Recaps

Neptune discovered that Vander Decken IX had sent a love letter to six-year-old Shirahoshi and ordered his sons and guards to capture him. Vander Decken was brought to Ryugu Palace, where he still professed his love for Shirahoshi, and Doflamingo suspected that he had kept her marked with his Devil Fruit.

• A letter landed on Shirahoshi’s forehead, but she admitted she could not read it, so Neptune read it aloud.
• Neptune recognized the signature as Banta Vander Decken IX and sent guards and the three princes to capture him.
• Otohime angrily struck the table, fractured her arm, and received treatment from Doflamingo.
• The guards brought in a bruised Vander Decken IX, who called out to Shirahoshi despite his injuries.
• Doflamingo noticed Vander Decken’s gloved right hand and suspected that Shirahoshi remained its marked target.

After Vander Decken IX was banished, Doflamingo warned Neptune that he knew Shirahoshi was Poseidon and asked to become her teacher. He revealed that he intended to take Shirahoshi to Alabasta, leaving Neptune and Otohime stunned.

• Neptune ordered Sharks Star to silence Vander Decken IX, then banished him from Fish-Man Island.
• Doflamingo sensed Vander Decken IX's anger and chose not to warn the royal family, hoping the harassment would eventually make them seek his help.
• Doflamingo told Neptune that Vander Decken IX might know Shirahoshi's secret and could reveal that she was Poseidon.
• Doflamingo asked Neptune and Otohime for permission to become Shirahoshi's teacher.
• Doflamingo said he planned to take Shirahoshi to Alabasta.

Doflamingo rushed to Shirahoshi’s palace after Vander Decken IX sent a deadly barrage of weapons and found her gravely wounded. He began healing her while Neptune watched in panic, leaving Shirahoshi’s survival in Doflamingo’s hands.

• Neptune refused Doflamingo’s offer to take Shirahoshi to Alabasta, and Doflamingo stayed at Ryugu Palace.
• Vander Decken IX launched a barrage of weapons at Shirahoshi’s palace that night.
• Doflamingo rushed into Shirahoshi’s bedchamber and used an invisible wall to block the remaining weapons.
• Doflamingo found Shirahoshi pierced by dozens of weapons but still alive, while Neptune nearly fainted at the sight.
• Doflamingo removed the weapons from Shirahoshi and began healing her with his powers.

Doflamingo healed Shirahoshi after Vander Decken IX’s weapons nearly killed her, then warned Neptune and Otohime that she would remain in danger as Poseidon. Otohime agreed to let Doflamingo teach Shirahoshi, leaving Neptune relieved that she would be safer under his protection.

• Doflamingo healed Shirahoshi and blocked the weapons still tracking her, while Neptune realized Vander Decken IX was responsible.
• Doflamingo explained the Mark-Mark Fruit’s tracking power, and Neptune and Otohime worried that Shirahoshi would remain in danger unless Vander Decken IX was found.
• Otohime and Shirahoshi’s three brothers arrived, and Doflamingo explained the attack to them after Otohime fainted at the sight of Shirahoshi’s bloodied bed.
• Doflamingo warned Neptune and Otohime that Shirahoshi needed to learn to face future dangers as Poseidon, and Otohime asked whether his offer to teach her still stood.
• Doflamingo accepted, and Neptune agreed to let Shirahoshi become his student.

Doflamingo tracked down Vander Decken IX and used his Illusion Fruit to bring him under control, ending his threat to Shirahoshi. Vander Decken IX apologized and Shirahoshi forgave him, while Doflamingo kept him outside Fish-Man Island.

• Doflamingo took Shirahoshi with him to find Vander Decken IX, worried he might attack her with another weapon.
• Doflamingo sensed Vander Decken IX nearby and controlled him with his Illusion Fruit, ordering him to come over.
• Vander Decken IX arrived tied to a small ship, which Doflamingo stopped before it could hit them.
• Doflamingo made Vander Decken IX apologize to Shirahoshi, and she forgave him.
• Doflamingo decided not to let Vander Decken IX enter Fish-Man Island, where Shirahoshi's family might attack him.

