A few days later, as the news of a Celestial Dragon's death spread like wildfire across the seas, Souta Kiryuu's bounty poster was updated.
His bounty had doubled overnight—from 500 million berries to a staggering 1 billion.
The terrifying speed and scale of this increase surpassed even that of the young Yonko in their rise to fame.
Still, many seasoned pirates scoffed at the news. They believed Souta's strength didn't truly warrant such a number; he had simply committed the outrageous act of killing a Celestial Dragon.
Because of this, bounty hunters all over the seas grew restless. They saw him as an easy mark—a man whose bounty didn't match his power.
Some infamous pirates, too, were eager to cut him down, hoping that killing Souta Kiryuu would make their names echo across the world.
At the same time, a wave of lunatics and thrill-seekers longed to join the Kiryuu Pirates, desperate to throw themselves into chaos under his banner. They craved danger, excitement, and the thrill of defying the World Government and striking at the Celestial Dragons.
Whispers spread that Souta, alongside the Tyrant Bartholomew Kuma, wielded abilities too terrifying to ignore.
The Dragon-Dragon Fruit paired with Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit—an insane combination perfect for killing, plundering, and vanishing without a trace.
Together, they could unleash havoc across the seas, unafraid of government or navy pursuit. It was reminiscent of the Flying Pirate Fleet of Golden Lion Shiki in his prime.
Sky Island, Apayado – The New Laboratory
Inside a newly built laboratory on Apayado, Souta Kiryuu stood before a row of incubation pods. Inside floated several cloned bodies of Dr. Vegapunk—four in total, three of which were women.
"You old dog… do you have a particular preference?" Souta remarked casually, his eyes narrowing.
Beside Vegapunk stood two robotic clones—Edison, the embodiment of Thought, and Pythagoras, the embodiment of Wisdom.
"They were once geniuses who sacrificed themselves for science. I intend to let them live again… in another way," Vegapunk said, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes.
At this point, his enormous super-brain had been surgically removed by Trafalgar Law's Ope-Ope Fruit. Using his own medical and scientific knowledge, Vegapunk had constructed a colossal Punk Records atop the massive beanstalk of Apayado.
Now, his apple-shaped antenna connected his head directly to that living databank.
"These Pacifistas should be combat-ready in just over a year, right?" Souta asked, his gaze falling on the first batch of cloned embryos modeled after Bartholomew Kuma.
Vegapunk's technology far surpassed Judge Vinsmoke's Jerma science.
While Jerma's clone soldiers required five years per batch, Vegapunk's Pacifistas needed just over a single year.
"The Buccaneer lineage is incredibly powerful. Eighteen months is more than enough," Vegapunk replied with excitement. "By then, we'll have an army of soldiers strong enough to preserve peace in this world. The name 'Pacifista' comes from Kuma's dream, after all."
"The Seraphim Project must also begin soon. I'll secure more Paramecia bloodlines for you to experiment with," Souta said with focused determination. His plans were expanding—wider, more ambitious than ever before.
"I'll design specialized incubation pods for the Seraphim," Vegapunk nodded. "Also, about your request for artificial Zoan Fruits… do you want me to build a new large-scale Lineage Factor extractor, or should we salvage the equipment on Punk Hazard? That way, we'll save time and funding."
Vegapunk's interest was piqued. He hadn't considered the idea of growing artificial Devil Fruits using the Tontatta dwarves—the so-called Green Managers.
"Give me a few days. I'll go to Punk Hazard myself and retrieve the equipment," Souta decided. If they could save time, better to use the existing devices. With them, he could extract Lineage Factors from regular animals and begin cultivating Zoan Fruits immediately.
Besides, Souta wanted to return to Punk Hazard for another reason: to absorb the island's deadly gas and further strengthen his own toxic bloodline powers.
Most importantly, he wouldn't leave the equipment for Caesar Clown or Doflamingo to exploit for their SMILE fruits. Souta fully intended to kill Caesar eventually.
"Good. One more thing—there's a massive serpent on Apayado. The locals call it the 'Sky Lord.' Capture it with Kuma when you have the time. I want to study it and see if we can fully control sea beast weapons."
Edison and Pythagoras were already recording Vegapunk's ideas at lightning speed.
"Fine," Souta replied with a casual shrug. "Just a snake."
"Oh, and that Munch-Munch Fruit user is remarkable. He really can synthesize shape-memory alloy! We've struck gold. Just selling this alloy could make us richer than the Golden Emperor himself. I'm also considering designing battle armors like Judge Vinsmoke's Raid Suits."
Vegapunk was practically giddy, planning to use the alloy for future Seraphim and enhance production by cultivating another Munch-Munch Fruit user.
"You might want to experiment with alloys beyond just memory metal," Souta said with a thin smile. Capturing Wapol had been a wise decision—his value would skyrocket in time, potentially rivaling the wealth generated by Tezoro's Grand Entertainment Ship.
Construction of the Ark Maxim
After hours of exchanging ideas, Souta finally left the laboratory, satisfied.
His next stop was the construction site of the Ark Maxim.
The project was now overseen by Dr. Wolff, a genius inventor with expertise not only in submarines but also in aeronautics.
At Souta's suggestion, Wolff had begun upgrading the golden ship with more advanced systems: an array of Jet Dials for emergency acceleration, and even compressed-air propulsion devices similar to the Impact Cannon.
"Captain Kiryuu! Give me one more month and I promise this golden ship will be complete!" Wolff said, eyes gleaming with excitement. He had already mastered the Ark Maxim's blueprints.
The vessel was clearly designed to be powered by the Goro Goro no Mi. But it didn't necessarily need Enel's lightning. Souta's own draconic lightning powers could serve as its engine.
And when Souta and Vegapunk perfected a new energy source, the ship could be mass-produced as a fleet of airborne warships.
"Good. I want this golden ship to be flawless," Souta said with a grin. Having such brilliant subordinates meant he could lead as a true commander rather than a laborer.
Compared to his crew of specialists, those so-called elite pirate crews were laughable. They might have strength, but they lacked the infrastructure to build lasting power.
To Souta Kiryuu, elite pirate crews had a ceiling—they could chase dreams, pursue absolute freedom, or plunder without restraint… but they could never shake the foundations of the World Government.
Their ambitions were not his. His vision stretched further.