Chapter Summaries

Garen forced Akainu to withdraw, then recruited Zephyr after explaining that his justice served the people rather than the World Government. As Garen’s forces began disaster relief on Volcanic Hot Spring Island, Whitebeard’s fleet approached, and Thatch remained hidden aboard a captured warship.

• Garen used his matching magma ability and superior forces to make Akainu retreat with the Marines.
• Garen ordered Katakuri and the Big Mom Pirates officers to rescue civilians and clear the destruction, threatening them with more reform lessons when they suggested raiding the Marines.
• Garen told Zephyr that he had saved the townspeople because his justice served the people, and Zephyr accepted Garen’s recruitment.
• Garen learned that Smoker and Tashigi were locked aboard a warship now held by Akainu, and decided to leave their rescue to him.
• Thatch was also aboard the warship, while Whitebeard’s fleet sailed toward Volcanic Hot Spring Island.

Akainu captured Thatch and prepared to use him against Whitebeard, but Thatch tried to kill himself rather than become a hostage. Marco came to rescue him and was badly injured by Akainu before Whitebeard arrived with the seventeen divisions and over a hundred ships.

• Akainu learned that Zephyr had imprisoned Smoker, Tashigi, Thatch, and others, then recognized Thatch as Whitebeard's Fourth Division Commander.
• Akainu ordered Thatch taken to Marine Headquarters, but Thatch refused to be used against Whitebeard and charged at the Marines' blades to kill himself.
• Akainu struck Thatch with a magma punch, badly burning him and leaving him unable to resist.
• Marco arrived by air and attacked Akainu, but Akainu and the vice admirals overwhelmed him and inflicted a serious chest wound.
• Marco revealed that Whitebeard was close behind, and Whitebeard arrived aboard the Moby Dick with his seventeen divisions and over a hundred warships, vowing that Akainu would pay for harming his sons.

Whitebeard and his crew overwhelmed Akainu and the Navy, leaving Akainu gravely wounded and facing Whitebeard’s fatal strike. Just as Whitebeard raised his bisento, Garen arrived by airship and asked everyone to give him some face.

• Teach recognized Akainu and raged over the damage Akainu had done to his dream, prompting Whitebeard to promise revenge.
• Whitebeard unleashed a tsunami against the Navy fleet, and Akainu ordered Smoker to seek Garen’s help before attacking with Meteor Volcano.
• Whitebeard redirected the tsunami to extinguish Akainu’s magma, then battled him as Teach, Ace, Vista, and other pirates joined the attack.
• Whitebeard’s crew defeated the Navy and rescued Thatch, while Akainu fought until he was exhausted and collapsed on the battered deck.
• Whitebeard raised his bisento to deliver the fatal blow, but Garen arrived aboard a golden-greatsword airship and asked everyone to give him some face.

Garen arrived on the battlefield and asked Whitebeard to spare the unconscious Akainu, but Whitebeard refused because Akainu had harmed his sons. They agreed to settle the dispute with a duel, leaving Garen and Whitebeard poised to fight over Akainu’s fate.

• Garen descended onto the deck and shielded the unconscious Akainu while Luo examined his injuries and agreed to treat him.
• Garen asked Whitebeard to spare Akainu, but Whitebeard refused, citing Akainu’s attacks on his sons.
• Garen said he would use force if necessary, so Whitebeard proposed a duel: Garen could take Akainu if he won, but would become Whitebeard’s son if he lost.
• Garen accepted the duel but rejected the idea of becoming Whitebeard’s son, saying he was confident he would win.
• Whitebeard and Garen declared their resolve to fight for the title of the world’s strongest man.

Garen fought Whitebeard on a floating island, proving himself able to withstand the strongest man's quake attacks and wield the same vibrational power. Whitebeard called off the duel and declared that Garen would inherit the title of the strongest man in the world.

• Garen summoned a floating island for his duel with Whitebeard, while Golden Lion secretly remained beneath it in the seawater.
• Whitebeard opened with a powerful strike, and Garen blocked it, convincing Whitebeard that Garen had the strength of an Emperor.
• Whitebeard used Quake Blade: Shattered Jewel, but Garen's Great Demise-enhanced counter left Whitebeard hurt while Garen appeared unaffected by the vibrations.
• Whitebeard fought Garen with successive quake attacks, then retreated when he realized Garen showed no sign of fatigue.
• Garen produced the same vibrational power as Whitebeard, and their Sky Shatter attacks collided, nearly destroying the floating island.
• Whitebeard ended the duel and declared that Garen would bear the title of the strongest man in the world.

