On the Sabaody Archipelago, before countless pirates, underworld figures, reporters, civilians, and marines, the arrogant Celestial Dragon was beaten like a mangy dog—his neck clutched in the iron grip of Souta Kiryuu.
From Saint Sabbi, Souta rifled through his robes and found two luxurious golden Den Den Mushi. He let out a wild, manic laugh and dialed both at once.
One line connected directly to the Holy Land of Mariejois. The other, to Fleet Admiral Sengoku of the Navy.
"Save me…! Father, save me! Hurry, send the Elders to rescue me!"
"Admirals! Get here immediately, you worthless trash!"
The frantic voice of Saint Sabbi echoed through both lines, thick with terror as blood spurted endlessly from his severed arm.
"My son Sabbi, what happened?! Where are you?!"
"Is this Saint Sabbi? This is Sengoku—what's going on?!"
Hope flickered in Sabbi's eyes at hearing both voices.
"I—"
Before he could finish, Souta slapped him so hard that teeth scattered like pearls, leaving his face swollen like a pig's head.
"So, you're this Sabbi's father? Good. Tell Saturn this was just interest."
Without hesitation, Souta crushed the Den Den Mushi in his palm, silencing the man's curses before they could start.
"As for you, Sengoku—get Borsalino and Kuzan, and drag yourselves from Enies Lobby to Sabaody. Today, I'll take you on a tour of the Grand Line. Wahahaha!"
Laughing wildly, Souta crushed the second snail and ignored Sengoku's furious roars.
Then, gripping the Celestial Dragon's broken body, he leapt atop the massive Yarukiman Mangrove of Grove 1.
"People of the world who refuse to kneel beneath Celestial Dragon tyranny—stand tall!"
"The so-called gods forced you down with empty titles and false power! But I—demand you rise!"
"Those who sit above us as gods will, in the end, be thrown into history's trash heap!"
With Sabbi raised high in one hand and violet lightning crackling in the other, Souta's voice thundered across the island. Black and crimson bolts of Conqueror's Haki lanced through the sky as he roared.
Before the stunned eyes of the world, Souta unleashed a surge of thunder that tore straight through Saint Sabbi's body.
The blood of a so-called god splattered down the great red mangrove.
Even Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King himself, trembled at the sight. His fists clenched, his chest heaving—he felt as though he was witnessing a man even more charismatic than Gol D. Roger.
Beside him, Shakky's cigarette slipped silently from her lips. She clutched Rayleigh's hand tightly, her eyes locked on the domineering figure above.
The archipelago fell silent, broken only by the frantic clicking of cameras.
"Celestial Dragons aren't gods! They're ordinary men who can bleed, who can die!"
Bonney shouted, tears shining in her eyes as she gazed at Souta with reverence, burning his image into her soul.
"So this… is the will of our captain?"
Kuma and Law bowed their heads, completely won over. Enel, Lafitte, and Bege's hearts thundered in awe at Souta's overwhelming charisma.
"The flame of rebellion has been lit—one day, it will ignite the world!"
Souta hurled Sabbi's corpse from the heavens, then ordered his crew back to the Ark Maxim. Kuma remained behind, clapping his massive palms to send freed slaves flying to safety—carrying on the kindness of the Kiryuu Pirates.
A breath of dragon's fire incinerated the Celestial Dragons' golden warship, and in the rising smoke, Souta's fleet departed Sabaody.
Moments later, the islands erupted in chaos. Another Celestial Dragon dead. Two banners of the World Government burned in open defiance.
But what shook the people most were Souta's words. They struck deep into the hearts of the oppressed—slaves, commoners, all who suffered under the "gods."
Reporters scrambled, sending the story to presses before the Government could smother it.
"Let's go. Sabaody will be chaos now."
Rayleigh exhaled, still dazed by Souta's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki—stronger, rarer even, than Roger's legendary power.
"Business will be hard for a while. That madman…"
Shakky lit a fresh cigarette, her voice low, yet in her gut she felt Souta's rampage was far from over. Would he dare assault Marineford itself?
Through Violet's Devil Fruit eyes, the crew learned of the situation on Enies Lobby—and the positions of Sengoku and the Admirals. Souta listened to Lafitte and Enel's suggestion. They would fly by Marineford itself.
Even if they couldn't topple it, they would rattle it—prove the Navy's fortress was not untouchable.
The Ark Maxim soared across the skies, and within twenty minutes, it loomed above Marineford.
Alarms blared. Cannons fired into the heavens as golden sails reflected the sun. Sengoku, enraged, recalled Borsalino immediately, abandoning Sabaody.
But Souta and his crew struck only once—obliterating the Navy flag and part of the fortress—before vanishing into the skies.
For Souta had seen too much: Admiral Zephyr, the fearsome Director of the Navy's Criminal Investigation Bureau, Black Horse Tenmasa, Vice Admiral Gion the Peach Rabbit, Vice Admiral Tokikake the Tea Dolphin, and Borsalino himself racing back like a storm.
Lafitte captured the spectacle with his camera, already envisioning the headlines in Morgans' paper. With the fall of Enies Lobby's Chief Judge and now this, Souta's bounty was sure to soar beyond Capone Bege's.
Bege, once the unflinching mafia don, could only serve quietly in the shadows now.
After rattling the hornet's nest of Marineford, the Ark Maxim soared toward the Sky Islands.
But within an hour, they drifted into a sea of shadows.
"So… we're not done making headlines. Looks like another Warlord will join today's news."
Souta grinned. Moria had not been in his plans, but fate had delivered him.
The Shadow-Shadow Fruit. The Ghost-Ghost Fruit. The Clear-Clear Fruit. Three Paramecia powers—ripe for harvesting.
Moria, called the shame of the Seven Warlords, would hardly withstand Kuma alone—let alone Souta and Enel at his side. Even Law, Bege, and Lafitte together might have been enough to topple that bloated onion-headed fool.
And so, the Ark turned its shadow toward another hunt.