Magic Research

"Flesh Magic: Savage Growth!"

On the golden beach, a number of stunned animals lay scattered in the scorching sand.

Lowett wore a black, stylish, long swallowtail coat, with the top two buttons of his inner shirt casually undone, exuding youthful vitality while maintaining a sense of composure.

The Black Knight stood by, holding his master's staff in both hands, watching as Lowett pointed his middle and index fingers at a target animal, slowly drawing a trail of stardust in the air.

Scarlet blood was drawn from the neck of another giant wild boar, over three meters tall. It then dissipated into a mist, enveloping another beast resembling a gorilla.

"Roar!!"

Stimulated by something unknown, the gorilla's eyes snapped open, roaring in anger. But soon, this anger turned into terrified wails. Its eyes were filled with fear, and fleshy buds sprouted from the fur of its muscular body, writhing and flailing in the air.

Crack...

Crack! Crack!

Flesh grew wildly, and countless fleshy tendrils spread from all over its body, re-enveloping it entirely, causing its muscles to rapidly swell and its size to more than double.

With a light flick of his wrist, the wild boar's head was crushed, and it was sent flying like a cannonball.

The increase in muscle mass had caused its strength to more than double as well!

Feeling this power, it immediately turned its head to glare angrily at Lowett and stomped its foot forward.

Puff... Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

Bone Magic: Bone Spear

"The emotional changes of beasts are truly simple; they become arrogant when successful."

Without even glancing at the gorilla, whose heart and head were pierced by bone spears, Lowett's gaze returned to another animal.

"Warm-up complete, now then..."

"Crimson: Soul Devour: Corpse Explosion: Phantom!"

Buzz!!

Terrifying mana fluctuations pushed away the yellow sand beneath his feet in visible ripples. An invisible, oppressive aura spread, enveloping everything and rustling the ends of his hair.

Seeing this, the Black Knight decisively retreated, creating distance.

He couldn't withstand a Two-Star destructive spell at the moment.

In the air, in places invisible to ordinary people, spell patterns appeared before Lowett's eyes.

Thousands of patterns, densely intertwined, formed four roughly distinguishable spell circuits. They were like four integrated circuits composed of countless electronic components, assembled together.

With a thought from Lowett, patterns detached from the entire structure, causing it to near collapse. But soon, other patterns reattached, filling and solidifying it.

His brain operated at maximum capacity during this process, causing cold sweat to stream down Lowett's forehead.

Within such a complex structure, every change in a pattern could produce tens of thousands of possibilities. Each change had only a few hundred possibilities that could harmonize with other spells. When all four spells changed, there were only one or two possibilities that could harmonize with all of them.

If he hadn't deduced it in his Soul Sea beforehand, he wouldn't have been able to sustain it in his current state.

Feeling the stinging sensation in his temples, Lowett knew his limits.

"Two-Star isn't the limit, but my current processing speed only supports Two-Star spell modifications. Anything more would truly be risking my life."

By common sense, Two-Star spell modification was generally only achievable by formal mages. Elementary Mages could only learn and use them; those who could independently modify One-Star spells were considered geniuses.

This division was not only related to knowledge but, more importantly, to soul processing speed. If the hardware wasn't up to par, even the best software was useless.

Like when Lowett, as a Mage Apprentice, created the One-Star spell Crimson Fury, it was hailed as a miracle by everyone!

Thinking of this, the structure, after being reassembled, was shrunk into a rune imprint emitting a faint glow. The complex and vast patterns were compressed by the spell's effects. Ordinary people would feel dizzy just by looking at it; specific methods were required for interpretation.

It was impossible to recalculize every time one cast a spell. Besides being used to teach students, the rune imprint's more important purpose was to facilitate spellcasting for mages.

Memorizing it in his mind, Lowett's eyes suddenly widened, and surging mana fluctuations surged towards the awakened beast group.

"Combination Magic: Chain Corpse Explosion: MK-II!"

Gurgle!

A giant python couldn't escape in time. Its scales were instantly torn apart by bulging flesh masses, followed by a "boom," and its flesh stained the yellow sand.

However, this was not the end.

Boom! Boom boom!

Dozens of beasts around them followed suit, exploding like inflated balloons, emitting resounding noises.

