Recaps

Golden Lion brought the Flying Fleet and five falling islands to Marineford, threatening to crush the Marines and pirates gathered there. Fujitora stopped four islands with gravity, and Maud used his shadow to halt the fifth, leaving both sides stunned.

• Golden Lion arrived at Marineford with dozens of pirate ships, five islands, and an army of beasts, then released the islands to send them crashing down.
• Tsuru assessed the Flying Fleet’s pirate crews, while Whitebeard ordered his men to retreat toward the harbor entrance and trust Marco to fend for himself.
• Fujitora raised his cane sword and used an antigravity field to stop four of the falling islands, but he could not hold the fifth.
• Maud transformed his shadow into spikes and pinned the fifth island’s shadow to the ground, bringing the island to a halt.

Maud stopped Golden Lion’s falling islands, then redirected one toward the Whitebeard Pirates while Aokiji froze their ships in the harbor. As Whitebeard prepared to meet the impact, Marco seized the distraction to charge toward the execution platform.

• Maud used Shadow Nails to halt the fifth island in midair, drawing the attention of the Marines and pirates.
• Golden Lion abandoned his immediate attack and focused his killing intent on Fujitora and Maud.
• Maud dragged the fifth island toward the harbor where the Whitebeard Pirates were positioned.
• Aokiji froze the harbor and trapped the Icebreaker Ship and Whitebeard’s escort ship in the ice.
• Maud released the island’s shadow anchors, sending the island plunging toward the harbor as Whitebeard readied a counterattack.
• Marco endured the Marines’ attacks and charged toward the execution platform while Fujitora remained occupied holding up the other islands.

Marco failed to reach Ace after Garp intercepted him, while Maud challenged Golden Lion’s control of the falling island with the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Maud began forcing the island downward, leaving Golden Lion stunned by the fruit’s power.

• Marco flew toward the execution platform, but Garp intercepted him with a punch and knocked him into the plaza.
• Garp landed beside Sengoku and Ace, explaining that he had to consider his position as a Marine.
• Golden Lion stopped the island’s descent by restoring its buoyancy, while Aokiji froze the harbor again.
• Maud sent a sphere made from his shadows into the island’s reflection and used the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to contest Golden Lion’s control.
• The island began to sink under Maud’s control, and he asked Golden Lion whether he could take back his property.

Maud seized control of the falling island, but Whitebeard shattered it to protect the Whitebeard Pirates and destroy Marineford’s encircling wall. Maud suffered injuries when his shadow was damaged, while Whitebeard collapsed after unleashing his full power.

• Maud used the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to take control of the island from Golden Lion and send it plunging toward the Whitebeard Pirates.
• Whitebeard concentrated the Tremor-Tremor Fruit’s full power into a punch and shattered the island into pieces that crashed through the harbor ice and encircling wall.
• Garp sensed that the Whitebeard Pirates had survived, and Sengoku realized the island wreckage had given them a foothold in the harbor.
• Maud withdrew his shadow too late to avoid damage from the island’s destruction, leaving him with dozens of wounds.
• Whitebeard vomited blood and fell to one knee on the auxiliary ship as his crew cried out to him.

Whitebeard opened a route into Marine Headquarters by shattering the island, then led his pirates in a charge despite his failing health. Golden Lion unleashed thousands of SIQ-enhanced creatures on the Marines, leaving Sengoku to face the ferocious new force.

• Whitebeard coughed up blood but dismissed his crew’s concern and urged them to press forward toward the execution platform.
• The Whitebeard Pirates disembarked and charged into Marine Headquarters through the opening Whitebeard had created.
• Golden Lion freed four islands from Fujitora’s control, tilted them, and dumped thousands of creatures onto Marineford.
• The creatures survived the fall without apparent injuries and attacked the Marines with extraordinary strength and defenses.
• Sengoku watched the creatures overwhelm the Marines and recognized that they were the source of Golden Lion’s confidence.