After the battle, Thatch revealed that the Dark-Dark Fruit had been confiscated by Zephyr, and Garen secretly kept it instead of giving it to Teach. Garen gave the fruit to Reiju, then used its copied power to investigate how it interacted with other Devil Fruit abilities before his temporary ability expired.

• At Whitebeard’s banquet, Thatch told Teach that Zephyr had confiscated the Dark-Dark Fruit he found during patrol.
• Teach learned the fruit might be aboard the warship now under Garen’s control, and Garen promised to look for it while secretly planning to keep it.
• Garen decided Reiju should eat the Dark-Dark Fruit because her modified body was insensitive to pain, and she gained its ability after tasting a small piece.
• Reiju discovered she could see Devil Fruit energy, while Garen used the fruit’s copied power on Luo and found it could seal his ability but not absorb it.
• Garen theorized that the Dark-Dark Fruit could absorb an ability only after its user died, then lost the copied power when Klepto Hand’s three-minute duration ended.
• Reiju cried out as the Devil Fruit energy on Garen’s body emerged.

Garen and Reiju discovered that Reiju could capture the energy from Garen’s copied Devil Fruit abilities and put it into ordinary fruit, creating temporary bootleg Devil Fruits. They produced hundreds aboard the airship before Reiju became exhausted, and Nami confronted Garen after overhearing their work.

• Reiju captured the Devil Fruit energy that dissipated from Garen and transferred it into an apple, creating a second Dark-Dark Fruit.
• Garen tested the bootleg fruit on Yonji and learned that its power lasted only three minutes before disappearing.
• Garen and Reiju established an assembly line with Reiju’s brothers, producing hundreds of temporary Rumble-Rumble Fruits and Float-Float Fruits.
• Reiju grew too exhausted to continue, so Garen decided to recruit Nami as another helper.
• Nami overheard Garen and Reiju discussing their exhausting all-night work and kicked down the cabin door, demanding to know what they were doing.

Garen used a fake Dark-Dark Fruit to trick Teach into eating the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit, transforming him into a pink flood dragon and apparently destroying his dream of obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit. Teach collapsed on Whitebeard’s ship as Garen pretended to be shocked.

• Garen planned to cut off Teach’s chances of getting the Dark-Dark Fruit and learned that a Devil Fruit from Punk Hazard was still aboard the airship.
• Garen had Luo use his Op-Op Fruit powers to put the peel of a knockoff Dark-Dark Fruit around the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit.
• Garen presented the disguised fruit to Teach as the Dark-Dark Fruit while Whitebeard, Ace, and the other commanders watched.
• Teach trusted the fruit’s appearance, ate it whole, and transformed into a pink, four-clawed flood dragon.
• Garen acted surprised as Teach realized he had eaten another Devil Fruit and collapsed helplessly on the deck.

Garen tricked Teach into accepting his failed Azure Dragon Fruit, then tried to persuade Akainu that Garen’s forces could bring justice and stability better than the World Government. Akainu agreed to judge Garen by his ability to pacify the New World, while Garen secretly kept a small piece of Akainu’s brain tissue.

• Garen comforted Teach by comparing his dragon form to Kaido’s, and Teach concealed his anger and pretended to accept his fate.
• After Garen left Whitebeard’s flagship, Teach discovered he could not change back from his dragon form and erupted in anger again.
• Akainu woke in Seastone Handcuffs aboard Garen’s airship and argued with Zephyr and Garen over justice and the World Government.
• Garen cited his record of suppressing piracy in East Blue to challenge Akainu’s belief that the World Government maintained stability.
• Garen proposed pacifying the New World as proof of his claim, and Akainu agreed to judge him before leaving to find the Marine fleet.
• Garen revealed that he had secretly removed a tiny piece of Akainu’s brain tissue while Akainu was unconscious.

After the Five Elders grew wary of Garen’s influence over the Navy, they created a bureau to monitor senior officers and placed Kalifa as Akainu’s personal secretary. Akainu recognized her as a CP0 agent but accepted the surveillance, convinced he had nothing to hide.

• Garen held a farewell banquet for Akainu, and photographs of their friendly-looking gathering reached the Five Elders.
• The Five Elders discussed Garen’s expanding power and decided to guard against his influence within the Navy by openly planting informants.
• Spandain was appointed to lead CP0’s new Military Committee Investigation and Statistics Bureau, and he agreed to bring his son Spandam into the department.
• Akainu returned to Marine Headquarters and noticed rumors spreading about the World Government’s new surveillance bureau.
• Kalifa introduced herself as Akainu’s World Government-appointed personal secretary, and Akainu identified her as a CP0 agent.
• Akainu burned the appointment document but ultimately accepted Kalifa’s presence and returned to work.

