Fukuoka Soren

Ahoy! This here is the 26th Featured Article. "Fukuoka Soren" has been featured, meaning it was chosen as an article of interest.

Fukuoka Soren is an article written by Ash9876.

“	I'm not going to lose either! I've still got to beat all of you and be Pirate King!	”
—Soren's intentions made clear to the Xros Pirates.

Fukuoka Soren
Statistics
Japanese Name:	フクオカ・ソレン
Romanized Name:	Fukuoka Soren
Official English Name:	Fukuoka Soren
Debut:	The Assembly
Affiliations:	Black Widow Pirates Fukuoka Family
Occupations:	Pirate; Ninja
Relatives:	Daddy L. Legs (Mother); Kosaka Isshin
Residence:	Wano Country
Alias:	"Daddy L. Soren" (盲・L・ソレン, Yūrei L. Soren) "Soren" (蒼連, Blue Chain)
Age:	26 (1576, Debut) 34 (1584)
Status:	Alive
Bounty:	300,000,000 600,000,000 800,000,000
Devil Fruit
Japanese Name:	Shimi Shimi no Mi
English Name:	Blot-Blot Fruit
Meaning:	Blot
Type:	Special Paramecia

Fukuoka Soren, birth name Fukuoka Kazuya, also known as Daddy L. Soren is a shinobi of the Fukuoka Family and an apprentice of the Black Widow Pirates' Night Parade. During his initial campaign as a Pirate, it is revealed that Soren is the child of Kosaka Isshin and Daddy L. Legs; as the Black Widow’s oldest child, he is the heir to the Black Widow Pirates and its empire.

Following the conflict at Bedina, Soren is granted a staggering first bounty of 300,000,000 in part due to his heritage as well as his incredible ability. Thereafter, his actions against Batavia in Permis caused his bounty to double to 600,000,000, where Soren was slated as the strongest member of the Horsemen by the Vice Admiral.

Although his bounty at the time was withdrawn due to his supposed death by Carter Pine's hands, it is later revealed that he had been alive for the past years in hiding. His re-emergence into the world caused his bounty to jump once more to 800,000,000.

Additionally, he is the third holder of the title "Soren" (蒼連, Blue Chain) after Aoshin and Michael D. Shiguma.

Appearance

Soren as a Kumamushi.

Soren is a tall, broad-built and fairly muscular young man with striking blue hair and bright red eyes. Despite being built more like a typical warrior, Soren demonstrates impeccable flexibility, performing feats of reconnaissance that would normally be impossible for those possessing his physique. Likewise, he shows the ability to easily blend into crowds despite his rather unique appearance by reducing his presence significantly. He even sports proficiency in make-up, and uses it to disguise his appearance to such a degree that the common public of Coachella are unable to recognize him.

Soren’s general outfit is typical of those hailing from Wano Country, albeit modernized to a degree. His kosode is a dark blue color, and appears akin to a western button-up shirt, but noticeably longer and with a very stiff upwards collar. To keep the kosode fastened, he wears a broad maroon-colored obi. Over this he wears a mustard yellow, short haori with a clan symbol emblazoned on the shoulders, and maroon wool balls across the hems at his chest. His lower body attire are straight-cut grey hakama with bandages from below his knees, and simple geta. Soren also wears a turban-style hat on his head, though he takes it off on occasion.

While acting as a member of the Night Parade, Soren wears a white mask that reaches up to his mouth, with markings above and below his eyes, as well as horns that stretch out from the top of it.

Gallery

Soren's appearance on Xaris.

Soren disguised as an Elf named Glaer.

Soren disguised as a merchant named Pur Chase.

Soren disguised as a Yurei-Ifrit hybrid named Scald Frost, a technician-turned-Pirate.

Relationships

Black Widow Pirates

Main article: Black Widow Pirates

Daddy L. Legs

Main article: Daddy L. Legs

Soren is Daddy L. Legs' beloved first-born son. To the eyes of the world, Soren is nothing more than a spoiled brat riding on the coat-tails of his parents' reputation. Soren despises this reputation that the world has built for him, and has constantly confronted those who dare to say his accomplishments as a pirate are merely the result of his heritage. Soren threw away the perfect, safe environment that his parents brought him up in for the sake of accomplishing his goals in, and despite his love for them, his desire to overthrow them as Pirate King has lead him to never look back at Wano Country.

Although he plays the part of the rebel and has rebelled against his parents on several occasions, particularly when it came to his choices as a pirate, Soren does love his mother more than anyone else in the world. It is his wish for her affection that lead him to take the bold step to enter the world of piracy and fight against the Xros Pirates alone, for he couldn't stand her affection being given to others and ignored on him.

