Recaps

Ares joined the Rocks Pirates and pursued his goal of tempering his body into a sword stronger than the Supreme Great Swords, learning Armament Haki through his battles with Kaido and Shiki. The arc left Shiki and Whitebeard preparing to train Ares in swordsmanship and Body Arts, despite Ares’s refusal to learn swordsmanship.

• Ares brought down a mountain with his body and vowed to forge himself into the world’s strongest and hardest sword, then met the Rocks Pirates as they plundered Alabara.
• After asking Rocks D. Zebek how to become an indestructible blade, Ares fought Kaido and then challenged Rocks, who defeated him and recruited him into the crew.
• Ares swam beside the Rocks Pirates’ ship to Hachinosu and began punishing his body with an iron rod while asking Ochoku and Shiki for ways to temper himself.
• Ares got drunk on Shiki’s rum and fought him, unconsciously imitating Shiki’s Armament Haki and revealing a scorching form of Haki that burned Whitebeard and Shiki.
• Linlin pushed Kaido to grow stronger so he could defeat Ares, while Rocks and Captain John discussed finding powerful Devil Fruits and preparing for the Reverie.
• Shiki decided to teach Ares swordsmanship, and Whitebeard insisted on teaching him Body Arts, so they agreed to alternate despite Ares saying he only wanted to temper his body.

Ares learned swordsmanship and Body Arts, then threw himself into battles against the World Pirates and Garp, growing stronger through each fight. After recovering on Hachinosu, he sparred with Shiki and Whitebeard before Rocks assigned the crew new missions and Kaido prepared to challenge him.

• Shiki taught Ares swordsmanship, and Ares quickly learned to unleash Flying Slashes while insisting his body would become his weapon.
• Whitebeard taught Ares Body Arts, and Ares joined Ochoku’s crew on a mission where they encountered Byrnndi World’s pirates.
• Ares fought Sebastian and the World Pirates, learning from their attacks before Garp’s warship arrived and Ares challenged Garp.
• Garp repeatedly knocked Ares down, while Ares’s battle distracted Ochoku and let World defeat him before Ochoku rescued Ares and ordered a retreat.
• Ares recovered on the voyage home and studied his battles, while Sengoku and Kong discussed his potential and Garp began training harder.
• Captain John treated Ares’s injuries, and after recovering Ares resumed training before sparring with Shiki and Whitebeard.
• At the banquet, Rocks assigned Whitebeard to deal with World’s pirates and ordered Shiki and Ochoku to recruit or kill the Roger Pirates.
• After twenty-seven days of training, Kaido mastered Armament Haki and set out to challenge Ares.

Ares defeated Kaido, ate the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit Linlin had treasured, and rampaged across Hachinosu before Rocks stopped him. After waking with Li Yang’s memories and stronger Haki, Ares accepted Kaido as his subordinate and resumed training with Whitebeard and Golden Lion.

• Ares refused Kaido’s challenge at first, then fought him and showed that Kaido’s Armament Haki could not hurt him.
• Ares sought to learn why Linlin’s body was so tough, but after she grabbed him, their confrontation led him to take and eat the Azure Dragon Devil Fruit.
• Ares transformed into a colossal dragon and fought Golden Lion, while Whitebeard battled Linlin during her Food Craving Syndrome.
• Ares awakened Conqueror’s Haki, attacked Linlin, and fought Whitebeard until Linlin gave birth and Rocks knocked Ares unconscious.
• Captain John found Ares’s body healed but his consciousness unresponsive, while Whitebeard and Golden Lion guarded him.
• Ares relived Li Yang’s memories, including Whitebeard’s death, then woke and vowed to protect his family, and Kaido asked to become his subordinate.
• Ares trained with Kaido, learned to release powerful slashes, and tested his Human-Beast Form against Golden Lion in a spar.
• After sparring with Ares and Kaido, Golden Lion exchanged Vivre Card pieces with them and Whitebeard, and Ares declared his dream of forging himself into a Famous Sword beyond the Supreme Grade and ushering in an era named Ares.

Ares grew stronger through repeated battles with Zephyr, then fought King Elizabeth II during a Rocks Pirates raid on Providencia. After the Marines forced the pirates to retreat, Ares’s bounty rose to 220 million Berries and Shiki led his crew to meet Roger’s pirates.

• Ares battled Zephyr for days, rapidly learning his techniques and mastering Geppo and other Rokushiki abilities.
• Ares discovered he could breathe and move underwater in Azure Dragon Form, then unleashed black-and-red lightning against Zephyr before returning to the ship badly injured.
• Shiki and Ochoku raided the Kingdom of Providencia for supplies, where King Elizabeth II challenged the pirates with his powerful King's Fist.
• Ares protected Kaido, then faced Elizabeth II's charged Punch Waves and shattered one with his own punch as he tried to learn King's Fist.
• Shiki encouraged Ares to continue fighting despite his injuries, and Ares endured Elizabeth II's ten-minute charge before breaking through the King's Fist attack.
• Zephyr arrived with Marine reinforcements, forcing the pirates to retreat while Ares stayed behind until the others escaped and promised to learn King's Fist later.
• Ares trained to store food energy, then learned his bounty had risen to 220 million Berries as Shiki's crew was ordered to meet Roger.
• Ares recognized Roger and Rayleigh when their crews met, while Shiki invited Roger to join the Rocks Pirates and turn the world upside down.