Doflamingo escorted Shirahoshi and her companions toward Alabasta, planning to toughen her through brutal training. In East Blue, Joker evaded Garp, stole his warship, and made the pursuit increasingly difficult.

• Doflamingo set out for Alabasta with Shirahoshi, several Fish-Men, and Vander Decken IX, while planning to train Shirahoshi to fight and develop her Poseidon abilities.
• Doflamingo prepared painful illusions to strengthen Shirahoshi's resolve, though she continued playing happily and dismissed a sudden shiver.
• The World Government sent agents and Garp to East Blue to track the Joker Party and find clues to Clown Buggy.
• Joker repeatedly outwitted Garp with traps, then stole Garp's Sea Stone warship and used it to rob Navy bases.
• Garp struggled to catch Joker, whose destructive tactics left him worried that even Tsuru might not be able to handle the criminal.

Shanks and Kiku arrived in the Goa Kingdom to look for Buggy and found the country thriving after the nobles were removed. Their conversation was overheard by Ace, who asked whether they meant Clown Buggy.

• Shanks and Kiku landed in the Goa Kingdom with Yasopp and several Red Hair Pirates to search for Buggy.
• Shanks's group explored the rebuilt kingdom and saw that its people and commerce were prospering.
• Kiku questioned how removing the nobles had helped, and Shanks compared them to Kurozumi Orochi.
• Shanks said Buggy had improved the kingdom for his own amusement, not to help its people.
• Ace, Luffy, and Sabo approached Shanks's group, and Ace asked if they had mentioned Clown Buggy.

Shanks and his crew met Ace, Sabo, and Luffy while searching for Clown Buggy, and Shanks recognized Luffy's Devil Fruit before giving him the Straw Hat. Doflamingo learned of the encounter through the brothers' dreams and continued preparing his forces while Joker pursued his own plans in the East Blue.

• Ace confronted Shanks after hearing him mention Clown Buggy, and Sabo questioned whether Shanks's crew were Joker's accomplices.
• Kiku explained that the crew had come to capture Buggy, and Shanks invited the brothers to a tavern to share information.
• Luffy stretched his arms to pull Ace and Sabo along, prompting Shanks to recognize his rubber ability as Nika's power.
• Shanks gave Luffy his Straw Hat, while he and Ace remained unaware of each other's connections to Roger.
• Doflamingo learned about the meeting through the brothers' dreams, left Joker to pursue his East Blue plan, and continued training his subordinates, especially Shirahoshi.

Seven years after Joker was imprisoned in Impel Down, Doflamingo had spent the time building a vast mental network and Illusion Space for a virtual world. He gathered his subordinates and allies there for a meeting, where Hancock’s affection left him awkward under the watchful eyes of the other women.

• Joker was captured by Garp and sent to Impel Down’s Level Six, while Kanjuro told Shanks and the others not to interfere because it was Clown Buggy’s plan.
• Doflamingo used Dream Traverse to place mental marks across the Pirate World and prepared to open a closed beta of his virtual world.
• Doflamingo’s Illusion Space grew to nearly Alabasta’s land area as it collected dreams and Mental Energy from billions of marked people.
• Hancock clung to Doflamingo in the Illusion Space and admired its glowing city, making him uncomfortable in front of the other women.
• Doflamingo summoned his subordinates and allies to the Illusion Space for a meeting, while Monet, Sugar, and Shinobu watched Hancock closely.

Doflamingo gathered the leaders of his alliance in the Illusion Space and announced that he would stop hunting Celestial Dragons. He explained that Imu might soon awaken, leaving the alliance to prepare for a more dangerous confrontation.

• Dragon asked Doflamingo why he had summoned the alliance, with Sabo standing behind him as a Revolutionary Army member.
• Doflamingo announced that he intended to stop hunting Celestial Dragons for the time being.
• Doflamingo revealed that he had used Dream Traverse and Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit to turn nearly a hundred Celestial Dragons into toys and burn them.
• Doflamingo said he feared Imu would soon awaken and that continuing the hunts could expose Sugar and Monet to the World Government.
• Doflamingo reasoned that stopping now would keep Imu from learning about the Celestial Dragons who had vanished from everyone's memories.

