Chapter Summaries

Ronglin watched Shiryu’s fleet exploit the Third Fleet’s disorder to break through the encirclement, while Burgess tried to persuade him to spare his life. Shiryu fought off Hawkins, Bilida, and Anrield as his ships advanced toward the gap, and Ronglin recognized that he might need to intervene.

• Burgess tried to surrender to Ronglin, but Ronglin rejected his excuses and refused to promise that he would spare him.
• Ronglin watched the Second Fleet and Third Fleet surround Shiryu’s fleet, with Bilida’s ships holding formation while Anrield’s ships fought chaotically.
• Shiryu unleashed a powerful sword attack toward Anrield’s fleet, prompting many of its crew to abandon ship.
• Hawkins, Bilida, and Anrield joined forces to block Shiryu’s attack, but Shiryu led his fleet toward the opening in the Third Fleet’s formation.
• Ronglin grew angry at the Third Fleet’s disorder as Burgess warned him not to pursue a cornered enemy and suggested using the battle to remove his disobedient subordinates.

Ronglin unleashed a colossal fire dragon that destroyed Shiryu’s fleet, while Shiryu escaped and Burgess was captured. After Burgess argued that he could become a useful recruit, Ronglin asked whether his crew wanted to keep him.

• Ronglin summoned a massive fire dragon and sent it crashing down on Shiryu’s fleet.
• Shiryu abandoned his ship and fled toward the remaining ships of Anrield's Third Fleet as the fire dragon consumed his fleet.
• Burgess asked whether Ronglin was a Devil Fruit user, and Ronglin said he was not.
• Jazz and Caesar reached Ronglin’s ship, where Ronglin told them the battle was over.
• Ronglin considered whether to save Burgess, and Burgess pleaded to be taken in and trained.
• Jazz agreed that Burgess had a point, and Ronglin asked whether they were sure they wanted to keep him.

Ronglin’s forces defeated Blackbeard’s reinforcements, capturing Burgess and many pirates while Shiryu escaped. After Anrield reported the Third Fleet’s losses and begged for punishment, Ronglin confronted him over repeatedly failing to prove himself.

• Ronglin agreed to let Burgess live, and Burgess tearfully thanked Jazz for saving him.
• Ronglin’s forces destroyed Shiryu’s fleet and captured Burgess, while the Lodun Islands’ defenders returned home to strengthen their defenses.
• Bilida and Hawkins arrived and learned that Ronglin had captured Burgess; Ronglin said he was ready for Blackbeard to attack.
• Anrield reported that Shiryu had escaped and knelt to accept responsibility for the Third Fleet’s losses.
• Ronglin told Anrield that he had been given many chances but had never shown anything that changed Ronglin’s opinion of him.

Ronglin forced Burgess’s surrendered pirates to choose between serving as cannon fodder or leaving his ship, while giving Anrield a chance to redeem himself by leading the Third Fleet. The pirates surrendered, and Ronglin ordered Anrield to supervise them in battle.

• Anrield asked Ronglin to let him lead the Third Fleet and earn redemption by capturing cities and strongholds, and Bilida and Hawkins agreed.
• Ronglin announced that Burgess had surrendered and offered the pirates a chance to join his forces, but required them to prove their loyalty in battle as cannon fodder.
• Ronglin told the pirates that anyone unwilling to serve could leave the ship and risk swimming away, then gave them three seconds to decide.
• The pirates knelt and surrendered rather than face the dangers of the sea or fight Ronglin.
• Ronglin told Anrield to supervise the pirates in battle and judge how to handle those who deserved to die.

Ronglin ordered Anrield to lead the Third Fleet in a direct assault on the Lodun Islands, using the halfhearted fighters and prisoners to wear down the defenders. The fleet charged through heavy artillery fire and began a fierce exchange with the island defenses.

