The luxurious Celestial Dragon warships once seized by the Golden Lion Shiki on the Island of Gods and Demons had now become trophies of the Kiryuu Pirates.
After two rounds of heavy modification, these grand vessels no longer merely floated through the power of the Float-Float Fruit. Each one now possessed a lightning propulsion system, similar to the legendary Ark Maxim.
Combined with the airships that Dr. Wolff had already refitted back on Sky Island, the Kiryuu Pirates now commanded a fleet of nearly sixty airborne warships.
Any officer who wished to operate independently as a division captain could now apply for one of these ships and command it as their own.
The Ark Maxim itself had undergone a complete overhaul, its size now dwarfing even the Celestial Dragons' warships. It had become the flagship of Souta Kiryuu's fleet — not as massive as an island, but easily rivaling Whitebeard's Moby Dick, sleek and overwhelming in presence.
Eighteen of the captured Celestial Dragon warships had been slightly downsized and renamed the Dragon-Class Battleships. Only the strongest officers within the crew were eligible to captain one of these elite vessels.
The remaining dozens of smaller skyships, constructed by Dr. Wolff, were about a tier below the Ark Maxim in size. These were assigned to trusted lieutenants and squad leaders, each able to apply for captaincy.
This time, as the Kiryuu Pirates prepared for war, Souta brought with him a large portion of the Impel Down inmates they had refitted and trained on the Moon.
This campaign wasn't just about conquest — it was a show of force, a message to the World Government that the era of the Kiryuu Pirates had arrived.
Souta even created a specialized Vanguard Unit for these former prisoners — the Advance Division — their sole purpose to spearhead assaults in every major battle.
Other than a few skyships left behind to guard the Isles of the Gods, Souta led an enormous fleet of thirty to forty air warships, cutting across the heavens toward the New World in a magnificent, thunderous formation.
"Captain Kiryuu," Lafitte said carefully, glancing nervously at the Pirate Empress seated beside Souta. "We still haven't delivered the three airships promised to the Beasts Pirates. Should we continue to uphold our cooperation with Kaido?"
He spoke cautiously; with this woman present, he dared not mention Souta's arranged alliance marriage with Yamato. One wrong word, and he'd be turned to stone and forced to stand frozen for a day.
"Why not?" Souta replied with a calm smile. "Once we're done with our current targets, we'll pay Kaido a visit in Wano. It's been too long since we've had a proper talk."
He hadn't forgotten about Yamato — the fierce woman with exceptional Haki mastery and a Mythical Zoan form, a warrior even stronger than Boa Hancock herself.
Though a bit unhinged and brainwashed by Kozuki Oden's ideals, she remained an incredible fighter — and Souta would never pass up such a powerful ally.
If Kaido dared to bargain, Souta dared to claim the prize.
Worst-case scenario? He could always rewrite her memories — make her forget Oden and Portgas D. Ace entirely.
When it came to memory manipulation, Charlotte Pudding's Memo-Memo Fruit was unmatched. It surpassed even Kuma and Vegapunk's memory-wiping methods — perfect, efficient, leaving combat ability unaffected.
Even Sanji, after having memories altered by Pudding, still awakened his genetic enhancements and crushed Queen the Plague.
Recently, Big Mom — Charlotte Linlin herself — had been seeking to form an alliance with Kaido, hoping to join the pact between the Kiryuu and Beasts Pirates. If things went well, Souta planned to claim Pudding for his crew — even if it meant a political marriage.
And if that failed, he'd simply crush Totto Land and take her by force.
"Understood!" Lafitte nodded, catching the meaning immediately. Among the fleet they'd brought for this expedition, three of the ships would be handed to the Beasts Pirates to complete the transaction.
Not that the Kiryuu Pirates feared betrayal — not anymore. They were the stronger side now. Even the mighty Kaido had to think twice before crossing Souta's path.
Within the sky fleet, few were as eager as Trafalgar Law.
"Finally… we're going after that bastard Doflamingo!"
Law gripped his cursed blade Kikoku tightly, his eyes burning with long-suppressed fury. After so many years, the day had come — to avenge Corazon and destroy the man who had ruined everything.
Violet, Kyros, and Rebecca — the surviving royals of Dressrosa — were equally tense and exhilarated.
After nearly a decade of suffering under the Donquixote family's rule, their vengeance was finally within reach.
Neither the title of Warlord of the Sea nor that of a King of an allied nation could protect Doflamingo now.
Because their captain, Souta Kiryuu, was a man who feared neither the World Government nor the Celestial Dragons — a man who had slaughtered gods.
These days, Souta found little interest in the Donquixote Family. Other than Sugar, whose Hobby-Hobby Fruit intrigued him, none of their powers were truly exceptional.
Doflamingo's String-String Fruit had its limits.
In Souta's eyes, the Donquixote Family's overall value couldn't even compare to that of Wang Zhi's Pirates on Hive Island.
If I go after Wang Zhi, let's hope Whitebeard doesn't get involved, Souta mused with a smirk. Because if he does, I won't hesitate to make a scene.
Whitebeard, now aged and weakened, no longer possessed the same intimidating presence he once had.
Even his earthquakes and tsunamis would struggle to harm the Kiryuu fleet soaring high above the seas.
"Step by step," Souta murmured, scanning his war plans. "Once Wang Zhi is eliminated, the Whitebeard Pirates will come next. But the World Government and the Marines take priority — they're the real threat."
The first goal was simple — purge every Marine base in the New World, driving the Navy's presence out completely.
He had no interest in watching the World Government cozy up to Red-Haired Shanks. That alliance was a disaster waiting to happen.
If necessary, Souta would form temporary alliances with Kaido and Big Mom to eliminate Whitebeard and Red Hair first.
Meanwhile, aboard the fleet's Vanguard Division, the atmosphere was wild.
Brutal men like the Drunken Giant Jot, Moon Hunter Karint, Corrupt King Pizarro, and the newly joined Bartolomeo, Edrago, and Burgess were all fired up for the coming raid.
Every target — whether a Warlord's territory or a Celestial Dragon's ancestral kingdom — represented both danger and incredible spoils.
For these men, raised on chaos, this was the ultimate thrill.
"Ahahaha! My bounty's gonna skyrocket again! And the next wanted poster better have the Kiryuu Pirates' insignia on it!"
Bartolomeo laughed like a madman, his chest proudly bared — a fresh tattoo of the Kiryuu Pirates' emblem inked across it.
He was now an official member of Souta's crew, and his next goal was clear — rise to the rank of officer.
All he had to do was surpass the bounties of veterans like Bege, Bonney, Lafitte, and Law.
Every newcomer aboard, including the hardened Impel Down escapees, shared that same ambition — to carve their names into the legend of the Kiryuu Pirates.