Alongside the front-page news of Gecko Moria's defeat came the latest bounty posters of the entire Kiryuu Pirates.
Because of the destruction of Enies Lobby, the murder of Celestial Dragons, the declaration of war against the World Government, and even the assault on Marine Headquarters, the new bounties were set at staggering heights.
Subject No. 88 – Souta Kiryuu. Bounty: 2,000,000,000 berries.
His bounty had doubled again, rising from one billion to two billion. Across the seas, he was no longer just known as "Subject 88," but by a new title whispered in awe and fear: The God-Slayer, Kiryuu 88.
This name carried even more weight than his former designation, and more and more people began calling him by it. Even Bonney and Baby 5 had taken to calling him "Kiryuu 88." Souta himself didn't seem to mind the number anymore, letting them continue.
Bartholomew Kuma — The Tyrant. Bounty: 1,296,000,000 berries.
The last surviving descendant of the Buccaneer race, Kuma's bounty skyrocketed by a full billion, matching the surge of Souta himself. Only those who had fought him firsthand truly knew that even this bounty still might not reflect his true power. With the Buccaneer's physique, Kuma could stand toe-to-toe with Souta. Even if they raised his bounty by another billion, it would still be justified.
Enel — The Thunder God. Bounty: 500,000,000 berries.
This was Enel's first bounty, and the World Government deliberately kept it low to suppress his notoriety. The insult left Enel seething. He vowed that next time he set foot on the Blue Sea, he would make the Government and Marines pay dearly. Clearly, the destruction of Enies Lobby hadn't been enough to showcase the full terror of his power.
Lafitte — The Demon Sheriff. Bounty: 342,200,000 berries.
Once a brutal lawman in the West Blue, Lafitte's bounty surged by three hundred million after he slaughtered the Chief Justice. Yet the Government still underestimated his true strength—the high bounty was granted less for ability and more for the sheer atrocity of his crimes.
Trafalgar Law — The Surgeon of Death. Bounty: 200,000,000 berries.
This was several times higher than his bounty in the North Blue. The Government now understood the true potential of his Ope Ope no Mi, raising his price dramatically.
Jewelry Bonney — The Daughter of the Tyrant. Bounty: 140,000,000 berries.
Her first bounty came not from combat feats, but from burning the World Government's flag and declaring war against the Celestial Dragons. For someone with no great battle record, 140 million was already high. Still, Bonney was dissatisfied—especially when she saw Lafitte and Law ranked higher than her.
Capone Bege — The Gangster. Bounty: 138,000,000 berries.
His bounty also shot up compared to his days as a Mafia boss in the West Blue, but he still fell short of Bonney by a mere two million.
The humiliation stung. How could a Mafia godfather rank below a nine-year-old girl? He tore his wanted poster to shreds in a fury, vowing to abandon his cautious ways. Next time, he swore, he'd burn flags, declare war, and slay big names himself.
Meanwhile, those who hadn't directly taken part—like Mansherry, Leo, Viola, and Baby 5—didn't appear on the news or posters.
But now, every Kiryuu Pirates member who had been listed carried a bounty exceeding 100 million. The world could no longer deny the terrifying strength of this crew. They were forging the path of elites, and many powerful outcasts who bore grudges against the Celestial Dragons now considered joining this rising force.
Sky Island
The crew gathered, each holding their new posters or newspapers.
Enel immediately tore his bounty poster to pieces and stormed off to train his Armament Haki. Next time he set sail, he intended to prove he was no weaker than Kuma, demanding a bounty on par with the "Bear God."
"Bonney, why the sour face? You broke the hundred-million mark. Isn't that good enough?"
Mansherry tilted her head, staring at Bonney's 140-million bounty. It was far higher than expected.
"It's not good enough! I'm almost at the bottom—only two million higher than that Capone creep!"
Bonney pouted in frustration. She had burned the Government's flag and openly declared war on the Celestial Dragons—yet Lafitte, who killed just one Chief Justice, was ranked higher.
She muttered that she should have claimed the kill herself, even snatching a Celestial Dragon from Souta's hands. Then her bounty would have surpassed both Lafitte and Law.
"Hmph!"
Bege also ripped up his poster in fury. To think he ranked below a child—it was intolerable. He too threw himself into Haki training, determined to prove his worth.
Kuma, whose bounty had soared past Enel's, quietly met Bonney's eyes. At least this had given his daughter some comfort. He would maintain it for her sake.
Law remained unfazed by his bounty. His heart was set on one thing only—killing Doflamingo to avenge Corazon. With Kikoku strapped to his back, he too joined the others in training.
The most satisfied of all was Lafitte. His bounty far exceeded his current strength, but the smile never left his face. He believed he would grow into it, surpass it even. After all, if he lacked the confidence to match his price, how could he hope to follow Captain Souta Kiryuu in turning the world upside down?
Sky Island Laboratory
Inside, Souta Kiryuu stood before rows of culture pods containing the developing forms of Seraphim and Pacifista clones.
The first batch of Kuma clones numbered twenty. Alongside them were seven Seraphim, grown from the Lunarian cells Souta had secured from Egghead Island. Only a portion of the stock was kept for ongoing cultivation; the rest was used to create this initial set.
Seraphim infused with Lunarian bloodlines, when paired with compatible Paramecia-based "Green Blood" abilities, possessed terrifying combat potential. Even mismatched pairings remained formidable—like the original Seraphim Mihawk granted the Slash-Slash Fruit, or the Jinbei model imbued with the Swim-Swim Fruit.
Among the seven, one carried Kuma's lineage factors. The other six were infused with Souta Kiryuu's own blood.
Though less suitable for Pacifista, his genetic code combined perfectly with Lunarian traits for the Seraphim project.
The Kuma-Seraphim was engineered to secure a second Paw-Paw Fruit ability. As for the six born of Souta's genes—they were destined to become his Kiryuu Six Paths.
With his highest-level authority, Souta could command them freely. Six warriors, each wielding devastating Paramecia powers, would become extensions of his will.
So many fruits awaited his selection—Float-Float, Quake-Quake, Arms-Arms, Clone-Clone, Gold-Gold, Fusion-Fusion…
Meanwhile, Dr. Vegapunk was cultivating the second batch of Lunarian cells. Soon, they might craft Seraphim using lineage from Gecko Moria, Rob Lucci, even the Pirate Empress herself.
If they could obtain factors from Mihawk, Whitebeard, Shanks, Kaido, or Big Mom, the results would be flawless. And of course, Souta would never turn down samples from the Admirals, Garp, Sengoku, or even Dragon.
The future army of Seraphim loomed in his imagination, and the world had no idea what storm was about to descend.