Chapter Summaries

Robin considered joining the Straw Hat Pirates after Luffy invited her, while Crocodile manipulated the royal court into sending Luffy after a stolen Poneglyph. The chapter left Crocodile at the Royal Mausoleum after he killed the guards who had helped him stage the theft.

• Robin told Luffy she planned to leave, but Luffy insisted that she become his companion.
• At the palace banquet, Luffy offended Cobra and Crocodile with his blunt remarks.
• Bell reported that a man in an orange-yellow hat had stolen a Stone Tablet from the Royal Mausoleum, and Robin identified it as a Poneglyph.
• Robin explained that Poneglyphs contained information about Ancient Weapons and coordinates to Laugh Tale, prompting Luffy to offer to retrieve the tablet.
• Crocodile urged Cobra to let Luffy pursue the thief, then flew to the mausoleum and paid two guards before turning them to sand and ashes.

Luffy and his crew encountered Ace while searching for the Poneglyph thief, then learned from Robin how powerful Longinus was. After Ace secretly left, Luffy decided to find him and recover the Poneglyph for Vivi.

• Luffy and his crew welcomed Robin as a friend, then spotted a shirtless young man matching the tomb raider's description.
• Luffy attacked the man before Robin could warn him, and Ace fought back and defeated him.
• Ace learned that someone dressed like him had stolen the royal palace's Poneglyph, but declined to join the search after hearing it pointed to ONE PIECE.
• Robin recounted Longinus's major feats, including defeating BIGMOM and becoming Marine Admiral at twenty-four, frightening the crew.
• Ace slipped away while Robin described Longinus, and Luffy decided to pursue him and return the Poneglyph to Vivi.

Ace confronted Teach over Thatch’s murder and learned that Teach’s Dark Fruit could nullify Devil Fruit abilities. Luffy and his crew arrived, and Crocodile joined Teach before a Marine woman emerged, revealing that the confrontation had become even more dangerous.

• Ace accused Teach of killing Thatch, rejected Teach’s offer to join him, and declared that he would stop him.
• Luffy arrived with his crew, and Teach used the Dark Fruit to pull Luffy in and punch him, temporarily suppressing his ability.
• Crocodile arrived and asked Teach for the item; Teach released a golden Stone Tablet from the darkness, and Luffy realized Crocodile and Teach were working together.
• Teach pulled Ace in with Dark Gravity, but Ace struck him with flames before Teach punched him away.
• Crocodile questioned Teach about the Dark Fruit, and Teach declared his ambition to become Pirate King.
• A heroic female Marine stepped out from behind the sand and said she had not planned to face Teach and Crocodile together.

Kuina fought Crocodile while Ace battled Blackbeard, revealing that her duel with Crocodile had also served as a personal trial. After Kuina defeated Crocodile, Blackbeard showed his overwhelming strength by knocking Ace unconscious, leaving the Straw Hats in danger.

• Kuina arrived to confront Crocodile over his plot to steal a Poneglyph, then assigned Ace to fight Blackbeard while she took on Crocodile.
• Kuina and Crocodile traded powerful attacks until Kuina unleashed Ghost Qi: Asura: Ghost God Slash and split the desert, defeating him.
• Crocodile realized Kuina had chosen him as part of a trial and promised not to reveal what he had deduced about her.
• Luffy tried to help Ace but was knocked out by Blackbeard, while Zoro was also sent flying.
• Blackbeard stopped relying on his Devil Fruit and knocked Ace unconscious with a single punch, shocking Kuina and the others.

Teach fought Kuina and the others while trying to take Crocodile and Ace, but Kuina’s threat to summon Admiral Longinus convinced him to withdraw. He escaped with the stone tablet and Ace, leaving the group safe for the moment.

• Teach offered to trade Ace for Crocodile, then attacked the group when Miss Marine rejected his proposal.
• Luffy charged Teach, but Teach kicked him away and then wounded Kuina by grabbing her blade before knocking her into the air.
• Nami and the others worried that Kuina could not defeat Teach, while Chopper recalled that Ace had called Jozu and Marco for help.
• Usopp tried to scare Teach by claiming Jozu and Marco were nearly there, but Teach said he was not afraid of them.
• Kuina warned that Admiral Longinus might arrive soon, and Teach decided not to risk his plans over the fight.
• Teach used his Dark Space to take Ace and the stone tablet, then left.

