Chapter Summaries

Ronan and Zoro, both broke and in need of weapons, borrowed money from Nami on punishing terms. They headed through Loguetown to an old weapon shop, where Ronan suggested they might find weapons that chose their masters.

• Nami reminded Ronan and Zoro that they were broke, and Ronan remembered he still owed her for an iron spear.
• Luffy ran off to see the execution platform while Usopp called after him.
• Nami told Ronan his original 5,000 Belly debt had grown to 20,000 Belly, then offered him and Zoro 100,000 Belly each at triple repayment.
• Ronan and Zoro accepted Nami's loan and signed the agreement despite its harsh terms.
• Ronan and Zoro walked through Loguetown and entered a battered old weapon shop after Ronan suggested luck might lead them to suitable weapons.

Ronan and Zoro searched a Loguetown weapon shop for weapons, but Ronan found no suitable spear and Zoro discovered a sword with an ominous aura. The chapter ended as Zoro drew the blade and revealed its flame-patterned edge.

• Zoro offered Ipponmatsu one hundred thousand Belly for two swords, and Ipponmatsu tried to exploit his Wado Ichimonji until Ronan identified it as a Great Grade Sword.
• Ipponmatsu directed Zoro and Ronan to search through barrels of discounted weapons.
• Ronan rejected the available spears as too short, light, and brittle for his needs.
• Zoro picked up a sword with a dark red scabbard and sensed something dangerous about it.
• Zoro drew the sword, revealing a blade with a wild flame-shaped temper pattern.

Zoro claimed the cursed Third Generation Kitetsu after proving his luck and resolve by letting it fall toward his unprotected arm. Ipponmatsu gave Zoro the Kitetsu and his family's heirloom, Yubashiri, and sent him off toward the Grand Line with his dream.

• Ipponmatsu warned Zoro that the Third Generation Kitetsu was cursed and begged him not to take it.
• Zoro tossed the Kitetsu into the air and let it fall toward his unprotected arm, but the blade missed him and lodged in the floor.
• Ronan admired Zoro's luck and aura as Zoro pulled the Kitetsu free and claimed it.
• Ipponmatsu gave Zoro Yubashiri, a 50 Ryo Wazamono and his family's heirloom, along with the Kitetsu for free.
• Ipponmatsu urged Zoro to carry his dream to the Grand Line, and Zoro accepted the swords and thanked him.

Ronan acquired a mysterious Ebony Staff and gathered medicinal herbs in Loguetown before heading to the Execution Platform. There, Buggy's blade snapped against Luffy's neck, leaving Luffy unharmed and the crowd stunned.

• Ronan accepted a heavy black staff from a weapon-shop owner and decided it could later be fitted with a Seastone spearhead.
• Ronan and Zoro parted ways, with Zoro going to get used to Yubashiri and Kitetsu while Ronan gathered medicinal herbs.
• Ronan heard a commotion and hurried to the central square, where Buggy was about to execute Luffy.
• Buggy slashed at Luffy's neck, but the blade broke in half without harming him.
• Luffy mocked Buggy's broken blade while Ronan watched from the crowd.

Luffy survived Buggy’s sword attack, defeated him with one punch, and reunited with the crew as Smoker prepared to stop them from leaving Loguetown. The chapter ended with the Navy surrounding the harbor and Ronan announcing medicinal-bath training for Usopp.

• Luffy broke free of the wooden stocks, used Armament Haki, and knocked Buggy unconscious with a punch.
• Smoker watched Luffy and the crew from the clock tower, then ordered the Navy to surround the harbor and block the routes to sea.
• Luffy landed in the square and laughed about becoming Pirate King as Nami and Usopp reacted with relief and fear.
• Zoro and Sanji explained that Luffy’s training had made him resistant to ordinary blades, and Ronan told Usopp he would begin medicinal baths.
• Heavy footsteps sounded from every direction as the Navy closed in on the square.

Smoker and the Navy surrounded Luffy’s crew in Loguetown, but Luffy, Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji easily broke free of Smoker’s smoke restraints. The confrontation with Smoker continued as the crew prepared to fight.

• Smoker arrived with hundreds of Navy soldiers and blocked Luffy’s crew from leaving for the Grand Line.
• Luffy led the crew toward a weak spot in the encirclement, but Smoker pursued them and bound Luffy, Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji with smoke.
• Smoker explained that his Smoke-Smoke Fruit let him turn into tough, rope-like smoke and dismissed the crew’s ability to escape.
• Luffy used his trained physical strength to blast apart his bindings, while Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji each broke free of Smoker’s smoke.

Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji freed Nami and Usopp from Smoker’s smoke and fought through the Navy encirclement without killing the soldiers. Luffy stayed behind to confront Smoker, who attacked him with smoke fists as Luffy relied on Observation Haki.

• Ronan teased Nami by demanding one million Belly to save her, then broke the smoke holding her with a Haki-coated pebble, and Sanji caught her.
• Luffy told Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji to take Nami and Usopp and leave while he faced Smoker.
• Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji charged the Navy formation and used nonlethal strikes to knock the soldiers out of the fight.
• Smoker launched smoke fists at Luffy, but Luffy stood still and used Observation Haki to perceive his attacks.

