Chapter Summaries

Sengoku suspected Shiki was remaining in Impel Down for a hidden purpose, while Nicholas learned that Ye Mu and his crew had infiltrated the prison to search for something underground. Nicholas went to investigate on Level 5, leaving the guards unsure why he was heading toward the warden’s former office.

• Sengoku told Borsalino that Shiki could escape but was likely waiting for a special objective, and ordered him to watch Impel Down.
• Magellan and Shiryu realized Shiki seemed to be playing with them despite having a chance to escape.
• Nicholas received a report that Ye Mu, captain of the Sky Pirates, had secretly infiltrated Impel Down and was searching underground for something.
• Nicholas inferred that Ye Mu had taken Komi and Shiki, then ordered the staff not to report the news until he returned.
• Nicholas went to Level 5 to confirm the intelligence and hurried toward the warden’s former office.

Nicholas discovered that Dr. Komi had betrayed him to study Ye Mu, whose power might hold answers to Nicholas’s questions, just as a strange change began in the laboratory. Meanwhile, Shiki tried to destroy Impel Down, but a familiar burst of Conqueror’s Haki made him and the others rush toward the prison’s depths, where Sengoku recognized Rocks’s Haki.

• Nicholas found Dr. Komi working in his laboratory beside Ye Mu, sealed inside a culture vessel.
• Dr. Komi admitted he had helped Ye Mu because he believed the young pirate might possess world-changing power and answers Nicholas sought.
• Shiki overpowered Magellan and Shiryu and began tearing apart Impel Down to announce his return.
• A powerful Conqueror’s Haki burst from the darkness below, sending Shiki’s floating debris crashing down.
• Shiki, Magellan, and Shiryu descended toward the source of the Haki, while Sengoku recognized it as Rocks’s.

After Shiki and Ye Mu’s Conqueror’s Haki knocked out nearly everyone in Impel Down, Sengoku and Borsalino confronted them in Level 5. Ye Mu challenged Sengoku to fight while Shiki moved to hold off the others, especially Nicholas.

• Doug Rice endured the Haki blast, recognized Ye Mu as he fought Shiki, and watched Sengoku arrive as a golden Buddha with Borsalino.
• Sengoku and Shiki clashed with their Conqueror’s Haki, unleashing a shockwave across Freezing Hell.
• Sengoku questioned Ye Mu about his connection to Rocks and his Haki, but Ye Mu gave no answer.
• Ye Mu asked Shiki to hold off the others, especially Nicholas, until their agreement’s twelve hours were up.
• Shiki charged at Magellan, Shiryu, and Nicholas while Sengoku transformed again and ordered Borsalino to help them, leaving Ye Mu to face him.

Ye Mu and Sengoku faced off while Shiki fought the Marines, and Sengoku tried to turn Shiki against Ye Mu by revealing that Ye Mu had killed Baroba. Ye Mu revealed that Baroba had been a CP0 spy and that the Marines and World Government had destroyed Shiki’s Flying Grand Fleet, leaving Shiki furious and demanding confirmation from Sengoku.

• Sengoku hesitated to attack Ye Mu, who taunted him for holding back.
• Sengoku asked whether Ye Mu had taken Gol D. Roger’s child, surprising Shiki and Borsalino.
• Sengoku told Shiki that Ye Mu had killed Baroba, but Shiki laughed and praised Ye Mu rather than turning against him.
• Ye Mu refused Shiki’s offer to become his subordinate and said Shiki’s Flying Grand Fleet had been wiped out.
• Ye Mu revealed that Baroba had been a CP0 spy, and Shiki angrily asked Sengoku whether it was true.

Ye Mu challenged Sengoku over the Navy and World Government’s crimes, including the attacks on Fish-Man Island and the massacre on Baterilla Island. Sengoku accused Ye Mu of threatening the world, while Ye Mu condemned the Celestial Dragons and Sengoku’s justice, leaving Sengoku shaken and unable to answer.

• Sengoku defended Baroba’s actions as a successful mission, and Ye Mu pressed him to admit the Navy had ordered the attack on Fish-Man Island.
• Shiki mocked Sengoku after Ye Mu confronted him over the deaths of innocent people on Baterilla Island and the Navy’s actions there.
• Ye Mu demanded that Sengoku justify his record and his claim to represent justice, while Shiki gleefully joined in the taunting.
• Sengoku listed Ye Mu’s attacks on the World Government and argued that his influence had brought suffering to the world.
• Ye Mu asked why people became pirates and blamed the Celestial Dragons’ tribute demands for driving civilians into hardship, calling Sengoku’s justice hypocritical and ignorant.