Garen gathered his officers at Cake Island to devise a way to lure pirates into the New World and strengthen Demacia Company before its expected conflict with Kaido. His subordinates proposed traps and a staged gladiatorial contest, and Garen settled on advertising Devil Fruits—including fake Rumble-Rumble Fruits—as bait.

• Garen asked his officers how to draw pirates out, and Katakuri explained that pirates had fled the waters around Totto Land since Garen took control.
• Zephyr proposed building bases and training officers to restrict pirate activity, but Pudding argued that such a plan would take too long and pirates would not fear it.
• Pudding suggested using a fake treasure as bait, while baby-5 proposed a gladiatorial contest that would leave pirates vulnerable to capture and transformation into toys.
• Judge recommended having Tezoro host the contest as a third party, and Pekoms suggested offering a Poneglyph as the prize.
• Garen rejected the Poneglyph idea and proposed advertising Devil Fruits, claiming he had a warehouse full of Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruits.
• Enel pointed out that the Rumble-Rumble Fruits were fakes that lasted only three minutes, and Garen replied that the pirates would not know unless they tried one.

Miss Bakkin brought Edward Weevil to Gran Tesoro to win the tournament’s prize, and Weevil’s clash with Chinjao and Cavendish drew attention before an unfamiliar swordsman intervened. The tournament was still three days away when the newcomer introduced himself as Yasuo.

• Miss Bakkin urged Weevil to clear the crowded registration line, and Weevil struck Chinjao back several meters with a single blow.
• The contestants recognized Weevil as a Shichibukai, and Cavendish challenged him for stealing his spotlight.
• Weevil and Cavendish fought, with Cavendish’s swordsmanship barely keeping Weevil’s powerful attacks at bay.
• Yasuo halted the fight with a tornado-producing sword technique and reminded the contestants that the tournament would begin in three days.
• The unfamiliar swordsman introduced himself as “The Unforgiven, Yasuo.”

Disguised as Yasuo, Garen entered the tournament and clashed with Edward Weevil, then watched the powerful fighters gather and recruit teammates. The chapter ended with Mihawk registering for the competition, leaving Garen surprised at how seriously the tournament was being taken.

• Garen disguised himself as Yasuo and entered the tournament, where his swordsmanship silenced the assembled fighters.
• Garen confronted Edward Weevil and wounded him, but Miss Bakkin stopped her son from continuing the fight.
• Miss Bakkin recruited Elizabello’s team to compete alongside Weevil, prompting other contestants to seek teammates as well.
• Garen rejected invitations to join a team, and Mihawk praised his swordsmanship before registering for the tournament.
• Garen wondered whether the prize money or the tournament’s name had drawn Mihawk into the competition.

Garen oversaw preparations to capture and turn the tournament’s most dangerous pirates into toys, while planning different treatment for contestants with less criminal histories. The chapter ended with blind Issho arriving to gamble and Koala discovering a casino employee’s elaborate story about Fight the Landlord.

• Garen returned to the artificial island and corrected Sugar before agreeing to begin the plan in three days.
• Tezoro described how the team would use anesthetic gas, Brulee’s Mirror World, Katakuri, and Sugar to capture defeated pirates, and proposed adding gold dust as backup.
• Garen approved the gold dust but ordered the contestants’ backgrounds checked so they could be treated according to their past deeds.
• Issho entered Gran Tesoro’s casino, introduced himself, and handed his chips to an attendant to place bets for him.
• Koala heard a casino employee claim Monkey D. Dragon invented Fight the Landlord and asked Sabo, Hatchan, and Ivankov whether it was true.

Koala, Sabo, and Hatchan visited a casino, where Sabo encountered the blind gambler Issho and learned how Garen had transformed Gran Tesoro after freeing its enslaved workers. Issho revealed that he had followed Garen’s trail to learn about him, and Koala began to introduce him to The Doctrine.

• Koala praised Garen’s books and agreed to go shopping with Sabo, but Sabo followed a crowd to watch a blind man gambling.
• Sabo recognized that Issho sensed his approach through exceptionally powerful Observation Haki.
• After Issho lost his winnings, a casino attendant warned him to stop and explained that the casino followed rules against cheating and gambling addiction.
• The attendant described how Tezoro had exploited people before Garen freed the slaves, secured compensation and employee benefits, and reformed the casino.
• Issho said he had followed Garen’s trail after hearing people in Dressrosa praise him, and Koala offered to tell Issho about Garen using Demacian Justice Theory.

