Chapter Summaries

Big Mom accepted Bai Ye’s terms for joining him, despite giving up hope of having a child with him. Bai Ye warned her to obey the laws of his future New World and said he would control her outbursts by beating her, leaving her speechless.

• Big Mom gave up on obtaining Bai Ye’s genes after he reaffirmed that he would not have a child with her.
• Big Mom asked Bai Ye to take her and her crew back to Whole Cake Island, and he promised to pursue a world where countries could coexist.
• Bai Ye warned Big Mom not to terrorize people or take their lifespans in the New World he planned to establish.
• Big Mom agreed to join Bai Ye and acknowledged that she might struggle to control herself.
• Bai Ye said he would restrain Big Mom by beating her when she went berserk, leaving her speechless.

Big Mom agreed to join Bai Ye after he argued that they would have to stop her by force if she went berserk. Kaido arrived and questioned her choice, prompting Big Mom to call out his abandoned ambitions and his own decision to join Bai Ye.

• Bai Ye told Big Mom that beating her if she went berserk was the only way to stop her, and she reluctantly agreed.
• Kaido arrived, learned Big Mom had joined, and she reminded him that he owed her a favor.
• Bai Ye claimed Kaido owed him a favor too, and Kaido and Big Mom challenged his reasoning about the Paw-Paw Fruit.
• Kaido asked Big Mom why she had joined, and she pointed out that he had joined Bai Ye despite his former plans to become the strongest and start a great war.
• Kaido showed embarrassment when Big Mom accused him of abandoning his dream.

Kaido reflected on why he had joined Bai Ye and accepted that Big Mom joining was better than fighting her. Bai Ye planned to ask Shanks to join but insisted he would not attack him merely for refusing.

• Kaido recalled how he had once hoped to take Bai Ye's crew for himself, but gave up after realizing Bai Ye had been far stronger all along.
• Big Mom snapped at Kaido for questioning her decision, then agreed to return and announce that she would join Bai Ye's pirate crew.
• Big Mom gathered her children on Whole Cake Island and told them about her decision; they accepted it as the best choice.
• Kaido asked Bai Ye why Big Mom would join without receiving benefits and wondered what Shanks had decided.
• Bai Ye said he would ask Shanks himself and would not attack him if he refused, provided he posed no threat.

Bai Ye met Shanks in Wano Country and argued that changing the world mattered more than inheriting the identity of Nika. Their conversation turned to Shanks’s role as a guide and the existence of two Nikas, leaving Shanks wondering whether Bai Ye had created artificial Nika Fruits.

• Kaido challenged Bai Ye over whether he would kill people who refused to join him, then ran off after Bai Ye told him to stop making trouble.
• Bai Ye sensed Shanks with Observation Haki and appeared before him on a remote coast in Wano Country, where Shanks had been waiting alone.
• Shanks questioned Bai Ye about being Nika, and Bai Ye said their shared desire to change the world mattered more than the legend’s identity.
• Bai Ye told Shanks he could serve as a guide if he did not believe he could change everything himself, surprising Shanks by knowing about his role.
• Bai Ye mentioned another Nika and compared the mystery to artificial Devil Fruits, prompting Shanks to ask whether Bai Ye had made artificial Nika Fruits.

Bai Ye challenged Shanks’s commitment to preserving the balance of the world and explained how he would prevent himself from becoming another Im after victory. Convinced that change was worth the risks, Shanks agreed to join Bai Ye and help build a new world.

• Shanks admitted he was considering joining Bai Ye, though the scale of Bai Ye’s plans and the potential loss of life troubled him.
• Bai Ye argued that maintaining the current balance enabled the World Government’s oppression and would lead to even more deaths over time.
• Shanks asked how Bai Ye would avoid becoming another Im, and Bai Ye said he would disband the Breaking Dawn Pirates and transfer decision-making power to a council elected by civilians.
• Shanks asked whether Bai Ye would fight him if he refused to join, and Bai Ye said he would not force him.
• Shanks decided to join Bai Ye and help create the New World he envisioned.

Shanks agreed to join Bai Ye’s side, and Bai Ye set out with him to seek Rayleigh’s help before heading to Elbaf. On Sabaody Archipelago, Rayleigh and Shakky discussed the coming war and the World Government’s attempt to blame Bai Ye for Impel Down.

