Arc 19The Weapon and the Ancient War

Bright brought Judge and Vegapunk together, recovered Pure Gold, and sheltered Ashiya and Olga on Fish-Man Island before leading the NEO Marines’ escape from the World Government’s Divine Punishment. After surviving the weapon’s bombardment, Bright began explaining the ancient conflict between Joy Boy and Imu.

  • Bright killed the CP0 agents, defeated Judge and his sons, and took Judge to Fish-Man Island, where Vegapunk enlisted him to help with the Seraphim Project.
  • Bright found Pure Gold inside the Lanternfish, reunited Ashiya with Olga, and brought them to Fish-Man Island, where Olga received medicine and Ashiya agreed to stay.
  • Momousagi escaped the NEO Marines’ underwater prison, but Gion reported their headquarters to the World Government, prompting Bright to evacuate the island.
  • Bright raised the NEO Marines’ island into the air, but the Divine Punishment attacked, and Kuma, Akainu, and Aokiji joined Bright and Zephyr in helping the survivors escape.
  • Bright outran the weapon’s repeated barrages, while the survivors mourned the dead and Zephyr invited Akainu and Aokiji to join his fight against the World Government.
  • Bright told Akainu and Aokiji that the Bikans had brought science to the Blue Sea and that Joy Boy’s campaign against slavery led to the founding of a diverse kingdom.
  • Bright explained that Imu allied with Bika’s former royal family, whose Lunarians destroyed Bika, after which its scientists created Devil Fruits for Joy Boy’s kingdom and the war began.
Chapters 461–486 Vol. 5 Read

Ch. 461Vinsmoke

CP0 agents tried to force Vinsmoke Judge into the World Government’s research project, but Bright arrived and stopped them. After Bright struck down the agents, he turned his attention to Judge, leaving Judge terrified.

  • Judge refused CP0’s demand to take him for research and prepared to resist with his children.
  • CP0 agents moved to fight Judge, his sons, and Poison Pink.
  • Bright descended through the palace ceiling with a black-robed figure and confronted CP0.
  • Yonji challenged Bright, while Judge feared his son had provoked the powerful newcomer.
  • The lead CP0 agent ordered the others to flee, but Bright’s lightning swallowed them.
  • Bright asked how he should deal with Judge, who stared at him in terror.

Ch. 462Bright's Decision

Bright offered to take Judge and the Vinsmoke Family to Fish-Man Island after the deaths of the CP0 agents put them at odds with the World Government. Judge recoiled at the proposal, leaving Bright’s attempt to recruit him unresolved.

  • Bright killed the CP0 agents with lightning while Reiju watched Judge tremble in fear.
  • Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji admired Bright’s power and challenged him until Judge ordered them to be quiet.
  • Judge apologized for his sons’ behavior and asked Bright why he had come.
  • Bright warned Judge that the government would treat the CP0 deaths as a declaration of war and could send an admiral to capture him.
  • Bright invited Judge to move to Fish-Man Island, and Judge recoiled, asking what kind of joke it was.

Ch. 463A Brief Conflict

Bright forced Vinsmoke Judge to submit after overpowering the Vinsmoke brothers, then prepared to take Judge away from the Kingdom of Germa. He told Judge to transfer authority to Reiju so she could keep the country stable.

  • Judge refused Bright's demand to return with him to Fish-Man Island, and Bright announced he would use force.
  • Judge attacked Bright with Electromagnetic Thrust, but his spear shattered against Bright's body.
  • Niji, Ichiji, and Yonji attacked Bright with their signature moves, but he defeated each of them with ease.
  • Reiju surrendered, and Bright captured Judge with Flame Clouds while leaving her in charge of Germa.
  • Bright told Judge to transfer the country's authority to Reiju, warning that his sons could otherwise let Germa fall apart.

Ch. 464Reunion of Friends, Surgery Begins

Bright brought Luo, Judge, and the Heart Pirates to Fish-Man Island so Luo could perform surgery on Vegapunk. After Vegapunk reunited with Judge and asked for his head to be removed, Luo began the operation.

  • Bright flew the Polar Diving Boat through the New World and descended with it to Fish-Man Island.
  • Bright took the submarine to the Sea Forest and went to fetch Vegapunk, leaving Luo and the others aboard.
  • Bright brought Vegapunk to the submarine, where Judge and Vegapunk recognized each other after a long separation.
  • Vegapunk asked Luo, the Op-Op Fruit user, to cut off his head, and Luo activated ROOM to begin the surgery.

