Aboard the golden vessel, the Ark Maxim.
Souta Kiryuu stood at the prow, gazing across the vast, endless sea, his thoughts drifting in silence. Beside him, Boa Hancock clung tightly to his arm with shameless affection. Behind them, Baby 5, dressed in a maid outfit, held a fruit platter with a slight pout, her eyes narrowing at the Pirate Empress who monopolized Souta's attention.
On the deck, Nico Robin reclined on a sun chair, reading her book, occasionally glancing over at the twisted romance between the God-Slayer and the Pirate Empress. After several days of observation, Robin realized that Hancock was almost like a person with two personalities—towards Souta, she displayed an overwhelming mix of pride and devotion, while towards everyone else, her attitude was cold, even hostile. Communication with such a tsundere woman was nearly impossible.
Robin could only shake her head helplessly. Still, Hancock's power was undeniable. She was the second person aboard capable of wielding all three forms of Haki. Her petrifying Mero Mero fruit made even Kuma and Enel—the two strongest officers—wary of her strength.
Robin's gaze also lingered on Trafalgar Law, the man who possessed the powers of the Ope Ope no Mi. The World Government valued that fruit so highly they had set a bounty of five billion berries on it—an amount that eclipsed even that of an Emperor. She couldn't help but wonder: could the rumored Immortality Operation truly grant eternal life?
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"Ho, I wonder how Wano is faring under the Beast Pirates' rule," Lafitte muttered, his eyes scanning a thick stack of wanted posters. He searched for officers whose strength mirrored his own, already seeing himself at the level of the Tobiroppo.
"Sea Prism Stone is only mined in Wano, and it makes the Beast Pirates a fortune every year," Capone Bege remarked, chewing on a smoking cigar, his eyes gleaming with greed. "It's a gold mine—no, even better than gold. Whoever controls it controls endless wealth."
"Captain said King, the Wildfire, belongs to the rare Lunarian race," Law said evenly. "The Seraphim were created using his bloodline factor. His power is immense."
The Lunarian lineage, like Kuma's Buccaneer blood, was a force of nature. Even Pacifista clones made from Kuma's template could overwhelm pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions. If Seraphim were created using Lunarian blood and Souta's genes, their strength would no doubt reach the level of the Seven Warlords. Law clenched his fists slightly, realizing that unless he continued to grow stronger, he and others might one day be replaced by those artificial beings.
"Let's just hope this doesn't turn into a fight," Kuma murmured. Kaido of the Beasts was a capricious monster—unpredictable and dangerous. None could say how this transaction would end. Still, with his Paw-Paw fruit, Kuma could instantly send Bonney and the others back to Skypiea if danger arose.
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Souta had already laid out the mission's objectives. Among them: Shinobu, the rotund kunoichi in pink; Tama, the six-year-old girl with the Dumpling fruit; Tenguyama Hitetsu, the mask-wearing swordsmith; and the fox-spirit warrior, Gyukimaru. The most critical target was Shinobu—her Mature-Mature fruit was essential for accelerating the development of the second wave of Seraphim.
But Shinobu was already wanted by Orochi, hiding somewhere within the Flower Capital. Finding her would not be easy. Still, Komurasaki and Denjiro might be able to reach her. As for Tama and Hitetsu, they would surely be found in Amigasa Village, deep within Kuri. Gyukimaru, notorious for plundering weapons across Ringo, would be easier to track—especially if tempted with the famed black blade, Shusui.
Souta also set his sights on the legendary blades Enma and Ame-no-Habakiri, currently in Komurasaki's possession. Since they were coming to Wano, he intended to leave with plenty of spoils. If the opportunity arose, he would even capture Kawamatsu, the imprisoned kappa samurai of the Red Scabbards, and turn him into another Pacifista—a tool to be repurposed.
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"How am I supposed to lure Yamato onto the ship?" Souta stroked his chin, deep in thought. Yamato was a woman who had mastered all three Haki, even awakening the advanced Conqueror's Haki coating. Despite never leaving Wano, she had attained a power level only a select few across the seas possessed.
A good lineage and the right teacher made all the difference. Yamato, Katakuri, Luffy, Ace, Doflamingo, Shanks—their Conqueror's Haki all traced back in part to bloodline. Shanks in particular, despite a relatively smooth upbringing, awakened unparalleled power. Likely, the bloodline of the Celestial Dragon sovereign, Saint Garling, played no small role.
When Garp spoke of Luffy's Conqueror's Haki as an "innate talent," it was proof of just how important heritage truly was.
Souta had already begun guiding Hancock in the methods of Conqueror's Haki coating. Yet Hancock admitted that Silvers Rayleigh had already given her some training. Still, her trauma with the Celestial Dragons left her Haki stagnant, unable to break through to the next level.
That only solidified Souta's resolve. One day, he would drag her along to slay a Celestial Dragon, shattering the shadow that haunted her. Mastery of Conqueror's Haki coating was the dividing line—only those who grasped it could truly stand at the level of emperors.
Yamato's mastery of the technique was so fierce she had even driven Admiral Ryokugyu to his knees. If Hancock was to one day stand equal to that, she would need to overcome her fear and awaken fully.
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Meanwhile, on a remote island somewhere in the Grand Line…
A Marine Vice Admiral sat across from Miss Bakkin, negotiating on behalf of Marineford to recruit Edward Weevil, the so-called son of Whitebeard, into the Seven Warlords of the Sea. But with three Warlords already defeated and stripped of their titles, the cunning Bakkin sensed danger in the winds. She stalled the Marines endlessly—never refusing, but never agreeing either, stringing them along for better terms.
With no suitable candidates, Headquarters had little choice but to endure her insolence. Fleet Admiral Sengoku was still searching desperately for replacements. He even extended an invitation to Gamennio, a former Whitebeard pirate clone soldier with a bounty of 300 million. An old pirate, but perhaps fit enough to fill the role.
In the New World, Vice Admiral Vergo of the G-5 fortress recommended Piru, leader of the Silver Pirates Alliance and wielder of the Melt-Melt fruit. His power was formidable. Vergo also suggested Breed, the Beast Tamer with the Pet-Pet fruit, who had dealings with the Donquixote Family. If either were made Warlords, future meetings would surely become chaotic.