• Shanks decided to join Bai Ye, believing his side offered more hope than the World Government.
• Bai Ye asked about Rayleigh, and Shanks offered to take him to see the retired Vice Captain.
• Bai Ye confirmed that he wanted to recruit the giants of Elbaf, and Shanks offered to help because he knew them.
• Bai Ye agreed to travel with Shanks to find Rayleigh before going to Elbaf with Dragon.
• Rayleigh told Shakky that the great war seemed close and criticized the World Government for blaming Bai Ye for Impel Down.

Rayleigh and Shakky discussed how either the World Government or Bai Ye would reshape the world, leaving Shakky worried that her bar had no future. Bai Ye and Shanks arrived at the bar, and Rayleigh wondered whether Shanks had chosen to act and whether Bai Ye had formed a New Rocks Pirates.

• Shakky complained that the World Government's actions had driven away her customers and left her struggling to support herself and Rayleigh.
• Rayleigh admitted he did not know whether their circumstances would improve, and Shakky explained that either side's victory would bring a purge and end her business.
• Rayleigh agreed that Bai Ye planned to restore order and recalled how the Roger Pirates had once wondered what had happened to him.
• Shakky pointed out that Bai Ye and Shanks had arrived while Rayleigh was talking.
• Rayleigh greeted Bai Ye and Shanks, then asked whether Shanks had decided to act for himself and wondered if Bai Ye had formed a New Rocks Pirates.

Shanks explained why he had joined Bai Ye and agreed to speak with Rayleigh about it, while Rayleigh and Shakky wondered what had changed his mind. The conversation ended with Shakky demanding one hundred thousand Beli for Shanks’s drink.

• Shanks told Rayleigh he had joined Bai Ye because he believed Bai Ye would not become a new Im after overthrowing the World Government.
• Rayleigh accepted Shanks’s decision, and Shakky asked what Bai Ye had said to persuade him so quickly.
• Bai Ye declined to explain and told Shanks to talk with Rayleigh first.
• Shanks agreed to speak with Rayleigh over drinks and asked Shakky for a glass.
• Shakky told Shanks that each glass cost one hundred thousand Beli.

Shanks and Bai Ye visited Rayleigh and Shakky, whose business had suffered as fewer pirates came to Sabaody. Shanks asked Rayleigh to join their fight against the World Government, and Rayleigh questioned why Bai Ye needed an old, retired man like him.

• Shakky told Shanks and Rayleigh that they had to pay, and Rayleigh explained that business had been bad.
• Bai Ye linked Sabaody's declining traffic to the conflict and policies that had redirected or cut off pirates.
• Shanks offered to find Rayleigh a job, but Rayleigh refused because he was retired and still carried out Roger's mission while waiting for the person in the prophecy.
• Rayleigh realized Shanks and Bai Ye had come to recruit him for a fight against the World Government, and Shanks confirmed it.
• Shanks explained that Bai Ye's words and the power of the Nika Fruit had convinced him to get involved.
• Rayleigh wondered why Bai Ye needed him when he was old and had not fought in years.

Rayleigh hesitated to join Bai Ye’s fight against the World Government because he believed his age and declining strength made him unfit to return to action. Bai Ye explained that the World Government would likely target Rayleigh as a high-profile example once war began, leaving Rayleigh to reconsider retirement.

• Shanks admitted that he had suggested seeking out Rayleigh and inviting him to join Bai Ye.
• Rayleigh weighed his wish to oppose the World Government against his retirement and diminished strength.
• Bai Ye argued that the World Government would not tolerate Rayleigh remaining in its rear area once war began.
• Rayleigh accepted that his retirement might not be his choice, and Shakky worried that her bar would also be affected.
• Bai Ye explained that Rayleigh’s reputation as the Pirate King’s right-hand man made him an ideal target for the World Government to capture as a show of strength.
• Rayleigh realized he could no longer count on a peaceful retirement and began considering how to face the changes ahead.

Rayleigh and Shakky decided to leave Sabaody Archipelago with Bai Ye as war with the World Government loomed. Bai Ye offered Rayleigh the choice to retire or fight, and Rayleigh began weighing what he wanted to do.