Soren also holds heavy expectations for himself as the child of Kosaka Isshin and Fukuoka Koyuki. He believes that running away reflects poorly on his parents, even if his identity is not public knowledge.

Soren believes in his parents, but after returning from "death" and appearing on Xaris with Barney Kettle, and not seeing any of the Black Widow Pirates engaged in war against the Xros Pirates, he briefly ponders if his parents had forgotten him. He soon dismissed the thought.

Soren does not appear to wish to return to Wano Country, as he has fought off against several scouts from the Black Widow Pirates that have gone after him, including individuals like Son Goku. Whether that means he holds something against his parents, or simply does not wish to be caged in Wano, is left in the air, for Soren has not mentioned his parents very much following his return to the surface.

Kosaka Isshin

Main article: Kosaka Isshin

Fukuoka Mirai

Main article: Fukuoka Mirai

Xros Pirates

Scratch

Main article: Scratch

“	We're not that different...	”
—Soren upon beginning to understand Scratch.

Michael D. Shiguma

Main article: Michael D. Shiguma

“	You know Shiguma...From the moment I saw you, I envied you. Eh? I envied the fact that you had friends. ...God, what a child.	”
—Soren and Shiguma's spirit speaking for the last time.

Allies

Draco D. Damon

Main article: Draco D. Damon

Abilities and Powers

Soren unveiling his true power.

Soren is a pirate who was blessed with both the greatest heritage in the world and some of the greatest mentorship in the world. As the child of Fukuoka Koyuki and Kosaka Isshin, his genetics have given him physical ability and instincts that are rivaled by only the strongest. Simultaneously, his mentorship under legendary warriors such as Naganori, Sarutobi Sasuke and the Fukuoka Clan shinobi have honed his edge even further. With his strength now fully unbound by his own mental burdens and external curses, Soren is undoubtedly a pirate who has reached the greatest of heights, standing on-par with the other Horsemen.

During his first tenures into piracy at Bedina, Soren was nowhere near the level of power he was capable of. Nonetheless, both his actions and heritage granted him a staggering first bounty of 300,000,000. At the time, his potential among the Horsemen was said to be the greatest, and he was the one to keep an eye out for. After his supposed death by the hands of Carter Pine in Permis, Soren's bounty had doubled to 600,000,000, and he was thought to be the strongest of the Horsemen. His return to piracy and the events of Xaris saw his bounty immediately rise to 800,000,000, where it has since been stagnant. Even during those years, where he did not possess even half of his true strength, Soren managed to defeat two elite members of the Raid Pirates. Likewise, his strength had grown so rapidly following his training in Barney Kettle's pocket dimension, that he managed to defeat Draco D. Drake (then disguised as Scratch) in a contest of stealth and skill.

Following the events of Xaris, Soren suffered from extreme mental and physical fatigue. Despite this, Soren's strength did not wane in the slightest. He managed to maintain his power even amidst his crushing sanity, fighting off the likes of Son Goku and Ballard Nicholai. When Soren's mind and body had finally been freed from his mother's, and Hima Nobiji's curse, Soren's power was fully realized after years of trauma and torment.

Physical Prowess

Soren possesses exceptional physical aptitude, and is well-rounded in his skills. His heritage as a Kumamushi, although once suppressed, has now manifested itself completely, leaving him capable of accomplishing most feats with his physical prowess alone. This innate physical strength, enhanced through grueling training and tribulations over decades, has enabled Soren to possess strength that is only eclipsed by the greatest powers of the seas.

Although his raw strength is his weakest attribute, it is nothing to be scoffed at. Soren’s intensive training as a warrior, along with his natural power as a Kumamushi, enable him to draw upon his strength at almost any given point of time, irrespective of injury or exhaustion. Over time, he has harnessed an even greater volume of physical strength and has disciplined himself to control that strength with finesse. Irrespective of the blows sent his way, he can block or parry them with strict ease, translating his enormous physical power into finely tuned technique that can dismantle attacks from even the strongest of enemies.

Soren’s most distinct and well-developed physical attribute is his endurance, which is in-part due to his sheer force of will. His training as a shinobi from his childhood has molded him into an individual who can take on grueling tasks and battles for hours on end with minimal effort. He has the ability to conserve his energy to a frightening degree, even when mentally and physically compromised. The key to this endurance is his skills in meditation. Even when suffering from extreme insomnia and starvation, Soren can actively reduce his body’s excess workload through meditation, which both conserves his energy and also, barely, maintains his sanity. Ultimately, the thing that keeps Soren moving on is his persistence and inability to give up. Whether he is faced with enemies that surpass him, or monsters that could destroy the world at any moment, Soren continues to look forward and calculate his way to victory, no matter how the odds are turned against him: it is this attribute that all the Horsemen share, and the reason for their infamy in the world of piracy.