After Blackbeard fled at the mention of Longinus, Kuina spared the Straw Hats and took Crocodile into custody. Crocodile guessed that Kuina was concealing a Devil Fruit ability and tried to recruit her, but she insisted she remained a Marine and kept her real goal secret.

• The exhausted Straw Hats reflected on Blackbeard’s retreat, and Nami reassured Luffy that Ace would likely be safe for now.
• Kuina handcuffed Crocodile and let the Straw Hats go because they had helped Alabasta; Zoro renewed his promise to her, and she left with Crocodile.
• As Kuina dragged him across the desert, Crocodile questioned why she had hidden her ability and suggested she was plotting against the Marines.
• Kuina denied wanting to overthrow the Marines and refused to reveal her target, while Crocodile laughed and said he would keep her secret because he was waiting for someone to join him in captivity.

Longinus heard reports about Red-Haired stopping Kaido, Lone Red’s possible return, and Kuina’s capture of Crocodile, while Kuina hesitated to tell him something more. At Onigashima, Apophis explained how he planned to use Kuina and her companions, then was confronted by a Marine-coat-wearing figure.

• Drake and Law briefed Longinus on Red-Haired stopping Kaido and Lone Red’s suspected search for the Vampire fruit.
• Kuina reported that Crocodile had been sent to Impel Down and described Blackbeard’s strength during the mission.
• Longinus warned Kuina to prioritize her safety, and she left without telling him what she had been hesitant to say.
• At Onigashima, Apophis told Enel that Kuina might reveal her identity but would praise their kindness, allowing her companions to turn against him.
• Apophis explained that he valued the companions’ luck and connections, instructed Enel not to interfere with Kuina, and then encountered a figure in a Marine coat.

Kuina disguised herself as Shirozou Longinus and tried to uncover the mole, but Apophis and the real Longinus exposed her. Longinus revealed that he had known Kuina suspected him since she was eleven, then challenged her to survive and kill him if she wanted to learn why he killed her father.

• Kuina, disguised as Shirozou Longinus, claimed the Marines had infiltrated Apophis's ranks and asked to join his investigation.
• Kuina attacked Apophis from behind, but Apophis defeated her, and the real Longinus emerged from the rear hall.
• Kuina admitted she had suspected Longinus after noticing the similarity between his blood and blood at the scene of his final slash, and she offered not to send her recording if he gave her an excuse to believe.
• Longinus said he had always known Kuina suspected him, explaining that he had targeted Koshiro, not her, and that killing her would have violated his justice.
• Kuina asked why Longinus had killed her father, and Longinus told her to survive and kill him if she wanted the answer.

Apophis confronted Kuina and overwhelmed her despite her using the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit to imitate Longinus. He revealed a devastating account of her father’s past, but Kuina rejected his taunts and rallied to suppress Apophis briefly.

• Kuina asked Apophis why he had not killed her earlier, and he transported her to a deserted island to give her a quiet funeral.
• Kuina transformed into Longinus and attacked Apophis, but he repeatedly overpowered her and split the island with a slash that sent her into a canyon.
• Apophis taunted Kuina and claimed her father had abandoned Wano Country after being bought off by Kurozumi Orochi, then became a dojo master out of guilt.
• Apophis said Kuina’s father had asked him not to hurt her before he died, and Kuina charged him again in a berserk state.
• Kuina’s renewed assault briefly suppressed Apophis, who said her momentum finally made him get serious.

Kuina fought Apophis and drew on Nidai Kitetsu’s power, but after a brutal battle she discovered that the fallen enemy was her father. His body turned to ash, leaving Kuina grieving and confused.

• Apophis used his ability to vanish and attack Kuina from another dimension, forcing her to push her Observation Haki and swordsmanship to their limits.
• Kuina asked Nidai Kitetsu to lend her its strength, and its demon aura surged through her as she clashed with Apophis and split the island apart.
• Apophis suffered a sudden collapse, then resumed his attacks, and Kuina continued fighting until he struck her down.
• As Kuina waited for death, Apophis placed a hand on her head and said, “Forgive me, Kuina. This is the last time...” before collapsing.
• Kuina removed Apophis’s mask and recognized her supposedly dead father, but his body turned to ash, leaving only his clothes and mask.

Longinus told Kuina how Apophis had been his rival, a former slave whose cursed Seven Star Sword drove him to violence before he chose to die by Longinus's hand. He revealed that he later took up Apophis's name to attack the Celestial Dragons and began investigating rumors of Apophis in East Blue ten years ago.