Luffy used Armament Haki to hurt Smoker and dodged his Seastone Jitte with Observation Haki. He broke the weapon with a final punch and left Smoker defeated in the ruins.

• Luffy struck Smoker with an Armament Haki-coated punch, sending him crashing into a plaza wall.
• Smoker recovered, grabbed his Seastone Jitte, and attacked Luffy with Soru and rapid strikes.
• Luffy evaded Smoker’s attacks, prompting Smoker to realize Luffy had Observation Haki.
• Luffy punched through the Seastone Jitte, then struck Smoker in the chest and buried him beneath a shop’s ruins.

After escaping Loguetown, Luffy and his crew sailed through a storm toward the Grand Line, guided by a mysterious wind. As they reached its entrance, the crew declared their dreams on a wooden barrel, and everyone turned to Ronan to hear his.

• Luffy reunited with Ronan, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp, then led the crew out of Loguetown.
• Monkey D. Dragon watched Luffy depart and used a gale to help the Merry sail toward the north.
• Nami spotted the guiding light to the Grand Line, and Luffy ordered the crew to head for it despite the storm.
• Sanji set a wooden barrel on deck for a launching ceremony, and Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp each declared their dream.
• The crew turned toward Ronan as it became his turn to declare his dream.

Ronan and the Straw Hats braved a storm and reached the Red Line, where Nami guided the Merry into Reverse Mountain’s canal. They rode its upward current over the summit and arrived at the entrance to the Grand Line.

• Ronan declared his ambition to become the strongest grandmaster, and Luffy led the crew in setting sail for the Grand Line.
• The next morning, Sanji spotted the Red Line, and the crew saw the towering crimson continent ahead.
• Nami recognized the canal entrance in a faint crack and ordered the Merry to charge straight toward it.
• The Merry entered Reverse Mountain’s canal, and Nami warned that the crew had to steer carefully through the water gate.
• Sanji and Usopp controlled the helm while Ronan prepared to correct the ship’s course, and the crew rode the current up the mountain.
• Luffy celebrated as the Merry crossed the summit and reached the Grand Line.

The Merry reached Twin Cape and encountered the enormous whale Laboon, whose head housed Crocus. Crocus arrived with Baroque Works' Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi in tow and greeted the newcomers.

• Ronan and the crew survived the Merry’s plunge down Reverse Mountain and arrived at Twin Cape.
• The crew sensed a huge presence beneath the sea, and Laboon rose beside the ship.
• Laboon gazed toward the Red Line and cried out without attacking the Merry.
• An iron door opened on Laboon’s head, and Crocus emerged carrying Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi, bound in rope.
• Crocus set down his captives by the lighthouse and addressed the crew as newcomers to the Grand Line.

Crocus told Ronan's Group that Laboon had waited fifty years for the Rumbar Pirates, who were confirmed to have died in the Grand Line. As despair settled over the crew, Luffy lowered his Straw Hat and walked toward Laboon, ready to act.

• Crocus introduced himself as Twin Cape's lighthouse keeper and explained that he repeatedly drove off the whalers trying to kill Laboon.
• Crocus revealed that Laboon had been ramming its head against the cliff while waiting for the Rumbar Pirates, who had left fifty years earlier.
• Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and the others reacted to Laboon's long vigil, while Crocus stated that the Rumbar Pirates had all been buried in the Grand Line.
• Luffy silently lowered his Straw Hat and walked toward Laboon, prompting Zoro to sense that he was preparing for a fight.

Luffy challenged Laboon to a duel and gave it a new promise to live for, then the crew began planning their route through the Grand Line. The chapter ended when Nami discovered that every compass needle was spinning wildly.

• Luffy struck Laboon and challenged it to keep fighting until they could meet again.
• Laboon accepted Luffy’s promise, and Luffy painted a Straw Hat emblem on its head as their mark.
• Ronan and the others watched as Laboon responded happily to its new bond with Luffy.
• Nami spread out the sea chart and tried to plan the crew’s first stop in the Grand Line.
• Nami found that the compasses were spinning erratically, leaving the crew unable to navigate.

Crocus explained that the Grand Line’s chaotic magnetic fields made ordinary compasses useless and taught the crew how a Log Pose guided ships from island to island. Ronan took the Log Pose from Princess Vivi, and Nami gained the tool they needed to continue their journey.

• Crocus explained that the Grand Line’s magnetic fields rendered ordinary compasses unreliable, leaving Nami and Usopp alarmed.
• Crocus told the crew that they needed a Log Pose to navigate the Grand Line.
• Ronan searched Princess Vivi’s hidden pouch and took her Log Pose.
• Nami took the Log Pose from Ronan and celebrated that the crew could navigate again.
• Crocus explained that the Log Pose recorded each island’s magnetic field and pointed toward the next island.

Crocus explained that the seven routes through the Grand Line all ended at Laugh Tale, and Nami treasured the Log Pose as the crew’s guide. Sanji’s kick sent Luffy crashing past her and shattered the Log Pose, leaving Nami furious and the crew without their navigation pointer.