Ye Mu challenged Sengoku’s belief in Navy justice, but Sengoku refused to change his stance and attacked him at Impel Down. As Ye Mu blocked Sengoku’s shockwave with his Nine-Dragon Possession, Shiki trapped the others and began fighting them.

• Ye Mu’s words made Sengoku confront his doubts about why pirates kept appearing, but Sengoku insisted that capturing pirates was still right.
• Sengoku attacked Ye Mu with a golden Buddha shockwave, and Ye Mu countered with Nine-Dragon Fire Prison Garment: Nine-Dragon Possession.
• Shiki threatened Borsalino, Nicholas, Magellan, and Shiryu, and the four prepared to fight him together.
• Nicholas tried to flee, but Shiki intercepted him and severed his arm.
• Sengoku unleashed another overwhelming shockwave at Ye Mu and declared that his pirate journey would end at Impel Down.

Ye Mu endured Sengoku’s full-power shockwave and awakened a familiar, ominous Haki tied to Rocks. He matched Sengoku’s attack, and Sengoku prepared to strike again with Conqueror’s Haki infusion.

• Sengoku unleashed a full-power golden shockwave that battered Ye Mu and nearly overwhelmed his defenses.
• Ye Mu’s Haki stopped collapsing, and a pitch-black aura emerged from him, which Shiki recognized as Rocks’s Conqueror’s Haki.
• Ye Mu used the power of Rocks’s Haki to stabilize himself and announced that he would strike back.
• Sengoku fired another shockwave, but Ye Mu met it with a growing black shockwave of his own.
• Borsalino and Shiki watched in shock as Ye Mu matched Sengoku, who resolved not to let him escape and prepared a Haki-infused punch.

Ye Mu used the power in Rocks' heart to block Sengoku's Conqueror's Haki-infused attack, but Sengoku overpowered and buried him beneath Level 5. As Sengoku and Borsalino prepared to face Shiki, flames erupted from the pit, leaving them stunned by what appeared to be Ye Mu's Logia awakening.

• Sengoku attacked Ye Mu with Buddha's Wrath, and Ye Mu met the blow using Rocks' Armament Haki Infusion power.
• Ye Mu initially blocked Sengoku's strike, but Sengoku gained the upper hand and smashed him into the ice, collapsing the Freezing Hell around him.
• Sengoku declared Ye Mu defeated and prepared to return Shiki to his cell, while Shiki floated up and challenged Sengoku.
• Borsalino took to the sky as Sengoku transformed into his Great Buddha form to confront Shiki with their allies.
• Flames burst from the pit where Ye Mu had fallen and spread across Level 5, prompting Borsalino to wonder if Ye Mu had awakened a Logia.

Ye Mu’s Logia power transformed Level 5 into a field of fire before drawing the flames into a pit and restoring the freezing climate. He emerged before Sengoku and the others, leaving Borsalino wondering if the awakening had failed.

• The prisoners and jailers woke to find Level 5 ablaze, while Sengoku, Borsalino, and Shiki watched Ye Mu’s location beneath the water.
• Sengoku ordered Borsalino to attack Ye Mu, and the two Admirals bombarded the water with golden projectiles and shock waves for several minutes.
• The flames across Level 5 gathered into a tornado and poured into the pit, cooling the prison until ice, snow, and hail returned.
• Borsalino recognized the spectacle as a possible Logia awakening, while Sengoku grew grim and Shiki watched in amazement.
• A pitch-black figure flew from the pit and landed before them, prompting Borsalino to wonder whether the awakening had failed.

After awakening the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ye Mu revealed that he could freeze Sengoku’s shockwave and unleashed a blazing new attack against him. Sengoku answered with a powerful Haki strike, leaving their battle unresolved.

• Ye Mu confirmed to Shiki and the others that his Devil Fruit had awakened, while Sengoku grew wary and Borsalino became eager to learn from him.
• Ye Mu and Sengoku exchanged Haki-infused punches, and Ye Mu announced that he would fight on his own home ground.
• Ye Mu used Zero-Degree Freeze to freeze Sengoku’s shockwave and part of his body, forcing Sengoku to retreat and leaving a massive iceberg in Level 5.
• Ye Mu formed a blazing fireball around his fist and charged at Sengoku with his Mahavairocana attack.
• Sengoku met Ye Mu’s attack with his Conqueror’s Haki-coated fists and unleashed Buddha’s Three Bodies: Deva-Human.

Sengoku abandoned his benevolent Bodhisattva form and fought Ye Mu with the direct, Haki-infused attacks of his Deva form, devastating Impel Down's Level 5. As rescuers emerged from the ruins and fighting raged above, Sengoku and Ye Mu flew out of the prison and collided again before the gathered Marines.