Issho left Gran Tesoro to find Garen, but a trail of Gold Dust led him to suspect the martial arts tournament was part of a conspiracy. He entered the tournament and warned Sabo, Koala, and the others, just as golden glitter fell over the opening ceremony.

• Issho declined Sabo's invitation to join his team and left to seek Garen, while Koala teased Sabo about constantly mentioning Ace and Luffy.
• Issho sensed Gold Dust on the streets and followed its trail to the sealed bridge leading to the tournament venue, concluding that something was wrong with the tournament.
• On opening day, Issho entered the tournament alone alongside Mihawk and The Unforgiven Yasuo, drawing the contestants' attention.
• Garen recognized Issho and decided he should be treated well, while Mihawk said he wanted to challenge Garen after honing himself against strong opponents.
• Issho told Sabo, Koala, and the others he suspected the tournament was dangerous, then revealed Gold Dust in his palm as golden glitter filled the venue.

Issho discovered that Tezoro had secretly mixed Gold Dust into the fireworks and rigged the tournament’s draw, then destroyed the mechanism and entered the preliminaries. He defeated every opponent in his zone with a gravity technique, becoming the first contestant to reach the top eight.

• Issho warned Sabo and Koala about the Gold Dust and asked them to conserve their strength while he investigated Tezoro’s scheme.
• Tezoro announced the tournament rules and a team free-for-all format in which one team from each of eight zones would advance.
• Issho detected the hidden mechanism in the drawing box and used Gravity Suppression to break it, making the zone assignments genuinely random.
• More than a hundred contestants attacked Issho at the start of his preliminary round, and he crushed them with Gravity Blade: Hell Journey.
• Issho left the arena after his victory, becoming the first contestant to qualify for the top eight.

Mihawk overwhelmed his arena with devastating sword strikes until Cavendish stood against him. In the other arena, Ivankov transformed Hajrudin into a woman, frightening off challengers and helping Sabo's group reach the final eight without exhausting themselves.

• Mihawk unleashed two powerful sword strikes that incapacitated dozens of contestants, then recognized Cavendish when he blocked the second attack.
• Cavendish challenged Mihawk, eager to fight the world's greatest swordsman despite risking elimination.
• Sabo, Koala, Hatchan, and Ivankov tried to conserve their strength while avoiding the melee in their arena.
• Hajrudin attacked Ivankov, who stopped his punch with Death Wink and transformed him into a woman using giant-sized female hormones.
• Ivankov threatened to leave Hajrudin transformed if he was knocked unconscious, and the other contestants avoided Ivankov rather than risk the same fate.
• Sabo, Koala, Hatchan, and Ivankov advanced to the final eight without having to fight seriously.

Weevil and Garen fought in separate preliminary arenas, with Weevil devastating the teams that swarmed him and Garen revealing the true power behind his Tempest Swordsmanship. Garen drove back his attackers with Chinjao defeated, while Mihawk watched and wondered where he had seen the style before.

• Miss Bakkin told Weevil not to kill anyone and ordered him to follow Elizabello's commands during the match.
• Nearly twenty contestants attacked Weevil's team, but Weevil misheard Elizabello's call to retreat and struck the arena, crippling the attackers and leaving Elizabello stunned.
• More than a hundred fighters targeted Garen, and Chinjao countered Garen's wind techniques with Hasshoken before leading the assault that shattered Garen's wind wall.
• Garen used Tempest Strike to smash Chinjao into a crater, then spun through the enemy formation with Tempest Judgment.
• Mihawk watched Garen's swordsmanship and wondered where he had seen it before.

Sabo and his allies uncovered evidence that Tezoro was using the tournament to capture weakened fighters, with a suspicious medical room concealing the heart of the scheme. As the quarterfinals approached, Sabo sought help, but Hawkeye Mihawk refused to get involved.

• Sabo realized that Tezoro could be using the tournament and its no-surrender rules to capture exhausted contestants, and Koala agreed with his suspicion.
• Ivankov entered the medical area by claiming he needed to treat Hajrudin, and Tezoro guided him to the left medical room while preventing him from entering the right one.
• Ivankov reported that the left room was noisy and ordinary while the right room was silent, prompting Sabo to suspect that Tezoro had powerful backing.
• Sabo decided to contact Mr. Issho and seek help from the remaining contestants, while Koala approached Hawkeye Mihawk.
• Mihawk said he cared only about Issho and Yasuo, then walked away, leaving Koala to consider asking Yasuo for help.