Chapter Summaries

Dragon vowed to grow stronger after Garp reprimanded him, while Bundy World attacked the Marines and clashed with Garp. Ares studied Garp’s explosive power, tried to imitate it, and launched himself through the warship before crashing back into its cabin.

• Garp urged Dragon to train like Ares, and Dragon vowed to become strong enough to protect people and pursue his own justice.
• Bundy World landed on Garp’s warship, used his power to enlarge musket bullets, and blasted Marines before Garp attacked him.
• Ares reviewed his fight with Garp and realized that instantaneous explosive power could increase his speed.
• Ares launched himself through the warship’s ceiling, then fell back into the cabin as Ochoku watched in disbelief.

After Ares fought Garp and survived the battle, Ochoku pulled him out of danger and rebuked him for risking the crew. Ares learned about Garp and his injuries forced him to stop physical training, so he turned to mental training instead.

• Ochoku carried Ares back to the pirate ship, ordered a retreat, and scolded him for endangering everyone.
• Ares defended his recklessness as part of pursuing his dream, then realized he had failed to consider the crew and resolved to be more careful.
• Ochoku arranged for the ship's doctor to treat Ares while the crew cleaned up the damage from the battle.
• The ship's doctor told Ares that Garp was one of the strongest Marines and explained that his injuries could take ten days to two months to heal.
• Ares accepted that he could not resume physical training until he recovered and began his special training in his mind.

Ares reviewed his fight with Garp and studied the combat insights he had gained while recovering aboard the Rocks Pirates’ ship. At Marineford, Kong and Sengoku discussed Ares as a rising threat among the Rocks Pirates, while Garp decided to strengthen his fists.

• Ares replayed his battles in his mind and studied how Gai Ram used air and how Garp controlled explosive power.
• Ochoku warned Ares not to risk dying for his dreams and told him to seek Captain John’s help with his injuries after returning to Hachinosu Island.
• Ares insisted that he would eventually surpass Garp, then continued studying his battle memories while recovering.
• After two days at sea, a field officer reported Ares’s fight with Garp to Kong and other Marine leaders at Marineford.
• Sengoku assessed Ares as a young, powerful recruit with great potential, and Kong voiced concern about the Rocks Pirates’ growing strength.
• Garp announced that he would train by using two mountains as targets to make his fists stronger.

After Garp left Marine headquarters to train, Ares learned that the Marines had given him a forty-million-Berry bounty and returned to Hachinosu Island with Ochoku. He asked Captain John to treat his lingering injuries and explain how to improve his recovery, leaving John examining him and preparing medicine.

• Garp ignored Kong’s attempt to keep him in the meeting and left to practice his punches.
• Ochoku showed Ares a newspaper report about Redfield and revealed Ares’s forty-million-Berry bounty as Bloodhand—Ares.
• Ares and Ochoku returned to Hachinosu Island after completing only half their mission and unloading the supplies.
• Ares went to Skull Castle and asked Captain John to help his injuries heal faster and improve his recovery ability.
• Captain John examined Ares’s injuries, recognized that Garp had wounded him, and fetched medicine and bandages.

After recovering from his injuries, Ares trained on Hachinosu Island and learned to unleash a Flying Slash with his arm. Golden Lion returned and praised Ares for his progress, calling him a man born for the sword.

• Captain John treated Ares and explained that Zoan Devil Fruits could improve recovery, while warning that Devil Fruit users lost their ability to swim.
• Four or five days later, Ares recovered and began training slashes, speed, Body Arts, and physical strength on Hachinosu Island.
• Ares corrected his technique through repeated practice and eventually produced a powerful slash that cut a deep mark in the ground.
• Golden Lion returned, saw Ares's Flying Slash, and praised his talent and rapid progress.

Golden Lion Shiki tested Ares in swordsmanship training and was astonished by his talent and rapid progress. Rocks, Newgate, and Ochoku watched the fight, and Rocks praised Ares’s fearless approach to battle.