Ch. 465Seraphim Project

Luo used the Op-Op Fruit to remove Vegapunk’s enormous head, and Vegapunk revealed that he had left the World Government to pursue his dream alongside Bright. Vegapunk asked Bright to leave Judge with him to help advance the Seraphim Project, and Bright agreed.

  • Luo used his ROOM and blade to sever Vegapunk’s oversized head, while Bright’s clouds kept it suspended.
  • Vegapunk thanked Luo and confirmed his identity, shocking Luo and Judge with his presence outside the World Government.
  • Vegapunk said he had grown tired of the World Government and still dreamed of sharing knowledge and abundant energy with everyone.
  • Vegapunk told Judge that Bright gave him hope, then praised Judge’s lineage-factor research and proposed using its results for another project.
  • Vegapunk asked Bright to leave Judge with him to help the Seraphim Project, and Bright agreed.

Ch. 466Vegapunk's Ambition

Bright learned that the Seraphim Project could create replicas with power rivaling or surpassing the Shichibukai and pledged to fund Vegapunk’s research. Vegapunk began preparing to make more clones, while Bright moved nearby and warned that war with the World Government could come soon.

  • Bright explained the Seraphim Project’s potential and told Vegapunk he would fully fund its development.
  • Vegapunk decided to create more clones and recruited the reluctant Judge to help modify their brains.
  • Bright took Vegapunk and Judge to the laboratory, where Franky and Master Tom saw Vegapunk’s enormous detached head.
  • Bright told Vegapunk the final battle might be near and decided to stay close to the laboratory for safety.

Ch. 467Pure Gold and an Unexpected Turn

Bright took Luo and his companions to Fish-Man Island and discussed how to reward Luo, while the Five Elders ordered the World Government to seize scientists and accelerate its underwater military preparations. Bright then brought up Pure Gold with Tesoro, as an imprisoned Fish-Man unexpectedly escaped his handcuffs at a NEO Marines base.

  • Bright returned to the laboratory, where Vegapunk began turning his severed head into a computer and planning to create clones to help with the Seraphim Project and Pluto.
  • Bright offered to take Luo to Zou and asked him to think about a reward before leaving; Luo agreed to visit Fish-Man Island first.
  • The Five Elders blamed Judge for CP0's disappearance and ordered the capture of more scientists, while Caesar demanded access to the Science Unit's previous test subjects.
  • Bright showed Luo and his companions around Fish-Man Island, then told Tesoro that he would not take Luo's Op-Op Fruit and asked whether he knew about Pure Gold.
  • At a NEO Marines base, an imprisoned Fish-Man's body changed, and his handcuffs slipped off.

Ch. 468Pure Gold

Ain delivered meals to the imprisoned Marines, who quietly waited for a chance to escape and report their location. Meanwhile, Luo’s crew traveled toward Zou aboard a Fish-Man Island Logistics Company ship, while Bright and Tesoro waited in the deep sea for Pure Gold to appear.

  • Ain served food to Aokiji and the other captive Marines, then urged them to join Zephyr.
  • Momousagi and the other prisoners continued waiting for an opportunity to escape or alert Headquarters.
  • Luo and his crew traveled toward Zou with the Fish-Man Island Logistics Company, and Luo noticed a distant golden light.
  • Bright and Tesoro waited outside Fish-Man Island, and Tesoro asked whether Pure Gold would come to them.

Ch. 469Inside the Belly of a Fish

Bright brought Tesoro outside Fish-Man Island to meet the Lanternfish and obtain the legendary Pure Gold. After entering the creature’s belly, Bright sensed something unusual nearby, and Tesoro detected a human presence.

  • Bright explained to Tesoro that Pure Gold existed and that Princess Shirahoshi had summoned the Lanternfish to them.
  • Bright and Tesoro saw the gigantic Lanternfish approach, its head lantern glowing gold.
  • The Lanternfish said his Pure Gold was stored in the lantern and let Bright and Tesoro enter his mouth.
  • Bright and Tesoro found a lake and ruined island inside the Lanternfish’s belly, illuminated by the light above.
  • Bright sensed something unusual and flew toward it with Tesoro, who noticed a human presence.

Ch. 470Pure Gold and Father and Daughter

Bright and Tesoro explored the Lanternfish’s interior with Olga, a girl who had survived inside it for two hundred years, and agreed to take her out after finding Pure Gold. In the second stomach, they found a disguised man who recognized Olga, and she identified him as her father.

