Hahaha!"
Buggy's eyes immediately locked onto the food.
He strode forward and claimed a central seat.
"A new member?"
"Who is it? How strong are they?"
Mohji leaned forward eagerly.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Marianne replied flatly.
After briefly glancing at Robin's seat, she paused—
then deliberately sat down beside her.
Robin's eyes flickered slightly at the subtle positioning.
Still, she merely smiled.
Marianne remained expressionless.
Robin didn't mind.
Through the seating arrangement, she had already noticed that Cabaji, Mohji, and Buggy were closer to one another.
Marianne, on the other hand, maintained a certain distance from the three.
That was only natural.
After all, those three had originally been from the same pirate crew.
Marianne and Robin, by contrast, had both once belonged to Baroque Works.
Not long after—
Yuuki entered the restaurant with Uta, who looked both curious and nervous.
The instant he appeared—
everyone rose to their feet.
"Captain!"
The sudden loud voices made Uta instinctively shrink back.
At the same time, she curiously looked over the people gathered at the table.
So these are Yuuki's crewmates?
Her gaze swept across them—
and accidentally met Robin's smiling eyes.
Her cheeks immediately reddened, and she quickly looked away.
At the same time, everyone else was also observing Uta.
No sense of threat.
Her physique even seemed rather frail.
Compared to a pirate, she looked more like an adorable ordinary girl.
"No need to be so formal."
"This is mainly just to introduce the new member."
Yuuki waved a hand casually and took the main seat.
Uta sat beside him.
Once Yuuki lifted his teacup and took a sip—
everyone else finally began eating.
Buggy, in particular, immediately stuffed a hot dog into his mouth.
The earlier stiffness quickly dissolved into a cheerful atmosphere.
Uta was nervous at first—
but soon found herself swept up in the lively mood.
She even began chatting with the others from time to time.
Her difficulty with social interaction stemmed largely from having spent so many years isolated on Elegia.
By nature, she was actually quite cheerful.
They really seem like wonderful people.
Uta scooped up a spoonful of meat soup and smiled softly.
Once breakfast ended—
Mohji, who had clearly been waiting to say something, suddenly looked at Uta.
"Um…"
"The Magic Eye Cross around your neck…"
At this point, surprise showed in his eyes.
He could sense that the magic contained in Uta's cross was strangely similar to his own.
"Hm?"
"Oh, this?"
"Yuuki gave it to me."
"Ever since I started wearing it, I feel like my stamina's gotten much better."
Uta lifted the cross and answered softly.
Not an ordinary healing cross—
but one imbued with magic?
At those words—
Cabaji, Marianne, and Robin all looked up.
Uta, meanwhile, didn't think much of it.
After all, everyone here wore crosses too.
"May I ask…"
"What number is engraved in the eye at the center?"
Cabaji asked.
"Oh, that?"
"I didn't even notice it had a number."
"It says… six."
The moment she said that—
everyone froze.
Their expressions shifted instantly.
Among the numbered Magic Eye Crosses—
the lower the number, the stronger the person.
And yet—
this seemingly delicate girl, who looked as if she possessed no combat ability whatsoever—
ranked above every one of them.
Mohji's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Robin."
"It's time for us to go."
Yuuki rose to his feet, ignoring the emotional storm that had erupted around the table.
"Yes, Captain."
Robin hurriedly stood and walked to his side.
The next moment—
both of them vanished from the Golden Hotel.
When they reappeared—
they were already hovering above the open sea.
In the distance, an island shrouded in haze emerged into view.
"Where is this?"
Robin asked.
Yuuki smiled lightly.
"The Island of the Future."
(End of Chapter)
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