On the training grounds of the Sky Island.
Souta Kiryuu and Boa Hancock stood side by side, watching as the three Paths of Souta trained alongside Seraphim Kuma.
At that moment, the Deva Path, gifted with the power of the Gravity Fruit, and the Human Path, wielding the ability of the Float-Float Fruit, were both hovering high in the air.
"Souta-sama, do you think the Human Path's Float-Float Fruit ability could really lift the entire island of Amazon Lily?" Hancock asked, a trace of concern in her eyes. She worried that this artificial ability was inferior to the original power once wielded by the Golden Lion, Shiki.
"Trust them. Trust in Vegapunk's research. Their potential is immense," Souta replied calmly, watching with satisfaction as the Seraphim displayed remarkable combat strength after only two days of life.
"And when do you think we'll be able to move Amazon Lily? I don't want to keep hiding behind a mask anymore," Hancock continued. She longed to fight openly for Souta, just as Moria did, without shame or concealment.
"Don't worry, it won't be long. If you're that concerned, we can start by bringing some of your people from Amazon Lily here to Sky Island," Souta reassured her, gently brushing his hand through her silken hair. With the combined bloodlines of the Lunarians and Souta's own dragon heritage, these Seraphim were destined to grow strong in a very short span of time.
The Arlong Pirates also gathered to watch the four Seraphim train. Their powers and sheer fighting prowess left Bonney, Lafitte, and the others utterly stunned.
It felt as though these experimental beings had already surpassed them.
The pressure was immense.
Even the usually lazy Moria couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency in his chest as he watched the Seraphim's overwhelming might. His standing within the crew seemed to sink lower and lower. He no longer even had the courage to shout about seeking revenge against Kaido's Beasts Pirates.
These Seraphim could easily replace him.
No wonder Souta showed so little concern about whether Crocodile surrendered or not—compared to the Seraphim, the desert warlord's strength hardly mattered.
"The Gravity Fruit and the Float-Float Fruit… both are top-class Paramecia abilities," Lafitte muttered, his voice tinged with envy. Capone Bege, standing beside him, nodded in reluctant agreement. Compared to these Seraphim, their own Devil Fruits suddenly felt weak and unimpressive.
"Heavens! Please, let old Vegapunk discover the secret to wielding multiple Fruits. I want another ability too!" Bonney shouted longingly as she stared up at the soaring Deva and Human Paths. Her Aging Fruit alone no longer satisfied her ambitions.
Just moments ago, she had sparred with Seraphim Kuma—yet she, a feared pirate, had been utterly defeated by this living weapon born only two days ago.
The loss stung deeply.
Was she really that weak?
As more Pacifista models of Kuma reached maturity, Bonney realized with despair that even these downgraded clones were too much for her. Their terrifying physical strength, unyielding defenses, and devastating laser beams forced her to flee in humiliation again and again.
"Even a Pacifista Kuma can handle Supernovas worth less than three hundred million berries. But this Seraphim Kuma… he could easily take on pirates worth over five hundred million!" Bege exclaimed, astonished.
The realization sent a chill through all of them. From now on, the Arlong Pirates needed nothing more than Pacifistas and Seraphim to represent their strength.
Luckily, both the Pacifistas and Seraphim lacked real intelligence. They existed only to follow orders. Otherwise, the rest of the crew would truly be obsolete.
At Souta's command, the crew members stepped in to spar with the newborn Seraphim, helping them adapt and grow faster. At the same time, it served as valuable training for the pirates themselves.
Though their fighting styles were still clumsy, the Lunarian bloodline granted the Seraphim unparalleled defense. None of the crew could hope to break through their resilience so easily.
···
A week passed quickly.
From the front lines of the New World, Kuma and Violet finally sent word back to Souta. Another CP fleet had departed from the Red Line, bound for the middle of the New World.
Onboard were powerful slaves taken from Mary Geoise—this time designated as R-Rank "Escape Rabbits."
According to the brutal rules of the so-called "Native Extermination Games," Mary Geoise would send a dozen SR-Rank Escape Rabbits, each worth ten thousand points.
As for the R-Rank slaves, there were one hundred and fifty in total, each valued at one thousand points.
Years ago, Bartholomew Kuma himself, as the last survivor of the Buccaneer race, had once been classified as an SR-Rank Escape Rabbit.
Meanwhile, the Common Escape Rabbits were the ten thousand natives seized by CP agents from the targeted island. These were valued at one hundred points each, their lives reduced to disposable prey.
Two hundred Celestial Dragons would take part in each of these "games." Even members of the Holy Knights could join, representing their family bloodlines in this grotesque competition for spoils.
The hunt lasted three weeks.
Whichever Celestial Dragon amassed the highest points would not only earn glory among the nineteen great families, but also gain first pick of the rewards, and perhaps even claim the title of Celestial Dragon King.
To drive the Escape Rabbits into greater desperation—to make the hunt more exciting—CP agents had lied to them. They were told that if they survived all three weeks, they would win their freedom.
But that was a cruel deception.
Even if the Dragons failed to exterminate all their prey, every intelligent lifeform on that island would be wiped out afterward, ensuring no witness survived to expose the atrocity.
And when the slaughter was complete, the island itself would be remade into a private paradise for the Celestial Dragons.
···
The moment Souta received Kuma's report, he didn't hesitate. His body surged into its draconic form, and he launched himself from Sky Island, soaring toward the New World to rendezvous with Kuma and Violet.
This time, he would uncover the location of the "game" island. Once he knew its position, he could orchestrate his grand plan—a devastating surprise for the Celestial Dragons.
A war greater than God Valley itself was about to begin.
Kuma and Violet continued their surveillance, carefully shadowing the World Government fleet to ensure it wasn't lost. Souta, using Kuma's vivre card as his guide, flew at breakneck speed in their direction.
The fleet was cautious, bristling with lookouts and even empowered specialists to prevent pursuit. But Violet, using her far-seeing ability from over a hundred kilometers away, tracked them effortlessly, undetected.
After more than three days of relentless flight, Souta finally crossed from the Grand Line into the New World, reuniting with Kuma and Violet. Together, they cloaked themselves in transparency and pressed on in pursuit of the CP fleet.
On the fourth day, the fleet's destination finally came into view: a lush spring island, marked by two towering peaks—one gleaming white, the other obsidian black.
With her superhuman vision, Violet gazed upon the island's landscape.
"Souta-sama, that white mountain—it looks like an entire mountain of silver. And the black one… it seems to be solid obsidian metal!" she exclaimed in awe. Silver might not match gold in value, but such a mountain was still a fortune beyond measure. The obsidian metal, too, was rare and prized.
"Ehh-heh-heh-heh! None of that matters. What matters is—we've found them," Souta murmured, his body trembling with suppressed excitement.
He did not advance any closer. The island was encircled by a massive ring of World Government warships. To recklessly intrude now would only alert the Celestial Dragons, risking the cancellation of their twisted "game."
And that, Souta could not allow.