Chapter Summaries

The Five Elders approved Sakazuki as Fleet Admiral and chose Issho and Bane to fill the vacant Admiral positions, while Kuzan agreed to step down and move to the second line. After the Marines publicized Bane’s killing of Doflamingo and clash with Kaido, Sakazuki took office, Kuzan resigned as Admiral, and Bane and Issho were sworn in.

• Steel Bone Kong told the Five Elders that Kuzan would retain his rank but withdraw to the second line after Zephyr persuaded him to stay in the Marines.
• The Five Elders approved Sakazuki’s promotion to Fleet Admiral and agreed that Issho and Bane would become Admirals.
• The World Government and Marines announced Bane’s killing of Doflamingo and battle with Kaido to divert attention from Kuzan’s resignation and bolster the Marines’ reputation.
• The Five Elders accepted Sengoku’s responsibility for Doflamingo’s death and decided not to pursue the matter further.
• On August 16, 1521, Sakazuki took office as Fleet Admiral; Kuzan resigned as Admiral on August 17, and Bane and Issho were sworn in as Admirals on August 22.

After becoming a Navy Admiral, Bane decided to build a new faction from the Navy’s younger generation rather than join Sakazuki’s Hawk Faction. He selected five promising officers as its first members and planned to expand the group as they advanced.

• Bane celebrated becoming an Admiral and discussed forming an inner circle with Ain, while noting that Issho intended to rebuild the Dove Faction.
• Ain advised Bane to recruit younger officers whose faction loyalties were not yet firmly established, including Smoker and Hina.
• Bane reviewed Headquarters’ promotion files and chose Rear Admirals Maynard and Doll as promising candidates.
• Bane finalized the first batch of five recruits: Smoker, Hina, T Bone, Maynard, and Doll.
• Bane considered Commodore Kujaku but set her aside because of her special connections and his uncertain memory of her attitude toward him.

Ain invited Doll to join Admiral Bane’s new-generation Marine faction, and Doll accepted, agreeing to help establish G-6 instead of G-14. Meanwhile, Bane and Magellan finalized their cooperation on sending Impel Down prisoners to G-6 for Labor Reform, before Bane left to discuss Marine Headquarters’ relocation.

• At the Marine Club, Doll invited Hibari and Isuka to join her at G-14, while Hibari said she and Kujaku planned to join the Blade unit and Isuka agreed to follow Doll.
• Ain offered Doll a place in Bane’s new Marine faction, and Kujaku eagerly asked to join, but Ain said Bane was currently selecting Rear Admirals.
• Doll accepted Bane’s invitation and agreed to transfer her base-building assignment from G-14 to G-6.
• Bane told Magellan that Sakazuki had approved the Labor Reform plan for Impel Down prisoners and said Fubuki would coordinate the program and select prisoners for G-6.
• Nami told Bane that Sakazuki had summoned him to discuss Headquarters’ relocation, so Bane ended his call with Magellan and left his office.

Sakazuki gathered Bane, Borsalino, and Issho to plan the relocation of Marine Headquarters and the Marines’ next campaign. They set the move to G-1 for September 2, Marine Calendar 1521, agreed to pursue abolishing the Shichibukai system at the next Reverie, and left the meeting focused on taking on the Four Emperors.

• Sakazuki asked the Admirals and Bane about relocating Marine Headquarters to the New World, and Borsalino volunteered to remain stationed at Marineford.
• Sakazuki, Bane, Borsalino, and Issho approved moving Headquarters to G-1 on September 2, Marine Calendar 1521, and signed the order.
• Issho urged the Marines to abolish the Shichibukai system, and Sakazuki pledged to support Issho’s proposal at the next Reverie.
• Borsalino explained that Kuma was being modified by the Science Unit, while Bane identified Mihawk, Moria, and Hancock as the remaining Shichibukai targets to consider.
• Bane proposed targeting the Four Emperors as the root of New World turmoil, and Sakazuki agreed.

Bane and the Marine leadership debated how to campaign against the New World’s pirate crews, then agreed to target Ochoku’s Hachinosu and expand Marine territory steadily. As Headquarters prepared to relocate, Bane arranged to go to G-6, while Maynard celebrated his transfer there to serve under Bane.

• Bane proposed attacking the Big Mom Pirates, but Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Issho raised concerns about the risks and difficulty of targeting the major crews.
• Bane urged the Marines to steadily encroach on pirate territory, then proposed taking Hachinosu from Ochoku as a strategic foothold; Sakazuki agreed to present the plan to senior officers.
• Bane said he would travel to G-6 after Headquarters relocated to G-1, while Issho stayed behind and Sakazuki planned to launch a World Military Draft.
• Bane told Nami to notify Zoro and the others that they would leave for G-6 on the second of next month and would not return soon.
• At Sabaody, Maynard received orders to report to G-6 and excitedly announced that Bane had selected him to serve at his side.