• Ronglin told Anrield to use the uncommitted fighters to exhaust the Lodun Islands’ strength and urged him to survive the coming battle.
• Anrield assigned the halfhearted captains to formations and mixed prisoners among the ships, suppressing objections to the assault.
• Ronglin returned toward the Lodun Islands with Burgess while Bilida and Hawkins prepared the Second Fleet to provide support.
• Anrield rallied the Third Fleet as it charged straight toward the Lodun Islands, prompting the defenders to bombard the advancing ships.
• The Third Fleet counterattacked within firing range, and both sides suffered casualties as mobile ships dodged shells while the stationary islands endured the bombardment.

The Third Fleet endured heavy losses while forcing its way through the Lodun Islands’ artillery and landing onshore. Anrield led the assault on a defensive fortress, where the island’s defenders rallied to protect their families and began fighting back.

• The Lodun Islands adjusted their aim, but Anrield urged the Third Fleet to charge as the enemy’s firepower slackened.
• The Third Fleet pushed through the bombardment, suffering casualties while its attacks began inflicting heavy losses on the defenders.
• Duke Lodun watched the assault and panicked as Ronglin’s forces pressed toward the islands.
• Anrield led his men ashore and charged toward military defensive fortress 360.
• The island Commander rallied the defenders, who clashed with the Third Fleet to prevent the fortress from falling.

Anrield led the Third Fleet in a brutal assault that overwhelmed the Lodun defenders on the first island, while Ronglin studied his tactics and decided to pressure the other islands. The chapter ended with the Second Fleet slowly advancing toward the second island, forcing its defenders to prepare their artillery.

• Anrield broke through the Lodun defenders’ formation with his twin chains, allowing the Third Fleet to land and drive them into retreat.
• Bilida and Hawkins discussed whether the Second Fleet should join the fighting, while Ronglin watched Anrield’s movements and noticed him pushing halfhearted subordinates into danger.
• The defenders on nearby islands held back from helping because the Second Fleet threatened their artillery positions.
• Ronglin ordered Bilida to begin advancing on the second island and gradually strip away the main island’s protective defenses.
• Bilida followed Hawkins’s plan and advanced slowly without firing, prompting the defenders on the other islands to aim their artillery at the approaching fleet.

Ronglin watched the Second Fleet pressure the Lodun Islands’ defenders while the Third Fleet pushed the battle on Anrield’s island toward its end. He told Burgess that surrender had spared his life, but warned him to choose his side carefully or face death next time.

• The Second Fleet advanced slowly toward the Lodun Islands, provoking defenders into firing despite being out of range.
• The Lodun Islands’ Commanders recognized the Second Fleet’s psychological tactic and sent subordinates to calm the defenders.
• Ronglin praised the tactic and observed that the Third Fleet had landed and cornered the defenders on Anrield’s island.
• Ronglin considered making Burgess Fat An’s deputy after killing Blackbeard, unsettling Burgess with the prospect.
• Burgess asked why Ronglin had spared him, and Ronglin said he did not want to kill everyone he captured.
• Ronglin warned Burgess that he had to choose a side carefully or Ronglin might kill him next time.

Ronglin’s plan led Anrield to persuade the defenders to blame Duke Lodun for the war and surrender. The commander quickly changed sides and offered to help the Third Fleet reach the main island and overthrow the duke.

• Burgess considered whether to surrender after seeing the fate of Shiryu’s fleet.
• Anrield cornered the defenders and accused Duke Lodun of sending them to die while refusing to support them.
• Anrield promised that anyone who surrendered would be spared, and the defenders began laying down their weapons and kneeling.
• Anrield revealed that Ronglin had coached him through the Den Den Mushi, while the defending commander declared that the soldiers could help seize Duke Lodun’s head.

Ronglin used the surrendered Lodun defenders to undermine the morale of the forces on the neighboring island, sending them back to urge their comrades to surrender. The defenders’ return sparked suspicion and agitation, leaving the island in a tense stalemate as Ronglin waited to exploit the division.

• Anrield warmly welcomed the surrendered defenders, and they helped Ronglin’s troops clear the battlefield.
• The Lodun commander watched in disbelief as the former defenders boarded ships supplied by the Third Fleet and returned to the island.
• Anrield praised Ronglin’s plan to send the prisoners back and weaken the enemy’s morale, while Ronglin ordered the Second Fleet to slow down.
• Burgess questioned Ronglin about releasing the prisoners, and Ronglin explained that he planned to keep breaking the defenders’ confidence and internal unity.
• The returned troops tried to persuade the island’s defenders to surrender, but the defenders suspected they had been hypnotized and raised their weapons against them.