  • Bright and Tesoro landed on the ruined island inside the Lanternfish and met Olga, who revealed she had lived there for two hundred years.
  • Bright told Olga they were searching for Pure Gold and offered to take her outside; after Tesoro pressured her, she pleaded for their help.
  • Bright flew Olga and Tesoro through the Lanternfish’s first stomach into its second, where Tesoro sensed another human nearby.
  • Bright, Tesoro, and Olga found a man disguised as a dinosaur and eating meat in a cave.
  • The man recognized Olga, and she called him her father.

Ch. 471Pure Gold Secured

Bright, Tesoro, and Olga encountered Olga’s father, Mischina Ashiya, who confirmed that he had created Pure Gold. They found a vast hoard of it inside Lanternfish and secured a piece before preparing to leave.

  • Olga kicked away her father and blamed him for creating Pure Gold, which had led to her mother’s death and the family being swallowed by Lanternfish.
  • Tesoro realized Ashiya had created Pure Gold, while Bright assured Ashiya that they meant no harm and introduced himself and Tesoro.
  • Bright carried Olga, Ashiya, and Tesoro through Lanternfish toward the final passage, where Ashiya warned them that Pure Gold brought disaster.
  • Bright and the others entered a chamber filled with a mountain of gold, and Bright broke off a basketball-sized piece of Pure Gold.
  • Tesoro tested his ability on the gold mountain, laughed when it worked, and Bright told everyone to leave.

Ch. 472An Unreasonable Request

Bright rescued Mr. Ashiya and Olga from the Lanternfish and brought them to Fish-Man Island. After learning they had been swallowed two hundred years earlier, he asked Mr. Ashiya to teach him how to extract Pure Gold.

  • Bright protected Tesoro, Mr. Ashiya, and Olga with bubbles and Flame Clouds as they escaped through the Lanternfish's mouth into the deep sea.
  • Bright spoke with the Lanternfish, which departed after he kept only a small amount of its treasure.
  • Bright led the group toward Fish-Man Island, and Tesoro introduced him as its Uncrowned King and Emperor of the Deep Sea.
  • Mr. Ashiya revealed that the Lanternfish had swallowed him and Olga in Marineford Era 1322, two hundred years earlier.
  • Bright asked Mr. Ashiya to tell him how to extract Pure Gold.

Ch. 473Father and Daughter Reconcile

Bright pressed Ashiya to explain why he created Pure Gold, revealing that Ashiya had intended to use it to keep Olga alive because she had a terminal illness. Father and daughter reconciled, and after learning Olga’s disease was now curable, Ashiya agreed to give Bright the method for extracting Pure Gold.

  • Bright insisted that Ashiya explain why he had created Pure Gold, while Olga accused her father of greed.
  • Ashiya revealed that Olga had a terminal illness and that he created Pure Gold to slow her aging and keep her alive.
  • Bright confirmed Ashiya was telling the truth, and Ashiya embraced Olga as he apologized for leaving her alone.
  • Olga sobbed in her father’s arms and fell asleep, and Ashiya thanked Bright for helping them reconcile.
  • Tesoro told Ashiya that South Blue Emperor Fever now had a specific medicine, and Ashiya agreed to give Bright the Pure Gold extraction method.

Ch. 474The Betrayed

Bright brought Ashiya and Olga to Fish-Man Island, then took the Pure Gold extraction method to Vegapunk for testing. Elsewhere, Caesar experimented on captive Marines at a government research base after their existence had been disavowed.

  • Bright thanked Ashiya for explaining how to extract Pure Gold, and they agreed to be friends while keeping their relationship secret from the government.
  • Bright led Ashiya, Olga, and Tesoro to Fish-Man Island, then asked Tesoro to take the father and daughter to the hospital while he went to Vegapunk's laboratory.
  • Bright showed Vegapunk and his clone a sphere of Pure Gold and asked them to verify its effects and check for side effects.
  • At a Marine Science Unit research base, Caesar experimented on a yellow-skinned man with a dorsal fin and recorded how human lineage factors assimilated with another lineage factor.
  • A bound Marine challenged Caesar's experiments, but Caesar said the government had denied the captives' existence and reminded him that someone had transferred them there.

Ch. 475The Beginning of the Upheaval

Bright arranged for Ashiya to remain on Fish-Man Island and for Olga to recover, while the island stayed peaceful through the end of Marineford Era 1517. In 1518, a prisoner beneath the NEO Marines’ underwater prison began a covert move, signaling that the year’s upheaval was starting.