Golden Lion’s Flying Fleet bombarded Marineford while his berserk creature army rampaged, putting the Marines under pressure from land, sea, and air. Kizaru and Aokiji checked the assault, and Maud used Oars’s corpse to block Whitebeard’s attack, leaving Whitebeard wary of him.

• Sengoku recognized that Golden Lion’s forces and the Whitebeard Pirates had left the Marines facing a direct contest of strength.
• Whitebeard realized Golden Lion had spent twenty years creating the berserk creature army, then prepared to lead his sons into the plaza.
• Golden Lion surrounded Marineford with his Flying Fleet and ordered a cannon barrage that threatened the Marines, the creatures, Marco, and Ace alike.
• Kizaru shot down the cannonballs with Yasakani no Magatama, while Aokiji froze dozens of rampaging beasts.
• Whitebeard attacked the plaza with an airquake, but Maud controlled Oars’s corpse to withstand the blow, making Whitebeard sense a threat in Maud.

Maud confronted Whitebeard at Marineford, using Conqueror's Haki to knock out the pirates rushing him before launching a Hagoku slash. Whitebeard's stronger Shockwave shattered Little Oars' body and sent it crashing into the plaza, where it crushed more than a hundred Marines.

• Whitebeard recognized Maud's concealed battle intent and warned him not to challenge him during the war.
• More than a dozen Whitebeard Pirates attacked Maud, and Maud knocked them unconscious with Conqueror's Haki.
• Maud launched a Hagoku slash at Whitebeard, but Jozu blocked it with his diamond body.
• Whitebeard unleashed a powerful Shockwave, and Maud used Little Oars' corpse to block the attack.
• Maud withdrew the Shadow Nails, and Little Oars' body flew into the plaza and crushed more than a hundred Marines.

Maud killed Delacroix by trapping his shadow with Shadow Nails, but Izou discovered that Armament Haki attacks on Maud’s shadow could injure him. The pirates began to understand how to counter Maud as he regrouped on the plaza, wounded.

• Delacroix attacked Maud, but Maud dodged his strike and used Shadow Nails to immobilize him.
• Maud exchanged places with a Shadow Nail and stabbed Delacroix through the chest with Shusui, killing him.
• Maud escaped the surrounding fleet captains by exchanging places with a Shadow Bullet he had fired toward the plaza.
• Izou fired an Armament Haki-coated bullet at Maud’s shadow, wounding Maud in the right side.
• Izou told the fleet captains that attacking Maud’s shadow with Armament Haki could directly injure him.

After Izou identified a way to counter Maud’s Shadow Shift, he vowed to watch Maud while Whitebeard’s forces broke into the plaza. The pirates’ advance met fierce resistance from the Marines and the Shichibukai, leaving Whitebeard to confront the obstacles blocking their charge.

• The Whitebeard Pirates concluded that attacking Maud’s shadow could limit his movement, and Izou promised to find a chance to deal with him.
• Maud taunted Izou’s side, while Izou stayed behind to monitor him and the allied captains led their crews toward the Marine line.
• Whitebeard used the newly opened road to send his pirates into the plaza, where they clashed head-on with the Marines.
• Doflamingo used Parasite Threads to control pirates and force them to attack their companions as other pirates tried to reach him.
• Kuma, Hawk Eyes, and Hancock attacked the advancing pirates, and Whitebeard watched the Shichibukai obstruct their charge.

Whitebeard assigned Jozu, Vista, Bramank, and Lao G to engage the Shichibukai as the commanders halted their advance. After Maud’s shot nearly killed Lao G, Izou intercepted it, prompting Maud to turn his attention to the Whitebeard Pirates’ gunman.

• Whitebeard ordered Jozu, Vista, Bramank, and Lao G to deal with the Shichibukai.
• Vista challenged Hawk Eyes, Bramank attacked Kuma, and Jozu charged Doflamingo, while Lao G confronted Hancock.
• Jozu’s diamond body blocked Doflamingo’s attack, and Hancock kicked Lao G back during their fight.
• Maud fired an Armament Haki bullet at Lao G, but Izou intercepted it with a second shot.
• Maud sheathed Shusui, drew pistols formed from Beli, and decided to deal with Izou first.