Ronglin used the failed surrender talks to weaken the Lodun defenders’ unity before ordering the Second Fleet to attack. The fleet opened fire on the island, and the defenders scrambled to respond.

• The defenders’ Commander shot the defeated army’s persuader, but the defeated soldiers withdrew while some Lodun defenders joined them and left the island.
• Ronglin explained to Burgess and Jazz that the withdrawal and the defenders’ departure would spread trust between relatives and undermine the Lodun Islands’ unity.
• Anrield welcomed the returning soldiers and turned away a few who wanted to join, further moving the surrendered soldiers.
• Ronglin ordered Anrield to draw fire from the flank as the Second Fleet attacked, then commanded the fleet to launch its assault.
• The Second Fleet fired on the beach and advanced in formation while the Lodun defenders hurried to return fire.

Ronglin used the Third Fleet as a decoy to draw Lodun reinforcements out while the Second Fleet attacked Island No. 2. The Second Fleet pressed toward the island’s defenses as Anrield routed the supporting ships, leaving the Lodun Commander in despair.

• The Lodun Commander shifted fire toward the Third Fleet, easing pressure on the Second Fleet.
• Ronglin predicted that the other islands would send reinforcements, and they dispatched warships toward the battle.
• The Third Fleet turned to intercept the reinforcements as the Second Fleet launched its full assault on Island No. 2.
• The Second Fleet advanced under bombardment, with its fighters intercepting most incoming shells and protecting the ships.
• Anrield routed the Lodun reinforcements at sea, while the Second Fleet’s shells closed in on the island’s defensive positions.

Anrield routed Lodun's reinforcements while Bilida led a landing assault on Island Number Two. Facing encirclement and convinced resistance was futile, the island's Commander surrendered, leaving Bilida furious that he had not fought anyone.

• Anrield and the Third Fleet overwhelmed Lodun's forces, forcing the survivors to abandon their ships and flee into the sea.
• Bilida and the Suicide Squad landed on Island Number Two while Hawkins led the main force forward to support the assault.
• The island's Commander saw the Third Fleet preparing to join the attack and concluded that further resistance would only waste his soldiers' lives.
• The Commander ordered his troops to stop firing and cast down the fortress flag as a sign of surrender.
• Bilida demanded to know whether the surrender was genuine and shouted for the defenders to fire at him.
• The Commander confirmed the surrender and asked Bilida to treat the prisoners of war well.

Ronglin learned that Island Number Two had surrendered and went ashore to meet the captured troops. After he offered to release them and send them home, more than a thousand knelt before him, and he asked what they were doing.

• Ronglin learned from Hawkins that Island Number Two had surrendered, while Bilida had begged its defenders to keep fighting.
• Ronglin ordered the fleets to form a defensive line around the two Lodun Islands and went ashore with his commanders.
• Ronglin saw that more than a thousand troops from the two islands had surrendered and offered to provide ships to send them home.
• The surrendered troops knelt before Ronglin, and he asked what they were doing and offered to arrange their return immediately.

Ronglin accepted the Lodun soldiers’ desire to surrender but postponed deciding their fate, then ordered his forces to seize the remaining islands and preserve them as a second strategic base. The chapter left his troops preparing to surround Lodun main island while Burgess questioned whether Ronglin’s forces could match Blackbeard.

• Lodun soldiers begged to join Ronglin, and he warned them that attacking Duke Lodun could force them to fight their own families.
• A Commander explained that Duke Lodun would likely punish the surrendered soldiers, but Ronglin told them to settle in place while he considered what to do.
• Ronglin asked Burgess when he would surrender sincerely, and Burgess said he still felt unsafe while Blackbeard lived and had greater forces.
• Ronglin ordered his forces to take every remaining Lodun island within a day and told Anrield to limit the damage.
• Ronglin revealed that he planned to make the Lodun Islands his second base and establish military control over strategically important locations.

