"A correct choice!"
For the first time, Souta Kiryuu allowed a faint smile to cross his usually cold face. He never imagined that the very first member of his new force would be none other than Bartholomew Kuma, the Tyrant himself.
It was something he had never even considered before.
"Then… Lord Kiryuu, what shall our organization be called?" Kuma asked softly once he had steadied his emotions.
"It will be called the Kiryuu Clan!!"
A crushing aura erupted from Souta's body. Tiny arcs of black-and-red lightning sparked through the air. Inside the wooden crate, Bonney suddenly felt her chest tighten as if she were suffocating—her eyes began to roll back.
"Calm down, Clan Leader Kiryuu! Bonney can't withstand your Conqueror's Haki!" Kuma immediately stepped in to stop him, shocked at his new leader's recklessness.
"My apologies. I still haven't mastered it." Souta drew a deep breath, suppressing his aura. This power of Conqueror's Haki was still raw and untrained. He had awakened it by accident under Kizaru's crushing pressure, and even now it remained unstable.
But with Kaido's Oni blood running in his veins, coupled with the artificial Azure Dragon fruit born from Kaido's lineage factor, and fueled by rage and defiance, it was only natural that such a willpower would surface.
"It's fine, Clan Leader. But… when shall we seek out the Cure-Cure Fruit user, the Ope-Ope Fruit user, and the doctor capable of stem cell transplantation?" Kuma asked, his expression softening into a hopeful smile. For Bonney's sake, he would sacrifice everything.
"Don't worry. They are all among my targets. And the Cure-Cure Fruit user is right here on this island. By the way, you should have a permanent log pose for Egghead Island, yes? Since you're looking for Vegapunk." Souta's grin widened. "I know him well. This eye of mine—he's the one who rebuilt it. As for the one who destroyed it, you know him too. Saturn, that decrepit bastard of the Five Elders!"
A flicker of pain passed through Souta's eye as he recalled Saturn tearing it from him. Though Vegapunk had experimented on his body, Souta didn't hate the scientist the same way. At least Vegapunk still had a sliver of conscience. But Souta intended to make him work for him—forever—as repayment for that suffering.
"The Cure-Cure Fruit user… is on this island?!" Kuma's eyes lit with joy. If Bonney could be healed now, the crushing burden on his heart for so many years would finally be lifted. In his excitement, he even forgot about Saturn, who had nearly killed him back at God Valley.
"Don't be too quick to rejoice. The Cure-Cure Fruit mainly treats external wounds. Against Jade Scales, a terminal disease, it may be as ineffective as your Paw-Paw Fruit." Souta doused Kuma's hopes with blunt honesty. He wasn't certain the power would work.
But Kuma still looked relieved. At least there was hope.
"Also, I'll need you to teach me Armament Haki and Observation Haki. We'll stay on this island for a few days so the Cure-Cure Fruit user can treat Bonney. If it doesn't work, we'll head straight for Egghead to find Vegapunk. If we delay and Kizaru reaches Egghead first, it will be far harder to meet him."
Souta's mind was already racing with plans. Vegapunk, his satellites, the Pacifistas, and even the Seraphim—they hadn't been created yet. Souta would steal them all. This would be the first payment he demanded from the World Government. And he would use them to build his own army.
As for funding the experiments—beyond the gold of Skypiea, the Golden Emperor Tesoro was also marked as Souta's prey. He would plunge the world into chaos to repay the World Government for the torment burned into his very soul.
"Understood." Kuma lifted the crate holding Bonney and followed Souta. Along the way, he patiently began to explain the theories of Haki to him.
Soon, the two men and Bonney returned to Souta's modest wooden hut.
"Clan Leader Kiryuu, are the Little People real?" Bonney's voice trembled with excitement from inside the crate. Years trapped inside the church of the Sorbet Kingdom had left her dreaming of the world beyond, her knowledge confined to the books she read. Her greatest wish was to travel with her father across the seas.
"Bonney, mind your manners. You should call Clan Leader Kiryuu 'big brother,'" Kuma said awkwardly, giving Souta an apologetic glance. He spoiled his daughter endlessly, never having the heart to scold her properly.
"You'll see them soon. The princess of the Little People is the Cure-Cure Fruit user. They are my friends." Souta's tone was calm as he followed Kuma's guidance, training his Observation Haki. The Little People's small, darting movements made them perfect targets for practice.
As for Armament Haki, Kuma admitted Souta was the most naturally gifted man he had ever seen. With such a powerful body, even minimal training was enough for Souta to begin awakening it. After just a few hours, signs of mastery were already surfacing—enough to leave Kuma stunned.
Meanwhile, Mansherry and Leo cautiously answered Souta's call, peeking at the towering giant of a man who had accompanied him.
"Lord Kiryuu, is he truly your friend?" Princess Mansherry hopped onto Souta's shoulder, eyeing Kuma with nervous suspicion. His sheer size alone was terrifying.
"Greetings, Princess of the Little People." Kuma bent slightly, offering a gentle smile. Upon hearing she was the Cure-Cure Fruit user, his eyes burned with desperate hope.
"Daddy, are they really Little People? Can I come out now? I want to see them!" Bonney's excited voice echoed from inside the crate. She was desperate to see the outside world.
Kuma hesitated, glancing at Souta's hut, then at the dark clouds covering the sky. The sun's rays were weak, so perhaps it was safe for her to come out briefly. Still, he covered the crate with a cloth for protection before unsealing the lid.
"Stay inside, Bonney," he said gently.
Souta stepped forward with Mansherry and Leo, allowing Bonney a glimpse of the tiny figures.
"So small!" Bonney's eyes sparkled as she stared at the Little Princess perched on Souta's shoulder, longing to scoop her up immediately.
But the Little People remained cautious, wary of Kuma's towering frame and Bonney's exuberance.
"Bonney, put on this chestnut-head helmet and call me 'big brother.' That way, the Little People might accept you." Souta chuckled, handing her a wooden helmet he had worn just days earlier to earn the tribe's trust.
"Really?!" Bonney snatched the carved helmet, her face glowing with excitement as she gazed at the adorable Little People.
"Lord Kiryuu, is she also one of your kin?" The Little People tilted their heads, mistaking Bonney's helmet as a sign of lineage. Their wary tone softened into cheerful welcome.
Bonney's laughter rang bright, her heart swelling with joy—the first steps into a wider, more wondrous world.