Ch. 161Summit War 20
Summit War 20 — Chapter Summary
Key Plot Points and Events
- Marco confirms that Uchiha Natsu is not an enemy and urges the stunned Whitebeard Pirates to attack while Natsu’s forces are disrupting the Marines.
- Natsu commands ten Semi-Complete Susanoo. Five attack Akainu while five assault Gunko, creating an overwhelming barrage of Dark Gold Tang Saber strikes.
- Akainu struggles to defend himself with magma. Although his attacks can damage Susanoo armor, he cannot break through quickly enough because the other Susanoo constantly pressure him.
- Gunko is cut in half by a Susanoo blade. She regenerates completely within moments, revealing an apparent immortality or extreme healing ability, though the pain still affects her.
- The wider battlefield remains chaotic: vice admirals fight pirate commanders, Pacifista wreckage burns, and Whitebeard and Garp continue their earth-shaking battle.
- Kizaru attempts to escape Natsu’s Wood Dragons and Wood Golem. His light-speed movement keeps him alive, but the regenerating constructs steadily restrict his available space.
- Natsu’s true body fights Steel Bone Kong directly. Kong’s increasingly powerful Ryuo-enhanced attacks crack Susanoo’s armor, but Natsu instantly repairs the damage with chakra, frustrating Kong and confirming that Natsu cannot be judged by ordinary standards.
- Uchiha Yaoyu and Uchiha Yakumi defeat a headquarters vice admiral. They then recognize Onigumo fighting three Whitebeard commanders with seven swords, using six sword-wielding strands of hair through Life Return.
- Yakumi and Yaoyu remember Onigumo’s earlier attack on Uchiha Yashiro near Origin Island, while Onigumo remembers losing his left arm in that battle. Both sides immediately recognize the encounter as a long-standing personal grudge.
- Yaoyu and Yakumi launch a simultaneous, chakra-infused attack against Onigumo, beginning a revenge confrontation.
Character Developments
- Marco: Accepts Natsu as an ally and takes initiative by rallying the Whitebeard Pirates to exploit the opening he creates.
- Uchiha Natsu: Demonstrates enormous battlefield control through Susanoo and Wood Release. His ability to regenerate damaged chakra armor makes him extraordinarily difficult to defeat.
- Akainu: Is forced into a defensive struggle unlike anything he has previously experienced, emphasizing the limitations of relying solely on overwhelming magma power.
- Gunko: Reveals that she can reconstruct her body after being bisected, although the experience still causes intense pain and anger.
- Kizaru: Remains the fastest fighter on the battlefield but is gradually cornered because speed alone cannot overcome the Wood constructs’ regeneration and area control.
- Steel Bone Kong: Escalates from standard Armament Haki to Ryuo in response to Natsu’s strength. He begins to understand why Natsu was described as impossible to evaluate conventionally.
- Yaoyu and Yakumi: Act as a coordinated pair and reveal their intense personal hatred of Onigumo, shifting from battlefield combatants to avengers.
- Onigumo: Displays exceptional swordsmanship through his seven-blade technique and Life Return. His own resentment toward Yaoyu and Yakumi is rooted in the loss of his left arm during their earlier conflict.
Significant Themes
- Overwhelming force versus endurance: Akainu and Kong possess tremendous offensive power, but Natsu’s numbers, regeneration, and relentless pressure prevent them from gaining an advantage.
- The limits of conventional judgment: Natsu’s abilities defy normal military assessments, reinforcing the idea that traditional power rankings cannot account for his chakra regeneration and battlefield versatility.
- Immortality and suffering: Gunko’s regeneration separates physical survival from emotional or sensory invulnerability; returning from death does not remove the pain of being killed.
- Chaos and survival in war: The battlefield is portrayed as a place where combatants cannot pause to question extraordinary events. Everyone must continue fighting, while the wounded and dead are simply left behind.
- Revenge and unresolved history: The confrontation between Onigumo, Yaoyu, and Yakumi shows how earlier battles continue to shape present alliances and violence.
Important Character Interactions
- Marco publicly rallies the Whitebeard Pirates after recognizing Natsu’s alignment with them.
- Natsu’s Susanoo directly overwhelms both Akainu and Gunko, forcing them into defensive survival.
- Kong and Natsu engage in a close-range duel that highlights their contrasting methods: Ryuo-powered physical strikes versus endlessly repaired Susanoo armor.
- Yaoyu and Yakumi silently recognize one another’s shared hatred of Onigumo and attack together without hesitation.
- Onigumo’s recognition of the two Uchiha transforms the encounter into a personal battle driven by mutual memories of the Origin Island conflict.