• Rayleigh realized the World Government would target him because Shanks had joined Bai Ye, and he asked Shakky what she wanted to do.
• Shakky decided they should leave, and Rayleigh agreed that staying would mean fighting the World Government anyway.
• Bai Ye asked whether Rayleigh intended to retire or fight, and Rayleigh was surprised that he could choose.
• Bai Ye confirmed Rayleigh could decide for himself and explained that his strength could help reduce casualties in the coming battle.
• Rayleigh mocked the idea of asking whether Bai Ye would become the World Government after defeating it, and Shanks questioned why that was a stupid question.

Rayleigh and Shanks agreed that Shanks’s decision to join Bai Ye’s effort did not betray Roger’s promise, and they prepared to leave with Shakky for Wano Country. As they departed, Rayleigh reminisced with Bai Ye about Roger’s execution and how Bai Ye had taken Roger’s body.

• Rayleigh explained that Shanks had already questioned Bai Ye and chosen to join him, so there was no need to repeat the questions.
• Shanks said he supported liberating everyone because the old balance could no longer hold, and Rayleigh agreed to leave with him.
• Shakky packed her money and alcohol, asked whether she could run a business in Wano Country, and Bai Ye assured her she could.
• Shakky admitted she had investigated Wano Country and recalled leaving Amazon Lily; Bai Ye teased her about running a shady shop.
• Rayleigh helped carry the packed belongings and told Bai Ye he had once thought Bai Ye was dead, recalling how Bai Ye killed Roger and took his body after the execution.

Bai Ye helped Rayleigh and Shakky leave their tavern, using his ability to move the entire place after they had nearly finished packing. The Five Elders learned of the disappearance and Saint Saturn concluded that Rayleigh had to be killed in a single strike when they made their move.

• Rayleigh thanked Bai Ye for killing Roger, while Bai Ye kept quiet about his ability to use Impure World Reincarnation.
• Rayleigh worried about finding work after the world changed, and Bai Ye suggested he could retire or work in a factory.
• Shakky urged Rayleigh to finish packing so they could leave the tavern, but Bai Ye then offered to move the whole place with his ability.
• Bai Ye transported the tavern and its surroundings, leaving the CP agents monitoring it stunned; they reported what happened up the chain.
• Saint Saturn learned that Bai Ye had moved Rayleigh and Shakky, and decided the World Government would have to kill Rayleigh with a single strike.

After losing Rayleigh, the Five Elders chose to expose Blackbeard’s growing power to Whitebeard and urged their plans forward. Blackbeard realized the World Government was trying to curb his expansion, while his crew recognized their alliance was fragile and temporary.

• Saint V. N. Uranus and Saint Saturn admitted they had lost Rayleigh because they delayed acting, then discussed other possible targets.
• Saint V. N. Uranus raised concerns about Blackbeard’s expanding forces, and Saint Saturn ordered his information publicized, especially in Wano Country.
• Blackbeard read the newspaper in West Blue and laughed, realizing the World Government had deliberately exposed him and that Whitebeard would learn about him.
• Dai Peng criticized the World Government for restricting Blackbeard’s recruitment, but Shiryu reminded her that their partnership was only temporary cooperation.
• Dai Peng grew angry at Shiryu’s rebuke as the others recognized how fragile their alliance was.

Dai Peng and Shiryu of the Rain nearly fought after the crew mocked Dai Peng for backing down, but Blackbeard stopped them and ordered everyone to prepare to leave for the World Government. The crew remained united only by shared interests, and Blackbeard feared a fight would weaken his control over the ambitious pirates.

• Dai Peng hesitated to challenge Shiryu of the Rain, believing he might be stronger than her.
• Evil Governor King and the other pirates mocked Dai Peng for retreating, while Shiryu of the Rain showed his desire to fight and kill.
• Dai Peng accepted Shiryu of the Rain's challenge, and the pirates gathered to watch them fight.
• Blackbeard intervened before the fight began and ordered the crew to prepare to leave for the World Government.
• Blackbeard worried that a clash between Dai Peng and Shiryu of the Rain would weaken his authority over the crew.

Blackbeard stopped Shiryu of the Rain and Dai Peng from fighting, warning that the World Government had begun acting and the crew could not afford to fracture. The Blackbeard Pirates remained together for now, though their fragile unity still depended on shared interests.