Doflamingo warned his allies to lie low because Imu might awaken within four years, while Joker revealed he had already set a surprise in motion at Impel Down. Doflamingo then proposed using Zephyr’s recent trauma to approach the Navy’s older generation as the World Government considered making Whitebeard Jr. a Shichibukai.

• Doflamingo told the hidden Navy officers and other leaders to stop hunting Celestial Dragons and keep a low profile because Imu might awaken soon.
• Joker announced he had already carried out a surprise at Impel Down, and Doflamingo urged him not to harm the prison guards too badly.
• Doflamingo said the allies should intensify their efforts to recruit the Navy’s older generation, noting that Zephyr had recently suffered a severe blow.
• The World Government considered appointing Whitebeard Jr. as a Shichibukai after two other candidates died, while Zephyr remained shaken by his encounter with him.

Doflamingo planned to exploit Zephyr’s anger at the World Government’s backing of Whitebeard Jr. and draw him into his side. Navy officers agreed to approach Zephyr and considered taking action against Whitebeard Jr., while the World Government’s distrust of the Shichibukai’s growing unity remained at the heart of the conflict.

• The World Government welcomed the grudge between Whitebeard Jr. and Zephyr because it hoped to divide the Shichibukai and prevent them from growing closer to the Navy.
• Doflamingo reasoned that Zephyr would likely leave the Navy once Whitebeard Jr. became a Shichibukai, and he wanted to offer Zephyr another path.
• Doflamingo told a Navy officer to persuade Zephyr to join their side, arguing that Zephyr’s hatred of the World Government would make him receptive to their claims.
• A Navy officer warned that the approach could amount to deception, but Doflamingo said Zephyr would investigate any doubts for himself.
• Another Navy officer suggested doing something for Zephyr, and the officers understood this meant causing trouble for Whitebeard Jr.

Doflamingo discussed how to eliminate Whitebeard Jr. without provoking the World Government, then chose Alonso to handle the task. The others doubted Alonso could kill Whitebeard Jr. alone, leaving the plan uncertain.

• Doflamingo said Whitebeard Jr. was powerful enough that only a few Marines could kill him, and he would avoid making a conspicuous move himself.
• Doflamingo refused to involve the Revolutionary Army and said he had already chosen someone for the job.
• Doflamingo looked to Alonso, whose strength and influence were considered far below those of the other leaders.
• The group noted that Alonso might defeat Whitebeard Jr., but killing him would likely require at least two Alonsos.

Alonso claimed he could defeat Whitebeard Jr., relying on the Vinsmoke Family’s progress in human modification and his coming enhancement. The chapter then introduced Cavendish, the Alonso Pirates’ vice-captain, who had joined after Alonso defeated him and learned about his dangerous second personality.

• Alonso assured the others that he could beat Whitebeard Jr. and explained that he was preparing for another enhancement.
• The group exchanged intelligence and left, with some heading to Illusion Space’s training rooms to improve their strength.
• Doflamingo’s Illusion Space had grown more powerful, though he recognized that even its training could not overcome the human body’s limits.
• Cavendish offered to fight Whitebeard Jr. and joked that he would take Alonso’s captain position if he won.
• The chapter explained that Alonso had recruited Cavendish five years earlier after defeating him and learning that his second personality, Rommel’s Weasel, had been killing people.

After Cavendish became the Alonso Pirates’ Vice-Captain, Alonso decided to seek out Judge and inspect his research before pursuing Whitebeard Jr. The chapter explained how Judge had moved Germa 66 into the Calm Belt to build strength away from the World Government’s attention.

• Doflamingo merged Cavendish’s two personalities, and Alonso pushed him into relentless training until he became the Alonso Pirates’ Vice-Captain.
• Cavendish told Alonso he planned to take the Captain’s position, believing he would soon grow strong enough to defeat Whitebeard Jr.
• Alonso decided to visit Judge and examine his research before going after their prey.
• Judge recognized that Germa 66’s strength would draw the World Government’s attention in the North Blue and chose to keep the organization low-profile.
• Judge established Germa 66’s bases on islands in the Calm Belt, where its technology could help it avoid Sea Kings and develop its own supplies.

