A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Just as Luffy and his crew were joking around and preparing for tonight's dinner, a small sailboat was sailing towards them from not far away from the Going Merry.

This is a pirate ship. A pirate flag flies on the top of the ship, with three skulls drawn on it. Behind the skulls are four white bone clubs arranged in a '米' (rice) shape.

They are none other than the Blackbeard Pirates!!

At the bow of the ship, a man over three meters tall, with a burly build, abundant body hair, a ferocious and ugly face, and eyes filled with ambition, was staring intently at the wanted poster in his hand.

The wanted poster features a young boy wearing a straw hat, flashing a big smile at the camera. Below it are the words 'DEAD OR ALIVE', 'MONKEY·D·LUFFY', and '100,000,000 Berries'. This is none other than Luffy's bounty poster.

Blackbeard opened his mouth, revealing few teeth left, and let out a raucous laugh: "Hehehehehe!!!"

"Are you on that island up ahead, Straw Hat Luffy?!"

"I'll use you as a stepping stone for me to become a Shichibukai!!!"

Chapter 904 Teacher Gildarts! Please teach me the true meaning of the fragmented!

Pirates who can enter the New World are all formidable characters who have experienced risks and been tested in the first half of the 'Paradise'. Their strength is enough to make them stand alone. A bounty of over 100 million is the basic threshold. Don't even think about anything below that price.

These pirates, whose bounties exceed 100 million each year, are flooded into the New World and are known as the 'Supernovas'.

Even such beings face immense challenges in the New World; a single misstep could lead to their demise at sea, with no chance of a second chance.

Even the Supernovas are like this, not to mention the rest. They basically only have two ways to live: join the Four Emperors, or wait to be defeated by them.

Three years ago, the most famous supernova at the time set sail into the New World, challenged Whitebeard but failed, and eventually became a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. He was "Fire Fist" Ace.

Portgas D. Ace!

Let's rewind to a few days ago...

Ace stood at the bow of the ship, hands on his hips, gazing at the towering red earth continent in the distance. He had experienced this scene three years ago, but now things had changed, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.

Looking back, I was once a spirited, domineering, and lovable young man!

"You get down from the bow of the ship right now!!"

Bucky's upper body emerged from behind Ace, then he grabbed him and yanked him off the bow of the ship. "Get this straight, this is my ship! You bastard!!"

"I'll just stand here for a bit, what's the big deal?!"

"Stop talking nonsense! Get down here! The bow is the captain's seat, don't you even understand that?!"

Thump! Loom! Clang! Clang! ...

The intense and exciting struggle left both of them sweating profusely.

'Damn it! The way this guy stood at the bow just now was exactly like Captain Roger! This guy is definitely the captain's son!!!'

'Should I take this opportunity to contact Shanks in the New World... Damn it!! Seriously, if it weren't related to the captain, I wouldn't want to go looking for that bastard!! But even Shanks might not know anything about this guy, right? If only I knew where the first mate was, he'd definitely know more about this!'

There are very few people in the world whom Bucky truly admires, and Captain Roger was one of them. Therefore, Bucky always pays special attention to anything related to Roger.

"Hey, Bucky! Training's about to begin today!"

"They're here!!"

Bucky has been amazed ever since he witnessed Gildarts shatter magic a few days ago.

As a big shot who has lived on Roger's pirate crew since childhood, Buggy is naturally familiar with the concept of 'Devil Fruit awakening'. He knew long ago that the appearance of different types of Devil Fruits after awakening is different: Paramecia types can affect external objects, Zoan types can transform, and Logia types can permanently change the climate of a place.

Based on this pattern, the Paramecia-type Chop-Chop Fruit he ate should have been able to split external objects after awakening, which is the same power Gildarts possesses.

However, there are very few people in this world who can awaken their Devil Fruit abilities. Almost every one of them is a top-tier powerhouse, at least at the level of a Shichibukai or a Yonko's vice commander. It's simply not something he can do. So, over time, Buggy's desire to awaken his Devil Fruit faded.

Moreover, he didn't really like this Devil Fruit ability!

It was because of this Devil Fruit that he went from being the best swimmer on Roger's pirate ship to a landlubber who couldn't swim, and he also permanently lost the opportunity to obtain the great treasure buried at the bottom of the sea!