Ronglin assigned Anrield command of the island they planned to attack, while the crew prepared for wartime duties. On the ship, Burgess began discussing whether to leave Blackbeard and join Ronglin, asking if Ronglin had deliberately shown him his strategic capabilities.

• Ronglin told Anrield that the island would one day belong to him and put him in command of it.
• The crew mistook Anrield's favor for Jazz's influence and resolved to curry favor with Jazz.
• Ronglin assigned the crew their wartime duties, while Caesar returned to the laboratory and Jinbe took Jazz into the sea for training.
• Burgess hinted that he wanted to surrender, and Ronglin bluntly called out his intention.
• Burgess asked Ronglin whether he had deliberately revealed his strategies and troop deployments to demonstrate his strength.

Ronglin explained his expansion strategy and why Burgess was drawn to the risks of joining him. Burgess surrendered to Ronglin, while Jazz wondered whether Ronglin had truly won him over.

• Ronglin told Burgess that his growing strength would attract allies and leave defeated enemies with few options besides surrendering.
• Burgess weighed Ronglin against Blackbeard, then admitted that he felt compelled to join Ronglin despite believing Blackbeard was the safer choice.
• Ronglin said Burgess was attracted to the challenge of fighting powerful opponents, and Burgess recognized that the explanation fit his adventurous nature.
• Burgess bowed to Ronglin and pledged his life and sword to him, asking to be taken into future battles.
• Ronglin accepted Burgess and warned that his ambitions would be difficult to achieve, and Burgess welcomed the challenge.
• Jazz heard Burgess laughing while training with Jinbe and asked whether Ronglin had really won him over.

Ronglin received envoys from several factions seeking peace after his victories against the Lodun Islands and Blackbeard’s forces. He rejected their offer of one billion Beli and an alliance without submission, demanding better terms as negotiations continued.

• Jinbe explained that Burgess had sincerely submitted, while Caesar dismissed the others as fools and returned to his research.
• After the Lodun Islands fell quiet, Ronglin waited for his next opportunity and spotted unfamiliar boats approaching under cover of night.
• The envoys boarded Ronglin’s ship, where they were alarmed to see Burgess serving as Ronglin’s subordinate alongside Jinbe and Jazz.
• Ronglin ordered the envoys to report his demands to their masters and warned that he would visit them if they delayed their decisions.
• One representative offered one billion Beli and an alliance, but Ronglin pointed out that the payment had been his original submission fee and that the factions had once attacked his subordinate.
• The envoys offered to raise the compensation, insisting that one billion Beli was not their limit.

Ronglin rejected the envoys’ offer of money and imposed harsh surrender terms, giving them until morning to withdraw from the Lodun Islands. After they left, he explained to Burgess that he wanted to force his enemies into desperation so any who submitted would obey him completely.

• Ronglin rejected the envoys’ offer and threatened to take the dispute directly to their masters.
• Ronglin had Burgess throw an insulting envoy into the night, then confirmed with Observation Haki that the man had survived.
• Ronglin demanded the envoys withdraw from the Lodun Islands, pay three billion Beli, and provide fifty million Beli in monthly tribute.
• Ronglin gave the envoys until morning to accept his demands, and they left to report to their masters.
• Burgess questioned Ronglin’s refusal to negotiate, and Ronglin explained that he wanted loyal subordinates who would not defy or betray him.

Ronglin prepared to attack Lodun after the major factions reinforced its defenses, and he decided to send Jazz into real combat as leader of the Elite Combat Group. The chapter ended with Hawkins urging Ronglin to ask Jazz what he wanted.

• Burgess questioned Ronglin's careful plans, but Ronglin said his ideal depended on Burgess and the others becoming more capable.
• The major factions kept their forces at Lodun and strengthened their defenses, just as Ronglin had predicted.
• Ronglin announced that Jazz would lead the Elite Combat Group into battle, prompting Anrield to object and Bilida to support the decision.
• Anrield and Bilida nearly fought, but Ronglin rebuked them and reminded them to direct their weapons at their enemies.
• Hawkins suggested asking Jazz for his opinion, while Jazz showed his eagerness to enter combat.