Smoker, Hina, and Sharinguru decided to accept Bane’s invitations to join his command as Marine Headquarters relocated to the New World. As Bane headed for Merveille, he checked on preparations for his growing force and ended the chapter frustrated by fishing while Zoro caught fish with electricity.

• Smoker, Hina, and Sharinguru agreed to join Bane’s command, seeing it as a promising new Marine faction.
• Marine Headquarters relocated to G-1, and Bane led ten warships toward G-6 Marine Base in Merveille.
• Dr. Genus told Bane that the Merveille laboratory and an RC Injection production line were ready, while Zephyr’s twenty thousand Marines and Bane’s ten thousand Marines formed the force’s initial ranks.
• Dr. Genus criticized Baroque Works’ weapons and planned to produce better arms on an island in Merveille.
• Bane caught a giant fish, then grew furious when he caught nothing for hours and blamed the bait.
• Ain teased Bane about wearing a helmet as Zoro showed off a pile of fish caught by electrifying the water.

Kuzan visited Meruvio and saw how the Marine base was growing into a floating city that welcomed refugees. After hearing Binz praise Admiral Bane’s leadership, Kuzan hoped Bane could help him find clarity too.

• Kuzan arrived at Meruvio’s G-6 harbor and rode a freight elevator upward with Rear Admiral Binz.
• Binz explained that the surrounding artificial Sky Islands were part of the Sky Tree plan to make Meruvio self-sufficient and large enough to house millions.
• Kuzan saw Marines registering refugees for Meruvio residency and learned that settlers would receive land, building materials, and help suited to their occupations.
• Binz said Admiral Bane had helped guide Zephyr and the Marines toward a hopeful path, and Kuzan hoped Bane could clear his own doubts.

Kuzan toured Meruvio and realized that Bane and Zephyr were building the foundations for a new Marine force through pirate labor reform, refugee settlement, and a growing population. He went to find Zephyr and saw Meruvio’s advanced weapons research, then hurried to watch a new battleship’s launch test.

• Kuzan saw captured members of Shiki’s Flying Pirate Fleet forced to work on Meruvio’s construction, and Binz explained the Labor Reform program and plans to bring prisoners from Impel Down.
• Binz showed Kuzan the refugee camps and explained how Meruvio’s transport ships brought refugees from the war-torn New World.
• Kuzan realized Meruvio’s growing population could provide a reliable source of recruits for a Neo Marines independent of Mary Geoise and the World Government.
• Binz brought Kuzan to Meruvio’s research center, where Kuzan watched a researcher test a powerful new light machine gun.
• Researchers announced that the Genus No. 1 Battleship was about to undergo a launch test, and Binz led Kuzan toward the simulated sea zone to watch.

Zephyr and Dr. Genus assessed the cost and military role of Meruvio’s new steel battleship, while Kuzan realized the base could reshape naval warfare. Kuzan then unexpectedly encountered Nico Robin, leaving both of them surprised to find the other at Meruvio.

• Zephyr toured the battleship with Dr. Genus, who explained that it cost over thirty billion Belly to build individually and would be cheaper to mass-produce.
• Zephyr and Dr. Genus agreed that battleships should serve as capital ships, led by Vice Admirals and supported by ordinary warships, elite soldiers, and Pacifistas.
• Kuzan watched the discussion and concluded that Meruvio’s weapons, warships, and personnel gave it the power to accomplish great things.
• Kuzan spotted Nico Robin among the crowd as she spoke with Trafalgar Law, and he and Robin exchanged surprised questions about why the other was there.

Kuzan met Robin and learned that she managed Baroque Works for Bane, then spoke with Zephyr about the Marines’ corruption and their plans to change the world. Kuzan chose to support Zephyr’s cause, while Zephyr revealed that Bane intended to become the King of the World.

• Kuzan discovered that Robin worked for Bane and managed Baroque Works, which was helping fund Meruvio’s development.
• Zephyr showed Kuzan his regenerated arm and recommended that Kuzan have his missing leg restored.
• Kuzan admitted he had wanted to leave the Marines and reflect on their actions, and Zephyr challenged him to face his own complicity in their crimes.
• Zephyr explained that he had abandoned his plan to destroy the New World and now wanted to overthrow the World Government and make the Marines just again.
• Kuzan agreed to help Zephyr, then laughed when Zephyr said Bane wanted to become the King of the World.

