Several days later, the piercing sound of alarm sirens once again echoed across the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
Blinding flashes of light streaked through the sky as a dense barrage of laser blasts tore upward from the ground.
Another poison-filled shell was intercepted mid-air — detonating before it could reach the surface.
Standing at the edge of Mary Geoise, Admirals Kizaru, Momousagi, and Chaton watched grimly.
Even though the attack was stopped, a massive purple toxic cloud rolled through the air, sending the pampered Celestial Dragons into another frenzy of panic that lasted for hours.
In the deepest chamber of Pangaea Castle, Imu and the Five Elders watched the drifting cloud through the glass dome — their faces dark and grim.
It seemed that even flooding the Holy Land with seawater hadn't been enough to remove the residual markers left behind by the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi — the Paw-Paw Fruit's power.
To deal with Souta Kiryuu's unrelenting aggression…
Would the World Government really have to destroy their own sacred ground just to eliminate the threat left by that accursed Devil Fruit?
Fortunately, before Dr. Vegapunk had been relocated to Egghead Island, he had submitted blueprints for a protective barrier system to the World Government.
Now, Saint Saturn was personally overseeing the adaptation of that plan — constructing the defense shield over Mary Geoise itself.
Even without the genius scientist at hand, Saturn and a team of World Government researchers were capable of following his designs to build a formidable defense.
"Just a few more months," Saturn muttered darkly, "and the barrier will be ready — covering the entire Holy Land."
The God of Scientific Defense, Saint Saturn, spoke with a heavy tone. The fact that a single pirate crew — Souta Kiryuu's Dragon Pirates — had consumed so much of their attention was unprecedented.
They were being forced to remain inside Mary Geoise, unable even to leave their own sanctuary.
"Perhaps this barrier will be a blessing," Saint Warcury said irritably, massaging his temple. "The Holy Land's defenses were indeed too lax."
They had always believed their combined presence, along with CP0 and the world's altitude advantage — being thousands of meters above sea level on the Red Line — made Mary Geoise untouchable.
Even when Fisher Tiger had stormed the city to free the slaves years ago, the Five Elders had barely considered it worth their notice.
But the recent assault by the Dragon Pirates had shattered that illusion. The Holy Land's comfort had rotted away its vigilance, exposing alarming weaknesses in their security.
"Once the barrier is completed, even a direct assault from one of the Four Emperors won't breach our defenses easily," another Elder muttered.
Saint Nasujuro's expression was filled with murderous intent.
"The Red Count, the World Destroyer… they've resurfaced across the seas. Maybe the Marine Headquarters' failures will finally yield something useful — perhaps they'll locate the Dragon Pirates for us this time."
Their humiliation at Souta Kiryuu's hands had been unbearable.
Eradicating his crew had become not only a goal — but an obsession.
"When the shield is up," Saint Mars growled, "I want Sengoku to hand us every scrap of intelligence on those bastards. We'll strike with everything we have — this time, the Dragon Pirates will be erased from the map."
Saint Peter's tone was icy.
"The Holy Knights and CP0 have been mostly rebuilt. The Devil Fruits we've collected will be distributed immediately. Every member will consume one — strength is no longer optional."
Even the elite Celestial Dragons who joined the Holy Knights were now required to eat a Devil Fruit, whether or not they desired the power.
The last battle had proven humiliating — several newly promoted Knights had been slaughtered far too easily, unworthy of their titles.
The few remaining veteran Knights had already raided the Holy Treasury, selecting the most suitable Fruits to eat first.
From this point forward, every Holy Knight would be a Devil Fruit user.
The newly appointed leader of the Holy Knights, Saint Paines, had eaten a Mythical Zoan-type Fruit — a rare, beastly transformation type that granted semi-divine powers.
The six stronger Fruits had been shipped to God-Demon Island, to be offered as prizes for the annual "Native Extermination Tournament."
Had they known how valuable those Fruits would become, they never would've dismissed them as inferior or wasteful before.
After the God-Demon Island incident and the attack on the Holy Land, many Celestial Dragons had changed their stance on Devil Fruits entirely.
Once, these self-proclaimed gods had seen such powers as toys for slaves and subordinates — protection for the weak, entertainment for the elite.
But now, they had learned fear.
Some of them were starting to "awaken" — realizing that power was the only true shield in the world.
Of course, most of the spoiled nobles were still hopeless. Even after eating Devil Fruits, they lacked the drive and discipline to unlock their potential.
Many would waste the powers entirely, squandering the very weapons meant to save them.
Meanwhile, Somewhere on the Grand Line — Third Route
A chaotic island ruled by pirates roared with noise and fire.
Two pirate ships stormed into its harbor — the crews of Bartolomeo and Edrago.
Following the advice of Van Augur and Doc Q, Bartolomeo had avoided Souta Kiryuu's designated rendezvous point.
Instead, he had sailed from the Fourth Route to the Third — in search of other Supernovas to challenge.
"Weihahaha!! I heard Eustass 'Captain' Kid is this year's strongest Supernova!"
"If we crush him — we'll be the new kings of this generation!"
Champion Fighter Burgess grinned fiercely. After the battle on the Transit Island, where they'd defeated several captains worth 30 to 50 million Berries, his bounty had doubled twice over — skyrocketing from 20 million to 60 million Berries.
Still, he lagged behind Van Augur's 64 million and Doc Q's 72 million, leaving him at the bottom of the crew's hierarchy.
That frustration now burned in his eyes. He was itching to fight Eustass Kid and Killer, both Supernovas with bounties exceeding 100 million.
"Don't underestimate them," Van Augur warned coolly. "Kid is ruthless — and a Magnet-Magnet Fruit user. He controls metal like an extension of his body.
Taking him down won't be easy."
"Ahahahaha! Who cares! With the Armament and Observation Haki manuals given by Lord Souta, I've awakened both! I might not have mastered them yet — but it's enough to crush anyone on the Grand Line!"
Bartolomeo roared with laughter, showing his sharp fangs.
Only after entering the Grand Line had he realized how rare Haki truly was.
His starting point was already far above most rookies — and that arrogance now burned brighter than ever.
At that same moment, deep within the island's central tavern —
Eustass Kid stood amidst the bodies of over a dozen fallen pirates, all beaten bloody and broken.
"So this is the best the Grand Line can offer? Pathetic!"
Kid laughed maniacally, raising a massive mechanical arm forged from scrap metal.
Ever since he and Killer had slaughtered the bandit crews back home and set sail, they'd been unstoppable — crushing every pirate in their path.
Their confidence had swelled beyond measure.
Now, their eyes were fixed on the Four Emperors themselves.