Maud used Beli’s unlimited ammunition and a Shadow Clone to overwhelm Izou in a gunfight while sniping Whitebeard’s men. Izou realized he could neither stop Maud nor avoid being driven into a desperate position without calling for help.

• Maud tried to shoot Lao G, but Izou intercepted the shot and saved him.
• Maud fired rapidly at Whitebeard’s pirates, forcing Izou to spend his magazines intercepting the bullets while Maud continued shooting during each reload.
• Izou recognized that Maud’s magazine capacity and rate of fire gave him a decisive advantage in the large-scale battle.
• Maud created a Shadow Clone and had Beli produce two additional guns, allowing the clone to unleash a barrage while Maud targeted Izou.
• Izou dodged Maud’s shots and realized he would eventually be overwhelmed unless he called for help.

Izou realized Maud was too powerful to fight alone, so Whitebeard sent Bluhm, Fossa, and Squard to support him. As Maud faced the three pirates, Hina and Smoker intervened, while Maud kept a hidden trap aimed at Izou.

• Izou recognized that Maud's skill with guns and swords made him too dangerous to defeat alone and decided he needed help.
• Bluhm, Fossa, and Squard arrived, saying Whitebeard had sent them to aid Izou and that they knew Maud's shadow weakness.
• The three pirates attacked Maud together, drawing the attention of Marines who noted how many Whitebeard allies had been assigned to him.
• Maud evaded their attacks, released his Shadow Clone with Beli's transformed pistol, and kept his concealed trap against Izou in place.
• Hina and Smoker struck at Squard and Fossa as Maud faced the new arrivals with surprise.

Maud fought alongside Smoker and Hina against Skuard, Fossa, and Bruhheim, while Izou tried to exploit Maud’s apparent weakness by shooting his shadow. The attack struck a decoy instead, and Maud appeared behind Izou and stabbed him with Shusui.

• Smoker and Hina intervened to stop Skuard and Fossa from attacking Maud, and Maud joined them against the three commanders.
• Hina rushed Skuard but was forced back, while Fossa cut Smoker’s jitte and threatened him with a flaming slash.
• Skuard and Bruhheim overwhelmed Hina’s Feather Cage, but Maud blocked Bruhheim’s thrust and saved her.
• Izou fired two Armament Haki bullets, and one appeared to pierce Maud’s heart after hitting a shadow that Maud’s enemies believed was his real one.
• Maud revealed that hundreds of shadows could serve as decoys and substitutes, then stabbed Izou through the chest with Shusui.

Maud killed Izou and drew Whitebeard’s murderous attention, then tried to retreat toward Akainu. Fossa, Bruhheim, and Skuard moved to trap him, but Maud triggered a hidden battlefield trap that sent corpses crawling from the ground.

• Maud killed Izou, gained a substantial boost to his physique and Haki, and counted him as his fourth heavyweight target.
• Maud returned to Fossa and the others, where Hina and Smoker reacted to his sudden victory and he taunted Fossa and Bruhheim.
• Whitebeard saw Izou’s corpse, took responsibility for his death, and fixed Maud with murderous intent.
• Maud abandoned his chance to kill Fossa and Bruhheim and began retreating toward Akainu as Whitebeard’s forces advanced.
• Fossa, Bruhheim, and Skuard attacked to keep Maud from escaping, but Maud triggered a hidden trap that split the ground and caught them with pale hands reaching from below.

Maud deployed his Zombie Army against the Whitebeard Pirates while the Marines struggled to contain Golden Lion’s beasts. As the pirates advanced toward the execution platform, Sengoku realized Maud had not intended to honor their agreement.

• Maud summoned six hundred zombies made from Impel Down prisoners, and their powerful fighters surrounded the pirates near the plaza.
• Maud retreated behind the Zombie Army and faced Golden Lion’s beasts, which could evolve to resist Aokiji’s ice.
• Maud dodged a Black Gorilla’s attacks and refused to fight it, saying the agreement did not require him to handle beasts.
• The beasts disrupted the Marines’ defenses, allowing Whitebeard’s forces to push toward the execution platform as the Flying Fleet remained overhead.
• Sengoku watched the Zombie Army fight and concluded that Maud had never intended to honor their agreement.