While he is most distinctly recognized for his endurance, Soren’s agility is his most utilized asset within battle. His training as a shinobi has geared him for both short-term bursts of speed, or long-term uses of agility depending on the situation at hand. He can perform feats akin to Soru without prior set-up, enabling him to travel considerable distances in a single movement. Within combat, this agility becomes even more prominent due to the nature of his Devil Fruit. His Logia-like Devil Fruit, combined with his natural training as a shinobi, enables him to make even simple, linear movements across a battle into potentially devastating combat openers. Similarly, because he is so conscious of his own movement, he has found ways to limit exposing the weaknesses of his Devil Fruit while maximizing the potential of his flexible body into his combat. This devastation combination of Soren’s malleable body and his training as a shinobi enables him to fight in a manner that is excruciatingly difficult to read at first glance, and can almost be compared to martial arts that focus on the malleability of the body.

Haki

Haoshoku Haki

Soren wielding his Haoshoku Haki to scare opponents.

Soren possesses Haoshoku Haki, a fact revealed when he confronted his parents regarding the severity of Hima Nobiji's curse. When amplified with the wailing spirits of Hima Nobiji, Soren's Haoshoku Haki was felt all across the Flower Capital, and immediately alerted all of the Black Widow Pirates' elite forces to band together to ensure the city's safety. The sheer agony and power of the Haki drowned his own presence completely, and even the likes of Wolfgang were left stunned by its sheer strength.

After reconciling with Hima Nobiji's spirit and lifting the curse placed upon him by his mother, Soren has gained a much better control over his Haoshoku Haki. He seems to be capable of projecting his spirit through his voice, and can specifically target mental curses inflicted against others, in hopes of granting the affected individual a chance of purifying themselves.

Kenbunshoku Haki

Out of the three forms of Haki, Soren has most intensely studied, and mastered, Kenbunshoku Haki. His mastery does not extend to the likes of predicting the future, but rather, a completely separate avenue of mastery. Soren's most distinguished skill within Kenbunshoku Haki is the ability to enhance any of his senses, sans sight, to the utmost degree. Plenty of factors have contributed to this skill, but the most important factor has no doubt been Soren's sheer paranoia. Because of the constant mental alertness Soren subjugated himself to in his youth, his spirit has sought to enhance that which is unseen, as opposed to what is right in front of him. This sensory enhancement has, since his early career as a pirate, been exceptional. Soren manages to seamlessly identify people, objects and events happening in a wide radius around him, purely from enhancing his hearing.

Soren often combines his Kenbunshoku Haki's sensory expansion with the powers of his Devil Fruit to extend the range of his sensory abilities. He has demonstrated the capability to easily sense presences from short or long distances, and can employ seismic sensing to gauge his surroundings to a peerless degree. Similarly, Soren's skill in Kenbunshoku Haki, and his vastly enhanced sensory intake, enables him to almost perfectly gauge an opponent's power level, in comparison to his own, at a first glance. Even during battle, it is extremely difficult for an opponent to surpass Soren's sensory abilities, as his Haki enables him to sense all manner of things emitting from an opponent. Whether it's their breathing, the movement of their muscles, the heat emitting from certain parts of their body, Soren can sense virtually all aspects that make up any combatant and adapt to them, making him a near-peerless fighter.

Busoshoku Haki

Hima Nobiji when imbued with Soren's true Busoshoku flow.

Soren possesses adequate skills in Busoshoku Haki, although they pale in comparison to the strength and flexibility of his Kenbunshoku Haki. His Busoshoku Haki strengthens his blows significantly, enabling him to concentrate his strength enough to damage foes that otherwise surpass what his physical ability alone can reach.

Following his training, Soren possesses a much greater understanding of Busoshoku Haki, however, his acquisition of Hima Nobiji has made the skill mostly unnecessary. Nonetheless, he possesses enough skill to compete with the likes of seasoned Samurai without relying on his blade's supernatural powers. Likewise, he has enough understanding over the flow of one's spirit to the point where he can induce a color and shape to his Haki's flow. In his case, his spirit flows like waves: there is no rigidity in the strength of his Haki, and yet, when it clashes against others, it crashes onto them much like a tidal wave. When used on a formless blade such as Hima Nobiji, the blade took the appearance of eternally flowing waves, constantly remaining in motion even without Soren's active input.

