The purple poisonous cloud that had engulfed the Holy Land of Marijoa came as swiftly as it vanished.Yet, it left behind a scar of pure terror on the hearts of the Celestial Dragons—one they would never forget.
Even the Holy Land floating ten thousand meters above sea level no longer felt untouchable.It was like the Calm Belt stripped of its natural defenses—vulnerable and exposed, a place where death could strike at any moment.
The Celestial Dragons trembled at the thought that one night, as they slept, Souta Kiryuu might drop another bomb from the sky and erase them from existence.
Under such constant fear, Admiral Kizaru was once again reassigned to Marijoa to guard the Holy Land personally.Meanwhile, the Navy's Science Division worked around the clock to develop anti-air interception cannons and massive protective barriers—determined to rebuild Marijoa into an impenetrable fortress.
The Five Elders issued orders for both the CP organization and Marine Headquarters to focus all efforts on locating the Kiryuu Pirates.Even Imu gave a new directive: to draw seawater from the Grand Line up to the Holy Land and wash the entire city in the ocean's might—hoping that the saltwater could cleanse away any lingering Paw-Paw Fruit markers left by Bartholomew Kuma.
However, transporting such a massive volume of seawater to the top of the Red Line was no easy task.But if they wished to avoid destroying Marijoa entirely, this desperate measure was the only option left.
Marine Headquarters — Marineford
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, "The Buddha," sat behind his desk, his hair nearly all white and his face weary.He had once planned to strike against one of the Yonko crews to restore the World Government's image and Marine authority.But Souta Kiryuu's long-range poisonous gas attack had forced the government to shift all focus to Marijoa's protection.
Sengoku had no choice but to abandon his plans—for now—and devote every Marine resource to tracking down the Kiryuu Pirates.
In the black markets of the underground world, the bounty for information on the Kiryuu Pirates' base alone had skyrocketed to fifty billion berries, surpassing even the total bounty of three Yonko combined.That alone showed how much the World Government despised them.
Bounty hunters, information brokers, and shadow mercenaries scoured the seas, all chasing the same dream—claiming the richest secret bounty in history.
Even Shakky, the information queen of Sabaody, reached out to Gloriosa and Boa Hancock, hoping for any lead that could help her collect the fifty billion prize.
The Revolutionary Army's Eastern Commander, Belo Betty, joked time and again as she tried to extract information about the Kiryuu Pirates from Kuma—perhaps plotting to stage a grand scam to drain Celestial Dragon coffers.
Even the King of the Underworld's Loan Sharks and the Grand Undertaker secretly sent their own spies searching for Kiryuu's whereabouts.They were eager to profit from both sides—hoping to watch the World Government and Kiryuu's crew tear each other apart.
The balance of the New World was collapsing.The Four Emperors and the Dark Emperors of the Underworld alike felt the weight of the Kiryuu Pirates' growing power.Their mere presence shattered the old order.
Even Stussy, the queen of the Pleasure District and master of espionage, secretly contacted Souta Kiryuu—offering to stage a fake "second headquarters" for him, allowing the World Government to attack it so she could earn a fortune in the chaos.
The Kiryuu Pirates—feared by all—had paradoxically become the hottest commodity on the seas.
The Calm Before the Storm
With Big News Morgans spreading the incident of the "Purple Poison Cloud over Marijoa" across the world, everyone once again witnessed Souta Kiryuu's infamous vengeful nature.
From that moment on, every major power knew one truth:You could provoke the World Government… but never, ever provoke the Kiryuu Pirates.
Even the Government itself grew quiet after the incident, their open hostility vanishing into the shadows of secret investigations.Both the World Government and Kiryuu's forces went silent—leaving the entire world's oceans eerily still.
While Marijoa rebuilt its shields, the Kiryuu Pirates advanced their great lunar project.
Amid that uneasy calm, Monkey D. Luffy finally celebrated his seventeenth birthday and set sail alone—beginning his journey to become the Pirate King.
The Lunar City — Birka
On the moon's surface, in the newly founded city of Birka, the Kiryuu Pirates stood side by side with freed prisoners from Impel Down and captured enemies.All were now workers on this boundless, desolate land.
Even the colossal San Juan Wolf, the Giant Battleship himself, had no choice but to labor honestly—building the lunar metropolis of Birka.
"It's time for me to return to the sea and search for the Vampire Fruit," said Red Count Rydefield, after touring the moon and recognizing Kiryuu's strength.He had to admit—the Kiryuu Pirates truly possessed the power to stand against the World Government.
"I'll go hunt down those traitors of mine," said World Destroyer Douglas Bullet, his eyes burning with rage. "Once I'm done, I'll join you in crushing the Government."
Even he was shaken by Kiryuu's might—the sheer resources, technology, and power of this crew were beyond anything he'd imagined.Still, he couldn't rest easy until he'd settled his personal grudges.
"When that day comes," Souta Kiryuu told them calmly, "and I face the World Government head-on, I expect both of you to stand beside me."
Having seen the Kiryuu Pirates' true power, both Rydefield and Bullet understood: if vengeance against the World Government was their goal, Kiryuu's crew was the most reliable ally they could have.
"Worororo! If it's just fighting, we'll be there," Bullet laughed, revealing his chipped teeth. "But don't think you can tame us that easily!"He still remembered how the Government had betrayed him, locking him away for thirty years. That debt would be repaid in blood.
"Your name has already spread across the seas," Kiryuu said with a faint smirk. "The remnants of your crew will come looking for you soon.Just be careful not to get killed by the Marines or the Government before we meet again."
With that, Souta Kiryuu arranged for his Seraphim units to teleport both men—first to Skypiea, then back down to the ocean below.
As for Douglas Barrett, he temporarily joined the Kiryuu Pirates, using their advanced resources to rebuild his body while learning how to wield Conqueror's Haki coating directly from Souta Kiryuu himself.
"Captain Kiryuu," pleaded Kozuki Sukiyaki and his granddaughter Kozuki Hiyori, "please send us back to Wano Country…"
They hadn't expected to be held on the moon, stranded without access to the Paw-Paw Fruit or the Teleportation Fruit.Without those powers, return to the Blue Sea was impossible.
Worse, Sukiyaki realized with despair that the Kozuki Clan's sacred carving blades—the ones said to inscribe the Poneglyphs—were in truth nothing more than precision cutters used to mine the moon's hardest mineral stones.
"Your Kozuki Clan's value," Souta Kiryuu said coldly, "is less than that of Shinobu, the Mature-Mature Fruit user. Be grateful I've kept you alive. You'll serve as miners for now."
As for Hiyori, Kiryuu didn't even glance at her.She was too weak, too frail—unfit even to serve as a concubine.
When Kiryuu left, the Kozuki ancestors fell into despair.Were they destined to live and die on this lunar prison?
"Murururu~! Keep working hard," said Catarina Devon, the "Crescent Moon Hunter," her twisted smile visible beneath her memory-metal battle suit. "Do well, and you might earn your heart back like I did—and officially join the Kiryuu Pirates!"
Nearby, Vasco Shot, the Heavy Drinker, downed barrels of wine as he supervised the other pirate prisoners.He and the likes of Avalo Pizarro, the Corrupt King, had become temporary squad leaders—waiting for official promotion once they completed their tasks.
When this batch of Moon-Core weapons, even stronger than the Supreme Grade Blades, was finished, they would return to the seas as proud warriors under the flag of the Kiryuu Pirates—ready to wage war across the New World.