Through the lingering smoke, one could see that after their explosions, transparent souls, quite similar to them, flew wildly in the center of the explosions, then quickly found new bodies, triggering the next explosion.

When the commotion subsided, this section of the beach had completely changed.

Rumble!

Surging tides continuously poured into the crater, wetting their pant legs.

In the center of the beach, a crater hundreds of meters in diameter had appeared, significantly lower than the sea level.

The Black Knight decisively flashed behind Lowett and, in a princess carry, lifted his master away, returning to the warship.

"Caw! Caw!"

The Red-eyed Raven, with eyes as clear and transparent as agate, flapped its wings and landed. Lowett extended a finger to receive it, placing it on his shoulder.

"Not bad."

Turning back, Lowett smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the commotion he had created.

The vitality scattered in the air had not decreased; instead, it had increased, proving that the subsequent Combination Magic Chain Corpse Explosion had not only failed to plunder the vitality of the wild boars dispersed in the air but had also blasted out the vitality of other animals, forming a chain reaction.

For the past few days, Lowett had been contemplating how to effectively counter Logia-type abilities. The Blood Cone Technique was too weak after all; even if Brute Force were upgraded to Three Stars, its destructive power would still be limited.

To deal with a Logia-type like Smoker, Lowett lacked not only vitality but also sufficiently powerful spells!

Now, he had finally found the trick: using the target's own vitality, combined with his spiritual power, to form a new type of spell that could counter the Elementalization of Logia-types.

Combination Magic Chain Corpse Explosion - Modified was not the end, merely an attempt.

It proved that his idea was feasible and held potential.

If he continued to develop it, he might be able to form an entirely new school of Necromancy.

"By then..."

Lowett eagerly anticipated the expressions of those Logia-type powerhouses who were accustomed to bullying others with wide-area attacks, when they themselves were bullied by his wide-area attacks.

"Roar!"

At this moment, a tall figure appeared behind Lowett, casting a large shadow.

The newcomer was muscular and robust. A single finger of his was as thick as an ordinary person's palm. His height of five meters made him stand like a door, exuding an aura that discouraged provocation.

He was also a Black Knight.

Black Knight Two, fused from the corpses of Arlong and other Fishmen.

If the Black Knight made from Kuro's corpse was Lowett's loyal butler, then Two was Lowett's personal bodyguard.

Just by standing there motionless, he made it difficult for ordinary people to muster the courage to attack Lowett.

"The sea area near Reverse Mountain has been cleared? These guys are faster than I imagined."

Lowett glanced at him in surprise.

It had only been five days since he released the news, and someone had already cleared a sea area?

"Roar!"

Two continued his report, making Lowett suddenly understand.

"Since ancient times, wealth has moved people. I never expected that a piece of nonsense would be the most effective."

"Gold Thief" Unan!

A legendary name in the East Blue, who had become famous decades before Roger.

One could tell from the legends he created: one-third of the world's gold belonged to him, and he was renowned even in the New World.

He was the "Gold Emperor" of the era before last!

After his disappearance, to find that gold, a force of treasure hunters had been roaming the East Blue ever since, demonstrating his influence.

Treasure hunting was also one of a Pirate's pleasures.

Lowett knew of such a person, so he casually added that last sentence. Unexpectedly, it was an unintentional success, turning ambitious individuals into the main force searching for Zango.

"But no matter what, the result is good."

Looking at the boundless sea, Lowett's lips curled up.

"The East Blue is vast. Even if one person deliberately tries to hide, the Navy can't do anything about it... like myself."

"But if you are lost in a sea of people, you will be found no matter where you hide."

This was the charm of money!

"Has Momonga been dispatched?"

He continued to ask.

Two shook his head and let out a low growl.

"Tsk, old thief!"

To be old and not die is to be a thief.

Lowett pouted, very displeased.

Momonga had guessed correctly; this was Lowett's plan to kill two birds with one stone.

First, it was to beat the grass and startle the snake, forcing Zango out of his hiding place; second, it was to scheme against Momonga. As soon as he left Loguetown, Lowett would slip away to the Grand Line.

Lowett understood the pros and cons of being trapped in the East Blue better than Momonga.

The weather has turned cold recently. Friends, remember to wear more clothes. Don't be like Da Shu. Last night, it was windy and rainy, and I slept on a cool mat. As a result, my nose is blocked today, and I feel uncomfortable.