While Saint Marcus Maas transformed into a monstrous bird and flew toward the desolate island, Capone Bege sped through the sky inside Bartholomew Kuma's massive paw bubble, heading straight for the Sabaody Archipelago.
Inside Bege's body-castle, a number of pirate prisoners—each missing their hearts—were rapidly regaining their strength. None of them yet knew their true destination.
If they'd realized they were being taken to assault the Holy Land of Marijoa itself, some might have collapsed in terror before the fight even began.
For now, they only knew one thing—if they performed well in this upcoming battle, they would earn their place in Souta Kiryuu's crew and have their hearts returned.
That thought alone filled every one of them with burning determination and desperate hope.
They looked toward living legends like the Red Count, Douglas Bullet, and Bundy Walde—the "World Destroyer" and "Devil's Heir"—all following Souta's command.
Seeing such legendary pirates obey him made the prisoners' confidence skyrocket.
With a lineup like this, they thought, even the Marines' main headquarters could be taken head-on—let alone any of the Four Emperors' crews.
This time, they were sure of victory.
"Teach me how to wield Conqueror's Haki Infusion!"
Douglas Bullet's deep voice broke the air, his massive body glistening with taut muscle. After a long silence, he finally spoke to Souta Kiryuu. "I'll temporarily join your crew. But the moment I feel your crew can no longer keep up with me… I'll leave."
It was typical of Bullet—arrogant, but honest in his obsession with strength. He had once joined Gol D. Roger's crew for the same reason: to grow stronger.
Hearing this, the Red Count and Walde exchanged glances at the man's audacity.
"Fine," Souta replied, his tone calm, a faint grin curling his lips. He accepted Bullet's demand without hesitation.
Without wasting another second, he began explaining the principles behind Conqueror's Haki Infusion—how to channel the king's spirit into the very strikes of one's will. The other pirates, Walde and the rest, had never awakened Conqueror's Haki, so they merely listened in awe.
The Red Count, who already possessed it, quietly observed.
Meanwhile, the Pirate Empress herself was learning as well. This time, on the battlefield that had once drowned her in endless darkness—Marijoa—she vowed to fully master this ultimate power.
During the Battle of God-Demon Island, after slaughtering more than a dozen Celestial Dragons, her Conqueror's Haki had shifted dramatically, edging closer to that rarefied level of mastery.
"Tch! Damn it! Why haven't I awakened Conqueror's Haki?!"
Bundy Walde growled, glaring at Bullet and Souta in frustration. "I'm a big name in my own right—how the hell don't I have that power?!"
Enel, Law, and Bonney all looked on with a mix of envy and longing. Despite surviving the cataclysm at God-Demon Island, none of them had managed to awaken it either.
"Why doesn't a god like me have this potential?!"
Enel's teeth clenched in irritation, lightning flickering faintly around him. The self-proclaimed thunder god couldn't accept that Doflamingo—a mere former warlord—had awakened something that he, a man of divine lightning, had not.
"I'll awaken it,"
Bonney said firmly, eyes blazing with conviction. "I know I'm one in a million too."
After nearly two days of high-speed flight inside Kuma's paw bubble, Bege finally neared the Sabaody Archipelago.
From within Bege's castle, Souta Kiryuu suddenly leapt out, his form erupting into that of a colossal dragon.
The enormous dragon ripped straight through Kuma's paw bubble, snatched Bege with one claw, cloaked them both in invisibility, and continued to soar upward—toward the Holy Land of Marijoa atop the Red Line.
From the castle's narrow windows, the pirates could now see the towering wall of the Red Line rising before them, stretching endlessly toward the heavens.
Several pirates went pale instantly.
"Wait… that's Reverse Mountain, right?! Don't tell me—don't tell me that's the Red Line where Marijoa sits?!"
"Is Captain Kiryuu seriously going after the World Government itself?!"
"He's not trying to pull a Fisher Tiger, is he? He's really going to invade Marijoa?!"