  • Tesoro told Bright that Olga had received the special medicine and was being cared for at the hospital.
  • Tesoro warned Bright that Ashiya’s knowledge could not be allowed to reach the Government, and Bright decided Ashiya should stay on Fish-Man Island until the war ended.
  • Bright explained that Katakuri’s younger sister could erase memories with her Devil Fruit, and Tesoro agreed to speak with Ashiya.
  • Ashiya agreed to remain on Fish-Man Island, where Olga could attend school and he could learn about the two centuries he had missed.
  • After Marineford Era 1517 ended, a man emerged from beneath a prison cell floor tile in the NEO Marines’ underwater prison, and Vice Admiral Momousagi sensed the signal.

Ch. 476Emergency Evacuation

Momousagi escaped the NEO Marines’ prison with the help of a fellow prisoner, prompting Bright and Zephyr to prepare an emergency evacuation before their base’s location was exposed. As the escapees fled and the prison raised the alarm, a small figure emerged from the sea and spotted a ship.

  • A prisoner freed Momousagi by slipping through the bars, and she broke her shackles and cut open the cells of her comrades.
  • Momousagi led the group into a tunnel, leaving Aokiji and Akainu behind as the prison alarm sounded.
  • Aokiji and Akainu watched the escapees go and hoped they would reach safety.
  • Bright learned that Gion had escaped and told Zephyr to prepare warships and evacuate NEO Marines headquarters.
  • Bright contacted nearby logistics teams and flew toward the base while considering calling other friends for support.
  • A small figure escaped pursuing sea beasts, surfaced in the New World, and spotted a ship.

Ch. 477Approaching

Gion escaped the NEO Marines and revealed the location of their headquarters, prompting the Five Elders to consider using a secret weapon. Bright and Zephyr hurried to evacuate the NEO Marines by moving their entire island, while the Five Elders watched as Im personally took action.

  • Gion escaped the pirates' ship and called the World Government, reporting that she had found the NEO Marines' headquarters.
  • CP0 pinpointed the headquarters on an unnamed island, and the Five Elders decided to request Im's aid rather than wait for the Marines.
  • Bright arrived at the NEO Marines' base and, fearing the World Government's weapon, ordered Zephyr to gather everyone and move the entire island.
  • Ain thanked Bright for helping the NEO Marines, and Bright urged her to focus on their next strategy instead of regretting Gion's escape.
  • Zephyr brought the captured child versions of Akainu and Aokiji to Bright, who urged him to hurry the evacuation.
  • The Five Elders saw Im move personally above Pangaea Castle.

Ch. 478Divine Punishment

Bright lifted the island into the sky to escape with Zephyr and the others, but his future sight warned him of an incoming attack. He stopped the island just before a blinding beam passed by, revealing an enormous hidden object as the source of the so-called Divine Punishment.

  • Bright transformed into a Divine Dragon and used Flame Clouds to raise the island from the sea.
  • Bright guided the airborne island toward the West Blue while Zephyr, Ain, and the captured Marines watched.
  • Bright sensed a future danger, wrapped everyone in Flame Clouds, and abruptly halted the island.
  • A blinding beam shot past the island, scorching objects and nearly overwhelming Aokiji.
  • Bright and Zephyr saw a huge silhouette hidden in the clouds and identified it as the Divine Punishment.

Ch. 479Reinforcements

Bright and the NEO Marines faced the World Government’s colossal national treasure, which attacked the island with enormous beams. After Bright exhausted his stored energy blocking one beam, the enemy prepared to fire again, and reinforcements arrived beside him.

  • Zephyr identified the approaching giant object as the Celestial Dragons’ national treasure and the World Government’s Final Weapon.
  • The weapon fired several massive beams at the island, and Bright used his strongest King's Punch to briefly stop one while Flame Clouds kept the soldiers from being swept away.
  • The beam and shockwave devastated the island and sea, and Bright admitted he had exhausted his stored energy.
  • As the weapon prepared to attack again, Zephyr urged Bright to retreat, but Bright said reinforcements had arrived.
  • A tall figure appeared beside Bright and asked whether they had arrived too late.

Ch. 481United We Stand

Bright and the NEO Marines fled the island’s bombardment with Bartholomew Kuma’s help, but a redirected beam wiped out half the soldiers. As another volley gathered, Aokiji asked Zephyr to release him so they could fight alongside Bright.

  • Bartholomew Kuma used his power to move the island out of the bombardment, and Bright kept it from sinking with clouds.
  • With another volley approaching, Kuma sent Bright flying while Black pulled tens of thousands of NEO Marines along in the clouds.
  • A beam grazed the clouds, vaporizing many soldiers and leaving others to die from their burns.
  • Bright released the fallen soldiers’ bodies into the sea, and Zephyr mourned them as the survivors sped away.
  • Aokiji asked Zephyr to release him so he could fight beside Bright, and Bright urged Zephyr to grant his wish.