Devil Fruit

Main article: Shimi Shimi no Mi

Fighting Style

Ninjutsu

Soren's Identity Consumption fading.

Identity Consumption (氏名消費, Shimei Shōhi) is Soren's signature technique as a shinobi. It is said to be a technique that even surpasses the Fukuoka Family's shinobi ability to harbor two separate identities. Soren is not solely limited to disguising as a single person, but can disguise as several different individuals with distinct personalities, occupations and appearances, all without being exposed for his real identity unless he chooses to. The exact mechanism behind this technique is unknown, specifically how it differs from the standard identity creation that the Fukuoka Family shinobi employ. Later, Soren revealed that the sheer ease of this technique boils down to his Devil Fruit's machinations, specifically that the beings summoned by his Devil Fruit powers are live termites. By using the termites as a layer above his skin and applying Life Return, Soren can theoretically propagate an infinite number of disguises and shed them at will, making it difficult to recognize what Soren's true layer could even be.

Stealth Prowess

Soren's primary occupation is that of a ninja, and not any ordinary ninja, but a member of the elite Night Parade. His prowess in traversing through the shadows is such that he was able to completely escape visual detection from onlookers and sneak up on crowded ships with ease. Perfectly able to compose himself in compromised situations, he is capable of staying in supply crates and barrels with minimal oxygen for extended periods of time. In fact, even during extended espionage, Soren can maneuver his body in such ways to almost completely eliminate the noise he makes with movement, enabling him to perform his duties with virtually unparalleled success. Even within battle, the principle of stealth applies to everything he does, being able to move with complete silence between two points to heighten his advantages. Being a man raised to excel in stealth, Soren also bears enough skill to counter someone like Scratch's invisibility, and inform his allies of methods to pinpoint and fight against invisibility.

Voice of All Things

Soren was one of the few people in the world born with the Voice of All Things, a trait even his parents do not possess. Being born with this trait seemed to signify that he, above all else, would be the one to carry the fate of Soren on his back.

Throughout the majority of Soren's life, the Voice of All Things was an inert ability. It was not until his training in preparation for the conflict in Xaris that Soren had awoken to the ability in full. Soren first demonstrated active use of the ability when he was being released by Al Rauf Najeem. There, his ability to hear the voice enabled him to understand Najeem's true intentions, and allowed him to calm down from his wrath. He similarly confirmed that, when in the presence of Michael D. Shiguma, Aoshin, Kenway Valkary and Barney Kettle, their monstrous Haki caused the ability to be suppressed briefly.

Because Soren has the ability to hear the voice of all things inanimate and animate, he can also perceive the true nature of a cursed sword instantly and understand its true effects on the wielder of the blade.

Intelligence

Although somewhat foolhardy when it comes to his emotions, Soren is an espionage agent, and is trained to use his intelligence to the best degree possible in all missions. To this degree, his escape from Wano Country was well-planned in order to avoid attention being drawn to him. Likewise, the intelligence he is privy to as a member of the Night Parade is notable, as he was able to identify several of the Xros Pirates, such as Al Rauf Najeem and Gilbert D. Bertram with only a cursory look.

In combat, Soren doesn't fight in a direct approach. Before combat, he always analyzes the difference between himself and an enemy so that he may conduct the appropriate course of action. He utilizes various tactics in order to take advantage of even compromised situations, albeit they are predictable to a degree. Nonetheless, once he has gained the required information to fight an enemy, Soren will adjust his combat style to highlight their weaknesses, and continually press on his advantages until they are defeated. Likewise, he is also capable of formulating strategies and relaying plans to groups, albeit he does not have the requisite charisma to keep reckless people in line.

Another notable facet of Soren's intelligence is his ability to act. As an intelligence agent, Soren not only has to conceal his body into shadows, but his intentions as well. The Night Parade operative bears the necessary skills to conceal himself into a crowd without drawing the attention of a Pirate like Al Rauf Najeem, knowing that he would be occupied with his own selfish desires to pay attention to an ordinary citizen.

History

Past

On the eve of March 14th, 1551, Soren was born to Fukuoka Koyuki and Kosaka Isshin. As a baby, Soren was born with the Voice of All Things, a fact confirmed by Aoshin. When approached by the Black Panther, the infant Soren had been crying for unknown reasons. Although Aoshin's intent was to kill the child, he could not help but sheathe his blade. The love Aoshin held for Soren, Koyuki and Isshin had surpassed the duty Aoshin held to kill Soren.