Bane returned to Meruvio and saw Dr. Genus's enhanced Marine soldiers demonstrate their combat abilities. The leaders agreed to create a ten-thousand-member elite force, which Dr. Genus named the Blaze Unit, while Bane went to find Nico Robin in the archives.

• Bane arrived at Meruvio, reunited with Zephyr and Kuzan, and learned about the island's progress.
• Bane and the others watched elite Marines fight with tactical equipment before using Kagune to enhance their bodies.
• Dr. Genus explained that the Kagune agents cost three million Belly per soldier, and the group planned to select ten thousand Marines for the elite force.
• Kuzan proposed that future recruits earn their place through merit, and Dr. Genus argued over names before settling on the Blaze Unit.
• Bane left to visit Nico Robin, who was helping Dr. Genus decipher strange writing in the archives.

Bane arrived early and reunited with Robin in Baroque Works’ archive room, where they flirted before discussing the secrets he had kept from her. Robin also passed along a billion-Belly check from Gild Tesoro, and the two began reviewing Baroque Works’ affairs.

• Bane entered the archive room and found Robin studying on the second floor; they kissed and caught up.
• Robin teased Bane about rumors linking him to Ain, Nami, and Rear Admiral Fubuki, and he admitted the relationships were mutual.
• Robin told Bane that Dr. Genus had asked her to decipher alien writing, prompting Bane to say he had hidden parts of his past and intended to explain them in person.
• Robin postponed hearing Bane’s secrets until that night and gave him a one-billion-Belly check from Gild Tesoro, who wanted to meet him.
• Bane and Robin turned to Baroque Works’ business, and Bane listened as Robin reported on the organization’s current situation.

Bane and Robin discussed Baroque Works’ expansion into the New World and its future businesses, including refugee transport and arms sales. Bane planned to turn Baroque Works into a financial institution and decided to recruit Gild Tesoro by helping him kill the Celestial Dragons.

• Robin reported that Baroque Works’ New World expansion was progressing smoothly with support from Gild Tesoro and raised questions about human trafficking and arms trading.
• Bane agreed that Baroque Works could transport refugees to Meruvio and sell Alabasta’s weapons, despite the risk of provoking the Beasts Pirates.
• Bane told Robin to develop Baroque Works into a financial institution that could manage his gold reserves, support Meruvio, and resist economic pressure from the World Government.
• Robin admitted she could not lead the financial project, and Bane said he expected Tesoro to be suited for it.
• Bane explained that Tesoro sought revenge for his past as a slave and the loss of his love, and concluded that helping him kill the Celestial Dragons could win him over.

Bane spent the night with Robin, then faced Nami and Fubuki’s teasing before returning to his office and reviewing Marine business. After realizing Sakazuki’s Hachinosu operation could earn his officers merit, Bane ordered a combined fleet to support the campaign against Ochoku.

• Nami searched Bane’s room and then Fubuki’s, mistakenly suspecting that Robin had taken him away.
• Bane spent the night with Robin and carefully left her room the next day.
• Nami and Fubuki teased Bane over lunch and promised to keep him busy that night.
• Ain told Bane that Headquarters had approved Rear Admiral Doll’s appointment as G-6’s construction chief and planned an operation against Ochoku on Hachinosu.
• Bane realized Sakazuki’s support assignment offered a chance to earn merit and ordered Zoro, Fubuki, Doll, and Maynard to join Smoker, Hina, and Sharinguru in a combined fleet to capture Ochoku.

While relaxing at Meruvio, Bane learned that Uta’s upcoming concert in Elegia could give the Marines an opportunity to target the Red Hair Pirates. He ordered G-6 to prepare an annihilation operation against Shanks’s crew.

• Bane spent his free time fishing and joked with Ain about his growing toughness and patience.
• Ain gave Bane an invitation to Uta’s concert in Elegia, prompting him to recall that the event was happening earlier than he expected.
• Bane revealed that Uta was Red-Haired Shanks’s adopted daughter and said the concert could help the Marines locate the Red Hair Pirates.
• Bane ordered G-6 to prepare an operation against the Red Hair Pirates while Headquarters launched a campaign against Hachinosu.
• Bane decided his force, including Zephyr and Kuzan, could challenge the Red Hair Pirates and packed away his fishing gear.

Bane planned to use a concert in Elegia as cover for a possible encounter with the Red Hair Pirates and recruited Garp to join him. Garp eagerly agreed after learning that Shanks might be involved, hoping to eliminate the pirates who had inspired Luffy to become a pirate.

