Under Souta Kiryuu's watchful gaze, the officers of the Kiryuu Pirates all stepped forward one by one to attack Admiral Kuzan, better known as Aokiji.
This was their chance to gain the precious experience of crossing blows with a Marine Admiral.
Even Bonney took the opportunity to land a punch on the Admiral—something she could brag about for years. She even went so far as to order Cloud and Man Shirley of Sky Island to take pictures of her moment.
Souta's "training exercise" infuriated Kuzan. The Admiral had no desire to wage an all-out war with the Kiryuu Pirates that would end in mutual destruction. Reluctantly, he chose to seriously engage everyone except Souta himself.
Enel, Kuma, and the others unleashed newly developed techniques against Kuzan, using him as a living test subject to measure their effectiveness and find ways to improve.
One after another, members of the crew were battered, breathing heavily and left with injuries. When the time was right, Souta reentered the fray himself, clashing fiercely with Kuzan to sharpen his mastery of Conqueror's Haki infusion and refine his other abilities.
Hours passed. Eventually, when Kuzan reached the point of true fury and nearly unleashed his full power, Souta finally gave the order to withdraw. The Ark Maxim soared away into the pitch-black storm clouds, disappearing from the Admiral's sight.
Only after the thunderclouds dispersed did the Marine reinforcements, stationed miles away, rush in toward the battlefield.
What they found was devastation—massive craters, jagged trenches, and frozen glaciers scarred across the desert, clear proof of the battle's ferocity.
They soon located Admiral Kuzan. His "Justice" cloak was scorched and torn, revealing that even he had suffered losses against the Kiryuu Pirates.
"Admiral Kuzan… did the Kiryuu Pirates leave?" a nervous Marine captain asked. He worried that failing to detain the crew would bring punishment from above. After all, Admiral Akainu and Vice Admiral Garp were still en route.
"They're strong," Kuzan replied coldly. "As a whole, their combat power already rivals that of a Yonko's crew. And that flying battleship… its threat level is on par with the Sky Pirates themselves."
There was no clear method for the Marines to deal with them. If the Kiryuu Pirates had pressed the fight, Kuzan might not have lasted. He knew he could bring down anyone in the crew aside from Souta himself, but in the end, he would likely fall to the pirate captain.
What unsettled him most, however, was the possibility that Souta had spies hidden within Mariejois or Marine Headquarters. After witnessing the crew's uncanny knowledge of movements, Kuzan resolved to speak seriously with Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Strategist Tsuru.
The Kiryuu Pirates were already dangerous enough with the golden flying ship and Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit. If they also had an informant feeding them intel, then capturing them would be nearly impossible. Even a lone Vice Admiral—or perhaps even a fellow Admiral—risked being hunted by them.
"Admiral Akainu and Vice Admiral Garp won't arrive for another half day," a communications officer asked. "Should we inform them of the situation?"
"Tell them everything as it happened. Let them decide for themselves if they'll continue here." Kuzan sank to the ground, his tone weary. Aside from Akainu and Garp, several of the Celestial Dragons' Holy Knights were also on their way. If they discovered that he had failed to hold Souta back, their rebuke would be inevitable.
"First, we'll check Crocodile's territory," Kuzan added with a sigh. "Then we'll investigate what's going on with the Alabasta rebels."
Normally, the Marines had no obligation to interfere in a civil war between allied nations. But if a Warlord of the Sea—Crocodile—was manipulating events, the Navy was compelled to step in.
Kuzan hated politics and scheming, but he had no choice but to take charge of this "Desert Crocodile" matter. Still, he delegated most of the legwork to other officers, preferring to "go with the flow" himself.
Meanwhile, the Ark Maxim docked at a secluded port in Alabasta after leaving Rainbase.
There, under orders from Vice President Nico Robin, the agents of Baroque Works gathered.
The Kiryuu Pirates used the time to tend to their wounds and digest the lessons learned from battling Kuzan. They remained at the port for a day or two, waiting for all of Baroque Works to assemble.
During this time, Akainu, Garp, and the fleets of the Holy Knights arrived in Alabasta. Yet, under the stern orders of a Holy Knight, neither the Marines nor the World Government interfered in the rebellion. Instead, they vented their frustration by dismantling Crocodile's fallen territory before departing.
Souta hadn't expected the World Government to abandon Alabasta's crisis. Clearly, the Holy Knights—elite nobles of the Celestial Dragons—harbored disdain for the Nefertari line, who had betrayed the Holy Land centuries ago.
Who would save Alabasta in the end?
Would it be Souta… or Straw Hat Luffy?
Inside a tavern at the remote port, Baroque Works' commanding officers finally arrived.
When Mr. 1, Daz Bonez, spotted Capone Bege puffing a cigar at the meeting, his eyes widened in shock. Wasn't Bege already an officer of the Kiryuu Pirates?
What was he doing here, attending Baroque Works' gathering?
Could it be… that the true mastermind behind Baroque Works was Souta Kiryuu himself?
Mr. 3, Galdino, swallowed hard. A single glance at Enel's cold expression made him straighten instantly, not daring to breathe too loud. To see such notorious super-criminals gathered here in the flesh was terrifying.
Princess Vivi, disguised as Miss Wednesday, felt despair sink in as her eyes scanned the crowd of infamous pirates, each worth hundreds of millions.
Had the shadowy hand manipulating her kingdom with Dance Powder all along been the Kiryuu Pirates?
Bonney, meanwhile, gave a strange look at Bentham, Mr. 2 Bon Clay. His garish makeup and flamboyant outfit only made her want to punch him in the face.
"Welcome, everyone," Nico Robin said with a faint smile, easing the tension. "It's time you all met your new boss."
"The former boss, Crocodile, has been defeated. Your new leader… is Souta Kiryuu—the God-Slayer."
The revelation left Baroque Works stunned. Indeed, Mr. 0 had been Crocodile, but with his downfall, they had unknowingly fallen under Robin's guidance straight into Souta's grasp.
Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing. After all, Souta was stronger than Crocodile by far, and under him served even another Warlord of the Sea: Gecko Moria, a rival to Crocodile himself.
"Reporting to you, Captain!" Galdino was the first to break the silence, his opportunistic instincts kicking in. He leapt to his feet, saluting Souta with a sycophantic grin.
The others quickly followed suit, offering their greetings in turn.
Vivi's heart surged with hope. If the true mastermind behind Baroque Works had changed hands, then perhaps the threat to the Nefertari royal family was over. Maybe she could persuade the rebels to lay down arms and restore peace to Alabasta.
"Same rules as always," Souta said casually. "Your Vice President will assign your tasks. As for you chief officers—give us a sample of your blood. That way, you can apply to officially join the Kiryuu Pirates."
Among the targets were Bonez's Supa Supa Fruit, Bon Clay's Clone-Clone Fruit, Mr. 5's Bomb-Bomb Fruit, Paula's Thorn-Thorn Fruit, Galdino's Wax-Wax Fruit—and of course, Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit.
Souta intended to keep them all in reserve.