Their voices broke into panicked shouts, disbelief flooding the cramped castle's corridors.
"Hah! Remember to come back alive, you worthless worms!!"
Shiryu of the Rain bit down on his cigar, a wild grin cutting across his face as his killing intent rolled through the air.
"This is your chance to prove yourselves,"
Trafalgar Law said flatly, hands resting in his coat pockets. He controlled their hearts—literally—and if any dared to flee or hide, he could send them to hell with a single squeeze.
"Murururu! What's there to be afraid of? Captain Kiryuu is the God-Slayer himself!"
Catarina Devon—the grotesque "Crescent-Moon Hunter"—let out a cruel laugh. She didn't believe Souta was some reckless fool. If anything, she sensed something greater—a calculated strike that could shatter the world order itself.
The thought made her blood race with twisted excitement.
Invisible and dragon-shaped, Souta soared higher and higher, his massive form slicing through clouds.
He spoke through his Haki, his voice resonating across Bege's internal chambers.
"Enel—prepare your Thunder Prison."
"Red Count, Bullet, Walde—ready yourselves. We're about to face the King of the World."
"Crew of the Kiryuu Pirates, listen up! Your objective—capture the Celestial Dragons alive!"
"And for the rest of you… if you want to join my crew, then destroy everything the Celestial Dragons hold dear! Anything you loot—it's yours!"
His deep, commanding voice echoed like thunder, shaking the hearts of all within Bege's fortress.
His sharp gaze locked onto the Red Line's Bubble Elevators, the sole routes connecting Marijoa to the sea below. Destroying them would trap the Marines beneath—unable to reach the Holy Land in time.
"Got it, Boss-God!"
Enel's grin twisted with sadistic glee. The moment they landed, he'd unleash the lightning he'd stored within his Raibees and Thunder Drums—casting a vast Thunder Prison over Marijoa.
Even his shattered Ark Maxim would soon reform, dark clouds gathering as smoke and electricity merged into an ocean of storm.
This time, he would make Marijoa taste annihilation—the full wrath of Raigo, a storm strong enough to erase an island.
"Wahaha! I'm gonna slice a few Celestial Dragons myself!"
Bundy Walde howled with manic laughter, several teeth missing from his grin. Even now, he still burned with hatred toward the CP agents who had once betrayed him.
"Is this 'King of the World,' Imu, really stronger than Roger ever was?"
Bullet's aura surged, the raw force of his spirit filling the air. He had made up his mind—under the pressure of this so-called world ruler, he would master Conqueror's Haki Infusion in one go.
"Kill them all!"
The cry ripped through the air, madness taking over.
Even the pirates who had wavered before were swept up in the bloodlust, their fear replaced by the primal fire of battle. Their eyes burned red as they shouted, roaring toward destiny.
"Hahahaha! Now this is chaos worth living for!"
Capone Bege laughed atop Souta's dragon form, his veins surging with adrenaline.
Above the Red Line's great lift-ports, Souta Kiryuu unfurled his wings and unleashed a storm of flaming dragon's breath.
A searing inferno swept across the air, tearing through the steel chains and massive bubble elevators—shattering them in a single terrifying blast.
The guards of the World Government stationed there froze, pale and trembling.
Someone… someone was attacking the Holy Land of Marijoa?!
Who had the audacity to do such a thing?!
Souta landed, dropping Bege onto the Red Line's plateau. One by one, countless figures poured from Bege's body-castle like a black tide.
"Kiryuu Six Paths—move out!!"
Souta's voice thundered as the six Seraphim under his command appeared, taking to the skies like divine weapons. Without hesitation, he led them in a head-on assault toward the grandest palace at the center of Marijoa.
He would not allow Imu the chance to summon the Five Elders.
"So this is… Marijoa?"
"Kill them all!"
The pirate prisoners, their eyes gleaming with greed and bloodlust, looked upon the golden-white splendor of the Holy Land—and roared like beasts unleashed.
The war for the throne of the gods had begun.