Under the burning sunlight, Souta Kiryuu—known to the world as the Eastern Dragon—parted ways with Kaido of the Beasts and Big Mom. He left behind three airborne warships, piloting only two as his fleet soared away into the distance.
"Kaido," Big Mom's tone was thick with greed as her massive frame loomed against the clouds. "How about lending me one of those flying warships first?"
Alone now, she watched as King the Conflagration and several Zoan-type fliers took command of the three remaining vessels. She could hardly stop herself from speaking—those ships were worth a fortune.
At present, no formal trade had been completed between her and Souta. His main fleet wasn't even here, so he had no spare ships to barter with.
"Out of my sight, woman!" Kaido barked, his dragon eyes narrowing in fury. "These are my Calamity Warships. Go ask Souta if you want one!"
His refusal came like thunder. He had already decided who would command each ship—Big Mom's greed wasn't about to ruin his plans.
"Hmmph!"
Her cold snort cut through the air. A dark scowl crept across her face, but she forced herself to hold her tongue. There was no sense provoking this brute. The debt she owed for the Azure Dragon fruit wasn't something to waste over a petty squabble.
And besides, she still needed Kaido's strength to help her capture that stubborn old hero—Iron Fist Garp.
Out on the sea below, aboard a single navy warship, Garp stood staring up at the sky. Five flying ships split formation above him; two veered off into the clouds, leaving three to descend toward his position. His expression darkened.
Let's hope Kuzan and Bogart don't run into those monsters, he thought grimly.
The situation aboard his ship had clearly been discovered. The Souta Pirates had split up accordingly, though Garp wasn't sure which of their elite fighters were aboard the departing vessels. He suspected Souta himself was among those leaving.
Was the man looking down on him?
Garp snorted. He didn't even bother to stay and fight?
Still, their aerial presence told him something important—only Souta's forces had come. Kaido's and Big Mom's crews must have stayed behind to clean up the mess elsewhere. Garp didn't believe for a second that either Emperor would abandon their own troops to climb aboard Souta's ships.
But as the airships closed in, his Observation Haki swept through the sky—and his face turned pitch-black.
"Wurorororo! Garp!" A booming roar cracked the heavens as Kaido descended in his dragon form, lightning flashing across his scales. "At last, I can face you head-on!"
"Kaido! Big Mom!" Garp's eyes widened. "Then Souta Kiryuu... he's on those two ships that just left?"
The realization struck him like a hammer. Souta had given three ships to Kaido and Big Mom, keeping only two for himself. Whatever alliance Souta had with Dragon clearly wouldn't help him now.
So this was it. The day he would fall—to not one, but two Yonko.
Death itself doesn't scare me.
After all, Whitebeard had gone before him. So had Saturn, one of the Five Elders. If he joined them in the afterlife, he wouldn't be lonely.
"Ma-ma-ma-ma! Garp, give it up!" Big Mom cackled from her thundercloud Zeus, eyes gleaming with hunger. "You can't escape me!"
Her greedy gaze devoured the sight of the grizzled old hero—still broad-shouldered and fierce. His body put Whitebeard's frail, disease-ridden frame to shame.
Though Garp was four years older than the late Emperor, he looked the younger of the two. Perhaps it was the curse of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—or maybe the raw vitality of the D lineage.
"BOOM!"
Kaido's Daiden Thunder Bagua crashed down from the heavens, colliding head-on with Garp's Fist Bone Impact. The explosion split the sea. Shockwaves rippled outward, whipping the ocean into mountainous waves...
Far away, Souta's fleet had already vanished over the horizon. Barrett and Enel stood at the edge of a ship, clearly irritated.
"Can't believe we missed the chance to gang up on Garp," Barrett grumbled.
"The navy's remnants don't need me anymore," said the Red Count, his tone calm and disdainful. "I'll return first. Have that Seraphim transport me back. Unless it's about Imu or the Five Elders, don't call for me again."
His crimson eyes still burned with arrogance. He was already thinking about his pet—Padon, the shapeshifting tanuki—waiting aboard the flagship Ark Poneglyph.
Redfield intended to push his strength further, to comprehend the primal force that both Imu and Souta had wielded.
Prideful as ever, he wouldn't ask Souta for instruction. He suspected that accepting such knowledge would mean formally joining Souta's crew, as Barrett had.
If he couldn't master it on his own... he'd consider asking later.
"Fine," Souta said simply. He hadn't expected the Red Count to restrain his curiosity. Even Kaido couldn't resist probing about that power.
Truly, Redfield lived up to his title—the Lonely Red. His pride was monumental.
Light swirled around him as the teleportation array activated. Moments later, the Red Count vanished, returning to the main fleet where his tanuki companion awaited.
Barrett turned, his eyes burning with determination. Clearly, he wanted to master that mysterious power too.
"You should focus on perfecting your Conqueror's Haki infusion first," Souta said flatly. "That other power isn't something you can just snatch up."
A cold shower of words.
Barrett's jaw tightened, a low growl in his throat. Did Souta look down on him? Think he wasn't worthy? The insult stung—but it only made him train harder, pushing his Haki and fighting spirit to new limits.
Meanwhile, Enel wilted beside them. If Barrett wasn't qualified, then what chance did a mere Lightning Logia like him have?
Perhaps only monsters like Souta or Isaac could truly grasp that origin-level power.
Moments later, radiant light flickered again as the Seraphim reappeared, bringing Violet, Law, and Perona aboard.
The moment she saw Souta, Perona burst into tears, throwing herself into his arms.
Robin quietly directed Violet to search for Kuzan's whereabouts using her powers, while Law gave a swift, grim report on the situation at Mary Geoise.
When Souta heard that Gecko Moria had fallen in battle, he let out a long breath and said nothing. He simply held Perona closer, offering silent comfort.
At least there was still the Seraphim version of Moria—a small fragment of solace for her grief.
Violet's Dengeki Fruit ability was pushed to its limit. Sweat rolled down her forehead as she scanned the vast sea, but there was no sign of Kuzan's small escape craft.
Souta's fleet had no choice but to move on—to the G9 Fortress and the Adams Kingdom.
Those would fall next. The navy strongholds and the Celestial Dragons' ancient homeland—Souta would take them all.
Beyond that lay the territories once ruled by Whitebeard and Shanks. Souta intended to stake his claim there too.
Enel and the escaped trio from Impel Down were already eager for new territory. What was the point of winning wars if you didn't seize land afterward?
"Gone! They all ran!" a scout shouted as they neared the Adams seas. "The royal family, the nobles—everyone fled! Even the navy from G9 is gone!"
Souta narrowed his eyes.
The war broadcasts by Morgans had scared the entire New World into retreat. The so-called allied nations had scattered like leaves before a storm.
But that only meant one thing.
The World Government's grip on the New World… had all but vanished.
...
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