However, times have changed, and the New World is now in turmoil. This is a golden opportunity for pirates to take advantage of the chaos, snatch food from the jaws of death, and seize the treasures accumulated by the Four Emperors' crews over the decades. How could Captain Buggy possibly miss this chance?!

Not to mention, there's also Captain John there, the shortcut to John's Treasure!

So, with encouragement from various parties, Buggy decided to train with Gildarts for a few days to see if he could learn a way to awaken a Devil Fruit from Gildarts's shattering magic.

……

"Crush!!"

With a low shout, the abundant magic power exploded in the air as a dazzling white light, cutting Bucky into dozens of pieces. Bucky, now cut into chunks, lost his support and was about to fall to the ground, but as soon as he swayed, he was controlled by his mind to reassemble himself perfectly, without leaving any gaps.

"How's it going? Bucky, are you feeling it?" Gildarts asked, looking at Bucky who was closing his eyes and seemingly savoring the moment.

"No, I didn't feel anything!!"

Buggy first shook his head regretfully, then sighed and sat down on the ground dejectedly. "I knew it. There are so many people in this world who use Devil Fruits, how could I be the lucky one?"

If Kira were here, he would definitely yell at Bucky for being even more skilled at Versailles than him, because Bucky is already the luckiest person on this ocean.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Bucky!"

Gildas laughed heartily and comforted him, "Haven't you heard the old saying? People who laugh often have good luck, and those who always make others laugh have even better luck!"

"you……"

Bucky's eyes widened, then he roared angrily, "Whose nose are you calling laughable?!"

Gildas: "..."

This guy is younger than me, right? And he's already this hard of hearing? Did he use his "Shatter into Pieces" ability too much and damage his eardrums? So pitiful…

Buggy has been training his Devil Fruit abilities for an hour every day for five days now, but he still shows no signs of making a breakthrough. He's like a stagnant pool, isolated from the world, unable to be disturbed by any external disturbances.

After training comes mealtime; a hearty lunch can replenish the energy consumed while training with Devil Fruits.

Before Gildarts and Ace arrived, Buggy's pirate crew basically spent their days eating, drinking, and playing around, rarely training. But from that day on, everyone started to compete fiercely.

With Buggy leading the way, the crew members on the ship, such as Alvida, Cabaji, and Mochi, also began to train in Devil Fruits, swordsmanship, and physical fitness, which was quite unusual. Even Ace, who was a guest, started to try to build up his flames to a higher temperature because of Gildarts' previous teachings.

However, Gildas knew that this involution was unlikely to last long, because everyone on the ship was following Bucky's example, so if Bucky couldn't hold on, the others would naturally give up soon as well.

Thinking of this, Gildarts suddenly became, for once, eager to teach: 'The last time I taught someone like this was when I was teaching Kira… no, I should say Natsu, right?'

"Listen, Bucky!"

"Huh?? What's wrong??"

While eating, Gildarts spoke of what he had observed from the perspective of an S-class mage: "After observing for the past few days, I've discovered that the magic I use and the Devil Fruit abilities you use are actually quite similar in some ways! I'm not just referring to the abilities 'Crush' and 'Tear Apart,' but to all magic and all... uh... and the Devil Fruit abilities of the three of you. I'm not sure about other Devil Fruit users yet, but I imagine they should be similar!"

"The most crucial point is that developing Devil Fruit abilities is very similar to developing magic. It mainly relies on belief. The stronger the belief, the stronger the user! Of course, magic is closer to emotions, while Devil Fruit abilities are more in line with imagination!"

The air suddenly fell silent.

Bucky blinked, revealing a clear-eyed stupidity.

Gildas could tell from his expression that he hadn't understood, so he rephrased it, saying succinctly, "Simply put, the stronger a mage's emotions, the stronger their magic; the richer a power user's imagination, the stronger their power!"

"So as long as you follow the concept of 'fragmentation' and unleash your imagination to the fullest, your strength will improve by leaps and bounds!"

The development of Devil Fruits relies on wild imagination?

This is the first time I've ever heard of this theory...

“But… how can I develop it when it’s shattered into pieces? Even with decades of experience navigating the seas, I’ve only been able to utilize the Devil Fruit’s power to this extent all these years! I have thought about releasing the ‘split’ ability outwards like you, but I’ve never succeeded…”

Buggy ate and chatted casually, seemingly not particularly concerned about whether he could further develop his Devil Fruit; he practically had the word "give up" written all over his face.