• Sengoku transformed into his Deva form and met Ye Mu's attack with a Conqueror's Haki-infused punch.
• Their clash engulfed Level 5 in a massive explosion that shattered the prison and left a vast crater.
• Nicholas, Magellan, Shiryu, Shiki, and Borsalino emerged from the ruins, but Sengoku and Ye Mu's presences could no longer be sensed.
• Nicholas left Magellan and Shiryu to contain the prisoners while he hurried away, and Shiryu hoped to reach the final battle in time.
• At Impel Down's exit, the elevator hall doors exploded, and Sengoku and Ye Mu flew out before colliding again in front of the Marines.

Ye Mu’s awakened Flame-Flame and Hot-Hot Fruit powers let him overpower Sengoku after an hour of battle. As Sengoku was sent flying, the sky darkened and he invoked “Buddha’s Three Bodies: Asura.”

• Ye Mu and Sengoku fought for an hour as their clashes shook the sea and stunned the Marines watching from their warships.
• Borsalino refused Kadar’s suggestion to join the fight, reasoning that they would only hinder Sengoku.
• Ye Mu gathered the flames around him and broke through Sengoku’s Armament Haki, sending the admiral flying.
• Ye Mu felt his strength continuing to grow as his newly awakened powers and his body adapted through the battle.
• Dark clouds gathered over the battlefield, and Sengoku called out, “Buddha’s Three Bodies: Asura.”

Sengoku revealed a terrifying form combining his Devil Fruit and Haki, while Shiki offered Ye Mu an alliance to defeat him. Ye Mu refused and summoned two living figures formed from his Flame-Flame Fruit and Hot-Hot Fruit powers, preparing to use their awakened abilities.

• Sengoku transformed into a golden Buddha surrounded by dark markings, lightning, and clouds, then warned Ye Mu and Shiki to surrender.
• Shiki laughed at Sengoku, explained that his strongest form could overwhelm Ye Mu, and proposed they join forces.
• Ye Mu refused Shiki's alliance and announced that he would use his own strongest power against Sengoku.
• Ye Mu released two small figures, Ye Mu No. 1 and Ye Mu No. 2, from his shoulders, and they began dancing in midair.
• Ye Mu explained that he had given portions of his soul and life force to the Flame-Flame Fruit and Hot-Hot Fruit so he could obtain their awakened powers.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Ye Mu successfully awakens his Devil Fruits, the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Hot-Hot Fruit, by transferring his soul and life force to them, making them true living beings with intelligence.
• Ye Mu transforms into his Flame Emperor Form, radiating a divine aura that surpasses Sengoku's Great Buddha form.
• Ye Mu prepares to defeat Sengoku with his newfound power, announcing his move: "Nine Suns Fall," which creates nine sun-like fireballs in the sky.
• Sengoku, realizing the threat, decides to face the attack head-on to protect his marines.

Character Developments

• Ye Mu's power and understanding of his Devil Fruits grow significantly, allowing him to awaken them and transform into a more powerful form.
• Sengoku, despite his shock and disbelief at Ye Mu's transformation, remains determined to protect his marines and uphold his duty as a marine.

Significant Themes

• The power of determination and will, as seen in Ye Mu's persistence in awakening his Devil Fruits and Sengoku's resolve to protect his comrades.
• The theme of growth and evolution, as Ye Mu's power and understanding of his abilities increase significantly over a short period.

Character Interactions

• Ye Mu and Sengoku's interaction is tense and filled with determination, as they both prepare for the final clash.
• The marines, both on the ship and in the sea, react with shock and awe at Ye Mu's display of power, some even expressing fear and the desire to flee.
• Shiki and Borsalino watch the scene unfold with astonishment, each processing their own thoughts on Ye Mu's growth and power.

In Loguetown, Shiki visited a clothing shop and asked the tailor about the Sky Pirates and their captain, Ye Mu. The tailor praised Ye Mu’s defiance of the World Government, leaving Shiki to reconsider words he had heard from Ye Mu before.

• Shiki bought several outfits and asked the shopkeeper for bounty posters, specifically ones showing the Sky Pirates.
• The shopkeeper showed Shiki Ye Mu’s first bounty poster and said the Marines had called him the most evil man.
• Shiki challenged the shopkeeper’s comparison of Ye Mu to Roger, and the shopkeeper explained why Roger had impressed him but pirates had brought trouble to Loguetown.
• The shopkeeper repeated Ye Mu’s speech to Sengoku, accusing the Celestial Dragons and World Government of being the world’s true evil.
• The shopkeeper said Ye Mu had killed a Celestial Dragon and that his actions gave people hope, prompting Shiki to reflect on Ye Mu’s words.