• Longinus explained that he had fought Apophis before the government targeted him after the war atop the giant elephant.
• Longinus said that he killed the badly wounded Apophis at his request after learning that the Seven Star Sword had turned him into a violent puppet.
• Longinus revealed that he hid Apophis's story, then wore a mask and used his name to kill nine Celestial Dragons and launch the slave liberation movement.
• Longinus admitted that Dark King Rayleigh had been the other Masked Man during the Sabaody Incident and that he knew Rayleigh was teaching Kuina.
• Longinus said that ten years earlier he had traveled to East Blue to investigate rumors that someone was using Apophis's name.

Longinus told Kuina how Koshiro became Apophis to protect her and explained her parents’ history and Koshiro’s plan. After learning that Koshiro had died as Apophis, Kuina took up his identity, declaring that the world would know her as the pirate Five Emperors Apophis.

• Longinus revealed that he had met the dying Koshiro, agreed to sustain his condition, and took Kuina in as his disciple to protect her.
• Longinus explained that Kuina’s mother had served Kurozumi Orochi before falling in love with Koshiro and fleeing Wano Country with him; she died after giving birth to Kuina in the East Blue.
• Longinus told Kuina that Koshiro’s injuries came from the pursuit and poisoning during their escape, and that Kurozumi Orochi had already been killed during Longinus’s campaign in Wano Country.
• Longinus explained that Koshiro had planned to draw out Apophis so he would protect Kuina, but Longinus had appeared under that name; Koshiro then became Apophis while Kuina joined the Marines.
• Longinus revealed that Koshiro’s final gift was for Kuina to kill Apophis, but Kuina put on the mask and claimed the Apophis identity for herself.

Kuina asked Longinus to let her impersonate Apophis, and proposed faking her death and his severe injuries to conceal her identity while she grew stronger. Longinus gave her a Devil Fruit Item pendant and revealed his goal of overthrowing the World Government, leaving Kuina shaken by his ideal and the secrets he shared about Dragon.

• Kuina asked Longinus to let her become the blade in his hand and take Apophis's place, but he worried her strength would expose her.
• Kuina proposed that Longinus announce her death and severely injure Apophis, giving her a two-year cover to grow into top-tier combat strength.
• Longinus gave Kuina a pendant made by Vinsmoke Judge that let her use Apophis's spatial ability.
• Longinus revealed that Apophis's secret base was on the Moon and said he wanted to overthrow the World Government and establish a just government.
• Kuina pledged to help Longinus achieve his goal, and he revealed that Monkey D. Dragon was Garp's son and Zephyr's student.

Longinus revealed to Kuina that he had built a hidden network of allies across the world and explained why he had shared the Apophis identity with her. Kuina left to continue acting as Apophis while Longinus prepared to adopt a new identity.

• Longinus told Kuina that Dragon had once offered him the Revolutionary Army’s second-in-command position, but he had chosen a different path after discovering a hidden force manipulating the world.
• Longinus explained that Enel could take him to the moon and revealed that Enel, Wyper, Urouge, Doflamingo, Hancock, and Gild Tesoro were his allies.
• Longinus told Kuina to keep using the Pirate Alliance leader identity around Doflamingo and the others, and said the duel between Apophis and Hawk Eyes could be delayed for two years.
• Kuina declined to disrupt Longinus’s plans for a chance to fight Hawk Eyes, then transformed into Apophis and left.
• Longinus reflected that Apophis had fulfilled most of his purposes and decided to leave that identity in Kuina’s hands while he adopted a new one.

News spread that Longinus had stormed Onigashima, severely wounded Apophis, and avenged Kuina, though Apophis escaped. As pirates and Marines reacted to the battle, Longinus returned to Marine Headquarters and urged Kuina’s grieving companions to rest.

• Hawk Eyes read that Apophis had been wounded by Longinus and postponed their agreed battle.
• On Hive Island, Blackbeard discussed Apophis’s defeat, his ambition to become a Five Emperor, and his search for Rocks’s legacy while Ace remained captive.
• Blackbeard learned the Whitebeard Pirates were catching up and prepared to flee with his crew and Ace.
• At Marine Headquarters, Hiyori, Drake, Law, and the ghost girl mourned Kuina and praised Longinus for avenging her.
• Longinus returned from pursuing Apophis, explained that Apophis’s spatial ability had let him escape, and told Kuina’s companions to rest.