Prior to Soren's eventual leave to Bedina, Soren consumed the Koru Koru no Mi. Additionally, it was decided, to hide his identity, Soren would train as a Shinobi rather than an active Pirate. For several years, he had been training under the Night Parade for this reason.

Yonko Wars Saga

Preparing for War

Main article: The Proving

Soren was first seen attending to Kosaka Isshin as the senior crew member packed his belongings to attend the war council. Isshin tasked Soren with the job of protecting his office, to which Soren cheerfully responded with an affirmative.

Battle for Bedina

Main article: Across the Line

Soren was later seen in a council with the other Night Parade members, masked and wearing a wig. When the leader announced that the decision for who to send to Bedina shall be disclosed tomorrow, Soren stayed behind as everyone else left the area. Visibly angered by this, he lamented at his lack of ability due to being an apprentice, and had visions of two children playing with an older woman, expressing his grievances at them "always being there."

Very quickly, he departed from the room, packed his belongings in his own room, before making up his mind and leaving for Bedina. He reached the port and made his way onto the ship without being noticed, and hid in one of its supply bags. During the trip, he overheard that they were going to Ishitani, an island where the Titan Pirates were spotted.

Reaching Ishitani's port, Soren climbed atop a building in order to find information on the next ship to Bedina. Using Kenbunshoku Haki to enhance his hearing, he found a supply ship that was headed towards the island, and infiltrated it in the same manner as he did on Wano. In a couple of days, he reached Bedina, announcing to himself that he will be acknowledged and help the Black Widow Pirates win.

For a number of days, Soren's activities were minimum due to the large number of Xros Pirates stationed on the island. He heard of the screening of a new movie and entered the screening to find more information pertaining to the Xros Pirates. Much to his chagrin, Al Rauf Najeem occupied the whole cinema, leaving him to be kicked out, or so he allowed the man to believe. Soren used this opportunity to sneak through the air vents in the cinema through his Koru Koru no Mi, and maintained a position in one of these air vents to overhear and oversee Najeem's actions, whom he identified as 'Omega.'

Najeem did minimal for a very long period of time. At some point, he was called by Barney Kettle, but he soon killed the Den Den Mushi for the sake of watching the entire movie. Therein, Najeem finished the movie and made a point to sleep in the cinema for the following ten hours, aggravating Soren considerably.

Following the man's respite, Najeem went into town, to which Soren followed him by maintaining an aerial position, the sound of his steps concealed by the use of his Devil Fruit. As Najeem brutalized a child for a small morsel of food, Soren began to anger even further, but recognized that in his current exhaustion, he would very easily lose to the man. Instead, he picked up on the appearance of a Marine base in the territory and soon made his way over there to cause a disturbance in Najeem's behavior and perhaps leak some information out of him.

Soren was confronted by Grape, a Marine that lured him into the promise of women as he reported the crime. Grape lead him down a ladder of a trapdoor, which Soren seemed to be completely oblivious of, likely due to his sleep-deprived state. Eventually, Soren had ended up trapped in a metal cage, as he fell to sleep in exhaustion.

Soren woke up, alarmed, and looked around. He was surprised that no seastone was used, but used this to his advantage and tried to conserve his strength. However, he was soon approaching by the hulking Gilbert D. Bertram, who slams the door behind him and taunts Soren, calling him a bug.

As Bertram continued to approach him, Soren's body froze up. He noted his own weakness, but then told himself that he had no right to give up in a place like this. Reaffirming himself as a member of the Black Widow Pirates and the child of Kosaka Isshin and Daddy L. Legs, Soren took up a stance to fight the man before him.

Soren attempted to make use of several techniques with his Devil Fruit, in particular focusing on its combustion properties, to try and attack him from behind. But that was to no avail, as Bertram effortlessly avoided the attack and countered with his own. As Bertram revealed his own ability to Soren, Soren's own determination wavered in the face of this enormous threat, whom he had to face in such terrible conditions. He soon made use of a suicidal attack, transforming himself into a black dragon of coal that charged towards Bertram in hopes of killing him.

Despite not being able to kill Bertram, Soren did manage to injure the man to a small degree, but was soon dried out like a "towel" by the Birthday Boy, becoming completely unable to perform nearly any sort of physical motion, and was then carried along somewhere by the man.

Soren was later dumped in another prison, this time with seastone pillars, and was forced to remain there, barely able to move and talk. Another prisoner was with him, named Daryal, who continued to speak while Soren was barely able to make mouth movements. Despite the fellow prisoner's tears, Soren had to keep quiet in order to conserve his strength, ultimately falling silent after a single apology.