• Blackbeard recognized that the Blackbeard Pirates could fall apart if Shiryu of the Rain and Dai Peng fought, and decided to intervene.
• Evil Governor King urged Blackbeard not to stop the confrontation, hoping the resulting chaos would give him a chance to profit or leave with followers.
• Blackbeard dismissed Evil Governor King's protest and said there was no time to fight because the World Government had begun acting against them.
• Dai Peng realized Blackbeard's intervention meant she might avoid fighting Shiryu of the Rain, while Evil Governor King saw his chance to create chaos disappear.
• Shiryu of the Rain accepted Blackbeard's decision, acknowledging their need to preserve the newly formed crew.

Blackbeard used the standoff between Shiryu and Dai Peng to assert control over the pirate crew and secure their agreement to return to the World Government. The Evil Governor King abandoned hopes of taking over for now, while Blackbeard prepared the crew for their next enemy.

• Shiryu chose to preserve the alliance and stopped fighting, and Dai Peng agreed to end the confrontation rather than fight Blackbeard.
• The Evil Governor King realized Blackbeard and Shiryu had joined forces, making a takeover unlikely, and decided to remain with the crew and wait for an opportunity.
• Blackbeard challenged Dai Peng to continue, but she declined after Shiryu had given up.
• Blackbeard asked whether anyone else wanted to fight, and the crew stayed silent as his authority over them strengthened.
• Blackbeard ordered the crew to return to the World Government and told them to enjoy themselves before facing their next enemy.

Blackbeard complained to the Five Elders about being recalled before he could expand his forces, but agreed to return and honor their deal. After the call, Shiryu hinted that he had dealt with the Five Elders before, leaving Blackbeard curious about his past.

• Blackbeard called the Five Elders and complained that they had ordered him back before he could recruit more people.
• Saint Saturn and Saint V. N. Uranus dismissed Blackbeard’s ambitions and reminded him that the World Government had supplied him with resources and opportunities.
• Blackbeard admitted he wanted to become like Bai Ye but agreed to return rather than risk worsening relations with the Five Elders.
• The Five Elders told Blackbeard to come quickly, and both sides ended the call.
• Shiryu emerged from the shadows and suggested the Five Elders were easier to deal with when they needed something, prompting Blackbeard to ask whether Shiryu had met them before.

Blackbeard and Shiryu debated whether the World Government had a fighter strong enough to challenge Bai Ye, while Blackbeard concluded that such a hidden power probably existed. At the Holy Land, the Five Elders discussed Blackbeard’s growing independence and planned to use recruited pirates as cannon fodder, though they doubted he would willingly sacrifice his core followers.

• Blackbeard realized Shiryu had never met the Five Elders and decided he no longer needed to worry much about their opinions.
• Shiryu argued that the World Government could not spare enough forces to make a major move against them, but Blackbeard warned that a hidden fighter near Bai Ye’s strength could wipe them out.
• Blackbeard reasoned that someone above the Five Elders likely controlled the World Government and possessed enough power to challenge Bai Ye.
• Shiryu accepted that the World Government might have such a powerful figure, and Blackbeard hoped to exploit the conflict between that figure and Bai Ye.
• The Five Elders discussed Blackbeard’s growing ambition and considered sending him and his recruited pirates to their deaths, while suspecting he would protect his trusted subordinates.

Im decided not to attack Elbaf, judging that the giants were unlikely to join the World Government and that using its secret weapon there would be wasteful. As the World Government prepared for Bai Ye and allied forces to come to the Holy Land, Im ordered the Lights-Out Plan and left the Celestial Dragons there rather than evacuating them.

• The Five Elders discussed Elbaf's uncertain allegiance, and Im said they should try to bring the giants under control but avoid acting rashly.
• Saint Saturn and Saint Mars urged Im to destroy Giant Island before its giants could support Bai Ye, but Im refused because the secret weapon might fail and was more valuable against Bai Ye.
• Im agreed that the Four Emperors, Elbaf, and other New World forces might join Bai Ye, then ordered the Lights-Out Plan to begin ahead of schedule.
• The Five Elders asked whether to evacuate the Celestial Dragons, and Im ordered them to remain in the Holy Land.