Ch. 482Living Toward Death

Bright led Zephyr, Ain, Aokiji, Akainu, Kuma, and the others in escaping the colossal monster’s bombardment, but its beams trapped them in the sky. With no route left, they launched a desperate assault on the weakest point of a beam.

  • Bright restored Akainu and Aokiji to their former appearances after freeing them from their Seastone shackles, and they agreed to cooperate.
  • Bright used future sight and unpredictable changes in direction to evade the monster’s thirteen beams, but their movement slowed while carrying more than ten thousand people.
  • The beams swept across the sky and surrounded the group, leaving them with too little room to escape.
  • Akainu proposed charging through the bombardment, and Bright urged everyone to strike the beams with all their strength.
  • Bright aimed for the side of a beam and attacked alongside Aokiji, Akainu, Zephyr, Kuma, and Ain.

Ch. 483Extreme Escape

Bright fled with the surviving group through repeated barrages from a hidden weapon, using his speed and Observation Haki to evade the beams as the wounded died around him. He finally escaped above the last storm of fire, leaving the attackers unable to catch him.

  • Bright escaped the first explosion with the survivors, many of whom were badly burned or killed.
  • Bright sensed a new barrage of thirty-nine shots and raced through the beams as they transformed into pillars of light.
  • Bright's companions fought openings in the pillars while he dodged, but their numbers dwindled as the injured died.
  • Bright grew fast enough to pull away from the pillars and the pursuing entity, despite another barrage filling the sky with beams.
  • Bright evaded the final storm of artillery fire, broke above it, and sped away beyond the attackers' reach.

Ch. 484The Story of the Past

Bright and the survivors escaped the colossal weapon, but the surviving Marines faced a tense standoff with Akainu and Aokiji. Zephyr invited the two former officers to join his fight against the World Government, and Aokiji asked to hear the story of what happened eight hundred years ago.

  • Bright slowed down after the colossal pursuer disappeared, and the exhausted survivors realized they had escaped.
  • Binz mourned the dead, and Zephyr urged him to remember what happened and make the World Government pay.
  • Ain refused to tell Akainu what the colossal weapon was, and Akainu prepared to fight Bright over his imprisonment.
  • Zephyr invited Akainu and Aokiji to join his cause against the World Government, but Akainu rejected the offer.
  • Aokiji asked Zephyr to answer his questions about the world, and Bright prompted Zephyr to tell the story from eight hundred years ago.

Ch. 485Joy Boy and Imu

Bright told Aokiji and Akainu how the moon-dwelling Bikans brought science to the Blue Sea and ushered in an age of exploration. He introduced Joy Boy and Imu as the figures who advanced that era, then began explaining how Joy Boy’s actions challenged slavery and racial discrimination.

  • Bright explained that the Bikans had left their depleted homeland on the moon and settled atop the Red Line in a colossal ship.
  • He described how Bika shared science with the Blue Sea, spreading technology and transforming the world through exploration and contact between peoples.
  • Bright named Joy Boy and Imu as the figures who brought the scientific era to its height, contrasting Joy Boy’s reckless freedom with Imu’s dignified political skill.
  • He explained that Bika’s scientists called for an end to slavery and racial discrimination, while Bika itself refrained from interfering in other nations’ affairs.
  • Bright said Joy Boy smashed the things he could not tolerate, setting change in motion.

Ch. 486The Turning Point of Everything

Bright recounted how Joy Boy freed slaves, united people, and founded a kingdom before Imu and the former rulers of Bika engineered a rebellion that destroyed Bika. Escaped Bikan scientists created the first Devil Fruits in Joy Boy’s country, and Joy Boy became the first ability user; Bright left the story at the start of the war.

  • Bright said Joy Boy’s travels freeing slaves attracted followers and made him a threat to rulers across the sea.
  • Joy Boy and his followers founded a kingdom where different races and classes lived together, while Joy Boy continued liberating people.
  • Imu joined forces with Bika’s former royal family, who created the Lunarians using advanced technology and resources.
  • The Lunarians seized Bika’s star-crossing ship and destroyed the country, scattering the surviving Bikans.
  • Bikan scientists fled to Joy Boy’s kingdom and created the first Devil Fruits, including the Nika fruit that Joy Boy ate.
  • Bright said the war began.
Arc 19 of 24