• Shiki praised Ares’s swordsmanship and talent, while Ares declared that he wanted to surpass the Supreme Great Sword and become the strongest and hardest.
• Shiki attacked Ares with Armament Haki-coated sheathed swords, and Ares blocked his blows with his hardened Blood Hand.
• Ares and Shiki fought fiercely, their clashes tearing through the surrounding earth and trees.
• Rocks, Newgate, and Ochoku watched from a distance as Rocks remarked on Ares’s rapid growth and Newgate agreed that Ares learned exceptionally quickly.
• Ochoku recalled Ares charging alone at the World Destroyer Pirates and Vice Admiral Garp, while Rocks defended Ares’s recklessness and praised him as a true warrior.

Ares continued battling Shiki the Golden Lion as Rocks, Whitebeard, and Ochoku watched his strength and unusual Armament Haki. Whitebeard then rushed into the arena to take Shiki’s place and spar with Ares.

• Rocks told Ochoku that his cautious nature had kept him from reaching the strength of Shiki and Whitebeard, while Ochoku said he was content to leave powerful opponents to them.
• Ares fought Shiki for nearly half an hour without tiring and steadily improved his slashes and combat skills.
• Shiki blocked Ares’s attacks with Armament Haki and reflected on how Ares’s unique Haki strained other people’s bodies.
• Whitebeard explained that years of harsh training had made Ares’s body unusual, and Rocks asked Ochoku to guide the young pirate.
• Whitebeard planted Cloud Piercer in the ground, charged into the arena, and called on Shiki to move aside so he could spar with Ares.

Whitebeard ignored his agreement with Golden Lion and sparred with Ares for hours, impressed by Ares’s rapid growth. The crew returned to Skull Castle for a banquet, where Shakky complained that Ares’s appetite had grown again.

• Whitebeard charged into Golden Lion’s scheduled spar with Ares, and Golden Lion accused him of cheating.
• Ares and Whitebeard exchanged punches and kicks for several hours while Rocks and Ochoku watched.
• Ares collapsed from exhaustion, and Whitebeard praised his progress while telling him he still had far to go.
• Golden Lion confronted Whitebeard over taking his turn, but Rocks stopped their argument and led the crew back to Skull Castle.
• The Rocks Pirates held a banquet, and Shakky complained that Ares had become an even bigger eater.

At the Rocks Pirates’ banquet, Whitebeard and Golden Lion protected Ares from Linlin’s advances, and the officers helped defuse the confrontation. Captain Rocks and Captain John arrived, and the banquet began.

• Shakky angrily chopped ingredients while Ares joined Whitebeard and Golden Lion in the officers’ room, drawing attention from the other pirates.
• Kaido watched Ares with envy and vowed to train harder, master Armament Haki, and become an officer.
• Linlin flirted with Ares and offered gifts for the chance to have children with him, but Whitebeard threatened her and pointed Cloud Piercer at her.
• Streusen and Silver Axe urged everyone to calm down, and Ares said he wanted to eat and drink.
• Rocks and John arrived, and the banquet officially began.

Rocks assigned Whitebeard to attack the Byrnndi World Pirates and sent Shiki and Ochoku to approach the Roger Pirates, while Ares looked forward to the voyage. After mastering Armament Haki, Kaido set out to challenge Ares, with Streusen following to watch their clash.

• Linlin ate cake while fantasizing about eventually tasting Ares.
• Rocks announced that Whitebeard would deal with the Byrnndi World Pirates and ordered Shiki and Ochoku to recruit the Roger Pirates or kill them if they refused.
• Ares welcomed the coming voyage, hoping to find a Devil Fruit and fight powerful opponents, while the crew prepared to sail in a month.
• Twenty-seven days later, Kaido had mastered Armament Haki and declared that he would defeat Ares.
• Kaido headed to challenge Ares, and Streusen followed, eager to witness the fight.