Alonso brought Cavendish to the Vinsmoke Family’s underground cloning base, where Law and Judge were researching whether multiple hearts could let someone bear more Devil Fruit powers. The experiment appeared promising, and Law revealed that Alonso urgently needed the results.

• Alonso took Cavendish through the cloning factory to its central laboratory, where Judge, Law, and researchers worked on a dark clone with three hearts.
• Law explained that Devil Fruit powers had a strong connection to the heart, and Cavendish wondered whether three hearts could let someone eat three Devil Fruits.
• Law admitted they had not tested the theory with real Devil Fruits, prompting Cavendish to challenge the claim.
• Law told Cavendish that the theory was only a conjecture, but Alonso urgently needed it; the clone had already fused the powers of two artificial Devil Fruits.

Alonso prepared to receive a cultivated heart so he could test whether he could gain another Devil Fruit ability, while Law explained the limits of the transplant. The chapter left Alonso ready for the operation and revealed that Doflamingo planned to use the Borsalino clone with three hearts for Blackbeard.

• Alonso used his String-String Fruit to bind Cavendish and control his nervous system after Cavendish challenged him over his plan.
• Law told Alonso that the cultivated heart nearly matched his own heart's strength and that he could safely transplant only one heart.
• Alonso agreed to the transplant, viewing the procedure as an experiment and accepting that failure could benefit Doflamingo.
• The narration explained that Doflamingo could reclaim Alonso's power if he died, while Blackbeard was intended to receive the three-hearted Borsalino clone.
• Judge continued studying Blackbeard's Lineage Factor without discovering why Blackbeard could wield multiple Devil Fruit abilities.

Alonso successfully became a Dual Devil Fruit ability user by receiving one of Blackbeard’s hearts and eating the Tsuchigumo Fruit. He discovered that the fruit enhanced his strings with greater strength, stickiness, and venom, while Cavendish was left bound and numb.

• Trafalgar Law transplanted one of Blackbeard’s hearts into Alonso, whose Life Return ability synchronized and assimilated it.
• Judge gave Alonso the Tsuchigumo Fruit, a Mythical Zoan that Alonso believed would complement his String-String Fruit and help him overcome a clone’s limits.
• Alonso ate the Tsuchigumo Fruit and transformed into a giant spider, confirming that he could use two Devil Fruits.
• Alonso’s transformation freed Cavendish from his strings, and Cavendish was stunned by the spider form and the successful experiment.
• Alonso restrained Cavendish again with his strengthened, venomous strings, leaving him numb but conscious.

Alonso prepared to hunt Whitebeard Jr. after confirming the cloned heart’s success, while Cavendish mobilized his connections to locate him. They found Whitebeard Jr. robbing an island with his adoptive mother Bakin, who explained that his impending Shichibukai status would protect their crimes.

• Alonso left the research base, removed the poison threads from Cavendish, and told him the cloned heart had cost over ten billion Beli.
• Alonso planned to develop the Tsuchigumo Fruit’s hybrid form, then use his increased stamina to train his Haki and kill Whitebeard Jr.
• Alonso ordered Cavendish to use the Flower Country, their Pirate Crew, and his fans to find Whitebeard Jr.
• Within half a month, Alonso learned Whitebeard Jr.’s route and found him attacking a prosperous island.
• Whitebeard Jr. cut down the island’s soldiers, while Bakin urged him to seize treasure before he became a Shichibukai.
• Whitebeard Jr. questioned why the Marines and World Government still planned to make him a Shichibukai after he had fought their forces, and Bakin smacked him.

Bakin recounted how Whitebeard Jr. defeated Zephyr and later became a Shichibukai candidate before they demanded treasure from island residents. Their raid was interrupted by a thread-wielding attacker who trapped Whitebeard Jr. and hauled him into the sky.

• Whitebeard Jr. defeated Zephyr after a brutal day-long fight, killing most of the trainees and cutting off Zephyr's arm, but he recovered far faster than the wounded Admiral.
• The World Government invited Whitebeard Jr. to become a Shichibukai, and Bakin recognized the offer as a way to restrain the Navy but accepted it for the potential profit.
• Bakin threatened island residents into surrendering their treasure by warning that the Navy would not come to their aid.
• Whitebeard Jr. sensed an ambush and shielded Bakin as nearly invisible threads attacked them.
• Whitebeard Jr. grabbed the Haki-coated threads, but they stuck to him and multiplied until they cocooned him and pulled him into the sky, while Bakin shouted below.

