What the world didn't know was that after Souta Kiryuu left the battlefield of the Island of Gods and Demons, he was already heading toward his next war.
No one could have imagined that after just ending a massive battle against the World Government, Kiryuu's crew—the Arlong Pirates—didn't return to their own territory to rest or consolidate their gains.
Instead, they were already setting their sights on another heavily fortified World Government institution.
"Heh heh heh! This war was insane!!"
Gecko Moria was so excited that he was practically dancing on the deck. With nimble movements, he stuffed a shadow into the corpse of Saint Figarland Garin, turning him into a zombie.
Nearby lay the bisected body of Saint Mameyer Forth, who had been instantly killed by Dragon. Once repaired, that body too would serve as another powerful zombie.
Among the scattered corpses were those of Saint Klein, beheaded by Law after a fierce battle with Kuma, and Saint Corneif, whose bones were shattered by Kuma's blows before being captured.
Only Saint Tomilai Gong, who had been kicked into stone fragments by the Pirate Empress, had no body left to resurrect.
"Have all their tracking devices been cleared?" Souta Kiryuu asked calmly. Life paper wasn't a concern; once someone died, their corresponding life paper would burn to ash on its own.
"All checked and removed!" answered Trafalgar Law and the Seraphim Shurado in unison. Shurado, a master of weaponry and now half a scientist himself, possessed remarkable intelligence.
"Heh heh heh! If I can get my hands on a few strong shadows inside Impel Down," Moria laughed gleefully, "then we'll be able to recreate the full strength of this so-called 'Divine Knight Commander.'"
Clearly, he was eagerly anticipating the upcoming assault on Impel Down.
As one of the oldest former Warlords of the Sea, Moria had already been a notorious pirate long before the execution of Pirate King Gol D. Roger.
He knew well of the legendary monsters imprisoned in that deep-sea fortress—Redfield the Red Count, World the World Destroyer, and Barrett, the Devil's Heir.
Even those of slightly lesser fame, such as Crescent Moon Hunter, the Tyrant King, the Giant Battleship, the Okama King, and Skull Splitter, were all terrifying names in their own right.
"Hoho, if Dragon finds out that our captain is targeting Impel Down, he'll definitely come running," Lafitte said with a mischievous grin.
This time, Souta Kiryuu hadn't informed anyone—not even Kaido, not even Dragon. He intended to devour all of Impel Down's spoils for himself.
Even Emporio Ivankov and Inazuma—the commander and vice-commander of the Revolutionary Army's Grand Line division—would have to leave behind a sample of their blood before being allowed to go free.
That was only because of Kuma's favor.
Otherwise, even Dragon himself might have been asked to pay a ransom.
After all, the Horm-Horm Fruit user and the Snip-Snip Fruit user were both high-ranking combatants with impressive abilities.
And Ivankov, for all his eccentricity, wasn't weak—he could even exchange a few blows with Akainu Sakazuki himself. He feared neither admirals nor Emperors. Even when defeat was certain, he would still stand his ground and fight.
"Enel, make sure the signal jamming this time is perfect," Kiryuu instructed. "Impel Down isn't as large as the Island of Gods and Demons—it should be easier to block all signals. But we don't know if the den den mushi network deep in the sixth level can transmit through seawater to Marineford. Either way, this battle must be quick and decisive."
After all, the Five Elders and Akainu had already returned to the Holy Land of Mariejois—they could send reinforcements at any moment.
"Understood," replied the Thunder God Enel with casual indifference. During the previous battle, he had fought a one-on-one duel against Saint Plezes and nearly bested him. Given more time, Enel was confident he could have taken down that Divine Knight himself.
Souta Kiryuu silently calculated how long it would take for the Five Elders to fly from Mariejois to Impel Down, located deep within the Calm Belt.
Even for Saint Mars, the Elder who could transform into the monstrous bird Izan-True Heaven, it would take at least an hour or two.
Marineford, Enies Lobby, and Impel Down formed a triangle of authority. The distances between Marineford and the other two locations were roughly the same.
It took Marine ships one to two hours via special currents to reach Enies Lobby, and just over thirty minutes to reach Sabaody Archipelago. But to travel from Marineford to Impel Down, through the windless Calm Belt, required nearly three hours—likely due to the lack of natural currents.
During the Marineford War, the escort ships departed at dawn to retrieve Fire Fist Ace from Impel Down. They arrived around nine in the morning, received Ace from Magellan, and returned by noon to begin the pre-execution broadcast.
The official execution was scheduled for three in the afternoon, but Whitebeard's forces appeared earlier, igniting the war prematurely.
The fighting was so intense that Sengoku nearly ordered Ace's execution before three o'clock—but he was rescued by Straw Hat Luffy.
Less than half an hour later, Ace was killed by Akainu. Within another hour or two, Whitebeard himself fell after clashing with Akainu and Blackbeard's crew.
By the time the Red-Haired Pirates arrived to end the war, the sun still hadn't set.
In other words, the entire Paramount War had lasted only a few hours—from about one or two in the afternoon to around five.
Compared to Ace and Jinbe's supposed "five-day duel" or Akainu and Aokiji's "ten-day battle," this was remarkably short.
The same held true for the Battle of the Island of Gods and Demons—it had lasted barely an afternoon.
It just went to show that true life-and-death combat didn't drag on for days or nights.
Those so-called multi-day duels—like Ace versus Jinbe—were child's play by comparison. Even Akainu and Aokiji probably spent the first several days merely probing each other before fighting in earnest during the final hours.
As for the three-day-and-night battle between the Whitebeard and Roger Pirates, that was closer to a friendly clash—no casualties, and they even exchanged supplies afterward.
Maybe that's what Golden Lion Shiki meant when he mocked such fights as "child's games."
In real wars—like at Marineford—Dracule Mihawk cut through Jinbe in seconds, Jinbe crushed Moria just as quickly, Akainu slew Ivankov and Ace within moments, and then fought Whitebeard to the death.
These were clean, decisive battles—no endless duels, no drawn-out struggles.
True battles were fought with lives on the line.
Even Kaido, with his mythical Zoan powers and Oni bloodline, had been worn down by the combined assaults of the Nine Red Scabbards, Yamato, and the Supernova crews. From morning to night—barely one day—and he was already gasping for air.
Neither his monstrous endurance nor mythical powers could withstand that kind of attrition.
That was why Souta Kiryuu always favored swift, decisive warfare—end the fight as quickly as possible.
No games. No drawn-out stalemates.
If he could win, he killed. If he couldn't, he withdrew. It was that simple.
As the Ark of the Testament sped through the skies—powered by the Float-Float and Paw-Paw Fruits—to return swiftly from the Island of Gods and Demons to the Grand Line, the Marine headquarters' reinforcements were also en route to the same island.
But with Morgans' live broadcast now over, Sengoku and his forces had little motivation to continue.
The Emperors, the Arlong Pirates, and the Revolutionary Army had all fled. What was the point of going there now?
Still, they had to make the trip—to recover surviving Marines, collect the bodies of slain Celestial Dragons, and retrieve whatever warships the Arlong Pirates hadn't already seized.
And so, while the rest of the world began to breathe again, Souta Kiryuu and his crew were already setting their sights on their next conquest: the great prison at the bottom of the sea—Impel Down.