Ares continued his extreme training while Whitebeard and Golden Lion praised his rapid growth and compared him favorably to Charlotte Linlin. Kaido arrived to challenge him, but Ares refused, leaving Kaido furious and demanding a fight.

• Ares performed squats beneath a hill weighing dozens of tons as Whitebeard and Golden Lion watched.
• Whitebeard and Golden Lion praised Ares’s progress and said he could surpass Charlotte Linlin, whom they regarded as naturally powerful but undisciplined.
• Kaido arrived with Streusen and resolved to defeat Ares after losing to him before.
• Kaido challenged Ares, but Ares refused, saying Kaido was too weak to make a fight enjoyable.
• Kaido accused Ares of being afraid to lose and demanded that he fight.

Kaido challenged Ares, who kept training with a mountain on his back, and destroyed the mountain to force a fair fight. Kaido revealed that he had learned Armament Haki, and Ares advanced on him as the duel began.

• Golden Lion and Whitebeard urged Ares to accept Kaido's challenge, while Streusen worried that Kaido's new Armament Haki might change the outcome.
• Ares agreed to fight but continued doing squats with the mountain on his back, angering Kaido.
• Kaido punched the mountain and shattered it, then declared that he had endured a month of brutal training to defeat Ares.
• Ares emerged from the dust and told Kaido he hated having his training interrupted, then prepared to fight him.
• Kaido hardened his arm with Armament Haki, surprising Golden Lion as Streusen watched the two face off.

Ares effortlessly defeated Kaido and endured his furious attacks without injury, leaving Kaido devastated by the gap between them. When Kaido said Linlin’s body was tougher than his, Ares became intensely interested.

• Kaido charged Ares with an Armament Haki punch, but Ares dodged and slammed Kaido’s head into the ground.
• Golden Lion and Whitebeard praised Ares’s skill and argued over who deserved credit for training him.
• Kaido attacked again in humiliation and rage, but Ares caught his wrist and told him he was not even qualified to be his opponent.
• Kaido struck Ares repeatedly, yet could not move or injure him, and he lamented that only Linlin’s body might be tougher.
• Ares seized on Kaido’s remark about Linlin and asked whether her body was harder than his.

Ares learned that Linlin was known as the Steel Balloon, while Kaido, rejected by Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Ares, awakened Conqueror's Haki. Kaido regained his resolve to grow stronger and pursue Linlin's Devil Fruit, as Streusen worried about Linlin's interest in Ares.

• Kaido told Ares that Linlin's skin was harder than steel, and Whitebeard and Golden Lion ordered Kaido to leave.
• Kaido vowed to defeat Ares, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion and become the strongest, then awakened Conqueror's Haki.
• Streusen explained Conqueror's Haki and told Kaido that Rocks D. Zebek was the only Rocks Pirate who could master it.
• Kaido resolved to train his Haki and obtain the Devil Fruit Linlin treasured, and Streusen encouraged him to recover from defeat.
• Streusen wondered how he could help Linlin pursue Ares while Whitebeard and Golden Lion guarded him closely.

After defeating Kaido, Ares planned to begin the second stage of body tempering, using fire to strengthen his physique. He learned that he would soon join Golden Lion and Whitebeard on a mission to meet the Roger Pirates, then went to Linlin’s room to investigate her steel skin.

• Streusen worried that Ares’s strength would make Linlin’s assignment difficult, but took comfort in Kaido having learned Armament Haki.
• Whitebeard and Golden Lion praised Ares, and Ares decided to try fire forging to overcome his training bottleneck.
• Golden Lion told Ares and Whitebeard they would sail in two days to invite the Roger Pirates, whose powerful crew excited Ares.
• Ares went to find Linlin so he could learn why her body was so tough.
• Streusen told Linlin how Ares had defeated Kaido, and Linlin eagerly declared that she wanted Ares.
• Ares arrived at Linlin’s room, stunning Streusen when he opened the door.