Alonso used his aerial web and poison to trap and weaken Whitebeard Jr., reflecting on how his Devil Fruits suited ambush and control more than direct combat. He finished by piercing Whitebeard Jr.'s eye with a Haki-hardened thread.

• Alonso hauled Whitebeard Jr. through his aerial web, whose threads trapped and poisoned him.
• After more than two hours, Whitebeard Jr.'s Haki and stamina had eroded until he could barely resist.
• Alonso concluded that the String-String and Tsuchigumo fruits were best suited to traps, ambushes, and control.
• Alonso apologized for not giving Whitebeard Jr. a fair fight and drove a Haki-hardened thread into his eye.

Alonso killed Whitebeard Jr. and Bakin, then left the island with their heads. The Five Elders learned of Whitebeard Jr.’s death but, after confirming the Navy was not responsible, chose not to pursue the killer.

• Alonso killed Whitebeard Jr. by piercing his eye with a thread, and his body crashed down near Bakin and the residents.
• Bakin fled when she saw her son’s corpse, but Alonso caught her and killed her.
• Alonso took both heads and left the island without speaking to the residents.
• A CP0 Special Agent told the Five Elders that Whitebeard Jr. had been killed by an unidentified attacker using threads and poison.
• The Five Elders ruled out the Navy and dismissed the danger, though they acknowledged the killer was powerful.

Zephyr learned that Whitebeard Jr. had been killed and heard Kuzan’s case against the World Government. Kuzan revealed that he had joined an alliance opposing it, and warned Zephyr that the alliance had uncovered an ancient secret and that the World Government planned to repeat its actions from eight hundred years ago.

• Zephyr emerged from the hospital furious that the World Government intended to make Whitebeard Jr. a Shichibukai.
• Kuzan led Zephyr to the Training Grounds and told him that Whitebeard Jr. was dead.
• Zephyr realized the Navy had not killed Whitebeard Jr. and suspected Kuzan knew more than he could reveal.
• Kuzan argued that the World Government had failed to bring lasting change and that he had acted for justice.
• Kuzan told Zephyr he had joined an alliance opposed to the World Government and that it had learned an eight-hundred-year-old secret.
• Kuzan warned Zephyr that the World Government intended to repeat what it had done eight hundred years ago.

Kuzan explained to Zephyr that the World Government planned to destroy the world, and Zephyr demanded more evidence before deciding whether to join the Alliance. Inside New Impel Down, Joker revealed himself to Shiryu and prepared to begin the prison’s final takeover.

• Kuzan told Zephyr that the Poneglyphs and prophecies pointed to a coming catastrophe and the World Government’s plan to destroy the world.
• Zephyr acknowledged the World Government’s reckless behavior but asked to speak with the other members of the Alliance before believing Kuzan.
• Kuzan agreed to arrange a meeting and trusted that Doflamingo, Dragon, and the others could persuade Zephyr.
• Joker, disguised as a prison guard, killed a prisoner while Shiryu of the Rain addressed him as Captain.
• Joker revealed his true face and said he was ready to find it and rename Impel Down Arkham.

Joker had secretly escaped his Sea Stone restraints and spent years turning much of Impel Down into his base with his Joker Poison. He finally set his plan in motion by trapping Warden Magellan on a Sea Stone toilet seat.

• Joker escaped his cell by using his Chop-Chop Fruit powers, impersonated a guard, and stayed in Impel Down to recruit guards and prisoners.
• Joker developed his poison into a contagious gas and infected most of the prison, including Domino and, to a limited extent, Shiryu of the Rain.
• Joker dismissed Shiryu’s response to his proposal to rename Impel Down Arkham and announced the start of his final performance.
• Magellan rushed to confront Shiryu but stopped to use the restroom, while Domino watched with a crazed smile.
• Magellan sat on a Sea Stone toilet seat that Joker had planted, leaving the Warden trapped.