On Sky Island, within the training grounds, Bartholomew Kuma was drilling several figures in the use of both Armament and Observation Haki—Trafalgar Law, Bepo, Capone Bege, Lafitte, Leo, Sentomaru, and Wyper among them.
Despite his massive frame and intimidating presence, Kuma was an effective teacher. Even Sabo of the Revolutionary Army had once been guided by him.
Souta Kiryuu's eyes swept across the field and caught sight of a small girl training with determination.
She was a nine-year-old warrior of the Shandia tribe, named Aisa. From birth, she had been gifted with the "Mantra," known across the seas as Observation Haki. Not only that, but her ability was of exceptionally high level.
A child like her could only be called a prodigy.
Recently, she had become close friends with the eight-year-old Bonney, often spending her days playing alongside Bonney and Princess Conis. But now, here she was on the training field.
It turned out that this self-proclaimed Shandia warrior girl could barely withstand a few moves against Bonney. Though a year older, Aisa found herself struggling. The gap stung at her pride.
If she couldn't even surpass Bonney—who was often unwell—how could she call herself a warrior?
Kuma, too, paid close attention to her. He hoped to nurture the girl's talent and build a bond between her and Bonney, so that the two could grow stronger side by side.
"Law, Lafitte—how are things progressing on Jaya Island?" Souta asked as he stepped into the grounds, casually lifting a massive dumbbell weighing several tons while he spoke.
"We've already brought most of the pirate crews under control. Those who resisted were either eliminated or driven away," Lafitte replied quickly, seizing the chance to step away from Kuma's harsh drills. Grueling training was not his preference; his strengths lay in strategy and the use of his Devil Fruit powers.
"Pekin and Shakky are holding down Mock Town with the Heart Pirates, so things should remain stable for now. And… we've dealt with Doflamingo's subordinates. The one with the Spring-Spring Fruit has already been handed over to Dr. Vegapunk for study," Law reported between heavy breaths, pausing from the high-intensity training.
The memory of cutting down the hyena Bellamy, worth a bounty of 55 million, still filled him with satisfaction. It was his first real strike against the Donquixote Family's affiliated forces. With Souta Kiryuu and Kuma backing him, his confidence had grown immensely.
"Good. Sooner or later we'll deal with Doflamingo directly," Souta said indifferently. "If he dares to cause trouble, I'll destroy his nest in Dressrosa myself."
He was already planning to visit Punk Hazard soon to retrieve experimental equipment—and while there, he intended to bring back some of the diminutive Tontatta people from Green Bit.
If their elder, Gancho, agreed, Souta even considered relocating their entire tribe to Sky Island. And if the chance arose, he wouldn't mind tricking that maid Baby 5 into joining him as well.
"Thank you, Boss Kiryuu!" Law said with a faint smile before plunging back into the brutal training. Even with Souta behind him, he wanted the strength to one day stand against Doflamingo on his own—and avenge Corazon with his own hands.
The Navy in Turmoil
Out at sea, the World Government and Marine Headquarters still had no clue where Souta Kiryuu had gone. A suffocating heaviness weighed over them.
Even Vice Admiral Garp—the carefree "Hero of the Marines"—had grown quieter, his booming laughter scarce within Marineford. He feared his own laughter might slip out at the wrong moment, so he'd conveniently taken leave, returning to the East Blue.
After all, a Celestial Dragon—Saint Charlmaque, the very one who had supposedly killed Sabo—was dead. Garp decided it was the perfect excuse to head back to Foosha Village, give his grandson a beating or two, and share in his personal joy.
Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral's office, the atmosphere was grim.
"Tell me… how do we capture Souta Kiryuu?" Sengoku the Buddha asked wearily. He looked drained, the stress of the past few days nearly breaking him. The pressure from both the World Government and the Celestial Dragons was so immense that it almost cost him his position as Fleet Admiral.
Silence filled the room. No one spoke.
It wasn't just that they couldn't catch Souta—they didn't even know where he was.
"Currently, Kiryuu's forces include Bartholomew Kuma and Mafia boss Capone Bege," Akainu Sakazuki said coldly, breaking the silence. "And not long ago, every CP agent embedded within the Mafia was wiped out. I propose we annihilate the West Blue Mafia entirely. Let the world understand the cost of dealing with Souta Kiryuu.
If the World Government permits it, I also recommend using a Buster Call on the Sorbet Kingdom, to force Kuma into abandoning Kiryuu's crew."
According to the intelligence Sakazuki possessed, Souta—the so-called Experiment No. 88—had no family or friends. The only leverage was his subordinates.
Without Kuma and the Paw-Paw Fruit, Souta's ability to relocate and move so swiftly would be crippled.
But every Marine officer in the room knew the truth: despite his title as "Tyrant," Kuma had sacrificed endlessly for the Sorbet Kingdom. The elderly, the weak, the sick—countless lives had been saved by his hand.
A man like Kuma, driven by compassion, would leave Souta Kiryuu if it meant protecting his kingdom.
"What nonsense!! How many innocent civilians would you slaughter? The Sorbet Kingdom is still a World Government affiliate!" Aokiji Kuzan snapped, his eyes glinting with ice. The sudden chill that radiated from him caused the temperature in the room to plummet.
The memory of Ohara twenty years ago surfaced—Sakazuki's merciless attack on the evacuation ships.
That memory gnawed at Kuzan's heart, twisting his sense of justice. It was from that day that his ideals began to shift—from "Burning Justice" to "Lazy Justice."
"Oooh~ how frightening…" Kizaru drawled, leaning back in his chair, distancing himself from the heated clash of ice and magma. His own philosophy of "Unclear Justice" suited him fine; he had no desire to get caught in the endless sparring between Marine hawks and doves.
Still, he couldn't deny a simmering irritation. The World Government had created this "monster experiment" named Souta Kiryuu, unleashing chaos after chaos, and yet it was always the Marines who had to shoulder the blame.
And him, especially. The "fastest Marine Admiral" had been cursed, scolded, and mocked time and again.
Couldn't capture Souta Kiryuu.
Couldn't retrieve Vegapunk.
Couldn't even save Saint Charlmaque.
Every failure had been pinned on him.
A true scapegoat.
"To deal with a heinous criminal like Souta Kiryuu—one who killed a Celestial Dragon—sacrifices must be made!" Akainu growled, smoke billowing from his body as his glare clashed with Aokiji's icy stare.
His creed of Absolute Justice left no room for hesitation, and he had no patience for Kuzan's indolence or Kizaru's detachment.
But Aokiji rose to his feet, fury flashing in his voice. "Sacrifice? You call that a sacrifice?! You're talking about slaughtering an entire nation of innocent civilians just to pressure Bartholomew Kuma!"
His words cut through the room like a blade of ice.
"If we stoop to such cruelty—what justice would we have left?"