Najeem soon entered the room with a new prisoner by the name of Worden Luhr, and spotted Soren. In extreme anger, Najeem lashed out against him with repeated kicks. Despite the incredible pain, Soren remained silent and unable to respond, but could only tolerate it, even as his newfound ally had been taken out to be executed. Despite the door being open before him, Soren could only muster anger in his thoughts as his consciousness began to fade from exhaustion.

A while after, Fukuoka Mirai had come to Soren's rescue. After taking Grape hostage, she was given access to the dungeon that Soren and Luhr were captured in. She forced the Marine to open the key to his cell, allowing her to successfully take care of him.

After being rescued and mildly patched up with first aid, Soren immediately headed over to the main battlefield along with Luhr, where he'd once again encounter Bertram. Although he proclaimed his victory, Soren quickly asked Swain Zander if it was possible to cooperate, using the Xros Pirates' bribery of the local Marines as an incentive to have him as a temporary ally.

While Zander attempted to flirt with him, Soren laid his gaze strictly on Bertram, ignoring the Marine's advances. As Bertram prepared his attack, Soren quickly devised a plan of attack. At the same time, Soren unveiled the ability of Bertram's Devil Fruit, as well as its mechanics, enabling the others to understand exactly what sort of attacks would be efficient against the Xros Pirate.

As the others attacked Bertram in vain, Soren couldn't do much but simply watch. Despite Soren's warnings, the people he was dealing with were incredibly reckless, and their recklessness enabled Bertram to swiftly charge in with no repercussions. As Bertram sat in a single position atop Zander, he considered it a chance to deal serious damage to the man. Soren summoned an armor of coal and surrounded his real body with it. By Soren's admission, the absolutely dry coal would not be absorbed by Bertram's attacks, and enable him to perform true damage to the Xros heavyweight. Thereafter, he launched a Haki-imbued punch towards Bertram, searing with explosive heat, in an attempt to have him move away from Zander.

While the initial attempt to move Bertram was unsuccessful, as Bertram went to preserve his single strand of hair, he was pushed off of Zander by a few feet. Although Soren's maneuver was technically successful, it proved to do no real lasting damage to the Towel Man.

Following Xander's retreat, Soren and company are left with few options against Bertram, especially considering the addition of his reinforcement, Scratch. With all of his allies battered, Soren contemplates the possibility of victory until he sees Kettle added to their group. Soren reacts enthusiastically, hoping to use his gravitational abilities to turn the tides. Although Kettle's cowardice annoyed Soren, he ultimately devised a plan to deal with Scratch's invisibility. While Luhr intended to grant him an opening to put his plan into action, all the Fishman ended up doing was enabling Scratch to land a powerful blow against him, completely turning the tides against Soren and his allies.

As Luhr is knocked unconscious, Soren accelerates his plan in the face of the gigantic Bertram. He releases a wide spray of coal, ordering Apu to protect his friend from further attacks by Scratch, while lecturing Kettle on his cowardice. Soren, creating a blade of coal, sought to move behind Bertram and attack him with a strike that would hopefully deal some damage as he was kept still by Kettle's gravitational powers.

Unfortunately, his words and lack of faith in Kettle created an inescapable situation for the Pirates. Those caught in Kettle's Black Hand technique had been let out. Bon, Trickshot, Vita and Kane, all appeared to the scene, and the party were completely outnumbered. Although he had been frightened and wished to run, seeing his comrades in a perilous state, he attempted to create an opening. Using "Black Gate", Soren concentrated his coal mist to surround his comrades and briefly cage the new arrivals, swooping to save Kettle while lighting the coal in flames with "Furnace Inferno." It was unfortunate that Kane managed to completely smother the explosion with her own black flames, leaving Soren's attempt worthless.

As Soren was chased down by Kane following his failed attempt, he was briefly saved by Apu's "Sudden Burst." At the very moment Kane was done entertaining them and sought to cut them down once and for all, the young Pirates were saved, surprisingly, by Marine Admiral Warren D. Ralph. As Soren was saved by the Admiral, adrenaline rushed within him, and he stood up, despite his exhaustion, despite his wounds. For him, it was one step further to acquiring the title of Pirate King.

Ralph coins the term Horsemen, and Reach, anticipating the threat the boys held to Shiguma, sought to pursue them. Before he could, the Gospel was interrupted by Foxpack and Ralph. Although Soren and the others continued in their wish to fight, they were swiftly taken away by Ralph upon Foxpack's orders, who had summoned his Sulong form as a last-ditch effort to save the Horsemen. Although tears streamed from his eyes at his powerlessness, Soren burned into his eyes, Foxpack's power, and the power he'd need to surpass in order to become the Pirate King.