After escaping Impel Down, Shiki left Loguetown and returned to his island in the New World, where he learned his fleet had been destroyed and his dream of ruling the sea was far out of reach. He decided to visit Whitebeard to get an answer before committing himself to a duel.

• Shiki mocked the clothing store owner’s faith in Ye Mu, then left Loguetown after the owner finished his clothes.
• A newspaper announced Shiki’s escape from Impel Down as he flew from East Blue to his island, Totora.
• Shiki learned from Dr. Indigo that the Marines and World Government had crushed his fleet, leaving fewer than ten combatants and no territory or income.
• Dr. Indigo estimated that rebuilding the Flying Grand Fleet would take at least fifteen years, making Shiki doubt he could still achieve his dream.
• Shiki ordered his remaining crew to pack and announced he would visit Whitebeard to ask a question before facing him in a duel.

Whitebeard defeated Crocodile and held a banquet with his crew, who learned that Golden Lion Shiki had escaped from Impel Down. Shiki arrived aboard a floating pirate ship to speak with Whitebeard, and Whitebeard welcomed him as a guest.

• Whitebeard shattered Crocodile's sandstorm with a punch and left Crocodile and his subordinates to be thrown into the sea.
• Whitebeard asked Marco about Crocodile, then called for a banquet as the crew cleaned the deck.
• Marco read a newspaper announcing that Golden Lion Shiki had escaped from Impel Down.
• Shiki arrived aboard a giant floating pirate ship and landed on the Moby Dick's deck to greet Whitebeard.
• Shiki said he had come to ask Whitebeard a question, and Whitebeard ordered his crew to bring out wine and meat.

Shiki questioned Whitebeard about Roger’s decision to entrust the future to a new era, then learned Roger had been terminally ill when they fought at Edd War. Shiki revealed that Ye Mu had freed him and defeated Sengoku, leaving Whitebeard alarmed as Shiki began to explain what happened next.

• Shiki asked Whitebeard why Roger had placed his hopes in the future instead of changing the world himself.
• Whitebeard told Shiki that Roger had been terminally ill before surrendering and had sailed to Laugh Tale knowing he had little time left.
• Shiki realized Roger had fought him at Edd War while seriously ill, and Whitebeard recalled Roger’s three-day battle and his recruiting of Whitebeard’s second division captain.
• Shiki revealed that Lililu had been beside the person who freed him from prison, and identified his rescuer as Rocks D. White, also known as Ye Mu of the Sky Pirates.
• Shiki told Whitebeard that Ye Mu had defeated Sengoku four days earlier, though Ye Mu had suffered a crushing defeat as well.
• Shiki said Ye Mu’s next target after defeating Sengoku had been Shiki himself.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Garp returns to Marine Headquarters after hearing about Sengoku's injury.
• Sengoku is severely injured and mentally distressed after his defeat by Ye Mu.
• The Marines decide to suppress the Sky Pirates' actions temporarily and increase Ye Mu's bounty to 2.86 billion berries.
• Kong appoints Zephyr to temporarily lead the Marines until Sengoku recovers.

Character Developments

• Sengoku is shown to be vulnerable and defeated for the first time, highlighting his mental and physical injuries.
• Garp displays his concern and care for Sengoku, using humor to lift his spirits.
• Kong shows strategic thinking in handling the Sky Pirates' threat.

Significant Themes

• The growing threat of the Sky Pirates and Ye Mu's increasing power.
• The Marines' struggle to maintain order and control in the face of new challenges.
• The potential for a major upheaval in the world, foreshadowing the upcoming crisis.

Character Interactions

• Garp and Sengoku's friendship is emphasized as Garp tries to cheer up his injured comrade.
• Kong, Zephyr, Tsuru, Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan discuss the Sky Pirates' threat and the Marines' response.
• Sengoku shares his concerns about Ye Mu's power and ambitions with Garp, revealing his newfound respect and fear of the young pirate.

Ye Mu and Shiki met on Shaba Island for the duel they had both been preparing for, while their crews withdrew to keep clear of the fight. Before they began, Shiki challenged Ye Mu’s ambition to change the world.

• Shiki arrived at Shaba Island after Dr. Indigo warned that his medicine could restore his strength only temporarily and might cause lasting confusion.
• Ye Mu and Shiki met on the island’s frozen center, where Ye Mu introduced Ayala and Lililu and said the battle would be between the captains alone.
• Shiki ordered Dr. Indigo and Scarlet to take the Flying Pirates’ ship out to sea, while Ye Mu sent Ayala and Lililu away with Lililu carrying Ayala in her transformed nekomata form.
• With only Ye Mu and Shiki left on the ice field, Shiki lit a cigar and questioned how Ye Mu expected to change the world when Rocks and Roger had failed.