• Ain warned Bane that attacking the Red Hair Pirates without authorization could leave him responsible, so Bane decided to frame the trip to Elegia as a concert outing and an unexpected encounter.
• Garp’s doctor confirmed that Luffy’s injuries were superficial, and Garp beat him again after Luffy declared he would become the Pirate King and escape.
• Bane called Garp and invited him to Uta’s concert in Elegia, prompting Garp to complain that Bane should stay at his Marine base during the upcoming campaign against Ochoku.
• Bane privately told Garp that Uta was Shanks’s adopted daughter and that the Red Hair Pirates might appear in Elegia as part of a plot.
• Garp eagerly agreed to join Bane, seeing the concert as a chance to confront the Red Hair Pirates and change Luffy’s path.

Bane and his companions vacationed at sea while following the Marine assault on Hachinosu and preparing to meet Garp on Elegia to watch for the Red Hair Pirates. The chapter left Bane regretting that Zoro and Fubuki had been sent to Hachinosu instead of joining his operation.

• Nami read a newspaper reporting that the Marines had sealed off Hachinosu and launched a full-scale attack on Ochoku's pirates, with Zoro and Fubuki featured as rising Marine stars.
• Ain said Headquarters had reported that the assault would begin that day, while Nami noted that Issho had intercepted the Big Mom Pirates fleet heading to reinforce Hachinosu.
• Nami and Ain discussed the possibility that Kaido might intervene and noted that the newspaper offered no news about the Red Hair Pirates.
• Bane spoke with Garp by Den Den Mushi and said they would meet in a couple of days, follow the concert schedule on Elegia, and wait for the Red Hair Pirates to appear.
• Bane considered his force of four Admiral-level fighters and lamented that Zoro and Fubuki were unavailable because they had been sent to Hachinosu.

Sakazuki struggled with the paperwork of being Fleet Admiral while reviewing Aramaki’s successful command at Hachinosu. He learned that Bane had gone to Elegia for Uta’s concert with Kuzan, Zephyr, and Garp, and ended the chapter by assigning Bane a proposal to exterminate the Red Hair Pirates.

• Sakazuki reviewed reports showing Aramaki had breached Port Rocky and that Issho had intercepted the Big Mom Pirates’ support fleet.
• Sakazuki told Tsuru he would not promote Aramaki to Admiral Candidate yet, because the Marines needed stability and Aramaki still needed greater prestige.
• Sakazuki asked Tsuru about Bane and learned that Bane had taken vacation with Zephyr, Kuzan, and Garp to attend Uta’s concert on Elegia.
• Sakazuki grew resentful that Kuzan was enjoying a concert while he worked through paperwork, then decided to give Bane more work.
• Sakazuki ordered Bane to draft a proposal for exterminating the Red Hair Pirates.

Admiral Issho learned that the Big Mom Pirates had withdrawn from the blockade and praised Zoro and Fubuki for defeating Solonke on Hachinosu. Meanwhile, Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates sailed toward Elegia to stop Uta’s concert and take her away before the disaster they feared could happen again.

• Momonga reported that Katakuri’s fleet had abandoned its attempt to rescue Ochoku, but Issho ordered the Navy to hold its position until the fighting on Hachinosu ended.
• Momonga told Issho that Zoro and Fubuki had joined forces to kill Solonke, and Issho celebrated their progress.
• Issho decided to visit Meruvio after the battle because he missed his like-minded companions and felt disconnected from them.
• Shanks and Beckman recalled Elegia’s destruction and discussed how the Red Hair Pirates had left Uta there years ago.
• Beckman said the Navy and World Government had not noticed the danger surrounding Uta’s planned concert, and Shanks ordered the Red Force to hurry to Elegia so they could take her away before it began.

Bane brought a group of Marines to meet Uta at the Opera Hotel while Shanks and his crew arrived intending to take her away. The two groups collided in Uta’s suite, leaving Beckman convinced Gordon had led them into a trap.

• Bane brought Garp, Kuzan, Zephyr, Ain, Nami, and Robin to the Opera Hotel to meet Uta and asked the chairman to keep their visit secret.
• Gordon met Shanks and his crew, explained that Uta would not listen to him, and agreed to lead them to her.
• Shanks told Gordon he planned to take Uta away by force, while Beckman joked that Gordon could join the Red Hair Pirates later.
• Bane and the others met Uta in her suite, where Kuzan, Ain, and Nami eagerly spoke with her.
• Shanks kicked open the suite door and declared that he was taking Uta away, then froze upon seeing Bane, Garp, Zephyr, and Kuzan.
• Beckman turned to the stunned Gordon and accused him of selling them out and leading them into a trap.