As Soren and the other Horsemen land on the island, Soren drifts off to sleep after Ralph warns them of their fate. He sees a vision of himself, Draco D. Damon and Kane playing with swords as young children, while being watched over by Fukuoka Koyuki and Kosaka Isshin.

Penetrating Permis

Main article: Out of the Loop

Soren's first appearance at Permis was in the underground caverns also known as "Hell." Within the large factory-like environment set up by the collaboration between the Raid Pirates and Marines, Soren observed Batavia giving orders to his various subordinates while sitting as a pile of coal in the same room. He observed the strange turn of events, and commented on it, as Daniels Ora and Quip performed their unexplained duties. As Soren continued observing Quip report to Batavia on the state of the parcels being sent out, he saw how Batavia quickly infected his own man with a toxin and reacted in shock.

Batavia soon picks up on an intruder in the cavern and Soren is found out. As Batavia intends to stomp Soren out, he uses that same momentum to leap upwards and move out of the cave discreetly. Of course, Batavia is not easily fooled and immediately identifies him as a Logia user and sends the Raid Pirates after him. Quip uses the power of his Yori Yori no Mi's Awakening to turn the cavern into himself, and intends on pursuing the Pirate, before Batavia stops him and sends Ora instead.

As Ora gives chase, Soren manages to evade his initial maneuvers and continues to speed up as fast as he can to escape the northern caverns. As Ora gave chase through the walls and burst in from Soren's side, Soren instead decided to use a bold explosive maneuver as a means to cause immense destruction throughout the immediate cavern, forcing Ora to take the brunt of the hit, as the coal Soren produced had also gone through the various holes Ora produced through the cave.

As Soren continued, he was eventually blocked off on all sides except for the appearance of a small arena of only ten feet on each side. Ora appeared, bloodied from the previous explosion. As Soren expressed surprise at the effectiveness of his maneuver, he quickly reacted to Ora's charging attack. He became intangible and managed to move behind the Raid Pirate, before drawing Miren Mishaku and intending to slice Ora from shoulder to torso. Unfortunately, the attack was gripped by Ora's large, powerful rabbit ears imbued with Busoshoku Haki. As Soren was grappled and about to be thrown into a nearby rock formation, he sent a large amount of coal behind him, before causing it to explode, toppling the rock cube he was encaged in. Simultaneously, he imbued his blade in Busoshoku Haki and violently wrenched it from Ora's ears, leaving another cut.

Thereafter, Ora gave chase once more, but the only thing known about the aftermath of the fight was that Ora was no longer the person chasing Soren. Instead, Soren was pursued by Quip, who had been carrying Ora's heavily injured body.

Soren, from the air, was given a chance to escape by Quip. Rather than taking that chance, Soren instead struck Quip from his aerial advantage, intending to slash through Quip's arm with the momentum he acquired. Soren's blade was met with Quip's Busoshoku Haki, and the Yori Yori no Mi user subsequently manipulated his hair into needles in order to strike Soren. Soren batted away most of those with the appendages created by his Koru Koru no Mi. Immediately, he caused those same whip-like appendages to spin like drills, creating explosive appendages that would strike at Quip's Haki with enough explosive force to break through it.

Before Quip could respond, the fighters were dumbfounded by the world around them literally shaking, this time without the interference of Quip. As both combatants made their escape, they would later find this interruption was made by Mont Blanc Burling's "Rum Walking.

Some time later, Soren appears on the surface near Apu and Draco D. Damon who are being pursued by Batavia. Batavia identifies Soren as the intruder in "Hell" and confronts him and the rest of the Horsemen with incredible anger, while curious about how much Soren knows about his and the Raid Pirate's collusion.

As Burling continued his Rum Walking, Soren's group was encountered by Kettle and Raptor D. Circus, who were in the midst of trying to stop Burling's advance. As they were battered by "Burling's Breath", the total group come across Batavia. Before Batavia even had the chance to stop them, Burling had already bashed his face in, forcing Batavia's life to flash before his eyes.

As Soren and the Horsemen sought to stop the ships, filled with infected patients, from reaching the sea, they were interrupted by Princeton Strathmore. Strathmore confronted the Horsemen on how spoiled their lives in Piracy were, and how none of their battles were fought for themselves. Soren, angered by this rhetoric, quickly clapped black against the Pirate, but didn't manage to fight him for long. Carter Pine soon appeared on the scene, preventing Soren from using his Devil Fruit with the power of a mysterious Coal Dial he acquired from a Sky Island. Thereafter, the Horsemen were beaten considerably by Pine's efforts, until Kettle's ability to absorb them into his hand came into play.