"Well... I see that you can recover no matter how small you split into. So if you were to be divided into something smaller than a grain of sand, even invisible to the naked eye, wouldn't you be similar to Ace and the others' Logia-type users?"

Buggy shook his head: "No, no... I've thought about that before, but I found that even if it splits to that extent, it can't be used for attacking, and it doesn't improve defense much either! Besides, using a Devil Fruit consumes stamina, and the more detailed the split, the faster the stamina will be consumed."

There are two types of Paramecia-type ability users: one is those who gain superpowers, and the other is those who become superhuman.

The former is flashy and has a high floor, but consumes a lot of stamina. Moreover, when defeated, the Devil Fruit ability will fade. Law is like this. He becomes weak as soon as he uses his ability and it feels like he can fight for three days and three nights.

The latter is unassuming and has a low minimum combat power, but it consumes almost no physical strength. Bucky is this type. His splitting ability is almost passive, and he can remain unharmed even if he is cut into pieces without knowing it.

Even so, the stamina consumed by a simple split and an extreme split are still different, and Bucky is not a strong person, so he certainly wouldn't waste a lot of stamina on a useless 'detailed split' during a battle.

Gildas thought for a moment, then offered up the various spells he knew as a reference: "I know a disintegration spell that can break someone down into many smaller people, each with its own independent consciousness, but their attack power will be greatly reduced..."

Bucky frowned: "That's an ability that can be released externally..."

"Then try using it on yourself! If you split yourself into many parts, like a clone technique, wouldn't it be like having several of you ganging up on others in battle?"

"But you just said that would reduce attack power, right?"

"You have offensive capabilities?"

"...Never mind what I said."

Seeing that the other party had listened, Gildas nodded in satisfaction and continued eating.

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Eileen's figure in the newspaper beside him, and a bold idea popped into his mind: "Hey Bucky! Why don't you try separating things like 'concepts'?"

"...Huh??"

Chapter 905 Gildarts: The Celestial Dragons you mentioned... are they the descendants of dragons and humans?

In the world of One Piece, trees are very peculiar things.

The Tree of Knowledge, once located in Ohara, was a hollow library containing the knowledge of the entire world, but unfortunately it was destroyed in the Buster Call 20 years ago;

Adam Tree, which is believed to be located in Elbaf, the village of giants, grows extremely tall and straight. Ships made from its branches are very sturdy. The ship of the Pirate King Roger, as well as the Sunny, which Luffy and others sailed in the original work, were made from Adam Tree branches.

The Sun Tree Eve has roots that extend 10,000 meters below the sea surface. Its canopy can carry sunlight from the sea surface to the seabed intact, and the light on Mermaid Island comes from this tree.

The Valkyman mangroves that make up the entire Sabaody Archipelago are similar to subordinates of the Sun Tree Eve, possessing similar abilities. When they breathe, they secrete special natural resins that expand into bubbles when exposed to air. These bubbles disappear once they leave the Valkyman mangrove's range, thus creating the unique bubble culture of the Sabaody Archipelago.

The Sabaody Archipelago consists of 79 trees, each of which has been numbered by the locals. Towns and various facilities have been built on these trees, with the numbers increasing clockwise from the center northwards, corresponding to the lawless zone, bubble park, tourist area, shipyard, naval base, and hotel district.

Bucky and his group were heading to the New World, but they couldn't travel through the Calm Belt, so it was essential for them to come to the Sabaody Archipelago to have their ships coated. The place where they landed on the island was number 53, which was the location with the most shipyards on the island.

"I heard you, Gildas!"

Before even setting foot on the island, Buggy began giving Gildarts a barrage of warnings: "Since you've just arrived in this world, you probably don't know that Sabaody Archipelago is the end of the first half of the Grand Line and the starting point for the New World. All pirates wanting to enter the New World have to pass through here. Plus, coating the ship takes at least three days, so those pirates stay here for several days. This makes Sabaody Archipelago an extremely chaotic and mixed-race place. Even the most bustling areas on the island probably only have a safety rating of 1 to 2 out of 3..."

Gildarts stroked his chin, his eyes flashing, and smiled faintly: "A pirate from the four seas, tempered by the first half of the Great Sea? Sounds quite interesting..."

Holy crap! What's wrong with this guy's eyes?! They're practically screaming 'I'm looking for trouble'!