After Kuina’s death, Zoro explained his vow to challenge Apophis, but the Straw Hats insisted they would stand by him. They headed toward Long Ring Island for a Pirate Game, while Longinus prepared a Marine operation there and the Foxy Pirates worried about the powerful pirates drawn by Captain John’s armband.

• Zoro told the Straw Hats that Apophis had killed his teacher, Kuina’s father, and that he and Kuina had vowed to challenge him.
• Luffy, Usopp, and Nami promised to support Zoro, but Nami redirected the group toward a Pirate Game tournament on Long Ring Island.
• A week later, Longinus ordered the Marines to close in on the Blackbeard Pirates before the gathering pirates caused chaos.
• Hamburg and Porche warned Foxy that dozens of formidable pirates had arrived on Long Ring Island for Captain John’s armband.
• Foxy defended offering the armband as a tournament prize, saying the Foxy Pirates had needed to keep other pirates from simply robbing them.

Luffy and his crew arrived at Long Ring Islands for Foxy’s pirate competition, where Hawkins warned that Marines might target the gathering pirates. Luffy refused to leave, and after defending an old man in a bar, he sent a threatening pirate flying.

• Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper drew hostile looks by making fun of pirates’ appearances, and Nami made them apologize.
• Hawkins introduced himself as a 135-million-Beli pirate and warned that Marines might be watching the island; Luffy mistook his warning as news that Marines would join the competition.
• Robin advised the crew to stay and leave amid the chaos if trouble broke out, and they settled into a bar.
• Luffy knocked a bald pirate away from an old man in red, then learned the pirate had lied about the seat being his.
• The bald pirate punched Luffy, but Luffy stretched his neck to avoid the blow and launched the man away with a punch.

Luffy and his crew met Patrick Redfield, who explained the stakes of the Davy Back Fight and revealed he had come for Captain John's treasure and potential subordinates. After the Violent Bear Pirates attacked, Redfield killed them in an instant and left, prompting Robin to identify him as Lone Red, a legendary pirate who had stood alongside Roger and Whitebeard.

• Luffy introduced himself to Redfield and insisted his crew would help him become Pirate King, while Redfield explained that the Davy Back Fight wagered crew members and pirate flags.
• Redfield told the crew that many pirates had come for Captain John's bracelet, which supposedly revealed the location of Captain John's treasure, and said he was curious about John's past and seeking useful subordinates.
• The Violent Bear Pirates arrived to confront Luffy, but Redfield rose to leave and killed the group with a single lightning-fast attack before calmly exiting the bar.
• Robin identified Redfield as Lone Red, a legendary pirate who had stood alongside Roger and Whitebeard, and suggested his presence might protect the crew from the Marines.

Longinus led a Marine fleet to Long Ring Island to arrest the pirates gathered for Foxy’s Davy Back Fight tournament. His Conqueror’s Haki and arrival shattered the pirates’ morale, leaving the island in chaos as they fled toward the coast.

• Longinus and Smoker prepared a Marine assault, and Longinus ordered them to attack before the competition began.
• Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Robin arrived among the pirates gathered for Foxy’s tournament, where Foxy tried to explain the rules and was mocked.
• Marine submarines landed troops, and the Marines clashed with the pirates as Hawkins planned to seize Captain John’s bracelet and escape.
• Longinus unleashed his Conqueror’s Haki, suppressing the pirates while his Marines continued fighting.
• Robin recognized Longinus as a Marine Admiral, and the pirates fled in panic when they realized Shirozou Longinus had arrived.

Longinus confronted the Straw Hat crew and urged them to stop calling themselves pirates, arguing that their fame inspired others to take up piracy. When Luffy refused to change their flag and identity, Longinus prepared to send them to Impel Down.

• Usopp panicked at Longinus's arrival, while Smoker knocked Great Axe Hody down with a single punch and frightened the watching pirates into fleeing.
• The Straw Hat crew recognized that Longinus had saved several of them years earlier, and Longinus revealed he had been watching them because of Luffy and his familiar crewmates.
• Longinus told the crew that their exploits had inspired dozens of East Blue pirate crews and could encourage more people to commit crimes.
• Longinus offered to reduce their crimes if they broke their pirate flag and called themselves an adventuring or seafaring crew instead.
• Luffy refused to abandon the name pirate, so Longinus said he would personally send the crew to Impel Down.