To the world, three of the Horsemen had died, while in reality, they were stuck in Kettle's hand.

Horsemen's Return, War on Xaris

Main article: Dear Agony

Soren appears in Barney Kettle's dimension with Draco D. Damon, commenting on the state of affairs. As he does so, he briefly ponders if his parents remember him, before shaking away the thought. Upon Kettle's recommendation, Soren trusts the man and wears seastone shackles, along with the Yonko Raptor D. Baron.

As Circus ponders whether it is necessary to wear the seastone shackles, Baron encourages them to follow Kettle's plan and Soren begrudgingly goes along with it. He tells Baron that he'll try his best to not mess everything up this time.

Thereafter, Soren is brought out by Kettle in the midst of several big names in the Piracy world. The Xros Pirates' Gospels, Michael D. Shiguma, Aoshin and even Kenway Valkary. Soren, at the sight and in the presence of these pirates began to quiver and sweat, as Aoshin's anger increased towards Kettle, who used Soren as a bargaining chip against the incredibly powerful man. Soren, completely helpless, was used to allow Kettle to gain the All-Compass from Aoshin. At the moment that the transaction was made, he was quickly stolen by Shiguma's Gomu Gomu no Mi, while Valkary, who had commented on Soren's name and how disappointed he was in Aoshin, continued to clash against his brother.

As Shiguma sought to use Soren as a weak link against Aoshin, he asked the boy why Aoshin would spare him but take away Shiguma's potential, Aoshin's own son. Soren, feeling helpless like he did those years ago, wasn't able to answer the question until he looked into Shiguma's eyes. He remembered his past, as Aoshin often looked on him in the distance with saddened eyes, and responded to Shiguma, saying Aoshin had always felt guilty for Shiguma's fate. Shiguma, unable to accept this answer, told his Gospel, Pulaski, to take him to Aglaea.

In Aglaea, the first person to make contact with Soren after his imprisonment is none other than Al Rauf Najeem. Seeing him mocking Soren was enough to trigger immense anger with Soren, and he had only barely managed to restrain himself from utterly crushing Najeem through the seastone shackles used to bind him. As Najeem continued his rhetoric on how he changed, Soren appeared to harness the Voice of All Things actively for the first time and managed to calm down, seeing through Najeem's true intentions. He briefly allies with Najeem, and although he laments on his lost sword, he positively goes and attempts to find his way into Xaris' war.

Soren and Najeem made their way out of Aglaea, noting that they were both immense targets, not only for the Xros Pirates but also other Pirate crews that made their way onto Xaris. Soren moved cautiously, and with every step he took, he laid a puddle of coal behind him. He wanted to be acutely aware nobody was tailing him. He didn't need another situation like Bedina arising. As the pair continued moving forward, they encountered a number of fresh corpses. Soren, diagnosing the situation, had come to the conlusion those Pirates were after them. He concluded that someone was likely to be following them, and after cross-checking with Najeem, he could only conclude it was Scratch who pursued them.

Soren taunted the Xros Pirate as he flared his Haki, hoping to lure out the Pirate. Although Scratch did not believe he was exposed, he came out of his own accord, being interested in the Horseman.

Soren analyzed the now-exposed Scratch carefully. He surmised that the two were not very different, but also realized that fighting Scratch in an open area like the one he was in was tantamount to suicide. He decided to take this battle elsewhere, picking up a sword along the way. As Scratch followed him, Soren broadcasted his Haki to sense who else was appearing in this conflict, and in the distant, picked up on Benjamin Tabart's aura faintly, commenting that the hero would make his appearance.

Soren and Scratch soon made their way to a densely forested part of Aglaea, out of sight from the world's prying eyes. There, they begun their battle, hidden in the leaves.

Bounty

Daddy L. Soren Soren is primarily recognized by the World Government due to his heritage and extraordinary potential as a Pirate. To this extent, his first campaign was enough to grant him notable notoriety, even for New World standards. 1st Bounty: 300,000,000 - Soren obtained his first bounty following the battle in Bedina, where he is recognized by Xros Pirate member Kane, and his identity is heard by Admiral Warren D. Ralph. The combination of his wicked heritage, combat talents and his involvement in laying waste to Bedina granted him this bounty. 2nd Bounty: 600,000,000 3rd Bounty: 800,000,000

Trivia

• The coloring of Soren's new profile picture was done by User:Arukana. Many thanks to him!