Not long after, Admiral Kizaru led a fleet of warships into the surrounding seas, scouring every corner for any sign of Subject No. 88—Souta Kiryuu. Some Marines even dove beneath the waves, searching the ocean floor itself.
Yet even when reinforcements from Marine Headquarters arrived to expand the search on a massive scale, no trace of Souta could be found.
This left Kizaru's leering face clouded with frustration and helplessness.As expected, his failure quickly earned him a furious scolding from the Five Elders.
Saint Saturn personally ordered Kizaru to continue the hunt, expanding the search to every nearby island.
"Alive, we must see the man. Dead, we must see the corpse!"
Elsewhere, Vegapunk and a gathering of scientists were analyzing Souta Kiryuu's escape. Based on the enormous size of his Azure Dragon form, they speculated that the supposedly failed Ancient Giant bloodline within him had likely been reactivated.
They were forced to admit—this Subject No. 88 was truly extraordinary. Not only did he possess astonishing compatibility with countless genetic modifications, but he also embodied miracles thought impossible.
That meant even the failed Fishman modifications might awaken in his body.
In other words, even if Souta had plunged into the sea, he would not die so easily.
With Lunarian blood, Fishman traits, and now the powers of the artificial Azure Dragon Zoan, Souta possessed every ability needed to survive in the depths.
Which meant the Marines had no choice. They had to recover him at all costs.
This intelligence report left Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Chief Strategist Tsuru frowning deeply.
Just what kind of monster had these scientists created?
The report listed not only Lunarian flames and Fishman endurance, but also the powers of poison and transparency. Kizaru had even reported an unusual manifestation of Conqueror's Haki.
The thought of it made their skin crawl.
If Souta Kiryuu truly survived and managed to escape… if he continued to grow stronger… what sort of terror would he one day become?
What unsettled them most was this: Souta bore overwhelming hatred toward the World Government and the very scientists who had experimented on him.
Realizing this, Sengoku immediately raised the mission to capture Souta to the highest priority level. He ordered that Souta be recaptured—or killed on the spot—before his strength could mature.
Privately, the Marines could only hope Souta had already fallen into the sea, mortally wounded and swallowed by a Sea King. That would at least spare them from dealing with a future calamity.
On the endless horizon of the sea—
"Finally… I escaped!!"
Souta Kiryuu gasped desperately for air. His wounds writhed as they healed, but the toll on his stamina left his face pale as death.
"I can't sleep… I can't sleep…"
Still cloaked in his transparent state, his Azure Dragon form staggered through the skies above the waves.
Exhaustion gnawed at both body and mind. All he wanted now was to find an island, a place to rest, somewhere safe to collapse.
If he fell into the sea now, all his struggle, all his defiance, would mean nothing.
He had fought too hard to slip from Kizaru's grasp. He refused to die on the run.
For half a day he flew on, his body screaming with pain, muscles tearing with each wingbeat. As darkness fell, he nearly dropped into the ocean countless times, his transparency flickering in and out.
But the torment of the past two years had forged his endurance. Gritting his teeth, Souta forced himself onward.
At last, just as his body reached its breaking point, the outline of an island emerged through the gloom.
Summoning the last of his strength, Souta plummeted into the island's dense, untouched forest.
His crash tore open the earth, carving a crater into the jungle floor. His invisible dragon form dissolved, leaving him in human shape.
Too drained to move, too wounded to care, Souta collapsed into unconsciousness.
Minutes later, small figures appeared among the trees and bushes.
They were cautious, their curious eyes darting toward the fallen giant of a man.
"Is he dead?""Could he be a pirate?""He looks badly hurt.""He's bleeding so much—his clothes are soaked red…""Should we ask the Princess to heal him?"
Chattering voices filled the night, uncertain, debating.
Until a golden-haired figure stepped forward, her small frame wrapped in authority.
The next day—
Marine Headquarters' massive search operation around Punk Hazard had mobilized nearly a hundred warships, drawing the attention of many factions across the seas.
"Morgans the News King" was the first to swoop in, chasing leads, hoping to uncover the inside story for a massive headline.
In Dressrosa, Donquixote Doflamingo laughed as he turned his gaze toward Punk Hazard. Thanks to information smuggled to him by Vergo, he already knew that Caesar, the second-rate scientist, had been captured and imprisoned. To Doflamingo, this looked like an opportunity waiting to be seized.
As for Souta Kiryuu, Vergo's intel was vague. But the very fact that the World Government was this desperate to find him was enough to spark Doflamingo's greed.
If possible, he wanted to capture Souta himself. If he couldn't control him, then at least he could sell him to the Government for a fortune.
Across the seas, dark powers and great pirates alike began probing for information about Punk Hazard, eager to know the truth.
Days later, on the white soil island of Baltigo—
Revolutionary Army leader Dragon learned through secret channels that Vegapunk had been relocated to a new laboratory.
He immediately contacted Bartholomew Kuma, who had already withdrawn from the Revolutionary Army. The two met aboard Dragon's flagship, the Gramma, reuniting after years apart.
Dragon revealed the recent capture of Ivankov and Inazuma, along with news of Vegapunk's movements. He advised Kuma to strike quickly—while Vegapunk's new laboratory remained poorly defended and Kizaru was absent.
"Take Jewelry Bonney with you," Dragon urged. "Seek Vegapunk's help before it's too late."
During this meeting, Eastern Army officer Belo Betty received Kuma's blessing to formally inherit Ginny's position as commander.
Not long after, Kuma set sail for the South Blue's Sorbet Kingdom, carrying both Bonney and the hope of salvation. The little girl, suffering from the fatal Sapphire Scales disease, was hidden within a sealed, lightless container as Kuma embarked on his perilous journey toward Egghead Island.
Because his Paw-Paw Fruit could not send him to places he had never been, Kuma was forced to leap across familiar islands of the New World, scavenging small ships along the way, inching ever closer to Egghead.
For Bonney's cure, Kuma was willing to sacrifice everything—even his own life.
It was the least he could do to atone for his guilt.
Years ago, Ginny had proposed to him, but because of his Buccaneer heritage, he cowardly refused her. Yet Ginny had stayed by his side, joined him in the Revolutionary Army, and ultimately fell into the hands of the Celestial Dragons. Brutalized, broken, she still gave birth to Bonney.
Kuma never forgave himself for failing to protect her. That guilt would haunt him forever.
Now, Bonney was all he had left—the meaning of his existence, more important than the Revolution itself.
And for her sake, he would give everything.