Later, Souta Kiryuu deliberately began experimenting with the blood of other Mythical Zoan species.
The blood of the Kappa granted him a peculiar secondary ability — whenever his body came into contact with fresh water or rainwater, his regenerative power surged dramatically, though seawater still restrained him. It wasn't an overwhelming gift, but it was definitely useful — better than nothing.
Then came the blood of the Ōnyūdō, the colossal yokai. Through it, Souta gained the ability to freely alter his size while in his Divine Dragon form.
At his smallest, his dragon form could shrink to the size of a fox; at his largest, it could stretch across a mountain range — over five thousand meters long, surpassing even the greatest Sea Kings of the New World.
The blood of the ancient Druid Beast caused intricate, wood-like markings to appear along his dragon horns. They granted him a subtle healing power — allowing him not only to mend his own wounds faster, but also to heal others.
However, compared to the Divine Dragon's natural regeneration, this new healing factor was almost negligible — a faint whisper against a roaring storm.
Perhaps now, Souta Kiryuu had evolved into an entirely new kind of dragon — a being beyond classification.
These strange and unpredictable abilities didn't make him overwhelmingly stronger, but they diversified his powers — made them more intricate, more complete.
If the Sun God Nika represented the wildest and most liberated form of power, then Souta's Dragon God stood for the most outrageous, multifaceted, and adaptable force in existence.
Even Souta himself couldn't explain how he gained these powers. He simply possessed them.
He wasn't even sure if this counted as some kind of alternate awakening.
After all, there were no signs of the black flame clouds that appeared when the Gorosei awakened, nor the radiant white flame clouds of the Sun God.
People often said one awakens when body and mind catch up to power — yet Souta couldn't even define what his ability truly was, or what to call it.
For now, he simply referred to it as the Mythical Zoan: Divine Dragon Fruit — discarding the old classifications like "Fish-Fish Fruit" or "Dragon-Dragon Fruit."
Dr. Vegapunk personally documented this extraordinary anomaly in his research logs.
After all, most versions of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia were written by the World Government — but now, with the strength of the Kiryuu Pirates and Vegapunk's genius, they could create their own private edition.
In this new, expanded compendium, even the Fruit of the Sun God Nika had been officially added.
After several days of sparring with Barrett, the Pirate Empress, and Enel, the Kiryuu Pirates' strategist team — Robin, Lafitte, and Capone Bege — finally completed their next plan.
They had mapped out a list of targets across the New World: Dressrosa, Marine branch bases, affiliated kingdoms, Hive Island, even the Gran Tesoro. Nearly ten in total — the final destination being the Sky Island of Baron, deep within the New World.
"This… the Kingdom of Adams? It used to be one of the original Twenty Kingdoms that formed the World Government?"
Souta's eyes gleamed with interest as he noticed one particular target.
A former Celestial Dragon homeland.
Now that sounded like revenge worth taking.
Just as the Nefertari family's original homeland was Alabasta, and the Donquixote family's was Dressrosa, every one of the original Twenty Kings had their ancestral lands.
Queen Lily of Alabasta had abandoned her Celestial Dragon title and returned to her people, while the Donquixote family had forsaken Dressrosa entirely, moving to Mary Geoise to live as World Nobles. They had handed their kingdom over to the Riku family — even forsaking the Dwarves they once enslaved.
Because of that history, Doflamingo, the discarded son of the Donquixote clan, had tried to reclaim Dressrosa and rule again.
"Based on all known records," Robin explained, adjusting her frameless glasses with a calm, intellectual smile, "the Twenty Kings came from twenty nations — three from each of the Four Seas, and four each from the Grand Line and the New World."
"So what about the other two Celestial Dragon homelands in the New World?" Souta asked, scanning the documents with keen eyes. If he could wipe out every trace of those tyrants' history, perhaps it would avenge Angel Island's destruction.
"The Kingdom of Pritzker," Robin said softly, pointing to a page, "was completely abandoned by the Celestial Dragons, just like Dressrosa. Its resources are poor, its people live humbly — no reason to attack it."
"But the other — the Kingdom of Mars — like Adams, is extremely rich. Celestial Dragons often visit both nations for leisure and pleasure cruises. Most importantly…" She leaned closer to Souta, her voice quiet and dangerous. "The Kingdom of Mars was once the homeland of Saint Marcus Mars himself."
Robin bent down beside Souta, the scent of flowers lingering faintly in the air as she pointed to the name on the map, explaining each line with care.
"Your route plan is perfect," Souta said with a satisfied grin. "I'm impressed."
Her calm scent and quiet intelligence lifted his mood even further. The coming journey through the New World would be anything but peaceful.
"Wait—what?! So the Goa Kingdom in the East Blue also had royal blood from the Celestial Dragons?!"
Bartolomeo yelled in disbelief. The gangster-turned-fanboy had never realized this secret until now.
Even Van Augur, born in the East Blue, had never learned about the eight-hundred-year-old histories of the Twenty Kingdoms.
"They say the nations still favored by the Celestial Dragons are incredibly advanced," Capone Bege muttered greedily. "If Adams and Mars are that wealthy, we'll be set for life."
In the West Blue, there were also two nations secretly favored by the Celestial Dragons — prosperous, untouchable, and feared even by the underworld.
No wonder they were so powerful — they were once the lands of the gods themselves.
Over the centuries, with the World Government's censorship and the terror surrounding the Celestial Dragons, ordinary people had forgotten these origins entirely.
They only knew that certain allied nations were rich, powerful, and protected — places no pirate dared to raid.
"Tch! I'll burn that bird bastard's nest to the ground! I'll make him pay for what he did to Angel Island!"
Jewelry Bonney clenched her fists, glaring at the records of the Mars Kingdom. Her hatred for Saint Marcus Mars, who destroyed Angel Island, still burned bright.
"We're taking on too many targets," Kuma said quietly, frowning. "The World Government will strike back hard. We should cut down the list and move faster."
He was right. Once they attacked the first kingdom, the Government and Marines would be on high alert. By the second or third, the entire strategy could be exposed.
"Then we'll deal with Doflamingo first," Souta decided firmly, "and once that's over, we strike the two Celestial Dragon homelands — Adams and Mars. The Marine branches can wait. By the time we reach Hive Island, the Government won't dare chase us deep into the New World."
Attacking the Celestial Dragons' ancestral homes would feel far more satisfying than hitting Marine bases — richer spoils, greater symbolism. A true insult to the so-called gods.
As Souta made his decision, Robin and the strategist corps quickly redrew the plan, fine-tuning the order of attack.
"Alright, everyone!" Souta roared, his voice carrying through the massive skyship hangar. "Set sail for the New World!"
The Kiryuu Pirates' air fleet thundered into motion — their first full-scale expedition.
It was time for the world to witness the might of the Kiryuu Pirates.