Ares visited Linlin to investigate why her body was so tough, but she grabbed him and tried to eat him. Their struggle wrecked the room, and Linlin was sent crashing through a wall before charging back at Ares in a rage.

• Ares told Linlin he had come to learn why her body was so tough, and she invited him to examine her hand.
• Linlin grabbed Ares and pulled him into her embrace, but he kicked her and tried to break free.
• Ares unleashed his special Armament Haki, heating his body until Linlin cried out from the heat.
• Linlin was kicked through the wall and landed on Streusen, then got up and charged back into the room, threatening to eat Ares.

Linlin’s Food Craving Syndrome flared up, and she relentlessly attacked Ares while Streusen tried to distract her and get Ares away. After Ares knocked Linlin through the ceiling, he picked up a Devil Fruit, leaving Streusen shocked and demanding that he put it down.

• Linlin’s craving turned violent, and she smashed through the room’s wall while pursuing Ares.
• Streusen transformed chunks of stone into food with his Eat Eat Fruit and tried to draw Linlin’s attention away from Ares.
• Streusen entered the room and urged Ares to flee before Newgate and Shiki discovered the commotion.
• Ares spotted an azure-blue, scale-patterned Devil Fruit inside an iron box as Linlin pounced on him.
• Ares used Blood-colored Armament—Bull Head to strike Linlin into the ceiling, then picked up the Devil Fruit despite Streusen’s warning.

Ares ate Linlin’s Mythical Zoan Dragon Devil Fruit despite Streusen’s warning, then discovered its power while fighting Streusen. Linlin found Ares in her rampage, and Streusen’s question about Ares knowing the Six Powers went unanswered.

• Streusen tried to stop Ares from eating the Dragon-form Zoan Devil Fruit, but Ares ate it and recoiled at its terrible taste.
• Ares recognized the fruit’s potential to improve his recovery, while Linlin smashed through the walls searching for him.
• Streusen attacked Ares with a sword slash, but Ares blocked it with his arm and flung it aside.
• Ares unleashed a Rankyaku-like kick and charged Streusen with a powerful punch, forcing Streusen to retreat.
• Streusen asked how Ares knew the Six Powers, but Linlin arrived and called out to Ares.

After eating Linlin’s Devil Fruit, Ares transformed into the Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon and rose above Hachinosu, throwing the island into panic. As the Rocks Pirates’ officers reacted to his appearance, the dragon unleashed a torrent of fire from the sky.

• Linlin flooded Ares with purple liquid while he began transforming, and Streusen recognized the Azure Dragon Form.
• Ares burst through the castle ceilings as a colossal blue-and-yellow dragon, darkening the sky over Hachinosu with thunderclouds and lightning.
• The island’s residents panicked, while Kaido realized Linlin had given the Devil Fruit to Ares and angrily left to confront her.
• Ochoku, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Silver Axe watched the dragon, with Golden Lion eager to fight it.
• Ochoku shouted that the dragon was breathing fire as a sea of flames poured down from the sky.

Golden Lion Shiki charged the giant dragon Ares and was knocked from the sky by its powerful slashes. As Rocks sent Whitebeard to stop Charlotte Linlin’s rampage, the dragon descended toward Linlin, leaving Whitebeard wondering whether it was connected to her.

• Golden Lion Shiki flew through the dragon’s flames and challenged it, hoping to slay a dragon.
• Ares swung a claw and unleashed four enormous slashes that struck Shiki and sent him crashing to the ground.
• Silver Axe and Whitebeard reacted to the dragon’s strength, while Rocks questioned why it had appeared on Hachinosu Island.
• After learning that Charlotte Linlin’s Food Craving Syndrome had turned her into the “Natural Destroyer,” Rocks sent Whitebeard to stop her.
• Ares descended from the thunderclouds toward Linlin, and Whitebeard wondered whether the dragon had something to do with her.