• Crocus explained that sailors chose one of seven fixed routes from Reverse Mountain, all of which ended at Laugh Tale.
• Nami admired the Log Pose and vowed to protect it, while Luffy finished the food meant for the crew and the prisoners.
• Sanji kicked Luffy in anger, sending him flying past Nami and shattering her Log Pose.
• Nami punched Luffy and Sanji, then kicked both into the sea.
• Ronan told Usopp to fish Luffy and Sanji out before Luffy drowned.

After Nami’s Log Pose was destroyed, Crocus gave her a replacement for helping Laboon. Mr. 9 and Vivi begged the crew for passage to Whiskey Peak, and Nami used their broken Log Pose to gain leverage over them.

• Nami despaired over her shattered Log Pose until Crocus gave her a new one as thanks for helping Laboon.
• Luffy and Sanji returned to the shore after Laboon flung them into the sea, while Crocus freed Mr. 9 and Vivi and warned them to leave Laboon alone.
• Mr. 9 and Vivi asked Luffy’s crew for a ride to Whiskey Peak, but Nami and Ronan questioned their identities and motives.
• Vivi claimed their company’s culture required secrecy and pleaded for help, while Crocus warned the crew that the pair seemed suspicious.
• Nami revealed that their Log Pose had broken, then showed them her replacement, prompting Mr. 9 and Vivi to kneel and plead again.

Luffy accepted Vivi and Mr. 9 as passengers and sailed the Merry from Twin Cape toward Whiskey Peak, leaving Crocus and Laboon behind. In a snowy sea, Ronan prepared boiling medicinal soup to help himself, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji break through a martial-arts training bottleneck.

• Luffy agreed to take Vivi and Mr. 9 to Whiskey Peak despite Usopp's objections, and Crocus warned that choosing the route could not be undone.
• Luffy introduced himself to Vivi as Monkey D. Luffy, the man who would become the Pirate King, then promised Laboon he would return and protect their mark.
• The Merry departed Twin Cape, and Crocus watched it disappear while wondering whether Luffy and his crew were the pirates they had been waiting for.
• In a freezing, snow-covered sea, Vivi and Mr. 9 watched in alarm as Ronan, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji trained shirtless on the Merry's deck.
• Ronan prepared Bone Forging Marrow Cleansing Soup and asked who would enter the boiling pot to advance beyond the Second Stage of Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Refinement.

Ronan used medicinal baths to strengthen the Straw Hats, and Zoro emerged with Bronze Skin Iron Bones at Great Accomplishment. After Usopp endured the spent broth, Ronan prepared a fresh bath and ordered Luffy in.

• Zoro plunged into the boiling medicinal bath and followed Ronan’s breathing method as Sanji raised the heat.
• After fifteen minutes, Zoro emerged and produced Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound, prompting Ronan to declare his Bronze Skin Iron Bones had reached Great Accomplishment.
• Ronan sent Usopp into Zoro’s leftover broth, and Usopp calmed himself, absorbed its medicinal power, and emerged with resilient skin.
• Sanji dumped the spent broth and Ronan prepared a fresh bath with herbs and Sea King Spinal Essence.
• Luffy resisted the bath, but Ronan ordered Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp to press him in.

As the Merry reached Whiskey Peak, Ronan explained that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had advanced to the Internal Qi Cultivation stage of Thirteen Protectors' Horizontal Training, beginning the path toward Indestructible Diamond. Mr. 9 and Vivi escaped into the sea, and the chapter left Zoro sensing the qi flowing through his body.

• Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji forced Luffy into the boiling medicinal cauldron, where Zoro sat on the lid to keep him submerged.
• Nami told Vivi that the crew’s punishing treatment was training them to survive the Grand Line and become monsters.
• After enduring the Grand Line’s violent weather, the Merry approached the cactus-shaped island of Whiskey Peak.
• Mr. 9 and Vivi leaped from the Merry and disappeared underwater, while Luffy urged the crew to land and find a feast.
• Ronan announced that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had entered the Internal Qi Cultivation stage and described their growing resistance to impacts, water pressure, flames, and poison gas.
• Zoro closed his eyes and sensed the warm current of qi moving from his Dantian through his body.

As the Going Merry reached Whiskey Peak, the crew celebrated their improved strength and learned they might have to stay until the Log Pose recorded the island’s magnetic field. The townspeople welcomed them with a festival, but Zoro, Sanji, and Ronan recognized the crowd as bounty hunters setting a trap.

• Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy described how the Hardening Technique had made their bodies stronger, and Ronan said they could eventually withstand even Devil Fruit users.
• Nami explained that the crew had to wait on the island for its magnetic field to register, which could take days, months, or longer.
• Luffy urged everyone to go ashore, while Usopp pretended to have an illness to avoid the island and Nami punched him into joining them.
• As the Merry sailed through the fog toward Whiskey Peak, Zoro sensed a large group of people waiting along the shore.
• Hundreds of townspeople welcomed the crew with music, flowers, and cheers, but Zoro and Sanji sensed malice beneath their smiles.
• Ronan used his Observation Haki to identify the townspeople as armed bounty hunters and told the crew to play along until they made a move.