Sengoku ordered the Pacifista into the battle and tried to direct Maud’s Zombie Army against the Whitebeard Pirates, but Maud refused to control their actions. Akainu left the execution platform to confront Whitebeard’s forces, while Maud watched the battle and wondered when another player would enter.

• Sengoku ordered Sentomaru to launch the Pacifista as the Marines struggled against the Rampage Beast Legion and the Whitebeard Pirates.
• Sengoku told Maud to send the Zombie Army against the Whitebeard Pirates, but Maud said he had given the zombies freedom to follow their own wills.
• Sengoku accepted Maud’s refusal and ordered Akainu into the battle to pressure the Whitebeard Pirates ahead of the Pacifista’s arrival.
• Whitebeard focused on Akainu, while Maud watched the admiral enter the fray and wondered when someone else would make an entrance.

Maud focused on recovering the shadows from fallen zombies while monitoring the battles, intent on preserving them for his plan to take Whitebeard’s experience. As the Zombie Army weakened, Smoker and Hina came under mounting pressure, while Maud remained determined to collect every shadow.

• Maud considered attacking Marco to prevent him from rescuing Ace, but decided that recovering the zombie shadows mattered more.
• Kizaru repeatedly shot down Golden Lion’s airborne ships while Marine elites and Fujitora kept Golden Lion occupied.
• The Whitebeard Pirates inflicted growing casualties on the Zombie Army, and Maud recalled the expelled shadows to his palm.
• Maud noted that the Zombie Army’s fighting had earned him little experience because Hunter’s Notebook could not include every Whitebeard Pirate.
• As the zombies fell, Smoker and Hina faced more enemy fire, but they stubbornly continued fighting instead of retreating.

Maud rescued Smoker and Hina from the Whitebeard Pirates as the Zombie Army neared defeat, then watched Whitebeard and Akainu prepare to clash. The Straw Hat Pirates arrived at the execution platform, with Luffy charging toward Sengoku and Zoro attacking its supports.

• Maud shot down pirates threatening Hina and covered her and Smoker until they could retreat to safety.
• Maud saw the Zombie Army losing ground and turned his attention to Whitebeard and Akainu, who began fighting.
• Whitebeard sent Akainu flying, and the two prepared to resume their clash.
• Luffy shouted that he had come to save Ace and launched himself toward Sengoku.
• Zoro slashed at the steel supports beneath the execution platform.

The Straw Hat Pirates appeared at Marineford and tried to rescue Ace, but Maud stopped the execution platform from collapsing. As the crew prepared to continue, Fujitora’s gravity field descended on them.

• Luffy attacked Sengoku with a Gear Third punch, but Sengoku transformed into a golden Buddha and blasted him away with a shock wave.
• Zoro cut the execution platform’s steel supports, and Robin caught the falling Luffy with Soft Spider Web.
• The Straw Hat Pirates prepared to rescue Ace as the platform began to topple.
• Maud arrived beside Sengoku and used Shadow Nails to stop the execution platform from falling.
• Maud warned the Straw Hat Pirates that they might die, and Fujitora enveloped them in a gravity field.

Sabo and the Revolutionary Army helped the Straw Hat Pirates reach the execution platform, where Fujitora trapped them with gravity. Sabo attacked Fujitora and freed the crew, then revealed himself to Ace, who recognized him.

• Fujitora used a gravity field to pin down the Straw Hat Pirates near the execution platform.
• Maud realized Sabo was using the Clear-Clear Fruit to conceal not only his body but also his presence and movements.
• Sabo appeared behind Fujitora and struck at him with his Steel Pipe, but Fujitora blocked the ambush.
• Molly made the ground heave beneath Fujitora, letting Sabo attack him with Dragon Claw and drive him back.
• Fujitora’s gravity field vanished, and Sabo turned to Ace and greeted him.
• Ace recognized Sabo and stared at him in disbelief.

