In the days that followed…
As the notorious newsman Morgans recklessly spread word of the Sorbet Kingdom incident, the mysterious veil shrouding the Holy Knights was ripped away. Their "Human Purge Plan" was dragged into the open, leaving the world in shock.
Countless allied nations and civilians were horrified, while many non-affiliated countries trembled. Some kings of independent nations now contemplated selling everything—down to the last scrap of iron—just to join the World Government for protection.
But what captured the world's attention even more was the terror of the world-shaking battle itself.
Three Emperors and a living legend… the Holy Knights backed by two Marine Admirals… facing Souta Kiryuu's crew and the Revolutionary Army. The clash at Sorbet Kingdom left the world utterly shaken.
Even the Whitebeard Pirates, one of the Four Emperors, hadn't been involved. Their absence made them look strangely out of place.
Some great pirate crews began to whisper that Whitebeard truly was growing old. Once regarded as the strongest of the Emperors, his reign might not last much longer.
Emerging factions had already begun entertaining the thought of toppling the old titan.
Others speculated whether Souta Kiryuu's crew would soon push into the New World, seizing the territory of the Emperors to further expand their power.
At the same time, the Revolutionary Army's open intervention electrified its rank-and-file soldiers. After years of silent infiltration, their strength had finally burst into the light. Following the Sorbet Kingdom battle, they swiftly toppled several brutal allied kingdoms, spreading the fire of revolution across the seas.
With the latest headlines came the question the world cared most about—the new bounties.
Unsurprisingly, the brightest spotlight was on Souta Kiryuu.
This time, beyond the Marines' official posters, Morgans had secretly printed his own edition dedicated solely to Souta—determined to turn him into the defining figure of a new era.
Marine-issued bounty poster:
Test Subject #88: Souta Kiryuu.
Bounty: 3,000,000,000 Berries.
The photo showed him in his lab days—shaven head, sterile gown, a haunting image of a weaponized experiment.
Morgans' "Big News" bounty poster:
God-Slayer: Souta Kiryuu.
Bounty: 3,000,000,000 Berries.
The picture: Souta tearing apart Saint Gust, the Holy Knight, in his terrifying half-dragon form. That brutal visage alone sent shivers through civilians and children across the world.
Other updated bounties:
Raijin Enel — 1,000,000,000 Berries.
The World Government and Navy finally admitted to the sheer destructive terror of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. His bounty doubled instantly, reaching the same level as Jack the Drought. Saint Praezes, who had nearly been fried to death by Enel's lightning, even petitioned to add more zeroes, vowing to end the arrogant man who dared call himself a god.
Gecko Moria — 620,000,000 Berries.
The World Government officially stripped him of his Warlord title and reinstated his bounty, acknowledging him as a member of Souta Kiryuu's crew. Though his new bounty was only a modest increase from over a decade ago, it ranked him on par with one of Big Mom's lesser Sweet Commanders. In truth, the Government no longer considered him a major threat. After all, against the Holy Knights, Moria had barely lasted hours—only surviving thanks to timely aid from Karasu and Morley.
As for the rest of Souta Kiryuu's crew, their bounties remained unchanged. Most of them had focused on rescuing civilians, rarely engaging in direct combat.
Still, when comparing their current lineup to the so-called strongest crew under the Emperors, the Rocks Pirates' remnants, Souta Kiryuu's crew easily surpassed them.
Souta Kiryuu was now undeniably recognized as the "Fifth Emperor." The seas accepted this as fact.
Thanks to Souta's heavy "contributions" to Morgans, the newspapers loudly proclaimed that Issho—known as Fujitora—was now officially part of Souta's crew. The message was clear: whoever dared provoke Fujitora would face the wrath of the entire Kiryuu Pirates.
Photographs of his clash with the Holy Knights circulated widely, framing him as a righteous man who defied the Celestial Dragons.
For Issho, busy resettling the refugees of Sorbet Kingdom, this news was… troublesome. When he heard, he could only give a bitter smile.
"So much for a quiet path…" he sighed inwardly. Souta Kiryuu clearly wouldn't allow him a peaceful life. The road ahead would be far harder—but still, Issho would continue walking it, however slim the hope.
Meanwhile, in Totto Land, Big Mom—Charlotte Linlin—returned with fragments of the Pluton blueprints, seething with fury at Souta Kiryuu.
That bastard had not only coveted her blood but also injured Perospero, costing her the final chance to seize the full blueprints from the Holy Knights.
Cursing Souta, she tightened defenses across Totto Land. Swarms of sea slugs were deployed around its borders, tasked with recording and reporting every approaching vessel, ensuring the Navy could never launch a surprise attack.
"Brûlée! You'd better awaken the Third Eye Tribe's gift soon!" Big Mom snarled, shoving the ancient text-filled blueprints into the trembling hands of her thirteen-year-old daughter, Charlotte Brûlée.
Her cloudy third eye blinked nervously.
Big Mom had borne her for this very reason: to read the Poneglyphs and ancient scripts. That girl's awakening would decide whether Totto Land could claim the power of history itself.
"Yes, Mama…" Brûlée's voice quivered. She knew both her mother and siblings despised her eye. More than anything, she longed to awaken her gift—to be useful, to finally win her mother's approval. Yet no matter how she tried, she couldn't force her power to emerge. Tears welled as she nodded and obeyed.
"Don't disappoint me." Big Mom's glare cut like a knife before she stormed from the castle.
Left alone, Brûlée clutched the Pluton schematics, straining to decipher the incomprehensible text. Her third eye burned with frustration as tears spilled over.
On Amazon Lily, the island of the Kuja.
Boa Hancock, cheeks flushed, once again pored over every newspaper article about Souta Kiryuu. She carefully clipped out his bounty poster and every photo, plastering them across the walls of her private chamber.
That way, the first thing she would see upon waking was his face.
"Oh, Souta-sama… how I long to follow you. If Amazon Lily were ever threatened by the Navy, you would surely save us, just as you saved Sorbet Kingdom."
Now fully convinced of Souta's power to protect her homeland, the Pirate Empress cast aside her fears of the Navy and World Government. For the first time, she embraced her own love boldly.
Watching her swoon, Granny Nyon, Elder Gloriosa, could only sigh helplessly.
She remembered well her own reckless youth—abandoning her throne and crew to join the Rocks Pirates, all for the sake of being near the man she loved.