Sabo and Luffy reunited with Ace at the execution platform, but Maud moved to block their rescue attempt. Maud transformed and trapped the Straw Hat Pirates in an overwhelming pressure, leaving them unable to move.

• Sabo reached Ace and revealed himself as his long-lost brother, and Luffy soon joined them at the execution platform.
• Maud emerged from a crack in the ground and warned the group that they had no time to reminisce.
• Maud decided to stop the rescue while Whitebeard and Akainu paused their fight, and the Straw Hat Pirates braced themselves against him.
• Aokiji warned Robin that her choice to join the battle could cost her life, while people watching the broadcast debated whether Ace should be executed early.
• Maud transformed as his aura intensified, then vanished and trapped the Straw Hat Pirates in place with a suffocating pressure.

After absorbing five hundred prisoners’ shadows, Maud restrained the Straw Hat Pirates and displayed overwhelming strength on the battlefield. He injured Luffy and blocked Garp’s attack, leaving the two facing off as Maud mocked Garp’s loyalties.

• Maud absorbed five hundred prisoners’ shadows, transformed, and used Solid Shadow to immobilize the Straw Hat Pirates.
• Luffy attacked Maud, but Maud caught his wrist, slammed him into the ground, and broke his arm.
• Garp abandoned his fight with Marco and rushed to attack Maud to protect Luffy.
• Maud blocked Garp’s punch and taunted him by asking who the real pirates and Marines were.

Maud used the prisoners’ shadows to match Garp’s strength, knocked him to the ground, and continued toward Whitebeard while Marco charged the execution platform to rescue Ace. Maud’s public accusation of Garp was broadcast worldwide as Sengoku confronted Marco, and Marines in the plaza watched Maud approach.

• Maud used Shadows’ Gathering Ground and his shadow’s anchoring effect to withstand Garp’s punch, while the Marines realized he had been hiding his strength.
• Garp noticed Marco flying toward the execution platform, but Maud exploited Garp’s distraction, knocked him down, and headed for Whitebeard.
• Maud’s accusation that Garp had ignored the bigger picture to help Luffy was broadcast around the world, subtly affecting civilians’ view of the Marines.
• Marco attacked Sengoku in his Golden Great Buddha form and declared he would take Ace away.
• Maud entered the plaza amid the rampaging beasts, drawing the attention of Aokiji, Gion, Chaton, and the Marines fighting there.

Maud advanced across the battlefield, effortlessly killing two giant rhinos and the pirates who tried to stop him. He reached the front line to challenge Whitebeard, who told his allies he needed no help as he fought Akainu.

• Maud walked toward Whitebeard and killed two charging rhinos with shadow spikes in seconds.
• Momousagi, Chaton, Smoker, Hina, and Tashigi watched Maud’s strength with shock, while Aokiji wondered about his motives.
• Marines realized Maud was heading to challenge Whitebeard for the title of World's Strongest Man.
• Whitebeard Pirates and Grand Fleet crews attacked Maud to keep him from reaching their old man, but his Armament Haki-infused shadows killed them.
• Whitebeard told the pirates he did not need help while he continued fighting Akainu.

Maud reached Whitebeard and challenged him while Whitebeard fought Akainu. Maud wounded Whitebeard with invisible blades, leaving Marineford and viewers around the world stunned by his strength.

• Whitebeard ordered his pirates not to engage Maud so they could keep pushing toward the execution platform to rescue Ace.
• Jingudo urged the Whitebeard Pirates to follow Whitebeard's orders and focus on the Marines.
• Whitebeard and Akainu clashed with their Devil Fruit powers, and Whitebeard shattered Akainu's Dogtooth Crimson Lotus with a vibration-charged punch.
• Maud used Silent Step to attack Whitebeard from the front with Nation's Might, Slash, and Whitebeard met his blade with a powerful punch.
• Maud told Whitebeard he would not hold back, then invisible blades cut wounds across Whitebeard's body and shocked the people watching.